Ashes of American Flags

The song I have chosen to defend as poetry is "Ashes of American Flags" by Wilco from the album Yankee Hotel Foxtrot. This song has always been very striking to me, for a number of reasons. The first and foremost of these reasons is that when I first heard it I didn't understand it at all. I couldn't make any sense of any part of song at all. It utterly confused me to no end. It was the fact that it escaped me entirely that made it stand out. But even though I didn't get what the song was saying it still struck me.  It wasn't until much later when I was considerably older and much less ignorant that I came to understand what it was actually about. The second reason it struck me was how it was performed. The was it's sung holds tones of sadness or melancholy. But the music seemed hopeful and more optimistic even if its's a little drawn out. This contradiction within the song partially contributed to my confusion about its message.

Perrine notes states explicitly that there is no clear cut definition between poetry and other literature, but poetry is in its essence the most highly condensed form of literature. Each word is often selected meticulously, with multiple factors considered such as what other meanings said word may have. "Ashes of American Flags encapsulates this perfectly. The song itself speaks of consumerism and how without realizing it, America has been left behind in its ravaging wake, and is no longer there so to speak. The lyrics never open state the word capitalism or consumerism. But the lines,

                                              I could spend three dollars and sixty-three cents

                                             On Diet Coca-Cola and unlit cigarettes

are clear indicators of these concepts. Coca Cola being one of the primary symbols for capitalism and consumerism. The song gets it's title from the idea that this capitalism and consumerism isn't what America is all about. That is the lie that is referenced in chorus. But since people have forgotten this it has left America burnt up and in ashes. As stated in the last stanza,

                                             I would like to salute
                                             the ashes of American flags
                                             And all the fallen leaves
                                             filling up shopping bags

The ashes of the American flag are all that is left inthe wake of consumerism. As Perrine states a poem does not have to have a moral or grand truth about the world it just has to make you feel . Whether or not you agree with what the song is saying, it certainly does elicit feeling. At least within me, despite the fact that I don't fully agree with it.