take it from me kiddo
believe me
my country, ’tis of

you, land of the Cluett
Shirt Boston Garter and Spearmint
Girl With The Wrigley Eyes (of you
land of the Arrow Ide
and Earl &
Wilson
Collars) of you i
sing:land of Abraham Lincoln and Lydia E. Pinkham,
land above all of Just Add Hot Water And Serve–
from every B. V. D.

let freedom ring

amen. i do however protest, anent the un
-spontaneous and otherwise scented merde which
greets one (Everywhere Why) as divine poesy per
that and this radically defunct periodical. i would

suggest that certain ideas gestures
rhymes, like Gillette Razor Blades
having been used and reused
to the mystical moment of dullness emphatically are
Not To Be Resharpened. (Case in point

if we are to believe these gently O sweetly
melancholy trillers amid the thrillers
these crepuscular violinists among my and your
skyscrapers– Helen & Cleopatra were Just Too Lovely,
The Snail’s On The Thorn enter Morn and God’s
In His andsoforth

do you get me?) according
to such supposedly indigenous
throstles Art is O World O Life
a formula: example, Turn Your Shirttails Into
Drawers and If It Isn’t An Eastman It Isn’t A
Kodak therefore my friends let
us now sing each and all fortissimo A-
mer
i

ca, I
love,
You. And there’re a
hun-dred-mil-lion-oth-ers, like
all of you successfully if
delicately gelded (or spaded)
gentlemen (and ladies)– pretty

littleliverpil-
heated-Nujolneeding-There’s-A-Reason
americans (who tensetendoned and with
upward vacant eyes, painfully
perpetually crouched, quivering, upon the
sternly allotted sandpile
–how silently
emit a tiny violetflavoured nuisance: Odor?

ono.
comes out like a ribbon lies flat on the brush

Analysis, meaning and summary of e.e. cummings's poem Poem, Or Beauty Hurts Mr. Vinal

8 Comments

  1. ULLMANN Rébecca says:

    I try to get a commentary on this poem, a complete analysis, as I have to present an oral expose on next monday. Could you help me ?
    Rebecca

  2. Shane says:

    While Bill may have been a bit of an ass, how in the world can you defend that gibberish wall of text that Kimberly posted. She lost me at hello.

    1. The poem is not about “other retarded poets,” it is a very focused attack on one single poetry editor named Harold Vinal, and the kinds of submissions said Harold Vinal favored in the one periodical he edited.

    The point through the poem is not that consumerism is trite (thats pretty obvious, even to most of the consumers). The point of the attack is that the specific poems that Harold Vinal, secretary of “The Poetry Society of America” published in one specific journal (“Voices”) were trite. All of the commercial references are there to demean Harold Vinal’s journal, not to demean consumerism itself.

    2. Abraham Lincoln never owned slaves Kim, he lived most of his adult life in a state where slavery was illegal well before the civil war, and as a child his family was way to impoverished to own slaves. There is zero historical evidence for your wild assertion.

    3. Lydia Pinkham didn’t “try” to market anything, she was a famous abolitionist and feminist who very successfully marketed an herbal remedy for the relief of menstrual symptoms. Her company stayed profitable for many years after she died. Modern studies of her ingredients have had been varied and inconclusive, but she still to this day has not been fully discredited, and her elixir was still a popular treatment for menstrual symptoms at the time the poem was written.

    4. Your wall of text is full of bizzare statements, but that is about as much as I can arse myself to adress.

  3. Bill says:

    Your attitude suggests that you’re as heavy as that paragraph, Kimberly.

    After cutting your calorie intake to around 400/day for a few weeks, learn how to analyze poetry before you make the mistake of rambling on about nothing.

    Some girls look good in Abercrombie, you’d probably look better in a circus tent.

    poetry is divine, you dunce, modernism redefines divine

  4. Kimberly says:

    This is a poem that probably came about because other retarded poets were making fun or looking down on cummings. He is basically saying– you guys produce shit– and the only reason why you think you are good is because you are recognized by a people that are idiot boxes (my country tis of you- land of the cluett shirt, boston garder, and spearmint girl with the wrigley eyes of you land of the arrrow ide and earl and wilson collars, of you I sing(brand names))In other words here he is saying yes america is a bunch of people who have lost themselves in the depths of a county stuck on capitalism, now only caring for artificial things that are retarded– a shirt cannot represent who you are. (ps- goth is a mindset- not fucking wearing black)Our country has always been off (land of abraham lincoln and lidia e minkim- land above all of just add hot water and serve from every bvd(underwear company) let freedom ring) Abraham Lincoln was a president that advocated intergration and the stop of slavery, but had 200 some slaves of his own– when he died, he did not set them free. lidia e pinkem is a lady that tried to market this amazing diet to the public- and a lot did try it– but the diet was just so absurd that it shows how guliable america is.-the add hot water and serve comment- he is trying to say that we are so artifical we only care about clothes and status blah– that’s right you abercromies out there!Then he mocks us with the let freedom ring—because perhaps we are not free- our world if flawed into a common thinking–think outside the box.So that was basically a litte intro to tell us that america is shiste. Then he starts to talk about the poets that corrupt us or perhaps goes along with this thinking-and think their shit does not stink * I do however protest anent the unspontaneous and otherwise scented merde(frech for shit)which greets one everywhere why as divine poesy (poetry)per that and this radically defunct periodical (again- time sucks)- he is saying that poetry thought of as divine is crap. then he starts telling other poets what they do wrong– I would suggest that certain ideas gestures rhymes like gilette razor blades haveing been used and reused to the mystical moment of dullness is not to be resharpened.*He says- knock off all the stupid rhyming and the common themes that are so repiticous THEY ARE CRAP-and are simply the same poems– these crepuslcular violinist among my and your skyscapers were just too lovely– saying that poets think they are creating art:beautiful music/ great things in magnitude with their poems but it is CREPULSCULAR-dreadful as sin. He then goes into a poem that is marvelled,(the snail on the thorn enter the morn and god’s in his and soforth-do you get it. He is saying come on america how can you like this it is so dull– who cares what they write it is all the same.(DO YOU GET ME)For awhile he continues to mock by comparing the world and its poets to crappy commerials (turn your shittales into drawers and if it isnt an eastman it int a kodak– think evil car salesman—)Halelujah– for shit– yes you are right poets your creations are masterpieces(mock mock..mock)-therefore let us sing each and all fortissimo america i love you- carcasm-here his blood is boiling with wrath of the fake america— yah, it pisses me off too e.e- i feel ya homie G. Oh, and about the Cleopatra and Helen thing– they were woman that it seems to me went through hardships- cleopatra killed herself because of Marka, and either he is saying how can you make this shit romantic-doh- it is not, or he is saying that we are doing the same old stuff- nothing has changed in writing-and our writings are slow in progression of getting any better just as ancient as cleopatra (kinda hard to understand– i love it all the same).THEN MY FAV PART- He actually describes other poets writing as pooping. i can picture it im my head as the poet writes- he poops– ee describes it very graphically__there’s a reason america who tensetended and with upward vacant eyes painfully, perpetually crouchedapon the sternly alloted sandpile- ( bent over sand pile like a cat in kitty litter)–ha ha poets you are like stupid animals *Yah!- for pic in head of fancy smancy poets with nice jackets holding their trophies and ideas in their heads of greatness pooping in a litter box.)How silently- emit a tiny violet flavored nusiance- odor oh no (of course their shit does not stink- they are far too superior)- they actually shit and the poets are so devine that it comes out as toothpaste, and goes on a toothbrush– keep brushing shitty poets– You rock my socks e.e. damn you are billiant– way to be so very clever as to insult other poets that think that nothing goes by they for they are far superior, and write the poem so they cant understand it.– sorry I got so very wrapped up this poem- my passion reflects that of the poet

  5. Kristen says:

    This poem is all about how the media and popular culture affect the way we, as americans think. The commericials and jingles hinder our comprehension of the world around us. They try to tell us how to dress, what to buy, what “the look” is, but when we conform to that, we become clones of each other and lose our individuality. I love this poem because it rings so true.

  6. J says:

    This poem is all about the rampant consumerism in the Twenties — but still rings completely true today. I love how he puts his comments in paranthesis — like backhanded asides or simply commentary that would not have been “accepted” outside of the parenthesis, in the rest of the poem. Whenever I read this poem I think of “Got Milk?” and “Where’s the Beef?” And ending it all with a toothpaste commercial. Brillant.

  7. Prince AL e Baba says:

    i loved the poem Americans give the best illistration of there country in poems.i love America thank you

  8. Sandy says:

    Interesting way to convey policital views and the way people try to portray things with “pretty” words. This was the 1st time I read anything by this poet.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Do you have any comments, criticism, paraphrasis or analysis of this poem that you feel would assist other visitors in understanding the meaning or the theme of this poem by e.e. cummings better? If accepted, your analysis will be added to this page of American Poems. Together we can build a wealth of information, but it will take some discipline and determination.