The Poet as Activist: Spaces of Protest in Allen Ginsberg’s Poetry
The Poet as Activist: Spaces of Protest in Allen Ginsberg’s Poetry

Summary/Abstract: Starting with the 1950s, American cities have undergone impactful waves of change. Certain places may facilitate activism more than others, as well as the production of subcultures and countercultures. Such events helped at building cultural layers that led toward the achievement of a more tolerant, equal and inclusive society. Whether the Beat Generation can be labeled as an activist group has been debated by literary critics, newspapers and institutions. Their prose and poetry broke the silence of an authoritative era and inspired generations of youth to militate against social discrimination. The current article demonstrates that Allen Ginsberg’s poetry depicts some of the challenges that the youth of the post-war America encompassed. His poetry, lifestyle and involvement in social demonstrations can regard him as not only a poet but an activist as well. The city he describes becomes iconic for the American culture, by offering an underground perspective on people’s experience in the urban space.

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