Student Question

How do fragmentation, juxtaposition, and allusion in E.E. Cummings' poem "next to of course god america i" compare to their use in "The Waste Land"?

Please evaluate the poet's stylistic methods according to the central criteria for modernist poetry.

Quick answer:

I think the most defining and influential stylistic method in Cummings's "next to of course god america i" is fragmentation. The lack of punctuation makes it difficult to read, but also emphasizes that there are no pauses between thoughts, which are very intense and forceful. Allusion is used a lot throughout the poem, as well as a sense of juxtaposition with the different text styles.

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E.E. Cummings has an extremely unique style of poetry, and "next to of course go america i" is marked by distinct fragmentation. The lack of punctuation can make this poem difficult to read, since the lines and phrases rush together, separated only by line breaks. The line breaks are often in the middle of a thought, called enjambment, which keeps the reader from taking too long of a pause even at the end of a line.

Many of the thoughts are seemingly incomplete, or rush into another sentence without a pause, which emphasizes the fragmented aspect of the poem.

There's also a lot of allusion in Cummings's poem. He uses many lines from other songs, poems, etc, to craft together his own poem. There are lines from "the Star Spangled Banner," "My Country Tis of Thee," and he also uses lingo and everyday speech to create an intense contrast. This...

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is where I see a lot of juxtaposition in the poem. There's a contrast between the patriotic language and the references to history balanced against stark language like "by jingo" and "of course."

"The Waste Land" by T.S. Eliot is less fragmented. The poet still jumps from idea to idea, and none of the images linger for very long. He says: "you know only a heap of broken images" and in many ways the poem is the compilation of those image fragments.

There are a lot of allusions and references in "The Waste Land." Eliot rushes past them and name drops without a lot of explanation. Most of these can be found in stanza three: "Madam Sosostris," "Phoenician Sailor," "Belladona," "Ms Equitone."

One of the ways that Eliot uses juxtaposition in his poem is through the format of the poem itself. Many of the stanzas have a very different style and tone. There are different languages inserted throughout the poem to create contrast, and while some of the lines feel very formal, others are fragmented and almost nonsensical, like "co co rico co co rico" and "Weialala leia Wallala leialala."

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