THE ARGYMUNT by James Russell Lowell: Summary, Meaning & Analysis
This mock "argument" (table of contents) is a preface penned by Lowell's fictional Yankee farmer Hosea Biglow for one of his political speeches.
The poem
Interducshin, w'ich may be skipt. Begins by talkin' about himself: thet's jest natur an' most gin'ally allus pleasin', I b'leeve I've notist, to _one_ of the cumpany, an' thet's more than wut you can say of most speshes of talkin'. Nex' comes the gittin' the goodwill of the orjunce by lettin' 'em gether from wut you kind of ex'dentally let drop thet they air about East, A one, an' no mistaik, skare 'em up an' take 'em as they rise. Spring interdooced with a fiew approput flours. Speach finally begins witch nobuddy needn't feel obolygated to read as I never read 'em an' never shell this one ag'in. Subjick staited; expanded; delayted; extended. Pump lively. Subjick staited ag'in so's to avide all mistaiks. Ginnle remarks; continooed; kerried on; pushed furder; kind o' gin out. Subjick _re_staited; dielooted; stirred up permiscoous. Pump ag'in. Gits back to where he sot out. Can't seem to stay thair. Ketches into Mr. Seaward's hair. Breaks loose ag'in an' staits his subjick; stretches it; turns it; folds it; onfolds it; folds it ag'in so's't, no one can't find it. Argoos with an imedginary bean thet ain't aloud to say nothin' in replye. Gives him a real good dressin' an' is settysfide he's rite. Gits into Johnson's hair. No use tryin' to git into his head. Gives it up. Hez to stait his subjick ag'in; doos it back'ards, sideways, eendways, criss-cross, bevellin', noways. Gits finally red on it. Concloods. Concloods more. Reads some xtrax. Sees his subjick a-nosin' round arter him ag'in. Tries to avide it. Wun't du. _Mis_states it. Can't conjectur' no other plawsable way of staytin' on it. Tries pump. No fx. Finely concloods to conclood. Yeels the flore. You kin spall an' punctooate thet as you please. I allus do, it kind of puts a noo soot of close onto a word, thisere funattick spellin' doos an' takes 'em out of the prissen dress they wair in the Dixonary. Ef I squeeze the cents out of 'em it's the main thing, an' wut they wuz made for: wut's left's jest pummis. Mistur Wilbur sez he to me onct, sez he, 'Hosee,' sez he, 'in litterytoor the only good thing is Natur. It's amazin' hard to come at,' sez he, 'but onct git it an' you've gut everythin'. Wut's the sweetest small on airth?' sez he. 'Noomone hay,' sez I, pooty bresk, for he wuz allus hankerin' round in hayin'. 'Nawthin' of the kine,' sez he. 'My leetle Huldy's breath,' sez I ag'in. 'You're a good lad,' sez he, his eyes sort of ripplin' like, for he lost a babe onct nigh about her age,--'you're a good lad; but 'tain't thet nuther,' sez he. 'Ef you want to know,' sez he, 'open your winder of a mornin' et ary season, and you'll larn thet the best of perfooms is jest fresh air, _fresh air_,' sez he, emphysizin', 'athout no mixtur. Thet's wut _I_ call natur in writin', and it bathes my lungs and washes 'em sweet whenever I git a whiff on 't.' sez he. I often think o' thet when I set down to write but the winders air so ept to git stuck, an' breakin' a pane costs sunthin'. Yourn for the last time, _Nut_ to be continooed,
This mock "argument" (table of contents) is a preface penned by Lowell's fictional Yankee farmer Hosea Biglow for one of his political speeches. It humorously critiques how lengthy public speakers often pad their talks, repeat themselves, and stray off topic. Written entirely in an exaggerated New England dialect, it also subtly imparts a bit of philosophy at the end: the finest writing, much like fresh air, is straightforward and genuine. Consider it a comedic take on every dull speech you've endured.
Line-by-line
Interducshin, w'ich may be skipt. Begins by talkin' about himself...
Speach finally begins witch nobuddy needn't feel obolygated to read...
Ketches into Mr. Seaward's hair. Breaks loose ag'in...
You kin spall an' punctooate thet as you please...
Mistur Wilbur sez he to me onct, sez he, 'Hosee,'...
Tone & mood
Comic and irreverent at first glance, there's a genuine warmth lurking beneath. Hosea's voice comes across as self-aware and sly; he clearly understands how to play with the dialect and the mock-bureaucratic list format. By the final paragraph, the tone shifts to something quieter and almost tender, making the earlier jokes hit even harder by contrast.
Symbols & metaphors
- The pump — Repeated as a stage direction throughout the argument list, "Pump lively" and "Tries pump" symbolize the hollow rhetorical energy a speaker relies on to keep the conversation flowing when there’s nothing substantial left to say — all motion, no substance.
- The subject that keeps returning — The phrase "a-nosin' round arter him ag'in" evokes the image of a stubborn animal, illustrating how political speakers often avoid making a definitive statement. Instead of expressing their points clearly and wrapping up, they tend to circle around the issue endlessly.
- Fresh air / the open window — Wilbur's idea of opening a window each morning represents natural, effortless writing. His wry comment that "the winders air so ept to git stuck" reveals just how challenging it can be to attain that simplicity.
- Prison dress / the Dictionary — Hosea's comparison of standard spelling to a "prissen dress" implies that traditional orthography limits the vibrant energy of spoken language, whereas phonetic spelling allows words to express themselves freely.
- New-mown hay / Huldy's breath — These two incorrect answers to Wilbur's riddle about the sweetest smell aren't truly wrong — they feel warm, human, and genuine. They illustrate that "natur" in writing arises from that kind of honest, specific emotion.
Historical context
James Russell Lowell published *The Biglow Papers* in two series, in 1848 and 1867. He created the fictional Yankee farmer Hosea Biglow and his editor Parson Wilbur to poke fun at American political life, initially focusing on the Mexican-American War and slavery, and later addressing the Civil War and Reconstruction. "The Argymunt" acts as a preface to one of Hosea's later works and is part of the second series, written during the heated years following Lincoln's assassination, when Andrew Johnson's lenient Reconstruction policies faced significant opposition. While Lowell was a Harvard professor and the editor of *The Atlantic Monthly*, *The Biglow Papers* became his most popular work because it traded academic polish for the lively energy of New England vernacular. The phonetic spelling wasn’t just a gimmick; Lowell researched it thoroughly and defended it as a genuine representation of a living dialect.
FAQ
It occupies a gray area. Lowell referred to the *Biglow Papers* as poems, but pieces like this one take the form of comic prose prefaces or mock-editorial notes in the persona of Hosea Biglow. You can view it as a satirical sketch that sets up the verse that follows. Its literary merit holds strong as a standalone piece of comic writing.
Lowell is capturing the spoken dialect of rural New England as he experienced it. He writes "argymunt" for *argument*, "orjunce" for *audience*, and "funattick" for *phonetic* — these spellings aim to convey the voice's sound in written form. Hosea supports this approach directly in the text, describing it as a means to liberate words from the rigid "prissen dress" of standard dictionary spelling.
William H. Seward served as Lincoln's Secretary of State and continued in that role under Andrew Johnson. Many Northerners viewed him as supporting Johnson's lenient approach to Reconstruction. Johnson, for his part, was widely disliked by Radical Republicans due to his vetoes of civil rights legislation and his opposition to Black suffrage. Lowell echoed these sentiments, and Hosea's humorous struggle to "git into" Johnson's head pokes fun at Johnson's perceived stubbornness and lack of insight.
"Pump lively" is a stage direction that Hosea includes whenever the imaginary speaker has nothing more to say. It evokes the physical act of pumping water — all effort with no assurance of getting anything out. This image perfectly captures political speeches that continue on just out of habit, rather than because anyone has anything meaningful to contribute.
Parson Wilbur is Hosea's fictional editor and mentor, a knowledgeable yet kind-hearted country clergyman who appears throughout the *Biglow Papers* as a contrast to Hosea's grittier style. Lowell created Wilbur to express more refined literary views. When discussing fresh air and natural writing, Lowell, via Wilbur, conveys his own aesthetic: good writing should feel like a breath of fresh air, not like a cloud of perfume.
"Cents" in this context reflects Hosea's unique spelling of *sense*. He suggests that as long as the meaning is conveyed, the spelling is irrelevant — the essence lies in the sense, while the spelling is merely "pummis" (pumice, the residue left after polishing). It's a clever argument emphasizing the importance of communication over traditional conventions.
Both at once—that's the trick. Hosea pokes fun at the long-windedness of academia and politics, but his final thoughts on Wilbur and fresh air present a well-considered defense of vernacular naturalism in literature. It’s an argument Mark Twain would famously echo a generation later. Lowell, a Harvard professor, intentionally wrote in dialect; his anti-intellectual stance is a deliberate act that conveys a genuine concept.
It's Hosea signing off with a promise that this piece won't have a sequel — a playful jab at serialized writing (and those lengthy speeches) that just don't know when to end. Considering the entire piece revolves around a speaker who can't wrap things up, the final "Nut to be continued" hits as the perfect punchline.