E. E. Cummings published "next to of course god america i" in 1926 as part of his poetry collection Is 5, which contained a number of anti-war poems. In keeping with this, the poem satirizes the intense patriotism that many people adopted during World War I. A (very) loosely structured sonnet, the poem features a speaker who feverishly rants about America and war, making a number of patriotic and nationalistic comments that feel hollow. However, it's hard to determine if the speaker says these things sarcastically or if the speaker actually thinks this way. What remains clear is that the poem invites readers to think critically about excessive, unquestioning patriotism.
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The Full Text of “next to of course god america i”
The Full Text of “next to of course god america i”
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“next to of course god america i” Summary
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“next to of course god america i” Themes
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The Dangers of Excessive Patriotism
Where this theme appears in the poem:- Lines 1-14
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Line-by-Line Explanation & Analysis of “next to of course god america i”
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Lines 1-2
"next to of course god america i ...
... and so forth -
Lines 2-5
oh ...
... it we should worry -
Lines 6-8
in every language ...
... gosh by gum -
Lines 9-11
why talk of ...
... the roaring slaughter -
Lines 12-13
they did not ...
... liberty be mute?" -
Line 14
He spoke. And ... glass of water
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“next to of course god america i” Symbols
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The Speaker's Thirst
Where this symbol appears in the poem:- Line 14: “drank rapidly a glass of water”
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“next to of course god america i” Poetic Devices & Figurative Language
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Alliteration
Where alliteration appears in the poem:- Line 2: “love,” “land”
- Line 3: “say,” “see”
- Line 4: “country,” “come”
- Line 5: “what,” “we,” “worry”
- Line 7: “glorious,” “gorry”
- Line 8: “jingo,” “gee,” “gosh,” “gum”
- Line 9: “why,” “beauty,” “what,” “beaut”
- Line 10: “than,” “these,” “heroic,” “happy”
- Line 11: “rushed,” “like,” “lions,” “roaring”
- Line 12: “they,” “did,” “think,” “they,” “died”
- Line 13: “then,” “the”
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Allusion
Where allusion appears in the poem:- Line 2: “land of the pilgrims'”
- Lines 2-3: “oh / say can you see by the dawn's early”
- Lines 3-4: “my / country 'tis of”
- Lines 10-12: “heroic happy dead / who rushed like lions to the roaring slaughter / they did not stop to think they died instead”
- Line 13: “then shall the voice of liberty be mute?"”
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Assonance
Where assonance appears in the poem:- Line 2: “land,” “and,” “so,” “oh”
- Line 3: “can,” “see,” “early”
- Line 4: “centuries,” “go”
- Line 5: “no,” “we,” “worry”
- Line 6: “every,” “even,” “deafanddumb”
- Line 7: “thy,” “sons,” “glorious,” “by,” “gorry”
- Line 8: “by,” “by,” “gee,” “by,” “gosh,” “by”
- Line 9: “why,” “talk,” “beauty,” “be”
- Line 10: “these,” “happy”
- Line 11: “like,” “lions”
- Line 12: “not,” “stop”
- Line 13: “liberty,” “be”
- Line 14: “He,” “rapidly,” “glass”
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Consonance
Where consonance appears in the poem:- Line 2: “love,” “land,” “pilgrims,” “so”
- Line 3: “say,” “can,” “see,” “dawn's”
- Line 4: “country,” “'tis,” “centuries,” “come,” “and”
- Line 5: “and,” “are,” “no,” “more,” “what,” “we,” “worry”
- Line 6: “every,” “even,” “deafanddumb”
- Line 7: “sons,” “acclaim,” “your,” “glorious,” “name,” “gorry”
- Line 8: “by,” “jingo,” “by,” “gee,” “by,” “gosh,” “by,” “gum”
- Line 9: “why,” “beauty,” “what,” “be,” “beaut”
- Line 10: “than,” “these,” “heroic,” “happy,” “dead”
- Line 11: “who,” “rushed,” “like,” “lions,” “roaring,” “slaughter”
- Line 12: “they,” “did,” “not,” “stop,” “to,” “think,” “they,” “died,” “instead”
- Line 13: “then,” “the”
- Line 14: “spoke,” “drank,” “rapidly,” “glass”
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Diacope
Where diacope appears in the poem:- Line 7: “by”
- Line 8: “by,” “by,” “by,” “by”
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Enjambment
Where enjambment appears in the poem:- Lines 1-2: “i / love”
- Lines 2-3: “oh / say”
- Lines 3-4: “my / country”
- Lines 6-7: “deafanddumb / thy”
- Lines 9-10: “beaut- / iful”
- Lines 10-11: “dead / who”
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Rhetorical Question
Where rhetorical question appears in the poem:- Line 13: “then shall the voice of liberty be mute?"”
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Irony
Where irony appears in the poem:- Lines 1-13
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“next to of course god america i” Vocabulary
Select any word below to get its definition in the context of the poem. The words are listed in the order in which they appear in the poem.
- 'Tis
- Deafanddumb
- Thy
- Acclaim
- Glorious
- Gorry
- Jingo
- Gee
- Gum
- Slaughter
- Shall
- Liberty
- Mute
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(Location in poem: Line 4: “'tis”)
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Form, Meter, & Rhyme Scheme of “next to of course god america i”
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Form
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Meter
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Rhyme Scheme
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“next to of course god america i” Speaker
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“next to of course god america i” Setting
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Literary and Historical Context of “next to of course god america i”
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More “next to of course god america i” Resources
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External Resources
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Cummings Reads the Poem — Listen to E. E. Cummings himself read "next to of course god america i" in this old recording.
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The Life of E. E. — To learn more about E. E. Cummings and his work, check out this brief overview of his life and writing.
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Cummings's Paintings — E. E. Cummings was also a skilled painter—see for yourself in this short exploration of his visual art!
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Structure and Style — This essay by the poet Paul Muldoon offers up an interesting investigation of Cummings's odd, inimitable style.
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The Rebellion of E. E. Cummings — An interesting essay about E. E. Cummings's—and his unorthodox stylistic decisions—published in the magazine of his alma mater, Harvard University.
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LitCharts on Other Poems by E. E. Cummings
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