Footnote to Howl by Allen Ginsberg
TEXT OVERVIEW AND SUMMARY
“Footnote to Howl” is the concluding section of Allen Ginsberg’s landmark poem “Howl,” first published in 1956. Though labeled a “footnote,” it functions as a visionary coda—a tonal and thematic departure from the despair and rage of the preceding three parts. While “Howl” mourns the spiritual destruction of Ginsberg’s generation under modern American society, “Footnote to Howl” shifts toward an ecstatic affirmation of existence. It reads like a chant, repeating the word “holy” in an almost liturgical rhythm to consecrate everything the earlier sections depicted in darkness.
Ginsberg proclaims that “everything is holy,” from the human body to machinery, from suffering to madness. This radical, indiscriminate sanctification of all things—especially those considered impure, marginal, or obscene—completes the poem’s spiritual arc. Where “Howl” exposes the world’s suffering, “Foot-
note” redeems it with a declaration of universal holiness.
LITERARY ANALYSIS
Themes
• Universal Sanctity and Radical Affirmation: The central theme is that everything—regardless of its moral, social, or aesthetic value—is “holy.” This includes “the tongue and cock and hand and asshole,” as well as “the madman,” “the bum,” and “the angel.” Ginsberg redefines holiness not as moral purity but as intrinsic existence. He affirms the sacredness of human life in all its contradictions, especially those excluded from conventional religious or cultural values.
• Rebellion Against Cultural Norms: The poem’s repetition of “holy” acts as a direct challenge to religious orthodoxy and social respectability. By declaring taboo subjects holy, Ginsberg confronts mid-century America’s repression of sexuality, madness, and nonconformity. His holiness is not hierarchical but anarchic—granted not by God, but by human experience itself.
• Poetry as Prophetic and Redemptive: Ginsberg echoes the cadence and authority of biblical prophecy. The listlike structure recalls Whitman’s catalogues, while the
language evokes scripture and chant. In doing so, Ginsberg positions the poet as a prophet who restores meaning and value to the fragmented world described in “Howl.”
Form and Style
Repetition and Incantation: The repeated use of “holy” creates a rhythmic and hypnotic effect, mimicking religious liturgy. This repetition functions as both poetic device and spiritual invocation, transforming the profane into the sacred through sheer affirmation.
Whitmanesque Influence: Ginsberg’s long, open lines and inclusive lists are deeply indebted to Walt Whitman, especially Leaves of Grass. Like Whitman, Ginsberg uses the poetic form to democratize value—everyone and everything belongs in the poem, and thus in the sacred order.
Tone Shift: Compared to the intense anger and despair of “Howl,” “Footnote” is jubilant, celebratory, and ecstatic. It recontextualizes the suffering of previous sections as part of a larger, divine vision in which no aspect of life is excluded.
Selected Key Lines and Their Significance
• “Everything is holy! everybody’s holy! everywhere is holy! every day is in eternity! every man’s an angel!”—This
line encapsulates the poem’s sweeping inclusivity and spiritual democratization. Holiness is not reserved for the divine—it is embedded in everyday life.
• “Holy the solitudes of skyscrapers and pavements! holy the cafeterias filled with the millions!”—Ginsberg elevates the urban, the modern, and the mundane, challenging traditional divisions between the sacred and secular.
• “Holy my mother in the insane asylum!”—A personal and painful affirmation, this line asserts the sacredness of mental illness and familial suffering—topics often stigmatized or silenced.
QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER
1. Why do you think Ginsberg titled this section a “footnote”? How does that affect the way we read it?
2. How does the repeated use of the word “holy” transform the meaning of the poem’s subject matter?
3. In what ways does “Footnote to Howl” contrast with or resolve the despair of the earlier sections of “Howl”?
4. How does Ginsberg’s notion of holiness challenge traditional religious or moral frameworks?
CONTEXTUAL NOTE
“Footnote to Howl” must be read within the larger context of the Beat Generation’s rebel-
lion against postwar conformity, censorship, and materialism. At the time, poetry was expected to be restrained, impersonal, and decorous. Ginsberg broke those conventions with “Howl,” and “Footnote” serves as a climactic rejection of shame, exclusion, and despair. Ginsberg, a Jewish-American gay man deeply influenced by Eastern spirituality and American transcendentalism, offers a new vision of sanctity—one rooted in compassion, radical honesty, and poetic vision.