Ogden Nash Tone

Changes in a poet’s life often impact the topics of their writing, but a poet’s unique tone can survive the transformations. Ogden Nash, a New Yorker born in 1902 grew up in several cities and towns along the East Coast of the U.S. Nash left his job as a copywriter and editor relatively early in his career to dedicate himself solely to poetry. From his very first poem to his last, Nash always incorporated a humorous tone in his poems. During the Great Depression and the beginning of the United State’s involvement in World War II, Nash published his well known poem, “The Hippopotamus” which reflects on that time period. Once he married Frances Rider and had two daughters, he started writing poetry about his family life such as “To My Valentine.” Nash’s earlier poems were influenced by the Great Depression and World War II, but when he became a loving husband and father, the meaning of his poems changed; however, he maintained his humorous tone and rhyme scheme in all his poems. Frederic Ogden Nash was born in Rye, New York on August 19, 1902. The Nash family lived in America since before the Revolutionary war, and Nash’s great-great grandfather was the governor of North Carolina during the Revolution. Another one of Nash’s ancestors, a general, gave his name to Nashville, Tennessee. Nash’s parents were Edmund
managed to stay isolated from the war. The U.S. was dragged into the war the same time “The Hippopotamus” was published. Americans were sent all over the world to fight for their country and yet didn’t go to places where hippopotamuses live. Although this poem was written in a challenging time period, Nash managed to make the poem funny because of his specific diction like hippopotami. He was even optimistic and funny at upsetting times in his life. He sticks to his particular humorous tone and fun rhyme scheme even though they didn’t necessarily fit with the helpless time