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Anecdote of the Jar Visions of America Quotes

How we cite our quotes: (Line)

Quote #1

I placed a jar in Tennessee (1)

Here, we get a vision of an American state. It's not one of the pilgrim's settlements, and it's not a pioneer's goal. It's simply Tennessee, a mix of the mid-west and the south. But this placement of a man-made object into a state does remind us a little of the American people sprawling all over this country, taking over bit by bit.

Quote #2

It made the slovenly wilderness
Surround that hill. (3-4)

Here, the wilderness is messy, something almost asking to be controlled and bettered by humanity's influence, the way things were done in the days of the pioneers.

Quote #3

The jar was round upon the ground
And tall and of a port in air. (7-8)

There's a reverence for a product of industry here that reminds us of patriotic jingoism, or glorified, fast-talkin' propaganda. But we're not spurring a nation to war here... we're talking about a jar.