English Notes Latest Questions

  1. Apostrophe: An apostrophe is a device used to call somebody or something from afar. Here, the poet has used an apostrophe to call Garcia Lorca and Walt Whitman expressing surprise and amazement by calling these figures directly. Assonance: Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds in the same lineRead more

    1. Apostrophe: An apostrophe is a device used to call somebody or something from afar. Here, the poet has used an apostrophe to call Garcia Lorca and Walt Whitman expressing surprise and amazement by calling these figures directly.

    2. Assonance: Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds in the same line such as the sound of /o/ in “We strode down the open corridors together in our solitary fancy tasting artichokes” and “lonely old grubber, poking among” and the sound of /i/ in “Charon quit poling his ferry”.

    3. Consonance: Consonance is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line such as the sounds of /l/ and /t/ in “Will we walk all night through solitary streets” and “Whole families shopping at night”.

    4. Imagery: Imagery is used to make readers perceive things involving their five senses. For example, “I went into the neon fruit supermarket, dreaming of your enumerations” and “We strode down the open corridors together in our solitary fancy tasting artichokes.”

    5. Irony: The poet used this device in the second line where it is stated as; “In my hungry fatigue, and shopping for images, I went into the neon fruit supermarket”, he was searching for poetic inspiration, and his hunger was mental.

    6. Metaphor: It is a figure of speech in which an implied comparison is made between objects and persons that are different in nature. The speaker has used an extended metaphor of the supermarket to comment upon the changing nature of America.

    7. Rhetorical Question: Rhetorical question is a question that is not asked in order to receive an answer; it is just posed to make the point clear. Allen Ginsberg has posed rhetorical questions at many places in the poem to emphasize his point such as, “what were you doing down by the watermelons?”, “Will we walk all night through solitary streets?” and “Who killed the pork chops?”

    8. Symbolism: Symbolism is using symbols to signify ideas and qualities, giving them symbolic meanings that are different from the literal meanings. Supermarket symbolize industrialization, modernism, and consumerism.

     

    A Supermarket In California Summary

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  1. As the speaker strolls through back alleys on a full moon day, Walt Whitman comes to mind. He enters a grocery store to sate his hunger and looks at people, especially those who are gathered as families. He spots Walt Whitman in the meat section and starts following him throughout the store. DespiteRead more

    As the speaker strolls through back alleys on a full moon day, Walt Whitman comes to mind. He enters a grocery store to sate his hunger and looks at people, especially those who are gathered as families. He spots Walt Whitman in the meat section and starts following him throughout the store. Despite the fact that the store is going to close, he decides not to buy any groceries for himself. He uses the chance to convey his loneliness and the distinctions between the American of his day and Walt Whitman’s period. Additionally, he makes mention of the Styx and Lethe, two historical rivers that erase memories and transport the dead to Hades.

    A Supermarket In California Summary

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  1. Its main themes include inspiration, materialism, and loneliness. The poet honors and devotes himself to Walt Whitman throughout the entire poem. He envisions himself traveling through the busy supermarkets and deserted streets with Garcia and Walt, who were both outspoken homosexuals. He contrastsRead more

    Its main themes include inspiration, materialism, and loneliness. The poet honors and devotes himself to Walt Whitman throughout the entire poem. He envisions himself traveling through the busy supermarkets and deserted streets with Garcia and Walt, who were both outspoken homosexuals. He contrasts his lonesome journey with the shoppers in the store and wonders how they’ve become enchanted by the world’s flash and glamour and forgotten what it is to be an American. He laments the demise of his vision of a modernized America, the center of the economic and technological revolution.

    A Supermarket In California Summary

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