Irwin Allen Ginsberg is a notable poet of the beat generation in the 1950s.  He is famously the author of Howl and Kaddish.  Howl is a powerful, Walt Whitman inspired, passionate epic celebrating his “angel headed hipster”brothers and denounced militarism, capitalism, and conformity.  The opening line of the poem is “I saw the best minds of my generation destroyed by madness, starving hysterical naked…”  I will admit, at times, this long poem has the tendency to be pretentious.  It is well written, but it could of easily sent its message in fewer words.  The poem was well received by the public and praised highly.  Howl was sent to be on trial due to its obscenities.  It described sodomy between homosexuals and heterosexuals.  At the time, gays were being suppressed by the general population and sodomy laws.  Howl was not ruled obscene, as the people have freedom of speech, and writers have the freedom to write without fear of oppression.  Allen Ginsberg died April 5th, 1997 at age 70.  He remained writing till death.