An Open Window on Chicago Allen Ginsberg Analysis

Allen Ginsbergs 1967 poem, An Open Window on Chicago is a vehicle for Ginsbergs aversion to commercialism and a lack of religion in mid-twentieth century America. He uses the city of Chicago, which, along with New York at the time, was known as an urban and commercial hub. The poem looks at Chicago as simply a city, but also as an entity to expose the darker side of the it, which helps show Ginsbergs perception of America during his time and how he thinks that: all Chicago is, is what you see That row of lights Finance Building, He also suggest the reader to take his or her own perception of the city when it says: Close your eyes on Chicago and be God,. Ginsberg subtly personifies the city as an active force that acts upon its inhabitants instead of the other way round, by immersing them in what Ginsberg believes to be false values. Ginsberg explores the city within the poem through a stream of what seems to be a persons consciousness, as it describes the city at first, but delves further into darker grounds. The poems lining and use of enjambment, makes it flow along as if it were a single stream of consciousness looking at Chicago through an open window. Ginsberg achieves this by starting with a vivid description of Chicagos night time being battleshipped with lights, and with grill lights blinking, towers winking, and police cars blinking. Here Ginsberg uses rhyme, personification and bright imagery to achieve a twilight description of Chicago, whilst keeping a flowing thought process. However, there is a subtle tone change in the poem to expose the darker side of Chicago, separating it from the surface description of the city, as the speaker enters the Spanish Diner and the girl at the counter turns into someone having needletracks on her wrist and being puncture-marked. Ginsberg uses harsh diction to reflect grimmer reality of

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An Open Window on Chicago Allen Ginsberg Analysis

the city. He also looks at the poverty of the city, as he personifies suffering as a homeless man who lifts a hand to beg a cigarette. Ginsberg couples this with an examination of the lack of religion within the society, as he uses scale to contrast the tiny church to Utensil Towers and other much larger structures within the city, and by also mentioning a Dakini (a female embodiment of a spiritual deity) who turns in her sleep to suggest the city to have no place for her. This gives the effect of making Chicago look like a godless place, where people have become neglected by the city which lacks spirituality. Ginsberg also makes statements against commercialism within the American culture. He questions if this tiny city is the best that we can do, and also employs a sarcastic tone when he says: These tiny reptilian towers/ so proud of their Executives they haveta build a big sign in middle downtown. This shows how he is against the commercialism, which dominates his era, and he also couples this with broken diction such as thru and haveta as if to say that it has cheapened the way of life.

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