Bring on the tough stuff - there’s not just one right answer.
- What is the effect of the poem's form (the apostrophes, the long lines) in the meaning of the poem? What's the point of addressing the poem to a dead guy? And why bother writing this as a poem at all if it's going to be so prose-like?
- Why do you think Ginsberg references Walt Whitman and Federico Garcia Lorca in this poem? What does he seem to think of these two figures?
- How does the speaker feel about American consumer culture? How can you tell?
- Why does Ginsberg bring Greek mythology into a poem about America? Does this enhance the poem for you, or distract you?
- Are there any answers to the speaker's big questions at the end of the poem? What might they be?