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The Star-Spangled Banner
Contributor(s): Duhamel, Denise (Author)
ISBN: 0809322595     ISBN-13: 9780809322596
Publisher: Southern Illinois University Press
OUR PRICE:   $14.36  
Product Type: Paperback
Published: April 1999
Qty:
Temporarily out of stock - Will ship within 2 to 5 weeks
Annotation: "The Star-Spangled Banner," Denise Duhamel's sixth book of poems, is about falling in love, American-style, with someone who is not American.


In the title poem, a small American girl mishears the first line of "The Star-Spangled Banner" as "Jose, can you see?," which leads her to imagine a foreign lover of an American woman dressed in a star-spangled gown. The misunderstandings caused by language recur throughout the book: contemplating what "yes" means in different cultures; watching Nickelodeon's "Nick at Nite" with a husband who grew up in the Philippines and never saw "The Patty Duke Show"; misreading another poet's title "The Difference Between Pepsi and Coke" as "The Difference Between Pepsi and Pope" and concluding that "Pepsi is all for premarital sex. / The Pope won't stain your teeth." Misunderstandings also abound as characters mingle with others from different classes. In "Cockroaches," a father-in-law refers to budget-minded American college students backpacking in Europe as cockroaches, not realizing his daughter-in-law was once, not so long ago, such a student/roach herself.


With welcome levity and refreshing irreverence, "The Star-Spangled Banner "addresses issues of ethnicity, class, and gender in America.



Additional Information
BISAC Categories:
- Poetry | American - General
Dewey: 811.54
LCCN: 98-50622
Series: Crab Orchard Poetry
Physical Information: 0.34" H x 6.05" W x 9.01" (0.32 lbs) 80 pages
Themes:
- Sex & Gender - Feminine
 
Descriptions, Reviews, Etc.
Publisher Description:

The Star-Spangled Banner, Denise Duhamel's sixth book of poems, is about falling in love, American-style, with someone who is not American.

In the title poem, a small American girl mishears the first line of The Star-Spangled Banner as Jos , can you see?, which leads her to imagine a foreign lover of an American woman dressed in a star-spangled gown. The misunderstandings caused by language recur throughout the book: contemplating what yes means in different cultures; watching Nickelodeon's Nick at Nite with a husband who grew up in the Philippines and never saw The Patty Duke Show; misreading another poet's title The Difference Between Pepsi and Coke as The Difference Between Pepsi and Pope and concluding that Pepsi is all for premarital sex. / The Pope won't stain your teeth. Misunderstandings also abound as characters mingle with others from different classes. In Cockroaches, a father-in-law refers to budget-minded American college students backpacking in Europe as cockroaches, not realizing his daughter-in-law was once, not so long ago, such a student/roach herself.

With welcome levity and refreshing irreverence, The Star-Spangled Banner addresses issues of ethnicity, class, and gender in America.