Precis: "American Cheese"

In “American Cheese”, Jim Daniels, in a personal tone, recalls the importance of keeping in touch with one’s roots. He creates this idea through imagery of cheese and its comparison to different stages in life. The poem mentions two different types of cheeses. The first is the fancy, “gooey” cheese that is “speaking garbled tongues”. It is foreign,unique, and advanced. The second kind is the one from Daniels’ childhood, which is the classic american cheese with “sixty-four singles wrapped in wax” that he used to have for lunch. He says in the poem that he moved on from his childish cheese to the fancy ones as he grew older, but there is still the memory and the special feeling that the american cheese gives him. Although he may have grown up, he declares the importance of coming back home and staying in touch with memories through his experience with american cheese. Through Jim Daniels comparison of life to cheese, he accomplishes the goal of expressing the importance of remaining true to one’s foundations.