490703
Description
Flashcards by katiehumphrey, updated more than 1 year ago
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Created by katiehumphrey
over 10 years ago
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| Question | Answer |
| subject | Early in his life, Cummings was known for his pacifism. After the First World War broke out he and a friend went to France with the aim of driving ambulances. However, known for their anti-war views, the pair were arrested on suspicion of spying and spent several months in a prison camp. The feelings he had about this experience seem to be expressed in next to of course god america i. It is a satirical poem – which means it makes a joke out of people encouraging patriotism in others. In the 19th century, the United States was not as powerful as Britain and Germany. When these two destroyed each other in the First World War, the US became the most powerful nation on earth. Cummings did not want his own country to make the same mistakes as those in Europe. |
| form and structure | This poem is classic example of E. E. Cummings' work: a mix of avant garde (modern) style with traditional themes. At first sight, this poem looks very unusual: there is very little punctuation, it is all in lowercase and the grammar is very unusual (how do we make sense of the title?). Look closer, however, and you will notice the form of the poem is a traditional sonnet: it has 14 lines and a rhyme scheme that structures the poem into three sections: lines 1-4, 5-8 and 9-14. The rhythm is also tightly structured: it moves in a pattern between 10, 11 and 9 beats per line, before breaking into 12 beats in the final line. In terms of the story the poem tells, however, the poem is only in two sections, not three like the rhyme scheme. The first 13 lines are spoken by the voice (a politician). What he says comes out in one gush. The final line comes as a contrast and acts as a kind of let down. |
| language | This poem is satirical – so it appears to be about one thing (you should be patriotic) but is actually about another (patriotism is dangerous and empty). The poem is filled with references to great ideas – from God, America, liberty. The form and the grammar, however, show that we cannot take these ideas seriously. The grammar is strange, so they don't seem to make sense. The big ideas are also brought down to earth by being lower case. The phrases that do come out, though, are clichés: phrases that have been used so often they have no new meaning. The phrase used in line 10 even sounds ridiculous, particularly when considering what we are told in line 12. This is ambiguous – like the poem, it has two meanings. The speaker thinks this is a good thing, but given what is said in line 11 we know it is not. |
| sound | Sound is very important in this poem. As the quotation marks show, this is a speech given by a politician. It has a strong rhyme scheme, but this is hidden when it is read aloud. This may suggest a sense of deception on the part of the speaker. |
| themes and ideas | This poem is about an idea called 'hubris' - great pride and arrogance that leads to disaster. He explores how this disaster is caused by the interaction of three things: God, nationalism (here 'america') and personal ambition ('i'). The key line of the poem is the final line of the politician's speech. Cummings seems to suggest that to preserve liberty, we need to stand up to the politicians like the one in the poem. He wants his country to avoid the mistakes made by the once-great European powers. These powerful nations were arrogant enough to engage in a war believing they would win, but were ultimately destroyed - slaughtered - by this war, allowing America to become the most powerful nation. He does not want the same to happen to America. |
| comparison to 'Belfast Confetti' | Belfast Confetti – this poem shares an interest in form and language. Like next to of course god america i, this poem expresses the emotional and moral effects of conflict by showing how language becomes almost meaningless when faced with violence. In Carson's poem, form and structure are shattered as he tries to form a single, meaningful sentence to describe the riot and his response to it. In Cummings' work, the speaker is trying to rouse people to the same kind of violence but his language has no clear structure and his words become meaningless. |
| comparison to 'The Right Word' | The Right Word – this poem offers a complete contrast. The politician in Cummings' poem just rattles out words like a machine gun. He only stops to gulp a glass of water and then, presumably, carries on again. He does not think about the words he uses, or the uses to which those words are put (justifying bloodshed). Dharker worries painfully over every word she uses. She understands the power of language and the hidden prejudices that lie within words. She wants to connect, to heal, to overcome division, yet she knows that it is language that keeps warring parties apart. |
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