Question

Read this excerpt from the poem and explain whether Ferlinghetti is proud of America’s achievements as a new empire. Provide reasons for your answer.

Why are you staring at me

as if I were America itself

the new Empire

vaster than any in ancient days

with its electronic highways

carrying its corporate monoculture

around the world

And English the Latin of our days—

Answer 1

Ferlinghetti believes the new America that is ruled by corporations is not the true America. Instead, he ironically speaks of a "new Empire" that is "vaster" but not greater than past empires. Ferlinghetti suggests that the new American empire has technological ("electronic highways") and economic ("corporate") power. But it does not have a culture of any worth or value ("carrying its corporate monoculture/ around the world"). As a result, American society is lost. This is why Ferlinghetti asks the Sybil to "save" the American people:

And tell us how to save us from ourselves

and how to survive our own rulers

who would make a plutocracy of our democracy

He also asks the Sybil to awaken Americans by speaking in a "poet’s voice" and asks her to reinvigorate America’s culture:

the voice of the people mixed

with a wild soft laughter—

And give us new dreams to dream,

Give us new myths to live by!

Step-by-step explanation:

EXACT ANSWER FROM PLATO

Answer 2

In this excerpt Ferlinghetti is not proud of new America.

Step-by-step explanation:

Ferlinghetti's way of referring to the new America shows us that he is not proud.

There is much irony in his words when he speaks of "the vast empire carrying its corporate monoculture around the world."

The new America is more technological than with values and that is what is criticized in this excerpt.

Even if we search the full text we can see how Ferlinghetti talks about "to save us from ourselves and how to survive our own rulers".

So we can conclude that he is not proud of New America.