Sunflower Sutra Summary

In this poem Ginsberg talks of he and Jack Kerouac sitting on a dock and looking up at a railroad yard. Jack points out a large dead sunflower sitting on a pile of sawdust. Ginsberg is mesmerized by this sunflower. He sees the glory that was once this sunflower. He sees, in this dry, decaying sunflower, a beauty it once had. He asks the dead sunflower when did it decide it was the specter and shade of a once powerful American locomotive. In this poem, Ginsberg also likens human beings to beautiful golden sunflowers.

Sunflower Sutra Analysis

The theme of this poem is BEAUTY and LOSS OF POWER. Ginsberg sees the beauty in this regal sunflower, even as it decays in an industrial setting. He sees that it lost its beauty and power as a flower due to the industry around...