next to of course god america i E. E. Cummings

Edward Estlin Cummings (1894-

1962) was an American poet,

born in Massachusetts, who studied at

Harvard University and later travelled within Europe and

North Africa throughout the

1920s and 1930s.

The title, “next to of course god America i”,

shows the order of importance according to

the narrator: God, America and Self. This order of importance

shows Faith, Patriotism and Self-importance.

‘next to of course god america i’ is a satirical poem (satire is mocking someone or something). He

initially appears to glorify America, although this is also ambiguous (has more than one meaning) as

he tempers this with phrases such as ‘and so forth’. In many ways one can view this as a very modern

poem, with many of the criticisms Cummings levels at his country being as relevant today as they were

in the 1920s.

It is better to put in mind that the poem has two personas, the

patriot and the main speaker. The poem looks like it is delivered by a patriot but was paraphrased by

the speaker added with his

mockery and own opinions.

You should compare this poem with other

poems about the same themes: causes of

conflict: 'Hawk Roosting', 'The Yellow

Palm', 'The Right Word'; patriotism: 'The

Charge of the Light Brigade', 'Flag'.

The poem of e. e. cummings shows patriotism and also foolishness which are its theme. In the poem, there are two personas, the patriot and the main

speaker. The speaker of the poem mocks the patriot by adding words to the patriot’s words. The poem is

all about nationalism but also it tells the reader that it is not always wise to be patriotic or heroic and that it

is sometimes irrational. The poem also shows America being diverse in culture and language. Also, it talks

about war and the innocence of the young, inexperienced soldiers during the battle. And finally,

the poem shows the reader that bravery and fearlessness usually lead to stupidity and irrationality.

“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

by jingo by gee by gosh by gum

In the first line, the speaker tells the reader that the patriot loves America next to God more than anything even

himself. The absence of punctuation and capitalisation allows the reader to

engage with the poem’s ambiguity – what does the speaker actually intend

with his words?

The second line line shows further textual evidence which shows that the patriot loves and is faithful to

America. The ‘land of the pilgrims’ is taken from the patriotic song "My

Country 'Tis of Thee“. There is use of enjambment in the first two lines as the first line is grammatically wrong

without the second line.

Suggests speaker can't be bothered to be specific and makes us doubt his

integrity and patriotism.

The third line is also the first stanza in the national anthem

of the United States of America, “The Star Spangled Banner” by Francis Scott Key,

but this line in Cumming’s poem is missing the word

“light” after “dawn’s early”. This connotes that the speaker thinks that the

patriot is entirely unoriginal. Also, the reason why “light” is

missing to connote that the patriot is talking so fast that

some words are missing.

The fourth and fifth lines connotes that the patriot is very dramatic but then the

speaker mocks the patriot by putting “what of it”. This is

very dismissive and undermines his commitment

to his country.

Every language suggests more than one. The speaker tells the reader that the patriot thinks that America is diverse with

different languages and cultures present. In this line, also, it shows the mockery of the speaker upon the patriot by putting “deaf”, “and”, and “dumb” together to connote that the patriot is talking so

fast that he mixed the words together.

This relates to the soldiers and also to war in the word “gorry” which can be

understood to be rooted from the word “gore”. This line also tells the reader

that the patriot thinks that these soldiers are “wonderful” and heroic.

The speaker used the word “gorry” to replace the more explicit curses. The

words “thy son” convey the innocence of the soldiers.

This odd line uses euphemisms to convey “innocence” since these words are used by

the speaker to replace the more explicit curses and bad words. Alternatively another

interpretation is although this American slang sounds like nonsense here and maybe he's trying to show he can relate to ordinary

Americans.

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?”

 

He spoke. And drank rapidly a glass of water

These words of the patriot are beautiful for him but for the speaker, this is very

sarcastic. This lines pertains to the soldiers being sent to war. These lines

also show that these soldiers were mostly young and inexperienced.

His oxymoronic and alliterative (use of the letter ‘h’) description of the soldiers as ‘heroic happy dead’ also leaves the reader feeling ambivalent (unsure and hesitant).

These words of the patriot are beautiful for him but for the speaker, this is very sarcastic. This line

relates to the soldiers being sent to war. These lines also show that these soldiers were mostly

young and inexperienced.The use of simile shows the bravery and fearlessness of the soldiers against their

enemies in the war.

The speaker implies that their bravery is more like

foolishness. The patriot may have a good point but the

speaker also implies that at first they are heroic on the

eleventh line of the poem but they are foolish to further

their effort on war.

The patriot makes fool of himself in this line. He tried to end his speech dramatically but he IS the “voice of liberty”. He is absolutely NOT mute. The stirring rhetorical question to finish with sounds good but it's confusing. Is he encouraging more people to fight? The ‘glass of water’ could suggest he's nervous or that he has even more garbled words to spout.

The first 13 lines are a first person dramatic monologue and the final line is in the third person, as if the

poem is presenting someone giving a speech. The 14 regular lines may be meant to deliberately mimic a

sonnet layout — the serious form is undermined by the content just as

the serious political speech is parodied by the poem's words. The first 13 lines are all within speech marks — the words are fragments

of full sentences with very little punctuation, making the phrases

sound confusing and meaningless. The last line is the only one that is

close to standard English, describing the speaker as he finishes talking. It makes the rest of the poem sound

even more empty and meaningless.

The last line shows that the poem is conveyed through a second person, the speaker of the poem. It also shows that the patriot was excited with his speech that he exhausted himself and thirstily drank a glass of water. It is interesting that he chooses to capitalise the pronoun ‘He’ as if placing the speaker in a place of superiority or distance.