i just joined the list last night, so forgive me if i'm a bit off, but i
think the main bit of deliciousness here is that Howl is a piece which is
the epic of culture- and youth most notably- steadily declining into
something ultimately less-than-human.. and does it in what was considered
for its time utterly obscene. to make it a required reading, as it seems in
the image, by an organization of the academy is nothing less than strange- a
branch that is known for its desire for order, excellence, presentability,
and so forth is pushing on the students a piece which was originally
condemned by the "State" to be unfit for reading and, i believe this is a
direct quote from the trial Ginsberg was put through for it, "without value
to the American people."
or at least that's what i've assumed. :)
On 9/30/07, Kenneth Wolman <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>
> Something curious to this thread. Correct me if I'm wrong, but the
> assumption behind thread has never been defined. One can only assume
> what we are expected to assume?
>
> The reigning assumption du jour seems to be that apes should receive
> their allotment of bananas and not allowed near typewriters lest they
> accept the risk of one day writing Hamlet. Therefore, to give a poem to
> a military cadet is a great disturbance in the Force, y'might say--an
> insult to the order of things in which all soldiers are morons and all
> poets are men and women of the highest moral standing.
>
> KW
>
> --
> ------------------
> Kenneth Wolman rainermaria.typepad.com
>
> "I agree with the Chekhov character who, when in a crisis, he is
> reminded that 'this, too, shall pass,' responds 'Nothing
> passes.'"--Philip Roth
>
--
Brent Saner
215.264.0112(cell)
215.362.7696(residence)
http://www.thenotebookarmy.org
|