Question

Read this excerpt from Allen Ginsberg’s "A Supermarket in California."

Wives in the avocados, babies in the tomatoes!—and you, Garcia Lorca, what were you doing down by the watermelons?

Ginsberg most likely makes this allusion to Garcia Lorca to
show his respect for Lorca for being an unconventional poet.
celebrate his affinity for Spanish culture and language.
explain his confusion over Lorca’s desire for cultural conformity.
describe their role in contributing to consumerism in the United States.

Answer 1

show his respect for Lorca for being an unconventional poet.

Ginsberg invokes Lorca as a fellow, somewhat mythic poet — a kindred spirit amid the surreal consumer scene — rather than literally praising Spanish culture, questioning Lorca’s conformity, or linking him to American consumerism.