Read this excerpt from Allen Ginsberg’s "A Supermarket in California." I saw you, Walt Whitman, childless, lonely old grubber, poking among the meats in the refrigerator. Why does Ginsberg make an allusion to Walt Whitman in this excerpt?
Answer
A
to suggest an interest in Walt Whitman and his shopping habits
B
to suggest a familiarity and kinship with Walt Whitman and other outcasts
C
to suggest a knowledge of Walt Whitman and his poetic devices
D
to suggest a critical judgement against Walt Whitman and other poets
Explanation
Ginsberg addresses Whitman directly and imagines him as a lonely outsider wandering through an ordinary supermarket. The phrase “childless, lonely old grubber” emphasizes Whitman’s isolation, while the speaker’s intimate greeting suggests recognition and kinship. The allusion therefore points to a shared sense of being an outcast, not simply to Whitman’s shopping habits or poetic techniques.
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