"America" and "In the Baggage Room at Greyhound"

The poem "America" by Ginsberg sounds kind of like a list of demands or an ultimatium. Especially when Ginsberg states "I'm sick of your insane demands" (p. 39). Simply put, he is tired of the way America, maybe the government, citizens, or both have caused him to keep his ideas and emotions bottled up. This is a great expression of the times that Ginsberg was writing in. As the poem progresses, Ginsberg gets more and more extreme and tries to define America and the way of life. My favorite line is "Are you going to let your emotional life be run by Time Magazine? I'm obsessed by Time Magazine. I read it every week" (p. 40-41). A few lines before that he says "I refuse to give up my obsession" (p. 40). He is stating that one can still be a true American even though they do not agree with problems that are prevalent in America.

Not much else to say about this poem. I just feel that Ginsberg was tired of being his true self. Maybe he came about in the wrong era.

"In the Baggage Room at Greyhound" is beautifully written. I feel as if that was written yesterday. Not many understand the poverty stricken lifestyle of having to ride the Greyhound. It is not a pretty experience. I love how he describes people's lives by the look of their baggage. His description of the surrounding area is so real. One line really shook me. "nor this trembling old lady with a cane taking the last trip of her life" (p. 44). Many people do not think that when they take a trip it will be their last trip. Just a thought. Then he personifies the suitcases by stating that they were "full of tragedy rocking back and forth waiting to be opened" (p. 45). He mentions everyone struggle: "baggage that's lost, nor damaged handles, nameplates vanished, busted wires, and broken ropes, whole trunks exploding on the concrete floor" (p. 45), but then on the next page he mentions that "the racks were created to hange our possessions, to keep [them] together". I feel that Ginsberg wanted to do better and succeed in his life, and it ended perfectly with him saying "Farewell ye Greyhound" (p. 48).