Howl Group A

I did a little research on the poem and its author, and found that it was written during the Beat generation, which was characterized by its use of drugs, obsession with sexuality, and anti-conformist attitude. Based on this, I interpreted the first part of the poem as Ginsberg essentially saying the best minds weren't in academia, but rather were those whom society frowned upon. As far as the specific language that he uses, I think that was his own form of rebellion against the establishment, in the sense that he deliberately choose to break any rules of decorum that it had established.

I guess one of the things I didn't understand, was the whole tone of the last part. The refrain "I'm with you in Rockland" gives of this feeling of cheerful camaraderie, which is completely different from the first two parts which are shockingly violent and vulgar. I realize that the imagery in the third part isn't happy by any means, but I feel like its partially hidden by that refrain, and I'm a bit confused as to why the author did that, especially since the first two parts are not so in your face.