In “A Supermarket in California,” Allen Ginsberg uses the American supermarket as an extended metaphor for a poet's mind and experiences. In this supermarket of the mind, the poet can select images and inspirations just as one would search for items on a shopping list. The free verse form allows for the free association of ideas. The vocabulary and literary techniques, especially the lack of rhyme, are an excellent demonstration of the freedom of poetry that characterizes the Beat movement. The first half of this poem provides excellent fodder for interpretation and explanation. Ginsberg's speaker in "A Supermarket in California"—more pessimistic than his beloved muse, Walt Whitman—may fantasize about an ideal "America of love," but the poem's concluding rhetorical questions reveal his belief that This vision of an accepting, loving America never existed, at least not for him. His America, rather, is overwhelmed and afflicted by chronic loneliness. To establish this point, one must first examine how the speaker of the poem expresses their reality in America through the lens of a dream style. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay The poem begins with the speaker, presumably Ginsberg as the writer, wandering the streets in frustration, looking for something. He comes across a supermarket and finds Walt Whitman and follows him everywhere, trying to use him as a guide in his writing. The supermarket at night is the metaphorical place of the poem's action; everything is happening in Ginsberg's mind. Ginsberg is compelled to write this poem for several reasons. He is frustrated by the lack of inspiration and things to write about. He is looking to Whitman, as one of the most important figures in poetry, for guidance. Whitman's presence in the poem speaks volumes. Ginsberg clearly sees him as a predecessor with much to give in the way of inspiration. Whitman was also something of a revolutionary, both in his writing and in his personal life. He is a muse because he wrote in free verse and was homosexual, like Ginsberg. The speaker also sees another poet to draw inspiration from, Garcia Lorca, in his mental supermarket. “A Supermarket in California” falls into the “dramatic” category of poetry. It is written in free verse or in open form. This allows for the free flow of ideas and words, without the need to adhere to a deliberately pre-structured form. Ginsberg uses this lack of structure to the poem's advantage; it becomes almost a stream of consciousness, with the speaker rambling as he follows Whitman through the store. Since there is no fixed form and the poem is essentially a series of sentences, enjambement is constant throughout the poem. This technique reinforces the theory that the poem reads as one large chain of thoughts. The first half of the poem can be divided into two stanzas, each composed of lines of varying lengths with no rhyme scheme. The meter is predominantly iambic, with slight variations. The reason for the iambic meter is most likely because it is the closest meter to how people actually speak. The lack of rhyme continues to go hand in hand with the open form often taken by modern poets. It allows you to write poetry without the need for the words to fit a certain pattern. As with most writings of the Beat movement, the poem does not follow a "traditional" structure or form. Since the poem is in open form with no rhyme scheme, vocabulary is the most important aspect of the poem. Ginsberg makes unusual use of everyday words to convey a less ordinary meaning. The verbs “wander”, “walk”,“looking,” (2) “shopping,” (3) and “dreaming” (5) all imply searching for something, which is exactly what the speaker is doing. The verbs “poking,” (10) “eyeing,” (11) and “asking,” (12), which are the verbs used for Whitman's actions, all imply a sense of confusion, as if Whitman is lost in this modern world of poetry. In the first sentence of the poem, the tone is established by word choice. The word “headache” (2) denotes frustration, the fact that the speaker is “embarrassed” (2) shows that he is aware of his problem with his writing choices or lack thereof. The “full moon” (3) in the first sentence could have many meanings. It could be full and therefore completely bright, illuminating everything below and thus making it clear. This clarity could allow for freer creativity, helping the speaker find the images they are looking for. The second line furthers the supermarket metaphor and the frustration revealed in the first line of the poem. “Hungry toil” (4) is one of the most carefully chosen phrases in the poem. The speaker is hungry for images, hungry for inspiration. He is fatigued because he has been searching for so long, stuck in the rut of writing. The experience of shopping in a supermarket is a fairly modern concept. In Whitman's time, for example, you had to go to many different stores (e.g. bakery, butcher, etc.) to find all the items on your shopping list. The supermarket has everything neatly organized under one roof, making it easier to "buy" pictures. The adjective “neon” (4) anticipates the modern and commercial environment of the supermarket. The easily observable literary techniques of alliteration, assonance, and consonance can first be seen in the second half of the first stanza. “Peaches” (6) and “penumbras” (6) both begin with the letter “p,” which is a clear example of alliteration. Consonance is exemplified by the “v” sound in the words “wives” (7) and “avocados” (7). This last word is also an example of assonance when combined with the word “tomatoes” (8) since both have the final sound “os”. This section of the poem is perhaps the most euphonious. In addition to the techniques used above, repeated “l” sounds, as found in the phrases “whole family” (6), “aisles full” (7), and “Lorca... watermelons” (8-9) are they add to the free tone of the poem, making it seem more like everyday speech while retaining a poetic, almost romantic quality. Ginsberg also uses dissonance, which conflicts with euphony, and keeps the poem more realistic. For example, the word "grubber" used to describe Whitman is harsh in both sound and meaning. The beginning of the second verse describes Walt Whitman and his activities at the supermarket. Once again, Ginsberg's choice of words fits the tone of the poem perfectly. The fact that Whitman is described as “childless, lonely” (10) creates a mental image of an old man with no real joy in his face or demeanor, perhaps feeling out of place in the supermarket full of families. When Whitman “pokes” (10) the meat and asks who killed the pork chops, he shows his age and his old ways. Perhaps the reason for his seemingly absurd questions in a supermarket is because in Whitman's time you knew who killed the pig from which the meat came and you could negotiate the price of fruit with a seller. : This is just an example. Get a custom article from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay Although "A Supermarket in California" does not provide much for the analysis of form and rhyme, the lack of formal structure makes it easier to analyze each individual's choice of words made by the author. One of the most interesting features of this poem is the.