Where? What?
Today we are learning to …
…explore and analyse ‘next to of course god
america i’ by E. E. Cummings.
Yes, I know there should be capital letters … !
US Pledge of Allegiance
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US Pledge of Allegiance
I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United
States of America, and to the republic for
which it stands, one nation under God,
indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.
next to of course god
america i
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When do you think this
might have been written?
by E. E.
Cummings
US Pledge of Allegiance
• An expression of loyalty to
the federal flag and the
republic of the USA.
• It is compulsory for this to be
recited in schools in all but 5
states of USA
• Recited by standing to
attention facing the flag with
the right hand over the
heart. Members and
veterans of the Armed Forces
give the military salute.
The Star Spangled Banner
Oh, say can you see by the dawn's early light
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming?
Whose broad stripes and bright stars thru the perilous fight,
O'er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming?
And the rocket's red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there.
Oh, say does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?
E. E. Cummings
• Born 1894, Massachussets
• Influential and highly respected poet,
who published nearly 2900 poems, 2
autobiographical novels, 4 plays and
several essays.
• During WWI he served in the Ambulance
Corps. He and a friend were mistakenly
arrested on suspicion of espionage,
having openly expressed anti-war views
and spoken of a lack of hatred for the
Germans. They were released after 3 ½
months in an internment camp.
• Experimented with modernist and avantgarde poetry forms as well as more
conventional forms.
•Many of his poems used satire, including
‘next to of course god america i’.
• Died 1962 – at the time he was 2nd most
widely read poet in USA.
Looking at the form
• Circle any use of punctuation and capital
letters: consider the voice in the poem.
• Underline one phrase or idea in the poem that
stands out for you – be ready to explain why.
• Mark on the poem with a slash where you
think the tone changes in the poem.
• Very similar to the sonnet form. Why might
the poet do this?
• Share ideas and annotate
Exploring sound and silence
• Highlight anything associated with sound.
• How should the opening phrase be read?
• Share ideas and annotate
“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
why talk of beauty what could be more beautiful 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
Cummings often experimented with form, punctuation, spelling and sentence
structure – at the time this was radical!
patriotic cliché
Seems to glorify America here?
Why do we not think this by the
end?
“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
Oxymoron – satiric tone
thy sons acclaim your glorious name by gorry
by jingo by gee by gosh by gum
Simile– effect
why talk of beauty what could be more beautiful than these heroic happy dead
who rushed like lions to the roaring slaughter capital letters - speaker and personality at
they did not stop to think they died instead
the centre? Undermining patriotism?
then shall the voice of liberty be mute?”
He spoke. And drank rapidly a glass of water
The poet gives the impression that the speaker
might continue with his speech after.
Lacking punctuation, capital
letters and syntax mixed up.
What might this emphasise
about what the poet is saying?
What IS the poet trying to say?
Satire: making fun of shortcomings,
mistakes, hypocrisy etc in an attempt
to improve individuals, societies or
even countries
The end of the poem
• Who is ‘He’ and how he is feeling (indicated through
his actions)? Support your ideas with reference to the
poem.
• In pairs, decide what might make up the next 5-10 lines
of the poem. Consider:
– whether he will continue with the same ideas or change
direction.
– whether he will turn out to be patriotic, anti-American, or
anti-war.
– what his main ideas might be about war, soldiering, death,
etc.
What other poems that we have studied can you
compare this to? Why?