"A Supermarket in California" is a poem by Allen Ginsberg, one of the foremost poets of mid-20th century America. Essay 2 Poetry Poetry is a form of literary art that uses aesthetic and rhythmic qualities of language to evoke meaning to an audience. ...?A Supermarket in California Today Allen Ginsberg is regarded as one of the 20th century’s seminal Beat poets. The narrator, Allen Ginsberg has an imagination of going to a Californian supermarket. As with most writing of the Beat movement, the poem does not follow a “traditional” structure or form. literary terms. “A Supermarket in California” is a short poem in free verse, its twelve lines divided into three stanzas. A Supermarket in California Summary The speaker of the poem thinks of the 19th-century American poet Walt Whitman as he walks down dark streets. This poem criticizes the mainstream of American culture and is considered one of the major poetic works of the Beat Generation. In addition to constructing poetry, Ginsberg’s would prominently influence Beat writers such as Jack Kerouac and Diana DiPrima. Cloudflare Ray ID: 613ad2c58ba2d308 The meter is mostly iambic, with slight variations. Literary Analysis Whitman’s character is an instrument used to examine sustained interactions with the author, emphasizing the lack … He uses strong imagery to allow the reader to get a strong sense of the atmosphere. He is a muse because he wrote in free verse and was a homosexual, like Ginsberg. A Supermarket in California. Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev surveys a Safeway supermarket in San Francisco. Remember: This is just a sample from a fellow student. Essay 2 Poetry Poetry is a form of literary art that uses aesthetic and rhythmic qualities of language to evoke meaning to an audience. In the following essay, Semansky characterizes “A Supermarket in California” as a lament about the materialistic, spiritually vapid culture of mid-twentieth-century America that underscores the inherent conflict embodied in living in an advanced capitalist country and the emotional and psychologically devastating effects of such conflict. We will occasionally send you account related emails. Poetry Poetry is a form of literary art that uses aesthetic and rhythmic qualities of language to evoke meaning to an audience. The supermarket is real. Allen Ginsberg “A Supermarket in California” is both an ode to Ginsberg’s poetic hero and major influence, Walt Whitman.Walt Whitman was an early influence in Ginsberg poetry. In Whitman’s poems, there is an image of work and production, while Ginsberg’s poems show spending of money and consuming. A Supermarket in California reveals Ginsberg’s interpretation of the world through an analogy of a supermarket with his model influence, Walt Whitman. this essay is not unique. Perhaps the reason for his seemingly absurd questioning in a supermarket is because in Whitman’s time, one would actually know who killed the pig that the meat is coming from, and one would be able to haggle the price of fruit with a vendor. Allen Ginsberg, "A Supermarket in California" Literary Analysis 1669 Words | 7 Pages. He recounts one night that he had envisioned. A Supermarket in California. Having trouble finding the perfect essay? This poem is a tribute to Walt Whitman in the centennial year of the first edition of Leaves of Grass. Supermarkets as Symbols. Courtesy of AP Images . The reason for the iambic meter is most likely because it is the meter closest to the way people actually speak. While Whitman’s work spans a wide array of texts, undoubtedly his most celebrated is the 1956 collection of poetry Howl and Other Poems. If you are on a personal connection, like at home, you can run an anti-virus scan on your device to make sure it is not infected with malware. The speaker even sees another poet from whom to garner inspiration, Garcia Lorca, in his mental supermarket. If you are at an office or shared network, you can ask the network administrator to run a scan across the network looking for misconfigured or infected devices. ...?A Supermarket in California Today Allen Ginsberg is regarded as one of the 20th century’s seminal Beat poets. The poem begins with the speaker, presumably Ginsberg as the writer, wandering the streets in frustration, searching for something. One of the most interesting characteristics of this poem is the fact that Whitman is used as an inspiration and as a contrast to the modern American world from which Ginsberg draws his inspiration. He is looking to Whitman, as one of the most important figures in poetry, for guidance. The second line furthers the supermarket metaphor and the frustration revealed in the first line of the poem. The free-verse form allows for the free association of ideas. Also, this poem quite possibly could have been inspired from Ginsberg's experimentation of drugs. You can order Unique paper and our professionals Rewrite it for you. You may need to download version 2.0 now from the Chrome Web Store. In addition to constructing poetry, Ginsberg’s would prominently influence Beat writers such as Jack Kerouac and Diana DiPrima. As he sees it, the California supermarket is a cornucopia, an oversized container of things familiar and curious, a museum of culled flora and dressed-out fauna—bananas, artichokes, watermelons, avocados, pork chops. Although he admits the supermarket affair involving Whitman is a mere fantasy, there is still a strong social statement being made by Ginsberg through this fantasy. The free-verse form allows for the free association of ideas. Explore Course Hero's library of literature materials, including documents and Q&A pairs. • A Supermarket in California Thesis Statement. Poetry is a form of literary art that uses aesthetic and rhythmic qualities of language to evoke meaning to an audience. In “A Supermarket in California,” Allen Ginsberg uses the American supermarket as an extended metaphor for a poet’s mind and experiences. In this supermarket of the mind, the poet can select images and inspirations much as one would search for items on a grocery list. "A SUPERMARKET IN CALIFORNIA" pg. Read all news including political news, current affairs and news headlines online on Supermarket In California … Dec. 30, 2020. This is not an example of the work written by professional essay writers. Through free verse, figurative language, and symbolism, Allen Ginsberg’s “A Supermarket in California” confronts the artifice of American culture and it’s demonization of homosexuality. By clicking “Send”, you agree to our Terms of service and Privacy statement. According to Michael Meyer 1 poetry in fixed verse “can be compared to the regular figures of classical ballet, free verse to the variable movements of modern dance, whose patterns are very flexible but nevertheless follow a choreography”.. "A Supermarket in California" is an example of a poem that can be either taken literally, or it could contain some symbolic meaning. A Supermarket in California is a poem by American poet Allen Ginsberg first published in Howl and Other Poems in 1956. January 2009 Thesis for: Bachelor of education. GradesFixer. Throughout ‘A Supermarket in California’, Ginsberg explores the distinct concepts of the natural, the unnatural and the supernatural through his use of symbolism… If you’d like this or any other sample, we’ll happily email it to you. If you fit this description, you can use our free essay samples to generate ideas, get inspired and figure out a title or outline for your paper. During the 1950s, as the United States waged a cold war against Soviet communism, supermarkets became symbols of the superior living standards made possible by the American capitalist system. A Supermarket in California Today Allen Ginsberg is regarded as one of the 20th century’s seminal Beat poets. Throughout ‘A Supermarket in California’, Ginsberg explores the distinct concepts of the natural, the unnatural and the supernatural through his use of symbolism, structure and mythical allusions. 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