Anaphora is a hugely important part of "Howl"—the device that lends this free verse poem some structure by tying together the long, loose, wildly varying lines in each of the poem's three sections. The poem contains no meter or rhyme scheme, but anaphora gives it a sense of organization that helps readers follow its surreal twists and turns. In fact, the repeated words/phrases at the beginnings of lines help establish the theme of each section:
- Most lines in Part I begin with "who" followed by a verb, so that the section becomes an extended lament for (and celebration of) the poem's heroes, their adventures, and their sufferings.
- Most lines in Part II begin with "Moloch," so that the section becomes a long tirade against this monster and the society it symbolizes.
- Most lines in Part III begin with "I'm with you in Rockland" (usually followed by some version of "where you [...]"), so that the section becomes an extended message of sympathy, support, and comfort for Carl Solomon.
Some anaphora also occurs within lines, in sequences of parallel phrases or clauses. Notice, for example, the repeated "with"s in line 11:
with dreams, with drugs, with waking nightmares [...]
And the repeated "& the"s in line 56:
[...] & the tanked-up clatter of the iron regiments of fashion & the nitroglycerine shrieks of the fairies of advertising & the mustard gas of sinister intelligent editors
In addition to lending the poem structure, anaphora also adds rhythm to the poem. As the repeated words/phrases pile up, the poem can sound like a spiritual chant, an angry rant, or a soothing reassurance (depending on context!).
The way these repetitions provide a baseline for free-flowing improvisations also resembles the structure of jazz, a genre that the poem repeatedly mentions and that Ginsberg cited as an inspiration. Each section contains at least some variation at the beginning of lines, which prevents the anaphora from becoming too predictable or boring.