![]() Ginsberg probably even means to suggest that no one in their right mind - meaning, no one who remains a part of “normal” society - can even understand the true beauty and holiness that exists in the world. This is a kind of hidden world that no one else sees. While Moloch is a force that destroys the world, there is a holiness in mankind - exemplified by Ginsberg and the Beat poets - that offers the hope of salvation. The theme of “Footnote” is the sacred and it is meant to offer a competing vision to the one of destruction that was presented in Part II. Holy does not start every line, and it is scattered throughout the poem, between words after certain phrases and before certain others. Like Part III, the word “Holy” is meant to ground the rhythm of the poem just as the phrase “I’m with you in Rockland” grounded Part III with a steady beat of words. Just as a trumpet might blow a long succession of one note, using a staccato pacing to give the musical piece a particular meaning, so too does Ginsberg begin with a single word, “Holy,” said in succession fifteen times. ![]() The key to understanding the rhythm and structure of “Footnote” is to hear the poem as if it is being read in a jazz styling. Ginsberg wrote the “Footnote to Howl” as a fourth part to the poem that was meant to riff and experiment with the forms of long line he had used in previous sections.
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