America v. America

Walt Whitman and E. E. Cummings share passionate sentiments regarding America’s defining qualities in their individual works “I Hear America Singing” and “next to of course god america i” but profoundly contrast in their praise—or lack thereof—of these conditions. Along with considering the stylistic aspects of each poem such as organization, tone, rhyme scheme, and other poetic elements, it is also important to examine the broader context that each poem was written in; an example being how the two authors existed in different times.

Walt Whitman (1819-1892) helped define what it means to be an American not only in his day but for ensuing generations also. Ezra Pound, a famous American Poet, wrote a piece entirely about Whitman with phrases like “(referring to Whitman) America’s Poet…He is America.”. Andrew Carnegie, a famous entrepreneur, spoke of Whitman as “the great poet of America so far”. “I Hear America Singing” was published in 1860. Hailing workers of America throughout, Whitman expresses many beliefs regarding what makes America so wonderful. The author portrays his satisfaction of this idea that people of all walks of life can make it in America if they work hard, are passionate, and take pride in themselves and their country—to us what is known as the American Dream. Whitman goes through one individual’s occupation after another showing how the creative spirit is alive and well throughout the country with each worker gleefully singing their song. By using countless individuals in the poem while portraying harmony in a group activity such as singing, Whitman demonstrates how America is united because everyone is in it for themselves at heart most clearly with the phrase “Each singing what belongs to him or her and to none else” in line 12. Adding to this effect, the poem is written in free verse without a rhyme scheme. This style goes well with the author’s narrative celebrating individualism because it allows for each portrayal of an individual and their occupation to be entirely it’s own showing how success is uniquely personal in America. When read, the poem has a nice swift pace to it, indicative of Whitman’s belief that America is flowing wonderfully like when an author doesn’t have writer’s block, or like me when I wrote this paper. Contrary to Cummings, Whitman’s view of what America is and what America should be are largely synonymous.

E. E. Cummings lived from 1894-1962—This is important to note because Whitman died in 1892 meaning the two were never alive at the same time making the context of their work(s) distinct. During World War I, Cummings voluntarily enlisted in the ambulance corps and was stationed in Paris. In multiple letters sent back to companions in America, he openly expressed antiwar views and a noted “lack of hatred” for the German foes. When Cummings’ reputation eventually caught up with his penmanship, local authorities arrested him essentially for being a pacifist—technically speaking he was arrested on suspicion of espionage and “undesirable activities”. In a twist of irony, after being released and transported back to America, Cummings was drafted to serve in the military. The situation never actually materialized though because World War I ended soon after. Cummings geared toward transcendental doctrines as he came into adulthood and remained this way for the remainder of his life. His poem “next to of course god america i” was published in 1926. At first glance, the poem appears strikingly bizarre with virtually no capitalization and punctuation throughout, and strange grammar such as the erroneous spacing in the phrase “deafanddumb” in line six. Despite how unusual it appears on the surface, “next to of course god america i” nearly fits the form of a sonnet. The poem has 14 lines, a rhyme scheme with three parts (lines 1-4, 5-8, 9-14), and a rhythm fluctuating in the order of 10, 11, and 9 syllables per line other than the last line which has 12 syllables. Cummings mocks blind patriotism in America to a degree most would not even be able to conceive in this poem. Using the stiff sonnet, the speaker in lines 1-13 is repeatedly cut off at unnatural points. For example, the last word of line two,“oh”, eventually becomes recognizable as part of the national anthem in line three with, “oh…say can you see by the dawn’s early”. Directly after, the speaker again is abruptly cut off with the ending of line three, “my”, which we see eventually becomes a phrase related to a famous patriotic song in America in line four with, “my…country ’tis of centuries”. The speaker’s choppy delivery on heavy issues like liberty, nationalism, and death due to the poem’s structural firmness renders their message uninspiring and basically useless. In addition, what still manages to come through is so banal in nature that it makes it even harder to believe the speaker is sincere. Cummings’ use of little capitalization in this poem, including the title, further amplifies this effect highlighting the hollowness of what the speaker has to say in the first 13 lines. Despite all of these factors working against him, the speaker presses on unwavering creating a type of dramatic irony with the reader knowing the speaker is working through a rigged framework intended to make the speaker look bad. The last line with the listener in the story finally responding to put an end to the speaker’s rambling confirms the reader’s beliefs of how inauthentic and discomforting the speaker’s message was. What Cummings seems to be saying is that he takes issue with how the people in power in America proclaim patriotism as some immaculate cause with little regard to the reality that people lose their lives or relinquish many aspects of being an individual in order to pursue it. Cummings uses the sonnet very purposefully. Utilizing the sonnet as a systematic arrangement to work within, Cummings is able to simultaneously express a multitude of ideas. It shows his understanding that the American Government and other national establishments have to work within cookie-cutter boxes too, but by defying ordinary rules of grammar as his tool to manipulate the unknowing speaker’s message into Cummings’ own narrative the author further presents how sinister it is to take advantage of unsuspecting civilians simply because the power is available to be able to do so. This creates a taste of your own medicine type of situation with those in power exploiting the blind sheep to fit their agenda without being conscientious to the fact that we are all human beings. Cummings way of disapproval without transgressing the greater framework—the sonnet in his case—also plays on the right to protest granted to American Citizens in the Bill of Rights. Although his issue largely seems to be with those in power, not all followers are exempt from Cummings’ condemnation. In line with how transcendentalism advocates for individualism, Cummings is disappointed in those who conform without even attempting to think on their own—unfortunately explaining his disappointment to people that aren’t even aware of their ignorance is much harder than just being cynical about it.

Whitman and Cummings are alike in that they both believe Americans expressing themselves as individuals is healthy for the nation, that creative spirit among people should be encouraged without interference, and that America means well at heart. Whitman thinks America is already succeeding in making these ideas a reality, while Cummings on the other hand believes that individualism and creativity are being stifled, but remains optimistic about humanity’s intentions. Walt Whitman and E. E. Cummings both ardently concern themselves with evaluating America as an entity in their poems “I Hear America Singing” and “next to of course god america i” but clearly differentiate themselves in their focus and critiques of their beloved country.

Works Cited

Cummings, E. E. “next to of course god america i” Norton Introduction to Literature. University of Iowa. Kelly J. Mays. New York: Norton & Company, 2013. 718. Print.

“E. E. Cummings.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 03 Apr. 2016.

Stratford, Michael. “Examples of Allusions in the Poem “Next to of Course God America I”” Demand Media, n.d. Web. 2 Apr. 2016.

“Walt Whitman.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 03 Apr. 2016

Whitman, Walt. “I Hear America Singing” Norton Introduction to Literature. University of Iowa. Kelly J. Mays. New York: Norton & Company, 2013. 865-866. Print.

#eecummings #WaltWhitman #America #poetry