Despite excerpts from patriotic songs such as "The Star-Spangled Banner," "America the Beautiful," and "My Country tis of Thee," the overall tone of the poem reflects lack of pure patriotism. The quoted speaker is rambling- based on minimal punctuation- about his patriotic feelings, giving the thoughts a disconnected, nervous feel. The quoted speaker, like many, seems to discuss his feelings unsure about himself and in a rather reciting manner, rather than with firm attentiveness to what he's saying. Towards the end of the poem, readers start to see that the speaker lacks confidence in his quick speech and rapid drinking.
Through the quick pace, the quoted speaker does say something meaningful about soldiers: they "rush like lions to the roaring slaughter," meaning they don't think about what they are doing; they act out of patriotism. There isn't precise meaning to their being soldiers and fighting according to the quoted speaker, just like there isn't precise meaning to the speaker's speech.
An interesting afterthought is the meaning of "jingo." Jingoism is referred to as extreme patriotism in the form of aggressive foreign policy. Perhaps the speaker disagrees with U.S. involvement in foreign affairs and sending soldiers into war.
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