Yankee Doodle
Nursery Rhyme
Yankee Doodle went to town,
Riding on a pony.
He stuck a feather in his cap.
And called it macaroni.Yankee Doodle, Fa, So, La.
Yankee Doodle Dandy.
Yankee Doodle, Fa, So, La.
Buttermilk and Brandy.Yankee Doodle went to town,
To buy a pair of trousers.
He swore he could not see the town,
For so many houses.Yankee Doodle, Fa, So, La.
Yankee Doodle Dandy.
Yankee Doodle, Fa, So, La.
Buttermilk and Brandy.
Summary of Yankee Doodle
- Popularity of “Yankee Doodle”: Despite its unknown origin, this beautiful song has started appearing as back as in 1750 and has survived two and half centuries, the Seven Year’s War as well as the American Revolution. A British doctor, Richard Schuckburg is stated to have written it in 1755 to deride the colonists, and yet the word “Yankee” has never been explored how it came into existence. It is clear that it is a derogatory term used for the American colonists. It has also occurred in the well-known folk song anthology, Roud Folk Song with index number 4501. The beauty of the poetic song lies in its popularity as well as its nonsensically patriotic rhymes.
- “Yankee Doodle” As a Representative of Patriotism: The beautiful song starts with the description as well as narration of the person, Yankee Doodle, who goes to the town on a pony. He is wearing a cap that he bedecks with a feather. He names this feather macaroni that makes him prominent. The next stanza perhaps points to his enjoyment in the town after he becomes a dandy with that cap. The third stanza again points to his fashion and the way he wears a pajama. He also swears that he has only seen some houses and not much of the town but continues enjoying his dandy status with buttermilk and brandy.
- Major Themes in “Yankee Doodle”: Enjoyment of the urban life, fashion of the moment, and carefree life are three major thematic strands of this poetic song. The first and the third stanzas describe how Yankee Doodle takes things in the town and the second and the last stanzas show how he is enjoying urban life styling himself according to modern trends. His only purpose is to enjoy life and do sightseeing as it is clear from his purported visit to the city that he has not seen many houses. This means that he has a lot of time that he is traveling so much and is passing his time sightseeing.
Analysis of Literary Devices Used in Yankee Doodle
The anonymous author has used various literary devices to bedeck this song with music, melody, and meanings. Some of the major literary devices used in this song are as follows.
- Anaphora: It means the use of a word or a phrase as a repetition in the beginning of a sentence or a sentence. Yankee Doodle occurs in the second and third stanzas as an anaphora.
- Assonance: Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds in the same line, such as the sound of /e/ in “Yankee Doodle went to town” and the sound of /o/ in “Riding on a pony.”
- Alliteration: Alliteration is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line in quick succession, such as the sound of /d / in “Doodle Dandy.”
- Consonance: Consonance is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line, such as the sound of /b/ in “Buttermilk and Brandy” and the sound of /r/ in “To buy a pair of trousers.”
- Imagery: Imagery is used to make readers perceive things involving their five senses. The anonymous author has used imagery in this poem such as “Yankee Doodle went to town”, “Buttermilk and Brandy” and “He swore he could not see the town.”
- Symbolism: Symbolism is using symbols to signify ideas and qualities, giving them symbolic meanings that are different from the literal meanings. The poem shows symbols such as feathers, cap, macaroni, buttermilk, and brandy to show the fashion and enjoyment of the person.
Analysis of Poetic Devices Used in Yankee Doodle
Poetic and literary devices are the same, but a few are used only in poetry. Here is an analysis of some of the poetic devices used in this poem.
- Diction: It means the type of language. The poem shows very good use of informal and casual diction for poetic purposes.
- End Rhyme: End rhyme is used to make the stanza melodious. The anonymous author has used end rhyme in this poem such as pony/macaroni and dandy/brandy.
- Quatrain: A quatrain is a four-lined stanza borrowed from Persian poetry. Here each stanza is quatrain.
- Rhyme Scheme: The poem follows ABCB rhyme scheme, and this pattern continues until the end.
- Repetition: The poem shows several repetitions to stress upon the fun and excitement of the poem. It shows the repetition of Yankee Doodle repeated several times.
- Refrain: It means the repetition of a line or a stanza for emphasis. The poem shows the second and the fourth stanza used as a refrain.
- Stanza: A stanza is a poetic form of some lines. There are four stanzas in this poem with each comprising four verses.
- Tone: It means the voice of the text. The poem shows an exciting and frivolous tone with a touch of humor.
Quotes to be Used
The following lines are useful to quote when enjoying.
Yankee Doodle, Fa, So, La.
Yankee Doodle Dandy.
Yankee Doodle, Fa, So, La.
Buttermilk and Brandy.
