Charles Bukowski - Advice to a Lot of Young Men
Go to Tibet
Ride a camel.
Dye your shoes blue.
Grow a beard.
Circle the world in a paper canoe.
Subscribe to The Saturday Evening Post.
Chew on the left side of your mouth only.
Marry a woman with one leg and shave with a straight razor.
And carve her name in her arm.
Brush your teeth with gasoline.
Sleep all day and climb trees at night.
Be a monk and drink buckshot and beer.
Hold your head under water and play the violin.
Do a belly dance before pink candles.
Kill your dog.
Run for mayor.
Live in a barrel.
Break your head with a hatchet.
Plant tulips in the rain.
But don't write poetry.
Ride a camel.
Dye your shoes blue.
Grow a beard.
Circle the world in a paper canoe.
Subscribe to The Saturday Evening Post.
Chew on the left side of your mouth only.
Marry a woman with one leg and shave with a straight razor.
And carve her name in her arm.
Brush your teeth with gasoline.
Sleep all day and climb trees at night.
Be a monk and drink buckshot and beer.
Hold your head under water and play the violin.
Do a belly dance before pink candles.
Kill your dog.
Run for mayor.
Live in a barrel.
Break your head with a hatchet.
Plant tulips in the rain.
But don't write poetry.
Explication of Bukowski's "Advice to a Lot of Young Men"
Charles Bukowski was quite an unusual poet with no end to his strange values and beliefs. Bukowski is capable of writing the most depressing and disheartening poems and on occasion would write such positive and life affirming, inspirational works that I don't believe I've ready anything of his that falls in between the two categories. "Advice to a Lot of Young Men" is most certainly on the less than life affirming side of the spectrum but an excellent poem nonetheless. ("Nirvana" would be an example of Bukowski on the positive side of that spectrum) "Advice..." has a very self explanatory title and is simply a list of suggestions for young men and women who may be interested in poetry. I believe that Bukowski's use of absurd imagery in this poem helps to successfully maintain a tenor that is appropriately sets up his punch line of a closer.
It seems that Bukowski may be using this poem as an attempt to avoid status as a role model, I don't believe that Bukowski wanted to be someone that young adults look up to as inspiration, and this may be his attempt to have poets avoid looking to him for advice. If that is the case, then the poem is titled ironically, and Bukowski has achieved exactly what he wanted. If not, then we may view his suggestions to "A Lot of Young Men" as sincere and truthful.
The rhetorical map of this poem consists entirely of lines that suggest something to the reader, for example, the first stanza begins...
(suggest something adventuresome and outgoing)
(suggest something ridiculous)
(suggest something adventuresome and ridiculous!)
Bukowski suggests to his reader that he circle the world in a paper canoe. It is unclear whether all of these suggestions are meant to be direct and sincere, or silly exaggerations. If he in fact does want the reader to circle the world in a paper canoe, then I believe it is a metaphor and not an exaggeration. Bukowski could be saying that the reader may have very little worldy posessions to work with but is still capable of circling the world through travel or their accomplishments. Another line like this is "Brush your teeth with gasoline," I believe this one is also a metaphor suggesting a specific attitude and outlook on life rather than a literal comment about oral hygiene. Bukowski suggests a take no prisoners attitude, a "Brush your teeth with gasoline attitude" is very suitable for accomplishing one's goals.
The imagery that Bukowski uses in this poem is quite absurd in most cases, creating a tone and tenor that is light and an appropriate set up for the message. With images like beards, camels, pink candles, and tulips we know that poem's tone is not supposed to be somber. We can also assume that Bukowski is not building towards a more serious message about death or some other sobering concept. The tenor is relatively light, and has motion to it with the shortness of phrases and repeating sentence structures. Every single sentence is a demand in the positive ("do" this, "do" that) consistently until the very last line ("but don't"...) this structure makes the poem very fluid and easily readable. Bukowski's work is humorous, setting the reader up to be knocked down at the final line. Bukowski intends to force the reader to truly analyze his or her own motivations for writing as to bring out the best writers in all of us.
It seems that Bukowski may be using this poem as an attempt to avoid status as a role model, I don't believe that Bukowski wanted to be someone that young adults look up to as inspiration, and this may be his attempt to have poets avoid looking to him for advice. If that is the case, then the poem is titled ironically, and Bukowski has achieved exactly what he wanted. If not, then we may view his suggestions to "A Lot of Young Men" as sincere and truthful.
The rhetorical map of this poem consists entirely of lines that suggest something to the reader, for example, the first stanza begins...
(suggest something adventuresome and outgoing)
(suggest something ridiculous)
(suggest something adventuresome and ridiculous!)
Bukowski suggests to his reader that he circle the world in a paper canoe. It is unclear whether all of these suggestions are meant to be direct and sincere, or silly exaggerations. If he in fact does want the reader to circle the world in a paper canoe, then I believe it is a metaphor and not an exaggeration. Bukowski could be saying that the reader may have very little worldy posessions to work with but is still capable of circling the world through travel or their accomplishments. Another line like this is "Brush your teeth with gasoline," I believe this one is also a metaphor suggesting a specific attitude and outlook on life rather than a literal comment about oral hygiene. Bukowski suggests a take no prisoners attitude, a "Brush your teeth with gasoline attitude" is very suitable for accomplishing one's goals.
The imagery that Bukowski uses in this poem is quite absurd in most cases, creating a tone and tenor that is light and an appropriate set up for the message. With images like beards, camels, pink candles, and tulips we know that poem's tone is not supposed to be somber. We can also assume that Bukowski is not building towards a more serious message about death or some other sobering concept. The tenor is relatively light, and has motion to it with the shortness of phrases and repeating sentence structures. Every single sentence is a demand in the positive ("do" this, "do" that) consistently until the very last line ("but don't"...) this structure makes the poem very fluid and easily readable. Bukowski's work is humorous, setting the reader up to be knocked down at the final line. Bukowski intends to force the reader to truly analyze his or her own motivations for writing as to bring out the best writers in all of us.