Ginsberg America

Ginsberg: America

The poem America by Allen Ginsberg is a harsh critique on the American culture. This poem made me feel like he is giving a lecture to the country of their actions, almost like they are a child being punished. A line that really jumped out at me was when he said, "Go f*** yourself with your atom bomb". He is clearly talking about Russia and the communists. He is arguing that what we did to them was wrong and who are we to do these things to them. He then proceeds to attack the materialistic America. "America I've given you all and now I'm nothing" Letting us know that he has given his all to this country but what has the country given back to him? He then attacks Time magazine by saying " Are you going to let your emotional life be run by Time Magazine?" He says that this magazine is telling everyone they are important but him. Unless you have a nice job you are nothing to the American culture.

Ginsberg throughout the poem attacks the American culture in many ways. He is clearly not happy with the way things are going in this country. This poem is definitely shocking for me; I can't even imagine the reviews it may have gotten when it was first published. I think that Ginsberg wanted to get his point across to the American people but I do not know if this was the most efficient way. I am sure there are many deeper meanings but this poem was kind of hard for me to understand other than the fact that he is really ticked off at the American culture.