-http://www.citylights.com/Ferlinghetti/?fa=ferlinghetti_poems (its the 3rd poem)
Movement Description: The Beats movement began in the 1940s and was inspired by the after math of World War II. The poets that were inspired by these events questioned mainstreamed thinking, and provoked people to question the state of the world. The core group consisted of Allen Ginsberg, Neal Cassidy, and William S. Borroughs and many more. Beats poets had a hard time getting published because of the nature of their poetic content, but a reading at the Sixth Gallery in San Francisco changed all of that. Out of all of the other movements it is said that Beats, is the least likely to reoccur because of a lack of influence.
Poem Analysis: Ferlinghetti was inspired to write this poem by Khalil Gibran's "Pity the Nation" about Pakistan. He uses repetition of the phrase "pity the nation" to make the reader sympathize for the citizens of America.Sages are wise, and capeable of making calm judgements, while bigots are intolerant. This paradox emphazise the state of the Union through Ferlinghetti's eyes. After the third use of the phrase he addresses America blindly gives praise to leaders who have damaged other nations. The rest of the poem expresses the nation's inability to fully accept alien customs and people. Greed is also brought up in the poem and how easily it is for Americans to take things for granted and allow their freedoms to be taken from them without a single thought about it. Lastly. Ferlinghetti give the reader a liberal slap of irony in the last two lines. Its ironic because those are the values America was built upon, but its become the opposite.
Literary Devices: In this poem irony was used at the end of the poem when Ferlinghettti took some lyrics from a patriotic song after expressing all of the negative things about america. The act was very unpatriotic. "...Whose sages are silenced", "...whose bigots haunt the airwaves" are examples of paradox because because sages are wise and bigots a single mined, but they're the loudest out of the two. Also "... acclaim the bully as a hero" is a paradox because bullies are not heros. They're the ones that cause chaos and step on people until they no longer have the will to get up.
Poem Analysis: Ferlinghetti was inspired to write this poem by Khalil Gibran's "Pity the Nation" about Pakistan. He uses repetition of the phrase "pity the nation" to make the reader sympathize for the citizens of America.Sages are wise, and capeable of making calm judgements, while bigots are intolerant. This paradox emphazise the state of the Union through Ferlinghetti's eyes. After the third use of the phrase he addresses America blindly gives praise to leaders who have damaged other nations. The rest of the poem expresses the nation's inability to fully accept alien customs and people. Greed is also brought up in the poem and how easily it is for Americans to take things for granted and allow their freedoms to be taken from them without a single thought about it. Lastly. Ferlinghetti give the reader a liberal slap of irony in the last two lines. Its ironic because those are the values America was built upon, but its become the opposite.
Literary Devices: In this poem irony was used at the end of the poem when Ferlinghettti took some lyrics from a patriotic song after expressing all of the negative things about america. The act was very unpatriotic. "...Whose sages are silenced", "...whose bigots haunt the airwaves" are examples of paradox because because sages are wise and bigots a single mined, but they're the loudest out of the two. Also "... acclaim the bully as a hero" is a paradox because bullies are not heros. They're the ones that cause chaos and step on people until they no longer have the will to get up.