Blog 4 prompt 1

Diane di Prima’s Revolutionary Letters have correlations to Allen Ginsberg’s Howl, in that the themes of anarchy and Revolution are consistent throughout both pieces. The authors perceptions of these topics and the way they convey their ideas are distinct from one another, yet they’re both trying to insinuate and instigate similar responses from their readers. Di Prima’s articles utilize satire to create a list of completely ridiculous tasks to initiate a Revolution, while Ginsberg utilizes outlandish/controversial statements to agitate his readers into action.  

Di Prima’s Revolutionary Letters, are a narrative on the role that government, culture, and society play on the shaping of our lives. She writes that we shouldn’t conform to the “norms” which they place on us and gives her alternative interpretation of how we should deal with these cultural, societal, and political norms. Concepts form her first Revolutionary Letter include defeating a “force (or government)” which is greater than us. She also basically writes that these systems of government or society determine the worth of an individual based upon what society evaluates them to be. Her Seventh Revolutionary Letter includes a list of ways in which she would recommend starting a revolution. “success will depend mostly on your own state of mind: meditate, pray, make love, be prepared at any time, to die” She’s saying that successful revolutions rise out of calmness, piousness, pleasure, and a knowledge of the life cycle. She is using satire to convey that no matter what one does, there will always be death in the background and that we should live life to the fullest as we never know when it will end. Her ninth revolutionary letter is comprised of an outlandish list of tasks which she “believes” will instigate a revolution. Revolutionary letter 19 is about conforming to cultural or societal norms and how we shouldn’t bend ourselves the slightest bit to fit into society. I believed that in these types of statements Di prima is trying to get a rise out of her readers with her unyielding words.

This kind of uncomfortable wording, which is meant to instigate a conversation about these concepts in the reader’s mind is also utilized throughout Ginsberg’s poem.

            Ginsberg’s Howl is a piece which uses disturbing yet intriguing wording to convey his thoughts on rebellion and activism. His poem’s wording allows his readers to grasp complex and even absurd imagery. This allusion to imagery is the tip of the iceberg of this piece as it utilizes collage like elements of ideas, people, and places to convey an eminent pessimism in the world. His descriptions of these places are never easy to swallow and often leave a bad taste in the reader’s mouth. By showing the worst and most uncomfortable parts of society he’s initiating a conversation with his readers about the scum of society and the darkness which lies in all of it’s corners. He often references a who, which I interpret to be society throughout his piece “who went out whoring through Colorado in myriad stolen night cars, N.C., secret hero of these poems, cocksman, and Adonis of Denver-joy to the memory of his innumerable lays of girls in empty lots and diner backyards…”  readers would likely feel that society has lost any sense of sanity while morality would be the last thing on anyone’s conscious as Ginsberg’s writing leaves the reader questioning all common thought. Many would likely believe the only way to fix these issues would be to erase them and start from scratch.  

            The last line of Ginsberg’s poem goes “in my dreams you walk dripping from a sea-journey on the highway across America in tears to the door of my cottage in the Western night” I believe that Ginsberg is trying to convey that societal norms and government in America will inevitably ruin anyone who tries to take a stand. In Di prima’s Revolutionary Letter she writes “be prepared at any time, to die” Which I interpreted as life is filled with uncertainty and one can never depend on the world to be predictable. Therefore, although the Revolutionary Letters and Howl hold similar resonances in thought. The overlaps don’t qualify Di prima’s work as a response to Ginsberg’s outlook on revolution in Howl.