Cummings, who was born in 1894 and died in 1962, wrote many .
poems with unconventional punctuation and capitalization, and unusual .
line, word, and even letter placements - namely, ideograms. Cummings' .
most difficult form of prose is probably the ideogram; it is extremely .
terse and it combines both visual and auditory elements. There may be .
sounds or characters on the page that cannot be verbalized or cannot .
convey the same message if pronounced and not read. Four of Cummings' .
poems - l(a, mortals), !blac, and swi( - illustrate the ideogram form .
quite well. Cummings utilizes unique syntax in these poems in order to .
convey messages visually as well as verbally.
Although one may think of l(a as a poem of sadness and .
loneliness, Cummings probably did not intend that. This poem is about.
individuality - oneness (Kid 200-1). The theme of oneness can be .
derived from the numerous instances and forms of the number '1' .
throughout the poem. First, 'l(a' contains both the number 1 and the .
singular indefinite article, 'a'; the second line contains the French .
singular definite article, 'le'; 'll' on the fifth line represents two .
ones; 'one' on the 7th line spells the number out; the 8th line, 'l', .
isolates the number; and 'iness', the last line, can mean "the state .
of being I" - that is, individuality - or "oneness", deriving the .
"one" from the lowercase roman numeral 'i' (200). Cummings could have .
simplified this poem drastically ("a leaf falls:/loneliness"), and .
still conveyed the same verbal message, but he has altered the normal .
syntax in order that each line should show a 'one' and highlight the .
theme of oneness. In fact, the whole poem is shaped like a '1' (200). .
The shape of the poem can also be seen as the path of a falling leaf; .
the poem drifts down, flipping and altering pairs of letters like a .
falling leaf gliding, back and forth, down to the ground. The .
beginning 'l(a' changes to 'le', and 'af' flips to 'fa'.
E. E. Cummings, who was born in 1894 and died in 1962, wrote many poems with unconventional punctuation and capitalization, and unusual line, word, and even letter placements - namely, ideograms. Cummings' most difficult form of prose is probably the ideogram; it is extremely terse and it co...
The Poetry of E. E. Cummings E. E. Cummings, who was born in 1894 and died in 1962, wrote many poems with unconventional punctuation and capitalization, and unusual line, word, and even letter placements - namely, ideograms. Cummings' most difficult form of prose is probably the ideo...
If ever there was a poet to be frustrate to the computer, it was e. e. cummings. ... cummings was then fifty years early on the everyday use of "not" at the end of a sentence as a sarcastic device. ... cummings thereupon begins to examine progress's victim, for whom (death and life [are] safely beyond) Typically, the two ideas are reversed in the form of life and death, but cummings chose to place the more concrete concept in front and then move on to the more abstract. ... cummings expands this notion over the next two lines and says that "electrons deify one razorblade into a mount...
E. E. Cummings One of America's noted modern poets, Edward Estlin Cummings, was born on October 14, 1894 in Cambridge, Massachusetts. As the son of Pastor Doctor Edward Cummings and his wife Rebecca, young Edward was afforded the luxuries of growing up in one of Cambridge's progressive household...
In the poem "i thank You God for most this amazing,"" E. E. Cummings uses such literary devices as symbolism, imagery, allusion, and syntax to show that the speaker of the poem has just experienced a rebirth.The speaker is thanking God for allowing him to see life in a new light and to be reborn again for a fresh start.By using these various literary devices, Cummings is able to show the extreme gratefulness the speaker in the poem feels because he has found a new outlook on life. ... Cummings' use of structure and syntax contribute greatly to how the poem is interpreted.The most ...
EE Cummings "Ride a watersmooth-silver/ stallion (4-5)," only a poem would allow somebody to imagine a dream like that. Poets have become very famous for the special talent inside, that make people think about everything by just reading a poem. One poet in particular is ee cummings. Cummings bri...
Cummings" early life inspired his writing from his college days all the way until his last words. ... The character, who is referred to as "him" by Cummings, is the soldier who is shot by the Japanese bullet. ... As war continued to rage through the world, Cummings" continued to write his concerns. ... Throughout the poem, Cummings uses the word "etcetera," for many different usages, and parts of speech. ... "i sing of Olaf" is a perfect example of Cummings" message of his rebelliousness to find freedom. ...
Edward Estlin Cummings was a creative genius, who lived in a time period where the world's fate was dubious and rapidly changing. Refusing to combat this evolution with cut and dry poetry, Cummings played a significant role in the Modernist movement in which conformity was looked down upon. In es...
We are immediately introduced to the significance of word placement and line breaks as Cummings commences "she being Brand/-new... By separating the words Brand and new, Cummings rouses several interpretations: the obvious and the open-ended reading of Brand. ... Cummings" sexual joy ride begins in lines 3-7 as he depicts the initiation of the encounter. ... As they have a second go at it, Cummings utilizes unique punctuation to portray the resurgence of sex. ... Cummings" incorporation of distinct devices elevates his writing, which is the pinnacle of poetry. ...