“…who wandered around and around at midnight in the railroad yard wondering where to go, and went, leaving no broken hearts…”

The imagery of these lines is powerful. The part “leaving no broken hearts”  can be interpreted in two ways. One which suggests that they are leaving behind no one who loves them or who cares for them, and the other suggesting that their own hearts are not broken because they don’t care that they are leaving since they have no attachment for the place they are in.

“They broke their backs lifting Moloch to Heaven!” 

I found the reference to Moloch in this sentence interesting. Moloch was a Canaanite deity who was “associated in biblical sources with the practice of child sacrifice.” I think the having these people who Ginsberg considers to have “the best minds” metaphorically lifting this evil creature to success, highlights Ginsberg’s point of how society encourages the waste of their potential ultimately driving them to madness or to the loss of their abilities.

“I’m with you in Rockland

where fifty more shocks will never return your soul to its body again from its pilgrimage to a cross in the void”

These lines allude to the shock therapy that American writer Carol Solomon received as treatment for his depression. The imagery here as well is striking with Ginsberg describing death as the “pilgrimage of the soul to a cross in the void”

“Moloch whose love is endless oil and stone! Moloch whose soul is electricity and banks! Moloch whose poverty is the specter of genius!”

Here we see the word “Moloch” being used to emphasize the corruption of the world. Talking about how society is what has caused these people to go insane. Moloch is made up of all the corruption, politics, capitalism and society’s frowned upon stance on homosexuality. He also says “whose poverty is the specter of genius” implying that he believes this is all done with intention, a system of genius meant to put down people.

“Moloch whose mind is pure machinery! Moloch whose blood is running money! Moloch whose fingers are ten armies!”

Again he is talking about the system that is America, the fingers meaning how the country has its firm hold on the world through evil, death, and violence through war and other methods, which by extension implicants young innocent men who have orders and duty to complete this country’s machine like thinking not caring how affects those it commands.

“I saw the best Minds of my generation destroyed by madness, starving hysterical naked”

You could say this really sums up one of the major themes of the poem at the very beginning, however the reason why it stuck out to me so much is because he talks about the people being affected being some of the smartest people he has ever known. Later on we see him talk about the pure genius system put in place to put people down, having its way with even the brightest there is, so imagine the toll it takes on those who aren’t.

“I saw the best minds of my generation destroyed by madness, starving hysterical naked, dragging themselves through the negro streets at dawn looking for an angry fix,”

In these lines, Ginsberg uses hyperbolic language to emphasize the dire situation of the people he is describing. “Destroyed by madness” and “starving hysterical naked” are extreme phrases that emphasize how the people he saw were in a state of desperation and hopelessness. The mention of “negro streets” is significant as well, as it reflects the social and racial tensions of the time period. The 1950s, when “Howl” was written, were marked by the civil rights movement and growing racial tensions in the United States.

“who poverty and tatters and hollow-eyed and high sat up smoking in the supernatural darkness of cold-water flats floating across the tops of cities contemplating jazz”

The juxtaposition of poverty and “the supernatural darkness” creates a striking contrast, highlighting the bleak living conditions of the people Ginsberg is describing. The mention of jazz is significant as well, as it was an important art form in African American culture and had a significant influence on the Beat Generation of writers, of which Ginsberg was a part.

“who were expelled from the academies for crazy & publishing obscene odes on the windows of the skull,”

The use of the word “expelled” here suggests that the people Ginsberg is describing were punished or cast out of traditional academic institutions for their unconventional behavior and beliefs.

The phrase “obscene odes on the windows of the skull” is a metaphor that suggests that these people were expressing their thoughts and emotions in a raw and unfiltered way, without regard for social norms or expectations. This is a common theme throughout the poem, as Ginsberg celebrates the power of individual expression and the rejection of conformity

The Souls of Black Folk by WEB Du Bois was written as a wake up call for African Americans living with the struggles and dangers that arose in a Post Civil War America, to get them to fight back and demand more change for the sake of their future. His words were that of inspiration, as in the reconstruction period of America there was a great rise in hate groups like the KKK, as well as lynching. It was a tumultuous time as even though African Americans were promised and held to to this hope of Freedom with the abolishment of Slavery, the world showed them otherwise. As he said himself, “We have no right to sit silently by while the inevitable seeds are sown for a harvest of disaster to our children, black and white.” This sentence encapsulates the thoughts that many African Americans had sat with and thought about, and lines like this  were designed to get them to see the situation their in an essentially challenged them to change it.

The Jungle, written by Upton Sinclair is based in the early 20th century in Chicago. It depicts the harsh realities and conditions that many immigrant workers had to deal with in coming over to America. It talks about the journey of Jurgis Rudkus who came over with his family from Lithuania to America. They moved to a town called Packing Town in Chicago, I think the depiction of the city is the biggest cultural resource used. The vibe and environment of the city encapsulates what life was like in the 20th century. The conditions that the men faced in those meat packing factories was something that very few people knew about, and the ones who did, didn’t feel bothered to do anything about it. It sheds a strong light on the health and safety of workers and how poorly they were treated. More importantly, I feel, it talks about the experiences and trials that immigrants had to face, deconstructing the false hoods of the American Dream and painting a grimmer and more harsh truth.

Du Bois uses imagery to evoke powerful emotions and convey the experiences of Black people in America. For example, he uses imagery to describe the horrors of lynching, the beauty of Black spirituals, and the despair of poverty. Through this imagery, Du Bois helps the reader understand the complexity of the Black experience and the struggle for freedom. One of the most striking examples of Du Bois’s use of imagery can be found in his description of the “Veil” that separates black people from white people. He uses the image of a veil to describe the social and cultural barriers that exist between the races. He writes, “The Negro is a sort of seventh son, born with a veil, and gifted with second-sight in this American world,—a world which yields him no true self-consciousness, but only lets him see himself through the revelation of the other world.” Du Bois’s use of the image of a veil conveys the idea that African Americans are hidden from white society, and that they are prevented from fully experiencing the benefits of American democracy. The veil also suggests that African Americans are seen as inferior, and that they are subject to the prejudices and stereotypes of white society.

Another example of Du Bois’s use of imagery can be found in his description of the landscape of the rural South. He uses vivid and detailed descriptions to convey the harsh realities of life for African Americans in this region. He writes, “Through the hot, dragging hours of the day, the little groups of shade under the trees moved with their baskets and pails to the watering-troughs and back again; at nightfall the gangs came in, and in the firefly-lit darkness tent and shanty gleamed weirdly here and there.” Du Bois’s use of imagery in this passage conveys the hard labor and poverty that African Americans experienced in the rural South. The image of the fireflies suggests that despite their struggles, there is still beauty to be found in their lives.

The Jungle by Upton Sinclair is a novel that was first published in 1906. It is a powerful depiction of the harsh realities of immigrant life in the early 20th century. The book follows the life of Jurgis Rudkus, a Lithuanian immigrant who comes to Chicago with his family seeking a better life. However, he soon discovers that life in the United States is not as he had imagined, and he faces poverty, exploitation, and injustice.

One of the ways in which The Jungle uses cultural and historical resources is by drawing upon the experiences of real-life immigrants who came to the United States during the early 20th century. Sinclair spent several weeks in Chicago’s stockyards, where he conducted interviews with workers and observed the conditions in which they worked. He also drew upon the experiences of his own family, who were Lithuanian immigrants, to create an authentic portrayal of the immigrant experience. In addition, The Jungle makes use of historical resources to create a vivid picture of the social and political context in which the story takes place. The book was written during a period of significant social and economic change in the United States, and Sinclair used this context to highlight the injustices of a capitalist society. The novel illustrates the exploitation of workers, the corruption of politicians and business owners, and the brutal conditions of the meatpacking industry. Sinclair’s portrayal of these issues drew upon historical sources, such as the reports of journalists and social reformers who had investigated the meatpacking industry.

The Jungle uses cultural resources to illustrate the immigrant experience and the challenges that immigrants faced when coming to the United States. The novel explores the tensions between different immigrant groups, as well as the difficulties of adapting to a new culture and language. It also touches on issues such as the role of religion in immigrant communities and the importance of family ties.

Jurgis and Ona are two integral characters in The Jungle by Upton Sinclair. Therefore, should they require an actor and actress for these pivotal roles, I would cast Arnold Schwarzenegger as Jurgis because of his bodybuilder stature and Natalie Portman because of her petite frame. As we witness the role of Jurgis in the novel and how he is described by Sinclair, an actor like Arnold fits perfectly. Jurgis is described as a big and strappid man who is shy at functions and socially awkward. I think Arnold would be a great actor because he too is from Europe and began his journey to America as a young man seeking the American Dream. Natalie Portman, was also born outside of the United States. Born in Jerusalem, she moved to America at the age of seven. My first recollection of Portman was when she starred in her first movie Léon: The Professional alongside Jean Reno. Portman embodied the role of a young girl whose family was murdered by corrupt DEA agents. I think she fits the role of Ona because of her sense of vulnerability in the moments after witnessing the death of her family members. These actors/actresses both show great potential for being cast as the protagonists of the Jungle. Therein, my idea of the film adaption of the book would center around poverty, violence, and unprotected environments. Sinclair states, “The rich people not only had all the money, they had all the chance to get more; they had all the know-ledge and the power, and so the poor man was down, and he had to stay down.” (Sinclair, 2021, p. 40). Lines like these represent the struggle and adversity the characters in the book faced. Schwarzenegger and Portman would be great choices to reflect these characters when set against an urban landscape like the Chicago meatpacking district. The film should be raw—no pun intended—and vibrantly express the challenges each character faced in the most visceral way possible.