nexttogod

=next to god of course america i - E. E. Cummings= "next to of course god america i

He spoke. And drank rapidly a glass of water
 * **Poetic Structure** ||< **Poetic Devices** ||
 * < The “poem” could be considered a sonnet because it has fourteen lines. However, the meter is not iambic pentameter; rather, there is no set meter for this poem. At best, and simplest, we have three stanzas: Four lines, Four lines, Six lines.

{“next to of course god america I love you land of the pilgrims’ and so forth oh say can you see by the dawn’s early my} **//[dactylic tetrameter]//** country ‘tis of centuries come and go //**[dactylic trimeter]**//

and are no more what of it we should worry //**[iambic hexameter]**// in every language even deafanddumb //**[iambic pentameter]**// thy sons acclaim your glorious name by gorry //**[iambic hexameter]**// by jingo by gee by gosh by gum //**[iambic pentameter]**//

why talk of beauty what could be more beaut- //**[iambic pentameter]**// iful than these heroic happy dead //**[iambic pentameter]**// who rushed like lions to the roaring slaughter //**[iambic hexameter]**// they did not stop to think they died instead //**[iambic pentameter]**// then shall the voice of liberty be mute?” //**[iambic pentameter]**// He spoke. And drank rapidly a glass of water. //**[blank]**//

The rhyme scheme is AB,AB,CD,CD, EFG, FEG. ||> **Assonance and Consonance:** Examples of assonance and consonance within the poem are included with the term definitions (click for examples). Assonance and Consonance are used in the poem to give it a cadence and a repetition that makes the author's mockery even more pronounced. repetition of sounds makes it appear as though the enthusiasm men have towards their country is more destructive than constructive.


 * Point of View:** Within the poem, the __point of view__ is through the ears of a man listening to a speaker referenced in the end line, "He spoke. And drank rapidly a glass of water" ([|Mrs. Sunda's Class])


 * Stanza:** After the line, "by jingo by gee by gosh by gum", the rhyme scheme changes from an AB, AB, CD, CD type scheme to an EFG, EFG scheme for the second half and stanza of the poem.


 * Alliteration:** Alliteration is present in the aforementioned line, "by jingo by gee by gosh by gum", with jingo, gee, gosh and gum all containing initial consonant sounds.


 * Simile:** A literary comparison using 'like' or 'as'. Example: "...than these heroic happy dead who //rushed like lions// to the roaring slaughter..."


 * Personification:** Lending human attributes to a non-human object or idea. Example: "...thy sons acclaim your glorious name..."; "...then shall the voice of liberty be mute?"


 * Imagery:** Using descriptive words to create a sensory image. Example: "...rushed like lions to the //roaring slaughter//..."; "He spoke. And drank rapidly a glass of water." ||

Paraphrase
love you land of the pilgrims' and so forth oh say can you see by the dawn's early my country tis of centuries come and go and are no more what of it we should worry in every language even deafanddumb thy sons acclaim your glorious name by gorry by jingo by gee by gosh by gum why talk of beauty what could be more beaut- iful than these heroic happy dead who rushed like lions to the roaring slaughter they did not stop to think they died instead then shall the voice of liberty be mute?"
 * "next to of course god america i

He spoke. And drank rapidly a glass of water || "America is second only to God, I love the land of my forefathers and so forth as demonstrated by the patriotic songs that I sing centuries (time) comes and goes and we should worry about how quickly time flies by In all languages all over the world Americans praise their country's glory However, American enthusiasm is foolish why talk about beauty, when the most beautiful things are the heroic fallen who rushed into battle like foolish animals without stopping to think and therefore dying Liberty has no say in this."

He spoke. And drank a glass of water quickly. ||

Analysis
“next to god of course america i", by e.e. cummings, is a rather complex poem that operates on many levels, due in part to the strange language and Cumming's own unique syntax styles. Though he begins this poem proclaiming his love of his country, expressing his patriotism through quoting the national anthem, Cummings quickly descends into a sarcastic mockery of American tradition and culture. Because of the uneven nature of the first few strung-together lines, the reader gets the feel of a slow, rather laughable history of corny patriotism and overt, unwarranted emotion. This approaches even flippancy when he reaches the line “by jingo by gee by gosh by gum,” a rather outright mockery of the speech of the model American man of the time.

However, after this the structure deviates, “by jingo…” breaking from the rhyme scheme and allowing the final six lines to build upon a different thought, with a different structure. These final six lines could even be considered a separate stanza: though there isn't even a sentance break, the thought and style changes so abruptly it's hard to see at as another part of the same. Contrary to the first eight lines, this second set isn't slow and laughable, but rushed and almost frantic, each line leading seamlessly into the next, and the one-two-three, one-two,three triplet rhyming contributing to it’s speed.

Instead of mocking, these lines are closer to angry, or perhaps hysteric, criticizing the brave, though empty-headed young boys and men who rushed off to war, “they did not think they died instead”. Cummings suggests with the last four lines that he doesn't believe the young men who die for the country are not so much heroes, but fools, an opinion he often expressed in his later life after having served as an ambulence driver in WWII. The second to last line is incredibly rushed, and the first mark of any punctuation appears at the end, bringing his crescendo to an abrupt halt.

The final line is split into two sentences, in stark contrast to the run-on that composes the first thirteen lines. It attributes the entire speech to an unnamed man, who then rapidly drinks a cup of water. It brings the poem back from a battlefield view to a rather domestic scene, two men (assuming the narrator is Elliott,) in a kitchen, one of them holding a cup. This helps to define the contrast between the final line and the rest of the poem, bringing it almost full circle back to the slow, calm feeling of the beginning.

E. E. Cummings
Edward Estlin Cummings was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts on October 14, 1894. He received his B.A from Harvard in 1915, and his M.A. in 1916. His first published poems were released in 1917, in the anthology //Eight Harvard Poets//. He was a volunteer ambulance driver in World War I, but was imprisoned by the French on charges of espionage. His experience was recounted in the novel //The Enormous Room//. After the war, his life was divided between Greenwich Village and rural Connecticut, and often visiting Paris. He would also tour Europe, meeting other poets and artists, such as Pablo Picasso. Cummings is known for experimentation with punctuation, spelling, form, and syntax. He was criticized for settling into a signature style, not evolving his work. However, he was very popular. He received honors like an Academy of American Poets Fellowship, two Guggenheim Fellowships, the Charles Eliot Norton Professorship at Harvard, the Bollingen Prize in Poetry in 1958, and a Ford Foundation grant. He was the second-most read poet in the US when he died on September 3, 1962. (Source: [|E. E. Cummings- Poets.org] )

The poem, "next to of course god america i" was published in 1926 during the post World War I era. The war itself most likely provided the backdrop for Cummings' commentary on the many youths who die in battle, as well as being the basis from which he criticizes those who mute the voice of liberty, namely politicians and the government. Also, in the same year, his father died and his was mother was severely injured in a car accident, an event that could possibly have factored into the poem's cynicism. Another part in its history is that it is the manifestation of Cummings' opinion of America, and he was once quoted as saying, "America makes prodigious mistakes, America has colossal faults, but one thing cannot be denied: America is always on the move. She may be going to hell, of course, but at least she isn't standing still." (Faber & Faber. Norton, W.W.)

|| http://www.poetryarchive.org/poetryarchive/singlePoet.do?poetId=7157 ||
 * Citations
 * The Academy of American Poets. “E.E. Cummings.” __Poets.org - Poetry, Poems, Bios and More__. The Academy of American Poets. 17 Nov. 2008 http://poets.org/poet.php/prmPID/156. ||
 * Faber & Faber. Norton, W.W.. "E.E. Cummings." __Poetry Archive__. The Poetry Archive. 10 Dec. 2008
 * Mrs. Sunda’s Class. “Glossary of Poetic Devices.” __The Poet’s Bookshelf: Biographies of Famous Poets__. 17 Nov. 2008 http://www.kyrene.org/schools/brisas/Sunda/poets/poetry2.htm. ||

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