Allen Ginsberg: "Howl" and "The Shrouded Stranger"
Allen Ginsberg?s ?The Shrouded Stranger? (1949) and ?Howl? (1955-56) have very similar themes, but their style and structure are very different. They both have very sexual parts to them, not necessarily homosexual, but just a general sexuality. Both poems make mention of homelessness and poverty numerous times. There are mythological allusions in ?The Shrouded Stranger? while there are religious references in ?Howl,? in addition to hallucinatory drug references. The structure of ?The Shrouded Stranger? is …
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…the simple structure makes it seem more upbeat, reminding this reader of a Lewis Carroll poem. It allows a softer tone, and the intensity is much lower.
In conclusion, ?The Shrouded Stranger? succeeds more as a conventional poem, in the eyes of traditionalists. ?Howl? achieves more of an intensity, and sparks a series of strong emotions, but it reads more like prose than poetry. It?s entirely a matter of taste in style.
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