Madison Cordell English 1102 Mrs. Kirk 12 September 2023 Change of Perception in “Sunflower Sutra” “The grime was no man’s grime but death and human locomotives” (Ginsberg line 23). In the poem "Sunflower Sutra," Allen Ginsberg relays his thoughts on industrialization and how he believes it has ruined the beauty of America, and he knows his own species is to blame. The negative emotions he felt about modernization and consumerism drove him to write the poem "Sunflower Sutra," where he describes what it is like to lose sight of beauty. Using the image of an old and empty railyard, he forces the reader to think about the leftovers of industrialization and the impact it has on the environment. His friend spots a sunflower and shows it to him, igniting Ginsberg’s memories of past visions. He goes on to ramble about the absurdity of the sunflower in the railyard, pointing out that the flower is gray and dirty just like the old locomotives, proving that the environment influenced its growth. Toward the end of the poem, however, the tone shifts to one of hope. He comes upon the realization that even though the sunflower is dirty and ugly in a sense, it is still a sunflower, and it is still beautiful because of that. He even addresses the sunflower and locomotive as if they were people, reminding them of who they are and not who they appear to be. Ginsberg uses juxtaposition, imagery, and symbolism to convey the message that it is never too late to change our perceptions. In particular, the juxtaposition of nature and industry in the poem is obvious, the way Ginsberg describes the locomotive and the sunflower as the “oily water” and “red sky” respectively (Ginsberg line 6). For the message of the poem to get across to its readers, there needed to be a focus on the idea of nature versus “modern” technology. He juxtaposes these ideas very openly in the line “gnarled steel roots of trees of / machinery” (Ginsberg line 4-5). He uses the picture of a tree made of machinery in a way that makes the audience believe that newer technology is ruining life as they know it. Trees and roots are seen as natural and beautiful, but gnarled steel and machinery are not seen as such, releasing smog and chemicals into the once exquisite environment. By placing these two completely unrelated images together, Ginsberg displays exactly what he is trying to convey: something natural turning into something unnatural. Towards the end of the poem, he continues to juxtapose the locomotive and sunflower but this time in a different light, writing “You were never no locomotive, Sunflower, you were a sunflower! / And you Locomotive, you are a locomotive, forget me not!” (Ginsberg lines 42-43). His tone shifts to something philosophical. It is clear in this line that he has come to terms with the idea that maybe technology and nature can exist together and that it may never be too late to change one’s own perception of the world. In Tony Trigilio’s literary criticism titled “Howl and Other Poems,” he describes this revelation as the narrator “set[ting] out to renovate a world in which nature and artifice are coequivalent” (Trigilio). Several critics agree that in “Sunflower Sutra,” and even some of his other works, Ginsberg struggles with his idea of technology and how it can corrupt a nation as he knows it. He proves in this poem, however, that there are many lessons to be learned, especially through ideas that one dislikes initially. In addition to juxtaposition, Ginsberg’s use of imagery carries throughout most of his poems, demonstrating a Whitman-like style in which descriptors are unlimited and the more there are, the better an image will be made. This sets up his message in “Sunflower Sutra” by relating his ideas and thoughts with descriptive words that trigger emotions in people. He wants the idea of the dirty sunflower to be vivid in the reader's head, using the descriptors “crackly bleak and dusty,” (Ginsberg line 15) “bleary spikes pushed down and broken like a battered crown,” (Ginsberg line 17) and even “Unholy battered old thing” (Ginsberg line 22). To many, his images are clear, but the words can be too much; however, Ginsberg also uses a rambling pace to simulate thinking, so one could argue all the words are necessary to an extent. His long descriptions are reminiscent of Walt Whitman’s free verse style, rich in strong adjectives. These Whitmanesque illustrations do not lesson through the poem, but the connotations of the words change, denoting a more hopeful tone in light of his discovery. He then uses adjectives such as “golden” (Ginsberg line 46), “blessed” (Ginsberg line 47), and “formal” (Ginsberg line 48) to describe the sunflower and its inner beauty. Critics also seem to agree with this idea of Ginsberg’s poem, Caitlyn Shanley commenting in her criticism titled “Sunflower Sutra” that Ginsberg eventually “celebrate[s] the lives of sunflowers” (Shanley), prompting others to celebrate their own lives. This furthers the overarching message of the poem that perceptions change, and that is okay. As well as the literary devices previously discussed, Ginsberg uses symbolism in “Sunflower Sutra” to demonstrate how similar and connected humans are to nature and their own destruction. There are two main symbols in the poem, and their meanings shift throughout, but they remain constants within the work. For example, the sunflower in the poem is representative of nature and beauty, even though it is only towards the end that the sunflower is described as such. The symbol shifts from meaning nature to America to inner beauty, but the theme is more than clear because of the way Ginsberg introduces and describes the symbols in the poem. He notes the symbol of the sunflower by pointlessly describing every single detail of it, from its “dead gray shadow” (Ginsberg line 9) to its “broke pieces of plaster / fallen out of the black twigs” (Ginsberg lines 20-21). Since the sunflower is a constant throughout the poem and is constantly being described, it must be noted as a symbol and recurring theme, along with the locomotive. The train, as a symbol, represents all from technology to corruption to modernization. His hatred for these themes becomes apparent when Ginsberg starts describing the locomotive, using phrases such as “that veil of darkened railroad skin” (Ginsberg line 24), “that smog of cheek” (Ginsberg line 24), and “that eyelid of black mis’ry” (Ginsberg lines 2425). These phrases encapsulate the view of the train he wants to convey, which makes it more surprising when he later looks at the locomotive in a more positive light. A well-known critic also spoke on Ginsberg’s use of symbolism in “Sunflower Sutra,” stating that “the symbol of the locomotive portrays industry's capacity to corrupt natural beauty” (Shanley “Sunflower Sutra”). While industrialism has the capacity to corrupt natural beauty, Ginsberg also notes, at the end of the poem, that everything is beautiful in its own way, displaying his message. Allen Ginsberg is famous for using plenty of literary devices and description in his poems, but it works to his advantage; that is his way of getting the reader to understand what his story is about. In his poem “Sunflower Sutra,” Ginsberg uses literary devices such as juxtaposition, imagery and symbolism to relay his message that perceptions can change for the better. He openly contrasts the sunflower and the locomotive to make his point that industrialism can corrupt beauty. He then intensely describes these “characters” to give them personality and show the reader how they can influence each other, and he makes them overarching symbols in the poem. This eventually counteracts his beginning statements and instead pushes the message that, similar to his, perceptions can change, and there is beauty in that. Annotated Bibliography Ginsberg, A. (n.d.). Sunflower Sutra by Allen Ginsberg. Poetry Foundation. https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/49304/sunflower-sutra This is my original source, containing the poem I am writing the essay about. I am using this source mainly to refer to the original poem “Sunflower Sutra.” The essay is about how Allen Ginsberg first believes that industrialization is ruining the environment and the world, but then discovers that it is much more beautiful to have them coexist in a world that is beautiful regardless of its outward appearance. Hollander, John. “Poetry Chronicle (Excerpt on Allen Ginsberg).” Twentieth Century American Literature: Allen Ginsberg, Chelsea House, 2022. Bloom's Literature, online.infobase.com/Auth/Index?aid=105438&itemid=WE54&articleId=637697. Accessed 6 Sept. 2023. This article is very short and barely mentions “Sunflower Sutra” or any other poems by Allen Ginsberg. The article is a criticism, but it will not be used in my essay because it does not have much valuable information for me and the topic I am writing about. If I were to write an essay about Allen Ginsberg and how others view his poems, it would be a good source to pull from, but there would need to be multiple sources since it is so short. Middleton–Kaplan, Richard. “The Landmark Beat Anthology: The New American Poetry, 1945– 1960.” Encyclopedia of Beat Literature, Second Edition, Facts On File, 2014. Bloom's Literature, online.infobase.com/Auth/Index?aid=105438&itemid=WE54&articleId=30952. Accessed 6 Sept. 2023. This source will be used in my essay because it describes the Beat poets and shortly analyzes certain landmark poems, including “Sunflower Sutra.” I found that the author of the article is a well-known scholar and writer. I can conclude that he is reliable and valid as a scholarly author since he has written many works for many databases on scholarly articles. I will use this article in my essay, even if briefly, because it combines analyses of Beat poets’ poems and the time and culture of the Beat generation. Perloff, Marjorie. “A Lion in Our Living Room (on Allen Ginsberg).” Twentieth Century American Literature: Allen Ginsberg, Chelsea House, 2022. Bloom's Literature, online.infobase.com/Auth/Index?aid=105438&itemid=WE54&articleId=637704. Accessed 6 Sept. 2023. The author of this article is very well known for their criticisms and literary input. This makes them a reliable author. This article is very long and barely discusses “Sunflower Sutra,” but it does discuss in detail Allen Ginsberg and his artistic style. I do not think I will use more than one quote from this article because it does not mention the ideas I am trying to convey in my essay. However, if I were writing about Ginsberg and his ideas of life based on his poetry, this would be an incredible source. Shanley, Caitlin. “‘America.’” Student's Encyclopedia of Great American Writers, Facts On File, 2021. Bloom's Literature, online.infobase.com/Auth/Index?aid=105438&itemid=WE54&articleId=479801. Accessed 6 Sept. 2023. This source will be useful in my essay even though it is about a different Allen Ginsberg poem. The author is credible because they have written several scholarly articles. The author of this article is also the author of a different source on my annotated bibliography. While this article is an overview of the poem “America” by Allen Ginsberg, it hits on themes in Ginsberg’s poetry and mentions “Sunflower Sutra.” I will use this source because it gives insight to common themes of Allen Ginsberg’s poetry. Shanley, Caitlin. “‘Sunflower Sutra.’” Student's Encyclopedia of Great American Writers, Facts On File, 2021. Bloom's Literature, online.infobase.com/Auth/Index?aid=105438&itemid=WE54&articleId=479799. Accessed 6 Sept. 2023. This source will help me write a summary of “Sunflower Sutra” and get an idea of what others think about the meaning of the poem. The author of the overview has written several articles on the works of Allen Ginsberg, including “America,” “Howl,” and others, so I can conclude that this author is reliable and knowledgeable on the topic. I am unsure whether I will use this article as a main source in my essay, but I will pull certain parts of it in the introduction at least. Trigilio, Tony. “Howl and Other Poems.” Encyclopedia of Beat Literature, Second Edition, Facts On File, 2014. Bloom's Literature, online.infobase.com/Auth/Index?aid=105438&itemid=WE54&articleId=30888. Accessed 6 Sept. 2023. This article is recorded as an analysis, and while it is an analysis of Allen Ginsberg’s poetry overall, it does mention and describe “Sunflower Sutra.” In looking for the author of the article, I found that they have written other articles, so they are a credible author. I may use the information in this article to introduce my topic and contrast the poem with Ginsberg’s other works. Since the analysis includes other works of Allen Ginsberg, it will be a good article to pull from regardless.
