"Bryan, Bryan, Bryan, Bryan" is a 1919 poem (see 1919 in poetry) by American poet Vachel Lindsay. It chronicles William Jennings Bryan's 1896 presidential campaign as seen through the eyes of an idealistic sixteen-year-old, the poet's alter ego, who strongly supported the Democratic Party candidate and was crushed by Bryan's defeat at the hands of the Republican Party.
The narrator depicts the election outcome as a victory of the East Coast and l...
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"Bryan, Bryan, Bryan, Bryan" is a 1919 poem (see 1919 in poetry) by American poet Vachel Lindsay. It chronicles William Jennings Bryan's 1896 presidential campaign as seen through the eyes of an idealistic sixteen-year-old, the poet's alter ego, who strongly supported the Democratic Party candidate and was crushed by Bryan's defeat at the hands of the Republican Party.
The narrator depicts the election outcome as a victory of the East Coast and large financial institutions, such as banks, over regions and interest groups depicted as friendly toward Bryan such as the American Midwest and farmers.
The poem lists, and comments on, many of the key political figures of the 1896 election, including the retiring incumbent Grover Cleveland, the winning candidate William McKinley, and McKinley's innovative campaign manager Mark Hanna. As with other poems that comment on political figures, such as Dante's Inferno, Lindsay and his alter ego like some of these characters more than others.
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