Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

In "In That Hinternation / That Stretches Westward from Manhattan," Lawrence Ferlinghetti embarks on a panoramic journey across the American landscape, using vivid imagery and historical references to critique the effects of industrialization and modernity on the natural world and native cultures. The poem evokes a sense of nostalgia and loss while unmasking the dissonance between progress and preservation.

Ferlinghetti begins by setting the scene "In that hinternation / that stretches Westward from Manhattan," a clever blend of "hinterland" and "nation" that establishes a region often overlooked yet integral to America's cultural and economic identity. He describes how "Autumn finds the natives restless," alluding to both the indigenous peoples and current inhabitants, who remain unsettled by seasonal and societal changes.

The poem then "pans down / skimming the landscape as in a low-flying plane with camera-eye zooming in." This cinematic perspective introduces the reader to a sweeping view of America, offering glimpses of "iron cities cement plains and silted rivers," and spanning "Across Appalachia / Across Ohio." The choice of Ohio as the "first Western frontier" invokes its historical significance as a gateway to the West, but Ferlinghetti quickly narrows the lens to reveal the region's deeper complexities.

He takes us "Down into middle America hinter America," a place characterized by "Redbrick mansions moldering among the wooded streets of a hundred winded towns." Here, Ferlinghetti captures the decline of once-prosperous communities, where "each a hand letting go" represents leaves falling from "huge sugar maples." The imagery of "Silos in Shiloh Ohio / Among the rust-colored trees" and "Holsteins by brown cornfields" evokes a pastoral landscape in decay, blending agrarian beauty with industrial devastation.

In the heart of "Amish country," he contrasts the idyllic "Groundswells of land" with "limping horse buggies and Haunted Hayrides in pumpkin time," highlighting the tension between traditional life and modern tourism. This imagery merges with a stark depiction of "Indian country," where Ferlinghetti bitterly notes, "'The White Man came and taught us how to drink black water in the morning.'" The "black water" metaphor speaks to cultural contamination and environmental degradation, while the "car culture barrels through" reveals how consumerism uproots indigenous communities. Torn teepees and "a totem or two tilted up" are all that remain, overshadowed by bulldozers and highways.

Amid this destruction, Ferlinghetti provides a glimpse of Gambier, Ohio, home to the "Upsidedown Tree" whose "bone-dry branches… rattle in the wind." This iconic tree, known for its unusual growth pattern, becomes a metaphor for the region's inversion of values and loss of natural beauty.

Ferlinghetti weaves in historical figures like Thomas Alva Edison and Henry Ford to illustrate the industrial roots of this transformation. Edison, "born in Milan Ohio / first sees the light in New Jersey," and Ford, who "moves the lightbulb's birthplace lock stock & socket from Menlo Park to Michigan," represent the spirit of American ingenuity. However, Ford "drives off in a dense cloud of unknowing / into a dubious immortality," as his "iron seeds of Autogeddon" lay the groundwork for an automotive apocalypse.

The poem’s structure mirrors the vast, sprawling landscape it describes, with long lines and enjambment creating a continuous flow of imagery and ideas. Ferlinghetti’s language is rich with metaphor and symbolism, contrasting the beauty of nature with the destructive forces of industrialization.

"In That Hinternation / That Stretches Westward from Manhattan" captures the ambivalence of American progress. Ferlinghetti's panoramic vision reveals a country torn between innovation and decay, where the legacies of Edison and Ford intertwine with the displacement of native cultures and the desolation of natural landscapes. By merging historical critique with lyrical imagery, the poem urges readers to reflect on the cost of progress and to seek a more harmonious relationship with nature and heritage.

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