next to of course god america i Essay Analysis

e.e. cummings is an abnormal author. He doesn’t follow the rules. He’s what you’d call a rebel. His grammar is catastrophic on all levels. There is meaning behind each and every word he produces on paper. These two factors led to e.e. cummings legacy of twisted and complex works of writing. One of e.e. cummings poems is called “next to of course god america i”. From the title alone, you can tell there are many disparate elements that e.e. cummings is going to weave together. You will absolutely need to have your thinking caps on. At first glance the poem seems discombobulated and “message-less”. Well that would be wrong! There’s a message, in fact, there are multiple messages. You just have to look deeper than usual.
The poem "next to of course god america i" centers around the ideas of patriotism within a nation, namely the United States. The writing style mocks the strident tone of “traditional” American patriotism. While Americans are all busy rallying against a common foe, the reality is that a minimal population is going to end up doing all of the fighting. Imagine a member of the U.S. Congress who routinely acts as if they are the biggest patriot who ever lived in this country. Oh sure, they may be showing off their American flag lapel pins to highlight just how patriotic they are but for most of them, it’s all an act. They talk the talk because they know they will never have to actually walk the walk. They will never be in harms’ way. It becomes a matter of who can spew the biggest patriotic speech and act as if they care when in fact they'll be doing none of the fighting. It’s quite sad if you really think about it.
Furthermore, this poem shines a bright light on the absurdity of blind patriotism which you can also think of as being stupidly righteous. Being stupidly righteous refers to those who have the goal of becoming a hero, treating their own life as if it has no value unless it is in the saving of others. This element of blind patriotism is