This journal isn't really one of my best works, but I thought I'd publish it anyways because it's about Ginsberg. This page is actually something I did for American Lit. class.
Although the American Dream has a lot to due with success and wealth, freedom of speech is also a very important part that people tend to take for granted. I believe that the freedom to write, read, or say whatever we want is the most important part of the American Dream, and it’s something that is unique to the U.S.
A good example of this freedom would be the American writer and poet Allen Ginsberg. Ginsberg wrote a type of poetry known as “Beat” poetry. Beat poetry was often considered “inappropriate” and sometimes even vulgar to those who didn’t understand it. There was no law against this writing style, so Ginsberg went ahead and tried to publish his first work in 1956, titled “Howl and Other Poems”. However, the owners of the bookstore were charged with distributing obscene literature, and they were arrested. After a lengthy trial, the judge ruled that “Howl and Other Poems” was not obscene, and “Howl” went on to become one of the most popular poems of its time.
I believe that Ginsberg’s endeavor to get his poetry published is a good example of my view of the American Dream, because if he had been in any other country, “Howl” might not have been released to the public, and we would’ve missed out on a very interesting piece of literature.
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