Final answer:
Allen Ginsberg's 'America' is critiquing American society, emphasizing its failings and contrasting them with the country's foundational ideals.
Step-by-step explanation:
Allen Ginsberg's “America” is setting up a critique of American society. Throughout his works, Ginsberg was known for his oppositional stance to the prevailing currents of American culture during his time. With his connections to the Beat Literature movement, pieces like Howl and Other Poems display his disapproval of materialism and conformity, and his admiration for the nation's nonconformist elements. His poems are not attempts to outline a utopian society, compose a patriotic anthem, or provide a historical background of politics.
Instead, Ginsberg's poetry, as with “America”, casts a critical lens on the American way of life, its culture, and its politics, often contrasting contemporary society with the ideals upon which the nation was founded.