America

Fiction | Poem | Adult | Published in 1956

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Summary

Background

Poem Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Literary Devices

Form and Meter

Ginsberg does not write in a set meter, and he does not use a rhyme scheme. In fact, there are no intentional rhymes in the poem that stand out. He does use alliteration in places, but Ginsberg’s poetic form really comes from his voice and the use of surreal images and strange syntax to achieve a unique tone. Ginsberg was also concerned with line length, and he was strategic of his use of long versus short lines, with this poem actually utilizing more short lines than long ones, which is unique in Ginsberg’s body of work.

More than anything, though, Ginsberg’s poetry is supposed to be read aloud. When matched with his exuberant performance style, the poem has life and energy.

Apostrophe

Ginsberg’s poem directly addresses America as if it were a living being. He personifies the country, gives it voice, and speaks directly to it. This is an example of apostrophe, and by doing this, Ginsberg is able to make his criticism more emotional, more poignant, and he is able to better dramatize the issues he wishes to address. His use of apostrophe is consistent throughout the entire poem.

Anaphora and End Stops

Ginsberg utilizes anaphora, which is when poets use repeated words and phrases at the beginning of lines in the poem. He opens almost every line in the poem with the words “America,” “I,” “You,” or some combination of those words. The effect of this helps give the poem a feeling of rhythm and helps distinguish it from prose. Since the poem is written almost entirely with no enjambment, it’s easy to read it as just a list of sentences. The repetition at the beginning of each line helps the poem mimic the breath and the heartbeat. This is a strategy Ginsberg used in a lot of his poetry. It’s a technique that he steals from meditation and the repetition of a mantra. Ginsberg referred to this as a fixed base, or a return point for the line to re-center the reader before diving into the next thought.

Ginsberg amplifies this effect by end-stopping most of the lines. There are only two places where he enjambs, and the only significant enjambment is the section where he remembers going to a Communist Cell meeting with his mother. This narrative image, being the only truly happy moment in the poem, stands out against the repetitive, hypnotic lines around it. It’s a break in the monotony, which makes sense considering it’s like a break in Ginsberg’s rant against the current state of America. The entire image runs together until it is punctuated with the realization that “Everybody must have been a spy” (Line 65), thus breaking the romantic memory and bringing Ginsberg back to the reality of America.

Sarcasm and Tone

Because the poem does not spell anything out with specific, straight forward ideas, it is easy to miss the sarcasm that runs throughout most of the poem. One of the first examples of this is early in the poem when Ginsberg writes, “I won’t write my poem till I’m in my right mind” (Line 7), and then continues to write his poem over the course of the next 40 lines. He makes this meta point again a little later when he says, “I’m trying to come to the point” (Line 22) and then proceeds to ramble for another 30 lines about his point. While it’s clear Ginsberg is serious about the issues he raises, he never takes himself too seriously. He’s got enough sense to stop for a pun (I haven’t got a “chinaman’s chance” [Line 48]), and he’s even lucid enough to add his own little stamp on a popular idiom when he changes “put your shoulder to the wheel” to “putting my queer shoulder to the wheel” (Line 78). Ginsberg’s ability to mix serious criticism with a self-aware, absurd, somewhat comedic tone actually gives his poetic voice a sense of authority and wisdom, much like a comedian might get when making comments on social issues through comedic storytelling.

The best example of this is Ginsberg’s sarcastic stereotype of Cold War Americans late in the poem. When he adopts their voice and perspective, he alters his syntax to make his voice sound uneducated. But the sarcasm is so blatant and over the top that it is clear he is aware what’s he’s doing. He can’t be accused of trying to embody something he doesn’t understand, because his criticisms are rooted in reality and because the way he makes the criticisms are intentionally exaggerated. This is a strong recipe for good satire.