¶ … Latashia Weston Original Work

Poem -- Version 1: "next to of course god america i"

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

A Good Man Is Hard to Find

Short Writing: Paraphrasing a scene from a play

Revised Work

Short Fiction -- John Updike -- "A&P"

Short Writing: Describing a Poem

Short Writing: Paraphrasing a scene from a play

Short Story - Cathedral by Raymond Carver

Short Story - A Good Man Is Hard to Find

Glossary

Parody

Symbolism

Theme

Irony

Alliteration

Postmodern

Motif

Style

Character development

In my literary analysis essays, I have endeavored to discover why I thought an author wrote a particular piece, how they think about their work, and why they made the choices they did with regard to theme, character development, and use of literary devices. I have also attempted to make my own perspective transparent in my writing, and through this effort, understand more about the work of these authors.

Original Work

Poem -- Version 1: "next to of course god america i"

E.E. Cummings's poem "next to of course god america i" is a sonnet written in slightly irregular form. The poem has fourteen lines as all sonnets do, and is written in loose iambic pentameter meter, but the first 8 lines follow the rhyme scheme of a Shakespearean sonnet (ABAB, CDCD) and the last 6 lines follow the rhyme scheme of a Petrarchan sonnet (EFG, FEG). The structure of the poem is somewhat unusual though: the first thirteen lines are an extended quotation from an unnamed speaker, and the last line simply reveals that speaker (and then explains after this lengthy rant, he drank a glass of water). The text of the thirteen-line rant is largely ungrammatical and filled with disconnected quotations from various "patriotic"-sounding windbaggery, including the American national anthem and the patriotic song "My Country, 'Tis of Thee." The overall effect is that of a meaningless parody of patriotic discourse, in which the speaker is revealed to have no real thought behind the platitudes he spouts. Of course the more pointed meaning of the poem comes in the speaker's enthusiastic endorsement of war, as a patriotic activity -- ultimately claiming that nothing is more beautiful than the dead bodies of young men who rushed into war for patriotic reasons. As a result, the poem could be basically described as a satirical anti-war poem -- the object of its satire is the mindless American "patriot" who is always happy to endorse a war when it is other people, rather than himself, who are being killed.

Version 2 - "next to of course god america i" E.E. Cummings

Poetry is an extremely useful medium for expressing opinions about politics and discussing various aspects of society....

The works of numerous poets indicate as much; in this respect, those of e.e. Cummings are no different. His poem "next to of course God america i" is a scathing piece of social commentary about the United States during the interim period in which it was written. This piece of literature explicitly discusses the nature of patriotism, and in particular that which applies to America. In "next to of course God america i" e.e. Cummings utilizes tone, irony, and alliteration to convey a sense of disillusion about the patriotic sentiment of the United States.
This thesis is most readily evinced in analysis of the tone the author employs throughout this work. He is extremely sarcastic throughout this piece and cites several aspects of conventional patriotic rhetoric for the United States to convey his disillusionment, if not outright disbelief, in this sentiment. For instance, when discussing the efforts of veterans who fought and died for the country in the numerous wars it has engaged in since its inception in the late 18th century the author states, "what could be more beautiful than these heroic happy dead." It is clear he is talking about veterans who died while defending (or perhaps attacking others) for the U.S. because he describes these dead people as "heroic," which is a common description in the media and the annals of history for U.S. troops. However, two points in this passage underscore the sarcasm in his tone of voice. The first is his description of these dead soldiers as "happy"; these soldiers would have exuded much more happiness if they had lived and were able to come home to their families. The fact that they died while defending a country/patriotic sentiment the author is questioning alludes to the sarcasm in this description. Additionally, the way this passage is phrase indicates the sarcasm in his tone. He asks if there is anything that could be more "beautiful" than dead soldiers. On the literal level, any number of things can engender more dead than the loss of human life. Therefore, Cummings is utilizing a sarcastic tone to indicate that he questions the reason why these dead soldiers died, and is decidedly ambiguous about the patriotic sentiment that rushed them to their graves.

Despite the fact that there are other instances of Cummings' sarcastic tone found throughout this poem, his usage of irony helps to solidify the fact that he is skeptical about the patriotic fervor that typifies the way America is portrayed in the media and annals of history. Irony, of course, is the use of words in a way that is the exact opposite of their literal meaning. Situation irony is an extension…