5. next to of course god america i

"He spoke. And drank rapidly a glass of water" line 14

This poem was definitely hard for me to comprehend, and I probably still don't have an analysis close to what it is supposed to be. But, I'm going to make an attempt. The quotation in the poem and the last line imply that the speaker is talking directly to an audience. To me, God seems to be the most prominent thing in the speakers life, and America is a close second. He recites a small part of the national anthem as well as praises the nation. This leads me to believe that he is very patriotic. He seems to sarcastically say, "these heroic happy dead," meaning the soldiers and then compares them to "lions rushing into roaring slaughter they did not stop to think they died instead." I think the speaker is criticizing the mindset of the soldiers here. Being so patriotic himself, he thinks everyone should posses that same national pride that he had. He is saying that the soldiers basically went in fighting without knowing what it was they were fighting for. Also, the lack of punctuation really confused me.

1. Mr. Z

"Taught early that his mother's skin was the sign of error." line 1

Through the first line of this poem, we learn that Mr. Z is an African American man. At a very early age, he discovered the racial discrimination he would face his entire life. I really feel bad for Mr. Z. It seems like all he wants to do is fit in with the white community, but it seems almost impossible. He had to come to the realization that society can't get past physical characteristics. He did his best to behave properly by, "[Winning] scholarships, and [attending] the best schools," hoping to blend in with the over powering white society. Despite his efforts, he was unsuccessful. Later in life, he married a Jewish woman. At his wedding, the pastor sarcastically "proclaimed them matched chameleon." I think that this sarcastic comment influences the entire tone of the poem. It is really sarcastic. The speaker is almost criticizing Mr. Z for thinking he had a chance at fitting in with the white population. I applaud Mr. Z's desire to fit in; however I criticize the fact that he didn't embrace his own culture. That is why I think the speaker is passing judgement on him.