Lit 216 - Howl

This was one of my favorite readings we did this whole semester. The whole thing was so raw and rough, it seemed like the scrawlings of a madman. But a closer look revealed such beautiful and repulsive descriptions of how Ginsberg saw life. It was abundantly clear that he used drugs and was mentally unstable, but the way Ginsberg used writing to release all these insane feelings was just marvelous. I think this writing was kind of like an abstract piece of artwork, in that not everyone can appreciate it's beauty.

However, in the back of my mind I couldn't help but keep thinking 'howl's moving castle'

Lit 216 - Daddy

I don't really know that, without Sylvia Plath's explanation of what this poem is about, anyone can really know what she's going on about. It seems like she really has some deep dark daddy issues, she keeps referring to him as this nazi overlord. I don't know if she was abused or what her deal is, but it sure seemed to mess her up. I think it's obvious that losing her dad when she was just a little kid really affected her, as it would anyone. But what's strange is that she doesn't have warm sentimental feelings about him. I would imagine most people when they lose their father, especially as a little kid who sees their parents as really awesome, would look back and think fondly of him. I think this poem reflects her life's current stress and trouble with men embodied as her father, rather than how he really was.