Poem Analysis - Common Cold

Ogden Nash's Common Cold is a humorous and exaggerated rant against the dismissive attitude of doctors toward the common cold. The poem's tone is sarcastic and indignant, shifting from frustration to mock-heroic exaggeration as the speaker describes their suffering in grandiose terms. Nash uses hyperbole to turn a mundane illness into an epic battle, blending comedy with a subtle critique of medical indifference.

Exaggeration and the Mundane

The poem's central theme is the absurdity of downplaying everyday suffering. Nash amplifies the cold's symptoms with vivid imagery—fever's grip, weeping eyes, and endless handkerchiefs—transforming it into a monstrous force. The speaker's outrage at the doctor's dismissal highlights how even minor ailments can feel monumental to the sufferer.

Mockery of Authority

Nash satirizes medical authority by portraying the doctor as useless and condescending. The speaker's command to wash your mouth with laundry soap underscores their disdain. The poem also mocks scientific pretension, describing the cold as a scientific fossil and the Führer of the streptococcracy, blending humor with a jab at institutional arrogance.

The Absurdity of Suffering

By comparing the cold to historic events like Lincoln's assassination and calling it the cold of colds, Nash elevates trivial misery to cosmic significance. The poem's closing lines—Oh what a derision history holds—suggest that underestimating small struggles is foolish. Nash's wit turns a universal annoyance into a reflection on human resilience and the irony of our complaints.