"beefburger" by Ogden Nash

"Beefburger" by Ogden Nash

"Beefburger" is the title of the poem written by Ogden Nash. It is an original piece of work which would probably make most of its readers wonder what was the idea the author tried to reveal. I think that the topic Nash have chosen is quiet appealing and unexpected because in a way it is hard to find yourself judging the word 'beefburger' the way the author did. In this poem the writer expresses his concerns about an incorrect use of the words in a language, having chosen 'beefburger' as an example.

Nash finds himself in the 'mortal combat' together with the word 'beefburger' which he calls 'coined.' It can be seen in the beginning of the poem that the author hates 'coined' phrases and their actual use in everyday speech. He names them 'monstrous' which reinforces his hatred towards them. Nash refuses to understand the meaning of the word 'beefburger' by describing it as 'fraudulent', in other words intending to deceive, and 'infuriating' which points out both anger and confusion of the writer.

In the eyes of the author, appearance of the invented words in the language motivates people, at the same time leaving them with no other choice rather than accept their use. On top of that, he criticizes people who devise those phrases. By the same token, it reveals the affect of the invented words on the society.

Nash emphasizes the use of the word 'beefburger' and 'hamburger' as too separate ones, which doesn't make any sense because in reality both of them are the same. Furthermore he implies that the different way of using the word is a 'shoddy flam' and nothing more.

The style the poem is written in makes the reader see the 'beefburger' as an enemy of the society and at the first place author's enemy, which he is intending to fight. I think that the idea of writing this poem was to make people understand the uselessness of such words as 'beefburger'.