Year 12s: what will be the first way you research your future options? >>

next to of course god america i

At school I've been asked to research and analyse next to of course god america i then share with the others, but I'm really struggling! I've found some background on E.E. Cummings on BBC Bitesize, but no analysis of individual lines, which I could really do with.
If anyone else studies this poem I'd appreciate any help you can give! Thanks!

Reply 1

Protégé

It's basically about patriotism and mocking it by its gibberish language, a parody of the American anthem.

"why talk of beauty what could be more beaut-
iful than these heroic happy dead
who rushed like lions to the roaring slaughter"

Mocking the idea of patriotism. Note how the soldiers are described as lions but it's the 'slaughter' that's roaring, not them.

"they did not stop to think they died instead"

Self explanatory.

(edited 9 years ago)

Reply 2

Lucy99needshelp

Original post by Protégé

Thank you! That was really helpful :smile:

I feel like the enjambment of 'beautiful' might be meant to mean something but I've no idea what :s-smilie:

Any ideas?

Reply 3

chlo_evans

ImageUploadedByStudent Room1429302719.285531.jpg

Here are my GCSE annotations if they help, sorry about the state of my writing!! :smile:

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Reply 4

Protégé

Original post by Lucy99needshelp

Thank you! That was really helpful :smile:

I feel like the enjambment of 'beautiful' might be meant to mean something but I've no idea what :s-smilie:

Any ideas?

You're welcome. :smile:

You could say that it's talking about the idea of how dying for your country is seen as heroic, the poet is mocking the notion that it's great to die for your country blindly.