Allen Ginsberg's Poetry Lesson Plan

Who is Moloch in the poem? What does he do in the poem? What role does he serve? Why does the poet repeat his name with such frequency?

Moloch is the god who requires a sacrifice. He is the monster destroying the Beat Poets and best minds. He comes from a Middle Eastern religious tradition. He destroys and forces conformity upon people in the poem, representative of the organizations and institutions in society. He serves as the source of the problem, the person to blame, the monster to battle. The poet repeats his name as if an incantation. He is both evoking the god and denouncing him. The repetition adds emphasis and significance and sound to the section.

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