Point of View

The Point of View of this collection of poems is first person. The one exception is the poem "Wild Orphan" where he uses a third-person viewpoint. In all the other poems, Ginsberg is speaking directly to us in the "I." He is not holding back from us his deepest thoughts and beliefs. His point of view is emphatic and passionate and unrestrained. In fact, his point of view can shock the reader very much. This is especially true in the title piece "Howl." This is the perfect point of view for the book as we come to know Ginsberg intimately through this viewpoint. We see the agonies he went through in his life, the endless experimentations in sex, drugs, alcohol, and religious and political thought. This first person point of view brings us as close as possible to the events and actions he was a part...