Exploring the Text

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  1. What element(s) of America does Katharine Lee Bates celebrate in this poem? What are the primary sources of her inspiration?

    Question

    ALMF/kS1zzW73MouRsoXk1h0lKY=
    Exploring the Text: - What element(s) of America does Katharine Lee Bates celebrate in this poem? What are the primary sources of her inspiration?
  2. What is Bates calling for in the lines that read, “God mend thine every flaw, / Confirm thy soul in self-control, / Thy liberty in law!” (ll. 14–16)?

    Question

    ALMF/kS1zzW73MouRsoXk1h0lKY=
    Exploring the Text: - What is Bates calling for in the lines that read, “God mend thine every flaw, / Confirm thy soul in self-control, / Thy liberty in law!” (ll. 14–16)?
  3. How do you interpret the following lines: “May God thy gold refine, / Till all success be nobleness, / And every gain divine!” (ll. 22–25)?

    Question

    ALMF/kS1zzW73MouRsoXk1h0lKY=
    Exploring the Text: - How do you interpret the following lines: “May God thy gold refine, / Till all success be nobleness, / And every gain divine!” (ll. 22–25)?
  4. What phrases or images from the poem have become part of the national idiom, often quoted even by those who may not know their source as being this poem? Why do you think a specific phrase or image is particularly memorable or appealing?

    Question

    ALMF/kS1zzW73MouRsoXk1h0lKY=
    Exploring the Text: - What phrases or images from the poem have become part of the national idiom, often quoted even by those who may not know their source as being this poem? Why do you think a specific phrase or image is particularly memorable or appealing?
  5. Following is the original version of the poem, entitled “America.” What changes do you note between this version and the revised poem that appeared in Bates’s collection of poetry? What are the effects of these changes?

    America. A Poem for July 4.

    O beautiful for halcyon skies,

    For amber waves of grain,

    For purple mountain majesties

    Above the enameled plain!

    5

    America! America!

    God shed His grace on thee,

    Till souls wax fair as earth and air

    And music-hearted sea!

    O beautiful for pilgrim feet

    10

    Whose stern, impassioned stress

    A thoroughfare for freedom beat

    Across the wilderness!

    America! America!

    God shed His grace on thee

    15

    Till paths be wrought through wilds of thought

    By pilgrim foot and knee!

    O beautiful for glory-tale

    Of liberating strife,

    When once or twice, for man’s avail,

    20

    Men lavished precious life!

    America! America!

    God shed His grace on thee

    Till selfish gain no longer stain,

    The banner of the free!

    25

    O beautiful for patriot dream

    That sees beyond the years

    Thine alabaster cities gleam

    Undimmed by human tears!

    America! America!

    30

    God shed His grace on thee

    Till nobler men keep once again

    Thy whiter jubilee!

    Question

    ALMF/kS1zzW73MouRsoXk1h0lKY=
    Exploring the Text: - Following is the original version of the poem, entitled “America.” What changes do you note between this version and the revised poem that appeared in Bates’s collection of poetry? What are the effects of these changes?America. A Poem for July 4.O beautiful for halcyon skies,For amber waves of grain,For purple mountain majestiesAbove the enameled plain!5America! America!God shed His grace on thee,Till souls wax fair as earth and airAnd music-hearted sea!O beautiful for pilgrim feet10Whose stern, impassioned stressA thoroughfare for freedom beatAcross the wilderness!America! America!God shed His grace on thee15Till paths be wrought through wilds of thoughtBy pilgrim foot and knee!O beautiful for glory-taleOf liberating strife,When once or twice, for man’s avail,20Men lavished precious life!America! America!God shed His grace on theeTill selfish gain no longer stain,The banner of the free!25O beautiful for patriot dreamThat sees beyond the yearsThine alabaster cities gleamUndimmed by human tears!America! America!30God shed His grace on theeTill nobler men keep once againThy whiter jubilee!
  6. Many have championed and continue to champion “America the Beautiful” to be designated as a national anthem; some even argue that it should replace “The Star-Spangled Banner,” which was named the official national anthem by congressional resolution in 1931. Lynn Sherr, author of America the Beautiful: The Stirring True Story behind Our Nation’s Favorite Song (2001), supports that position: “I think it’s simple, I think it’s emotional, and I think it talks about a country, a land and its people—not just about a flag, not just about a battle. It doesn’t talk about conquest. It talks about the possibilities of this nation.” What is your view? You might research some of the arguments offered over the past century, including current efforts on behalf of “America the Beautiful.”

    Question

    ALMF/kS1zzW73MouRsoXk1h0lKY=
    Exploring the Text: - Many have championed and continue to champion “America the Beautiful” to be designated as a national anthem; some even argue that it should replace “The Star-Spangled Banner,” which was named the official national anthem by congressional resolution in 1931. Lynn Sherr, author of America the Beautiful: The Stirring True Story behind Our Nation’s Favorite Song (2001), supports that position: “I think it’s simple, I think it’s emotional, and I think it talks about a country, a land and its people—not just about a flag, not just about a battle. It doesn’t talk about conquest. It talks about the possibilities of this nation.” What is your view? You might research some of the arguments offered over the past century, including current efforts on behalf of “America the Beautiful.”
  7. Research different recordings of “America the Beautiful” and discuss artists’ interpretations of it. Ray Charles and Buffy St. Marie are two artists whose renditions are very popular.

    Question

    ALMF/kS1zzW73MouRsoXk1h0lKY=
    Exploring the Text: - Research different recordings of “America the Beautiful” and discuss artists’ interpretations of it. Ray Charles and Buffy St. Marie are two artists whose renditions are very popular.