Poetry · Chapter
Land of the Pilgrim's Pride explained
The narrator dreams of being accused of lacking patriotism and love for his country.
What happens
The narrator dreams of being accused of lacking patriotism and love for his country. He defends himself by describing the violent discord, corruption, and moral decay he sees in the nation, including bombings, mob violence, cowardly rulers, a flattering press, and women losing their morality in futile efforts. The dream ends with a bomb awakening him, and he flees into the night.
Themes in this chapter
Political Satire
The narrator's dream is a satirical indictment of American patriotism, cowardly rulers, and the corrupt press.
Hypocrisy and Corruption
The chapter exposes the hypocrisy of those who prate about freedom and institutions while the land is foul with crime and moral decay.
Characters to notice
- Unknown
The dreamer who is accused of lacking love for his country and defends himself by detailing national corruption and violence.
Key passages
“Because thou art all sullen; and because Thou sayest thou hast not for thy country, love; Because thou dost begrudge the foolish blood That in the far heroic days thou didst (Or sayst thou didst) pour from thy riven vein In testimony to thy patriot zeal; Because thou seekest ever to promote Distrust of the benign and wholesome rule Of the Majority—God’s Ministers; Because thou hearest in the People’s voice Naught but the mandate of an idiot will Clamoring in the wilderness, but what Or why it knoweth not; because all this And much beside is true, I come—””
The accuser lists the narrator's supposed sins: sullenness, lack of love for country, begrudging past sacrifices, promoting distrust of majority rule, and hearing only foolishness in the people's voice.
The accusation sets up the narrator's defense and the chapter's satirical critique.
“The land is foul with crime, and none declares Our shame and downfall. Even the women rise And seeing the rack and ruin men have wrought, Strip their weak bodies with a silly zeal Something to save from the chaotic wreck; And in the reek and sweat of their absurd And awkward efforts, lose even what remained— Their own morality and men’s respect.”
The narrator claims the country is overwhelmed by crime and no one speaks out; women, in a futile attempt to help, lose their morality and respect.
Highlights the theme of moral decay and the failure of society.