‘Moon on the Tides’ Anthology ‘next to of course god america i’ by e.e.cummings Lesson Objec7ves: •  To iden7fy the key aspects of structure and form used to convey meaning ‘next to of course god america i’ by e.e.cummings “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 ’:s 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?” He spoke. And drank rapidly a glass of water ‘next to of course god america i’ What’s the poem about? •  “next to of course god america i” is a poem aimed at revealing the poten:al of abusing patrio:sm to sway people’s thoughts. •  Patrio:sm can be used to manipulate people into doing things they usually wouldn’t. •  This unspoken theme is enforced throughout the poem by references and other literary devices and suggests that the poem is not actually unpatrio:c. •  The speaker is warning people to be wary of how patrio:sm is used and uses sarcasm to emphasise his posi:on. So … is the poem … inspired by a love for your country
A literary work in which human vice or folly is aEacked through irony, ridicule, or wit
Test yourself 1.  The speaker ‘He spoke’ seems to be in a rush. How does Cummings use enjambment and punctua:on to create this impression? 2.  The speaker seems to be trying to make a patrio:c speech. Does ‘and so forth’ help his case? What effect do you think it has? 3.  What impression does ‘we should worry’ create of American aOtudes to history? 4.  The speaker says that America’s ‘sons acclaim’ its glory using expressions such as ‘by gee’. Why doesn’t this seem right? 5.  Why do you think the ‘slaughter’ is described as ‘roaring’? What sort of picture does this create? 6.  Think about lines 12-­‐13. What sort of death did the ‘heroic happy’ die? What is the obvious answer to the ques:on in line 13, even if it’s not what the speaker intended?