The Imagery of American Hypocrisy in Poetry Kellie Veltri College

Poetry has been used since its inception to send strong messages about current and historical issues, and these are often political in nature. In their poems “next to of course god america i” and “King Cotton, 1907” from “Scenes from a Documentary History of Mississippi,” E.E. Cummings and Natasha Trethewey, respectively, explore the nationalism and political landscape of the United States. Although these authors come from vastly different backgrounds and represent unique perspectives, it is clear how each poet is able to convey their ideas through their ability to present vivid images. The effects of the imagery and meticulously selected language which these poets use can be demonstrated well through the ideas of the six powers of poetry in Robert Bly’s What the Image Can Do. E.E. Cummings was a pacifist and volunteered to work for the ambulance service in France during the First World War. In 1917, he was arrested for treason thanks to his pastime of leaving mysterious comments in his letters to home and was detained for several months. The next year, the United States entered the war, and Cummings was drafted into the U.S. Army (“E.E. Cummings,” 2017). These experiences, particularly his involvement in the Army combined with...