Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Lawrence Ferlinghetti's poem "A Coney Island Of The Mind: 1" evokes the powerful imagery of Francisco Goya's haunting paintings and etchings, seamlessly weaving together the past and the present to critique the contemporary American landscape. The poem stands as a bridge between Goya's early 19th-century world, marked by brutal war and suffering, and the modern world of the mid-20th century, highlighting the continued presence of human agony despite changes in the surrounding landscape.

Ferlinghetti begins with a direct reference to "Goya’s greatest scenes," capturing the artist's most potent visual depictions of war and human cruelty. The people in these scenes, Ferlinghetti writes, are "exactly at the moment when / they first attained the title of / ‘suffering humanity’." This imagery places the viewer in a moment of historical significance: a defining point when the harsh realities of human suffering became vividly apparent. In this powerful tableau, people are seen "writhe[ing] upon the page / in a veritable rage / of adversity," as if Goya's artwork itself pulsates with a relentless vitality, bringing to life an "abstract landscape of blasted trees / bent statues bats wings and beaks." Ferlinghetti’s language is stark and unforgiving, filled with a grim parade of "slippery gibbets / cadavers and carnivorous cocks," as well as the "final hollering monsters / of the / ‘imagination of disaster’."

Ferlinghetti’s description of Goya’s work captures the visceral and grotesque imagery that the Spanish artist used to portray the brutality of war and the fragility of humanity. The line "they are so bloody real / it is as if they really still existed" blurs the boundary between art and reality, underscoring how Goya’s depictions of suffering continue to resonate deeply, evoking contemporary horrors. Ferlinghetti asserts, "And they do / Only the landscape is changed." This assertion anchors the poem in a continuity of suffering that transcends centuries. The poem suggests that while the overt violence of Goya’s world has changed in form, it has not disappeared.

In the modern landscape Ferlinghetti describes, the people "still are ranged along the roads / plagued by legionnaires / false windmills and demented roosters." The references to "legionnaires" and "false windmills" conjure images of militaristic oppression and futile quests akin to those of Don Quixote. The people remain the same, but are now "further from home / on freeways fifty lanes wide / on a concrete continent." The poem’s shift to contemporary America presents an environment of urban sprawl and commercialism, where suffering continues but is now obscured by "bland billboards / illustrating imbecile illusions of happiness." Here, the promise of the American Dream is reduced to shallow consumerism, a facade that cannot mask the deeper pains of society.

Ferlinghetti concludes with a poignant comparison between Goya's Spain and modern America: "The scene shows fewer tumbrils / but more strung-out citizens / in painted cars." The "tumbrils," which once carried victims to the guillotine during the French Revolution, are replaced by cars that ferry individuals through their daily lives, often in pursuit of illusory happiness. "Strung-out citizens" alludes to a populace plagued by modern ailments such as substance abuse, mental illness, and existential despair. The "strange license plates" and "engines / that devour America" reflect a sense of rootlessness and voracious consumption that defines modern life.

In sum, "A Coney Island Of The Mind: 1" serves as a compelling critique of modern society, using the backdrop of Goya’s timeless work to highlight the persistence of human suffering amid changing landscapes. Ferlinghetti's poem deftly combines biting social commentary with vivid, grotesque imagery, revealing a world where the pursuit of superficial happiness only deepens the chasm of alienation and despair. Despite the passage of time, the human condition remains fraught with adversity, and the "imagination of disaster" continues to shape our reality.

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