What is the message in next to of course god america i?

E.E. Cummings “next to of course god america i” is a poem about patriotism and the war. The poem starts off with the speaker being someone that is a patriot and feels strongly about America. Therefore bringing to our attention that patriotism can manipulate people into doing things they usually wouldn’t.

How is next to of course god america i satirical?

next to of course god america i is one of the strangest sonnets ever written. It is a poem that delights in its own satire, that whimsically dances with cliches and pays little heed to punctuation. Overall, this is a rebel sonnet that ridicules the notion of patriotism, as delivered by an anonymous speaker.

What type of speech is Cummings satirizing in next to of course God America?

The poem is a parody of a ‘speech’ to extreme patriots — the ranting monologue of ‘God-fearing’ America. It is also a satire on the type of blind jingoism that distorts otherwise intelligent minds in relation to their country.

What could be more beautiful than these heroic happy dead?

He asks a sarcastic and yet rhetorical question, “What could be more beautiful than these heroic happy dead?” In effect, he causes the readers to question the point of patriotism to a dead person. At that point, it does not seem to matter. Thus, as a form of jest, the speaker refers to the dead as “heroic” and “happy”.

Who rushed like lions to the roaring slaughter they did not stop to think they died instead?

Furthermore to the poem the element of blind patriotism is as well evident. This element of blind patriotism is apparent in “… who rushed like lions to the roaring slaughter they did not stop to think they died instead…”(Cummings).

What is the meaning of anyone lived in a pretty how town?

‘, a poem about anonymity and obscurity. A man named anyone lives in an average town, gets married to no one, and eventually dies: the poem captures the ordinariness of the life of the average American, but in Cummings’ trademark style.

What is the sound repeated in anyone lived in a pretty how town?

There are thirty-six lines in ”anyone lived in a pretty how town,” and eight of them are repetitions of or variants on a previous line. These repeated lines have to do with the list of the seasons, the list of celestial bodies and precipitation, and the bells ringing throughout the town.

Why did ee cummings become a poet?

Cummings decided to become a poet when he was still a child. Between the ages of eight and twenty-two, he wrote a poem a day, exploring many traditional poetic forms. By the time he was in Harvard in 1916, modern poetry had caught his interest.

What does with up so floating many bells down mean?

with up so floating many bells down) All right, so now we’re back to the cycle of the stars and rain and sun and moon. No matter what the people in this poem are doing, Cummings wants to remind us that nature’s cycle just keeps going.

What literary devices are used in anyone lived in a pretty how town?

Cummings makes use of several literary devices in ‘anyone lived in a pretty how town’. These include but are not limited to repetition, alliteration, imagery, and enjambment. The first of these, alliteration, appears when the poet uses words with the same consonant sound at the beginning of multiple words.

What do the bells symbolize in anyone lived in a pretty how town?

many” bells suggests that this town has a bell tower, which chimes to mark the time. Bells are also often rung to mark major life events—weddings, births, funerals. As such, this line introduces the idea of life cycles and the passage of time—an idea picked up by the mention of seasons in line 3.

What does E.E. Cummings stand for?

Quotes. E.E. Cummings, in full Edward Estlin Cummings, (born October 14, 1894, Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S.—died September 3, 1962, North Conway, New Hampshire), American poet and painter who first attracted attention, in an age of literary experimentation, for his unconventional punctuation and phrasing.

Which is next to of course God America I?

next to of course god america i. “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. 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.

Who is the speaker in of course God America?

The poem begins by quoting an unidentified speaker who claims to love America more than anything else, except, of course, for God. The speaker gushes about how America was founded by the Pilgrims and quotes the beginning of the U.S. national anthem, before abruptly transitioning into lyrics taken from “America (My Country ‘Tis of Thee).”

When did E E Cummings write next to of course God America?

E. Cummings published “next to of course god america i” in 1926 as part of his poetry collection Is 5, which contained a number of anti-war poems. In keeping with this, the poem satirizes the intense patriotism that many people adopted during World War I.

What are the lines in God America 1?

On the one hand, the speaker’s tone seems sarcastic and deliberately ridiculous, as made evident by the lines, “thy sons acclaim your glorious name by gorry / by jingo by gee by gosh by gum.” The use of these absurd words suggests that the speaker wants to humorously mimic the way people talk when they become excessive about patriotism.