The American ‘can-do-spirit’ is a well-known term, and many texts, poems, books and movies revolve around this outstanding ‘can-do-spirit’, which appears to be significant for the average American’s self-image. Two poems focused on this spirit are Dedication for a Plot of Ground by William Carlos Williams and Nobody Loses All the Time by E. E. Cummings, both by American writers, written 16 years apart. Even though both poems contemplate the American ‘can-do-spirit’, they seem to have two different ideas regarding what this so called spirit is all about. One praises it, and one mugs it. Dedication for a Plot of Ground by William Carlos Williams was written in 1938. The poem is about a woman called Emily Dickinson Wellcome (perhaps Williams’ …show more content…
E. Cummings was written 16 years later in 1954. The poem has many parallels to Dedication for a Plot of Ground but still differs in, for example, the tone of the poem. The poem is about a man called Uncle Sol. Just like Emily, Uncle Sol’s life has been full of misfortunes. Uncle Soll starts a farm, but it is ruined by chickens, “so my Uncle Sol had a chicken farm”, hereafter skunks eat the chickens and Uncle Sol decides to kill himself by drowning himself in a water-tank “and down went my Uncle Sol and started a worm farm”. In the beginning Uncle Sol is resourceful. When the chickens cause his vegetable farm to fail, he just opens a chicken farm. This is a good example of the American ‘can-do-spirit’. Nothing is so bad that it can’t be turned into something good, and that is exactly what Uncle Sol does. Unfortunately Uncle Sol loses this ‘can-do-spirit’ when the chicken farm fails, and commits suicide. In that way he differs from Emily, who is more persistent, and therefore represents the American ‘can-do-spirit’ better. Another way Emily and Uncle Soll differs, is that Uncle Soll was a liked person. At his funeral “we all cried like the Missouri”, and that won’t be the case when Emily dies. The style of Nobody Loses All the Time is much like the style of Dedication for a Plot of Ground, the sentences are abrupt and the poem is condensed. The poems’ tones differ, and that causes the view of the American ‘can-do-spirit’ to differ as well. Nobody Loses All the Time is written in a sarcastic tone, which for example can be seen, when Uncle Soll’s suicide is
Dubbed as “The Greatest Country in the World” by god knows who, America is not as awesome and free as some may see. In doing a close reading of Heather Christle’s “Five Poems for America”, we can see how the author uses metaphors to portray a flawed American, specifically within its political system, religion, obsession with technology and basic human rights. Americans have been living with the oppression of these everyday issues, completely oblivious thus creating the America we infamously know today.
For centuries, the American Dream has motivated citizens of the United States to go above and beyond in their efforts through life, yet not everyone is hoping to reach the same outcome. The stereotypical prosperous dream was for the average individual to have a successful job with a supportive and wealthy family. However, for some, their idealized version of the American Dream is different. Although the American Dream came in variations, a commonality within all of them was the pursuit of happiness. In the epilogue of The Epic of America, James Truslow Adams argues his idea that the American Dream cannot be defined by one type of accomplishment or triumph. He claims that the American Dream cannot be defined by one type of achievement or particular success, reiterating the fact that the dream is not about tangible goods creating a sense of artificial happiness, but every individual seeking to fulfill their utmost potential. Adams saw that the American Dream was eroding into a need for material possessions, causing him to combat the shift and attempt to preserve the original idea. This theory is echoed in Jeannette Walls’ memoir, The Glass Castle. Despite being hindered by
Often depicted as a melting pot, America is always being put on a pedestal by the rest of the world due to the large amounts of successful immigrants in the United States. Millions of people have packed their bags and moved to America in hopes of achieving their dreams. While some succeed, others fail and are let down by the dim reality that not everyone can achieve their goals. This essay will compare the poems, “Let America Be America Again” by Langston Hughes and “The New Colossus” by Emma Lazarus to exhibit my perspective on both works. Both poems portray people’s hopes that America will be great, however, due to the different eras and the authors’ backgrounds, the poems have different meanings. Lazarus’ poem was written in the early stages of America, as it describes her cheerful
While the American Dream of the post-war ‘40s and ‘50s was the same core ideology as the American Dream had always been, it expanded its previous definitions to include a uniform “American Way of Life”. Will Herberg argues that the true common religion in the United States is not western monotheism but this way of life that we have. He cites the fact that a majority of people at this time don’t let their religious beliefs affect their decisions about politics and society . He infers that there must be another force behind the country’s unity and it is our way of life. This way was more linear in definition than in the past and was reinforced by the pressure that the Cold War produced. Popular media reflected the conformism that was prevalent
The poem America by Claude McKay is on its surface a poem combining what America should be and what this country stands for, with what it actually is, and the attitude it projects amongst the people. Mckay uses the form of poetry to express how he, as a Jamaican immigrant, feels about America. He characterizes the bittersweet relationship between striving for the American dream, and being denied that dream due to racism. While the America we are meant to see is a beautiful land of opportunity, McKay see’s as an ugly, flawed, system that crushes the hopes and dreams of the African-American people.
In the story, the mother’s belief in this sentiment gave her hope for her daughter to become a prodigy. Therefore, the weight of the dream is left on the first-generation. The belief of endless possibilities is set upon first-generation Americans and Americans alike. From the beginning of the story, the daughter states that “America was where all my mother’s hopes lay” (491). The mother has the be...
Poems are expression of the human soul, and even though, is not everyone’s cup of tea when the individual finds that special poem it moves their soul one with the poet. There are many poets in the world, but the one that grab my attention the most was no other than Langston Hughes. It would be impossible for me to cover all the poems he wrote, but the one that grab my attention the most is called “Let America Be America Again.” It first appeared in “1938 pamphlet by Hughes entitled A New Song. Which was published by a socialist organization named the International Worker Order” (MLM) and later change back to its original name. I have never felt such an energy coming out of a poem like this one which is the reason that I instantly felt in love with it.
In his poem “America”, Mckay writes of being torn between dueling feelings of both love and hate. He wrote, “I love this cultured hell that tests my youth!” ( ). He uses the word cultured to display the vast duality of a country that stands
Defining the American character is quite difficult because American identity is vaguely founded on shared values and ideologies, more so than a particular creed, race, or culture. In order to describe the American character, we will consider the dominate and distinctive qualities of Americans as interpreted by J. Hector St. Jon De Crèvecoeur and Thomas Paine. First, we will examine how Crèvecoeur illustrates Americans as industrious, prideful, and political in “Letters from an American Farmer.” Then, we will analyze from Thomas Paine's “Common Sense” how he depicts the prevalent qualities of Americans to be driven by justice, liberty, emotions, and individualism. Also, because both authors consider the American character and culture different
The American Dream – the idea that hard work will result in success – did not resonate with Williams. In his poetry, there is a clear rejection of this idea, despite the irony of his success under the system. It is completely worth noting that despite the working-class background of his family, Williams was able to attend school through to a complete Ph. D in Medicine from one of the country's most respected schools, the University of Pennsylvania1. He continued to work as both, a physician and a poet, finding success at both. Despite this success, Williams (perhaps in part of his own diverse background) saw that the American Dream was not representative of a “unified vision of American Culture,” and attempted to bring this to the foref...
Kass, Amy A., Leon Kass, and Diana Schaub. "To Build a Fire." What So Proudly We Hail: The American Soul in Story, Speech, and Song. Wilmington, Del.: ISI Books, 2011. 67-80. Print.
I think courage and grit represent America the most because of these reasons. America was made from us standing against the British and saying we had rights. This took courage and we didn’t stay down even though we were taking on the world’s leading power.
A display of proud patriotism in the variety of the American people is seen in Walt Whitman’s poem I Hear America Singing. Whitman “hears America singing” which is the sound of American people joyfully singing as they work in unity. Each worker is transforming America to be the best it can be with an upbeat attitude as they try to make the best of their work efforts. Their lively songs are filled with pride as they “each sing what belongs to him or her” (Whitman) which describes each of their unique traits that makes them special and valued citizens of America. Of the various images depicted the ending even includes the workers united as a whole singing up till the very end of their day. Upon further analyzation of the poem, the method of writing
...ze anything other than the awful finality of despair. The sense of healing and salvation at the end of The Waste Land indicates that there is hope for meaning, even in fractured worlds and obfuscated poems. But it is up to each of us to discover it.
T.S Eliot’s poem, The Waste Land, is written in the mood of society after World War I. By using these allusions, The Waste Land reflects on mythical, historical, and literary events. The poem displays the deep disillusionment felt during this time period. In the after math of the great war, in an industrialized society that lacks the traditional structure of authority and belief, in the soil that may not be conductive to new growth (Lewis). Eliot used various allusions that connected to the time period and the effect of the war on society in his poem. Aided by Eliot’s own notes and comments, scholars have been able to identify allusions to: the Book of Common Prayer, Geoffrey Chaucer, Charles-Louis Philippe, James Thomas, Guillaume Appollinaire, Countess Marie Larsich, Wyndham Lewis, nine books of the Bible, John Donne, Alfred Lord Tennyson, Richard Wagner, Sappho, Catullus, Lord Byron, Joseph Campbell, Aldous Huxley, J.G. Frazer, Jessie L. Weston, W.B. Yeats, Shakespeare, Walter Pater, Charles Baudelair, Dente, Ezra Pound, James Joyce, and John Webster—all within the first section of 72 lines, about one allusion every two lines (Lewis). Using various allusions, Eliot was able to connect to the fact that he lived in a modern day waste land as a result of the destruction caused by World War I. Eliot used the allusions to show that death brings new beginnings and change, and love still flourishes.