Allen Ginsberg’s “America”

Allen Ginsberg’s long poem “America” makes use of sarcasm and harsh words to give much needed criticism to the America that Ginsberg lives in. Ginsberg attacks America on several fronts, from the social to the political, to show exactly in what ways America has failed to provide for its citizens. The overall tone of the poem is one of disappointment, even bitterness, but it also shows hope for the future - for those who still believe in the American dream. Ginsberg uses his sarcasm and sincere anger at the state of the country to show the flaws that need improvement, and also to show his hopes for how the country should and can get better.

The first few lines of the poem demonstrate the conflict between Ginsberg and America’s inability to provide for him. He says, “I’ve given you all and now I’m nothing. / …I can’t stand my own mind. / … Go fuck yourself with your atom bomb / I don’t feel good don’t bother me. / I won’t write my poem till I’m in my right mind” (1-7). Ginsberg seems to resent America for neglecting him and his mental status, while it instead focuses on its atom bomb. Ginsberg feels as though he cannot be productive or accomplish his goals, like writing his poetry, because he has given everything to the country, without the country making an effort to return the favor. America has used Ginsberg’s “all” to craft a weapon of mass destruction, rather than assisting Ginsberg to feel comfortable within his own mind.

Early in the poem, Ginsberg expresses his hope for the country’s future. “America when will you end the human war? / … America when will you be angelic? / When will you take off your clothes? / When will you look at yourself through the grave? / When will you be worthy of your million Trotskyites?” (4-11). Ginsberg very purposefully uses “When” when he questions America, rather than expressing doubt by asking if America was capable of making these changes. He expects America to end the human war but pushes for America to live up to its responsibilities to meet his expectations with more urgency. He continues, asking America when it will be angelic, when it will take off its clothes, and be worthy of the Trotskyites—or communist followers of Trotsky—living within its borders. Ginsberg wants America to strip itself down, to expose itself to be seen by its critics, and to accept the verdict on how to change its ways to suit the various political parties within its walls, especially the Trotskyites who Ginsberg presumably sees as the real moral leaders in the country.

Ginsberg condemns America’s expectations of himself, as well. “I’m sick of your insane demands. / When can I go into the supermarket and buy what I need with my good looks?” (14-15). Ginsberg outright says that the expectations placed on him are unreasonable; he seems to be addressing the focus on outward appearance in line fifteen, while still criticizing the impracticality of it; he wants to show the pointlessness of looking as good as America expects him to, if he cannot use his looks to accomplish simple tasks like buying groceries to live on.

Towards the end of the first large stanza, Ginsberg flaunts his actions of rebellion against America. He says, “America I used to be a communist when I was a kid and I’m not sorry. / I smoke marijuana every chance I get. / I sit in my house for days on end and stare at roses in the closet. / … My psychoanalyst thinks I’m perfectly right. / I won’t say the Lord’s Prayer” (28-35). He seems to be antagonizing America, daring it to punish him for not following the social contract he implies is in place. He unapologetically announces his deviant behavior and politics to show that he has been criminalized and marked as lesser for going against the grain. He shows that he had to seek validation from a psychoanalyst to show that his thoughts and values were valid, in an America that he thinks devalues him as a person for his beliefs. He holds up his values proudly, to show that his beliefs cannot be taken from him and squashed into what America expects them to be, like reciting the Lord’s Prayer, rejecting communism, and rejecting the typical productive working life to instead stare at roses in his closet.

The second stanza really shows the influence of the stream-of-consciousness style of the poem. “I’m addressing you. / Are you going to let our emotional life be run by Time Magazine? / I’m obsessed with Time Magazine. / … It’s always telling me about my responsibility. Businessmen are serious. Movie/producers are serious. Everyone’s serious but me” (38-45). Ginsberg follows his line of thinking, from getting America’s attention, to criticizing America’s complicity in the influence of Time Magazine on the population, and then becomes introspective about that influence. He compares himself to the people portrayed by the magazines, people who are probably considered successful and valuable members of society. He seems to feel like his level of responsibility doesn’t live up to what Time Magazine says it should be and blames America for allowing the magazine to dictate to its citizens their worth measured by responsibility and seriousness.

At the same time that Ginsberg critiques America for allowing Time Magazine to get its hold into its citizens, Ginsberg admits that he is not immune. “I’m obsessed by Time Magazine. / I read it every week. / Its cover stares at me every time I slink past the corner candy store. / I read it in the basement of the Berkeley Public Library” (40-43). Perhaps it’s because the magazine has become such an influential force in Ginsberg’s personal life that he speaks out against it so strongly. He seems to be ashamed of the hold Time has on him, saying that he has to slink past the candy store that stocks it, and that he reads it in the library’s basement, rather than among the general population. This shame would account for his direct address of America in the earlier lines, pushing it to respond to his complaints of its behavior.

Towards the end of the final stanza, Ginsberg turns on America specifically for its role in war. “America you don’t really want to go to war. / America it’s them Russians. / Them Russians them Russians and them Chinamen. And them Russians. / The Russia wants to eat us alive. The Russia’s power mad. She wants to take / our cars from our garages” (72-76). Ginsberg’s sarcasm shines through in these lines; he repeats and then switches up the enemy against whom America is fighting—Russians and then the Chinese—to emphasize the absurdity of America’s habit of war. His sarcasm makes it look as though America is no better than a petulant child throwing tantrums in any direction but itself; Ginsberg seems to be saying that since America cannot fix its internal problems, it externalizes its issues against countries it perceives to be a threat. This information continues the criticism of America’s issues regarding its treatment of its citizens; it cannot and will not address the problems within its borders, and instead focuses its energies towards outside forces.

Ginsberg has many feelings of shame, anger, and loss in this poem; he speaks sarcastically against America, insulting its ability to care for its citizens, to care for the politics and the lifestyles that may not match up to its expectations—like Ginsberg’s interest in remaining at home and rejecting the seriousness of businessmen—while attacking other countries for also failing to follow America’s moral codes and social interests. He shows no mercy in his criticism, but even from the beginning, he also shows his hope that America can and will get better. Ginsberg isn’t questioning whether America is the best country to live in for the sake of being petty, or to live in his own personal utopia; he is instead calling for America to improve its ways to care for all of its population.