Tuesday, February 26, 2013

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

"next to of course god america i" I found was an interesting read. I'm not sure why Cummings uses incorrect capitalization. I took it possibly as him thinking those things that are typically capitalized in the English language are unimportant to him. It could be a way for him to get our attention, the poem looks unfamiliar because of the 'mistakes'. The main point that stuck out to me the most was "...we should worry in every language even deafanddumb..." America is beautiful and there is no place like it, but we shouldn't take it for granted and know that it is not all the stereotypical Land of the Free. Because freedom doesn't come free. I think thats why Cummings mentioned "...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..." I got out of this that America isn't as beautiful and cookie-cutter as we might all make it out to be. There was lots and still is lots of blood spilled to make this country what it is. That's what is beautiful. The heroism. We discussed in class that Cummings might have been trying to be sarcastic and that is a possibility, but I don't believe this to be true. I think he was trying to get our attention directed to the reality of how we came to be and why we love America...next to God of course.

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