what is the persona saying in the poem next to of course god america

The speaker at the beginning tells the reader his love for America after God and lastly himself in the phrase “next to of course god america i”. Most of the poem is in quotation marks, probably because it was from a public speech. This unknown speaker could well have been a politician or a soldier showing his patriotism and religious belief.

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What does the poem next to of course God America I mean?

He spoke. And drank rapidly a glass of water The poem "next to of course god america i" alludes to the patriotism of a nation, namely the United States. It brings up the issues of what's a patriot and what in actually the norm of the average American citizen's response is to war and fighting?

What do the words “Jingo” and “Gee” mean in this passage?

The use of the words “jingo”, “gee”, “gosh” and “gum” suggest that the speaker believes the gory wars in the name of patriotism to be senseless, just like the words he uses to describe it. then shall the voice of liberty be mute?

What do the words “My Country Tis of centuries come and go” mean?

The words that seem to be serious, are the ones that say, “My country tis of centuries come and go and are no more”. This is the one thing that the speaker takes seriously, the mortality of himself and all other human beings. Patriotism aside, he knows that each and every human being will one-day face death. He knows that centuries come and go.

What is the meaning of the poem America by William Blake?

A (very) loosely structured sonnet, the poem features a speaker who feverishly rants about America and war, making a number of patriotic and nationalistic comments that feel hollow. However, it's hard to determine if the speaker says these things sarcastically or if the speaker actually thinks this way.

How does Cummings remove himself from the poem?

What does the speaker say in the line "Jingo by Gee by Gosh by Gum"?

What does the use of the words "jingo" mean?

What degree did Allisa have?

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What is ironic about E.E. Cummings poem next to of course god america i?

With these lines of 'next to of course god america i', the speaker is again heavily sarcastic. 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.

What does the speaker in Cummings next to of course god america i use as some of his lines?

The next line of the poem uses metaphor “thy sons acclaim you glorious name by gorry by jingo by gee by gosh by gum” it shows the innocence of the soldiers with “thy sons” and so the speaker shows a sort of frustration when replacing explicit words with “by gory by jingo by gee by gosh by gum”.

What is the Cambridge ladies who live in furnished souls about?

'the Cambridge ladies who live in furnished souls' by E. E. Cummings is about the differences in social classes, ignorance, and reality. The speaker judges the Cambridge women for the fiction they engage in and their lack of interest in the real world. This piece is one of Cummings' easiest to read.

What is an Enjambment in poetry?

Enjambment, from the French meaning “a striding over,” is a poetic term for the continuation of a sentence or phrase from one line of poetry to the next. An enjambed line typically lacks punctuation at its line break, so the reader is carried smoothly and swiftly—without interruption—to the next line of the poem.

A Short Analysis of E. E. Cummings’ ‘next to of course god america i’

to of course god america i / love you’, which essentially means ‘next to God (of course, he comes first), I love America the most’. The poem goes on to summon a number of earlier patriotic poems about the United States, such as Francis Scott Key’s ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’ (better known as the US national anthem), specifically the opening line ‘Oh say can you see by the dawn’s ...

Next To Of Course God America I Summary - eNotes.com

Get an answer for 'What does e. e. cummings poem "next to of course god america i" mean?' and find homework help for other E. E. Cummings questions at eNotes

Next to of course god america i by e.e. cummings - All Poetry

Bjdonovan50 - Wars are meat grinders taking charging men and blowing them into individual atoms of ash. Generals in the safety of miles keep giving the orders to these poor patriotic lemmings and they leave all those who love them so desperately behind while jumping into the grinders.

next to of course god america i Study Guide | Course Hero

This study guide for e.e. cummings's next to of course god america i offers summary and analysis on themes, symbols, and other literary devices found in the text. Explore Course Hero's library of literature materials, including documents and Q&A pairs.

What is the meaning of the poem "Next to of course God America I"?

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 does it mean when a speaker rants about patriotism?

On the most basic level, the speaker's thirst after ranting about patriotism indicates that something about the speech itself has exhausted the speaker, who tries to recover by drinking deeply. This, in turn, represents the speaker's intense commitment to this particular topic.

What is the most prominent feature of the poem?

One of the poem's most prominent features is the speaker's use of alliteration, which appears in almost every line. The alliterative moments become particularly prominent when the intensity of the speaker's words increases.

Who is the most experimental modernist poet?

The American poet e. e. cummings (as he styled himself) was one of the most linguistically experimental mainstream modernist poets writing in the United States in the twentieth century, and his poem ‘next to of course god america i’ is a fine example of his innovative style.

What is the opening line of the Star Spangled Banner?

The poem goes on to summon a number of earlier patriotic poems about the United States, such as Francis Scott Key’s ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’ (better known as the US national anthem), specifically the opening line ‘Oh say can you see by the dawn’s early light’ , and the patriotic hymn ‘ America (My Country, ’Tis of Thee) ’.

What does Cummings mean by the happy dead?

And this is where cummings’ reference to the ‘heroic happy dead’ who have ‘rushed like lions to the roaring slaughter’ might be interpreted as a criticism of a certain brand of zealous patriotism, which glorifies fighting for one’s country and celebrates the dead as ‘happy’ – assuming they were all ‘happy’ to give their lives in service of their great nation.

Who made the point about great religious works of art risking the charge of blasphemy?

Sir Christopher Ricks, the literary critic, made a similar point about great religious works of art risking the charge of blasphemy. The same, we might say, is true of all interesting patriotic poems. You can read ‘next to of course god america i’ by Cummings here before proceeding to our analysis.

How many lines are there in a Petrarchan sonnet?

The Petrarchan or Italian sonnet is divided into two sections: an octave or eight-line section and a sestet or six-line section. But unlike a Petrarchan sonnet, which uses the same two rhymes (rhymed abbaabba) in the octave, cummings makes use of seven different rhymes, as we find in an English sonnet (rhymed ababcdcdefefgg ).

What does the persona of the speaker add to the enjambed line?

The persona of the speaker has added ‘iful’, on the enjambed line, after a moment’s after-thought!! cummings further satirises the jingoistic speechmaker with the absurdly alliterated oxymoron of the ‘heroic happy dead’

Do you have to make clear to others the license terms of this work?

Notice — For any reuse or distribution, you must make clear to others the license terms of this work. The best way to do this is with a link to this web page.

Is the last line of the sonnet a single line?

This last line is a single-lined verse and is the main ‘volta’ (see sonnet ), which has all the more impact because of the delay. The choice of ‘spoke’ rather than ‘said’ challenges our natural desire for a narrative structure: instead, we have a sense of occasion combined, after the caesura, with the telling, awkward nervousness of the reversed order words ‘drank rapidly’.

How does Cummings remove himself from the poem?

He removes himself from the poem by using a speaker within a speaker, but the content of the poem directly corresponds with Cummings’ life experiences. As a volunteer during World War I, Cummings acquired a bitterness for war which he did not scruple to express. He was outspoken and willing to go against the grain to stand up for ...

What does the speaker say in the line "Jingo by Gee by Gosh by Gum"?

by jingo by gee by gosh by gum. With these lines, the speaker reveals that people of every language, and yes even deaf people have “acclaim [ed” the “glorious” name of patriotism through the “gory details of war”. The use of the words “jingo”, “gee”, “gosh” and “gum” suggest that the speaker believes the gory wars in the name ...

What does the use of the words "jingo" mean?

The use of the words “jingo”, “gee”, “gosh” and “gum” suggest that the speaker believes the gory wars in the name of patriotism to be senseless, just like the words he uses to describe it.

What degree did Allisa have?

Allisa graduated with a degree in Secondary Education and English and taught World Literature and Composition at the high school level. She has always enjoyed writing, reading, and analysing literature.