Friendly Advice to a Lot of Young Men
by Charles Bukowski
Go to Tibet
Ride a camel.
Read the bible.
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 your 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.
Charles Bukowski’s “Friendly Advice to a Lot of Young Men” stands as a truly unique and provocative piece within modern poetry. Published in 1976, this poem challenges conventional notions of art, life, and creativity with its blunt, unforgettable voice. It is a work that invites readers to look beyond the surface, questioning what it truly means to live and to create. This guide will delve into the poem’s layers, offering a comprehensive analysis of its themes, structure, and the powerful literary devices Bukowski employs.
Unpacking “Friendly Advice to a Lot of Young Men”: A Summary
At its core, “Friendly Advice to a Lot of Young Men” presents a lengthy, seemingly random list of outlandish and often dangerous suggestions. These range from the mildly eccentric, such as “Dye your shoes blue,” to the utterly absurd and even disturbing, like “Brush your teeth with gasoline” or “Kill your dog.” The poem builds this catalogue of bizarre actions, only to culminate in a stark, singular command: “But don’t write poetry.”
The central idea of the poem is not to genuinely advocate for any of these strange activities. Instead, it serves as a biting, ironic commentary on the pursuit of poetry, particularly for young, aspiring writers. Bukowski, known for his raw and unfiltered style, implies that many other experiences, no matter how strange or extreme, are more authentic or worthwhile than engaging in what he perceives as often pretentious or uninspired verse. It is a cynical yet playful dismissal of amateur poetry, urging a focus on genuine, lived experience, however unconventional.
In-Depth Analysis of “Friendly Advice to a Lot of Young Men”
The Structure of Provocation: A Relentless Catalogue
The poem’s structure is fundamental to its impact. It unfolds as a continuous, unpunctuated list, a technique known as enumeration. This creates a rapid, almost breathless pace, mirroring the relentless stream of consciousness or a barrage of commands. Consider the opening lines:
Go to Tibet
Ride a camel.
Read the bible.
These short, declarative statements immediately immerse the reader in a world of diverse and disconnected actions. The absence of traditional narrative or stanza breaks reinforces the idea of a sprawling, unedited collection of possibilities. Bukowski is not building a story; he is presenting a series of stark alternatives, each one a distinct, often jarring, image. This free verse form allows for a direct, conversational tone, making the “advice” feel immediate and unfiltered.
The Escalation of Absurdity: From Eccentric to Extreme
A key element of the poem’s power lies in its gradual escalation of absurdity and danger. The suggestions begin relatively innocuously, if still unconventional:
Dye your shoes blue.
Grow a beard.
Circle the world in a paper canoe.
These lines evoke a sense of playful rebellion or eccentric living. However, as the poem progresses, the advice becomes increasingly bizarre, self destructive, and even morally questionable. The shift is deliberate, designed to shock and challenge the reader:
Marry a woman with one leg and shave with a straight razor.
And carve your name in her arm.
The transition from a quirky suggestion to an act of physical harm is abrupt and unsettling. Bukowski employs this progression to highlight the extreme lengths one might go to experience life, contrasting it with the perceived passivity of writing poetry. The disturbing imagery forces the reader to confront uncomfortable possibilities, emphasizing the poet’s rejection of a sanitized or conventional existence.
Shock Value and Its Purpose: Challenging Boundaries
The poem reaches its peak of outrageousness with lines that are designed to be deeply unsettling and morally reprehensible. Examples include:
Brush your teeth with gasoline.
Kill your dog.
These suggestions are not meant to be taken literally as genuine advice. Instead, they serve as powerful examples of hyperbole, pushing the boundaries of what is acceptable or even imaginable. By juxtaposing such extreme acts with the seemingly benign act of writing poetry, Bukowski creates a profound sense of irony. He is not advocating for violence or self harm; rather, he uses these shocking images to underscore his disdain for what he considers insincere or uninspired artistic endeavors. The shock value forces the reader to question the true meaning of “living” and “creating.”
The Climactic Rejection: “But don’t write poetry.”
The entire preceding list serves as a dramatic build up to the poem’s final, declarative sentence:
But don’t write poetry.
This line acts as the ultimate punchline, revealing the true intent behind the seemingly random catalogue. All the bizarre, dangerous, and unconventional actions are presented as preferable alternatives to writing poetry. The word “But” signals a sharp turn, negating all the preceding possibilities in favor of this single, emphatic prohibition. This ending is a powerful statement about Bukowski’s perspective on art and authenticity. It suggests that genuine experience, no matter how chaotic or unconventional, holds more value than what he might consider superficial or uninspired poetic expression.
Literary and Poetic Devices in “Friendly Advice to a Lot of Young Men”
Irony and Paradox
The most prominent literary device in “Friendly Advice to a Lot of Young Men” is irony. The title itself is ironic, as the “advice” offered is anything but friendly or practical. It is a series of absurd and often dangerous suggestions. This creates a paradoxical situation where the poem’s stated intention (friendly advice) is completely contradicted by its content. The irony deepens when considering the final line, as the poem itself is a piece of poetry that advises against writing poetry, creating a self referential paradox.
Imagery and Symbolism
Bukowski’s use of vivid and often grotesque imagery is central to the poem’s impact. Each line presents a distinct, memorable image:
Circle the world in a paper canoe.
Be a monk and drink buckshot and beer.
These images are not merely descriptive; they are symbolic. They represent a life lived on the fringes, embracing the unconventional, the dangerous, and the raw. The “paper canoe” symbolizes fragility and recklessness, while the “monk and drink buckshot and beer” juxtaposes spiritual devotion with gritty, self destructive indulgence, highlighting a rejection of conventional piety.
Hyperbole and Absurdity
The poem relies heavily on hyperbole, the exaggeration of statements for emphasis or effect. Many of the suggestions are extreme and unrealistic, such as “Hold your head under water and play the violin” or “Break your head with a hatchet.” This deliberate exaggeration creates a sense of absurdity, which is a hallmark of Bukowski’s style. The absurdity serves to underscore the poet’s message, making the alternatives to writing poetry so ridiculous that they become memorable and thought provoking.
Tone and Diction
The tone of the poem is cynical, sardonic, and confrontational, yet delivered with a detached, almost deadpan quality. The diction is simple and direct, using everyday language without elaborate metaphors or complex sentence structures. This straightforwardness contributes to the poem’s raw authenticity, making the “advice” feel like a genuine, albeit twisted, outpouring of thought. The bluntness of phrases like “Kill your dog” is characteristic of Bukowski’s unvarnished approach to language.
Free Verse and Enjambment
The poem is written in free verse, meaning it does not adhere to a strict rhyme scheme or meter. This allows for a natural, conversational rhythm that mimics spoken language. The use of enjambment, where lines run on without a pause into the next, contributes to the poem’s rapid, continuous flow, especially evident in lines like:
Marry a woman with one leg and shave with a straight razor.
And carve your name in her arm.
This technique creates a sense of urgency and immediacy, pulling the reader quickly from one bizarre suggestion to the next, building momentum towards the final declaration.
Bukowski’s Signature Style and Enduring Relevance
“Friendly Advice to a Lot of Young Men” is a quintessential example of Charles Bukowski’s unique literary voice. He was a poet of the common person, often depicting the gritty realities of urban life, alcoholism, and the struggles of the working class. His style is characterized by its directness, honesty, and a deliberate rejection of poetic pretension. This poem perfectly encapsulates his philosophy: a preference for raw, authentic experience over what he might consider superficial artistic endeavors.
Bukowski’s work continues to resonate because it challenges readers to question societal norms, to embrace their own unconventional paths, and to seek authenticity in a world often driven by superficiality. “Friendly Advice” is not merely a poem about not writing poetry; it is a powerful statement about the nature of art, the value of lived experience, and the courage to forge one’s own, perhaps strange, destiny.
In conclusion, “Friendly Advice to a Lot of Young Men” is far more than a simple list of bizarre suggestions. It is a masterclass in irony, hyperbole, and provocative commentary, all delivered in Charles Bukowski’s unmistakable voice. Through its escalating absurdity and its shocking final declaration, the poem compels readers to critically examine their perceptions of art, authenticity, and the myriad ways one can choose to live a life. Its enduring power lies in its ability to challenge, to disturb, and ultimately, to inspire a deeper reflection on what truly matters.