Cummings was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on October 14, 1894. On that crisp fall day, America received her voice; a unique voice amongst the multitude that would sing out in defense of individuality, and cry out against conformity. He followed in the footsteps of a Great American poet, Ralph Waldo Emerson. Like Emerson, Cummings was also a transcendentalist who believed that the "imaginative faculty in man can perceive the natural world directly". Using odd forms, distortions of syntax, and obvious nonconformity, his writings were almost romantic describing things such as love and youth.
Cummings often used absurdities in his writing to grasp the reader and "shock him into listening", and to outspokenly show his position on nonconformity. He disregarded punctuation, spelling, and grammar rules. He made up words, which sometimes makes it difficult for the reader to understand exactly what it was that he was saying. "in Just", a poem written by him in 1923, is a perfect example of the oddities he planted throughout his work. "in Just" has no particular rhyme scheme, however it does have a refrain and repeating similar patterns. For example, one pattern that he repeats is combining the names of children; "eddieandbill" and "bettyandisabel" are used. By combining the names, he created a quick and youthful effect. "Mudlucious" is a perfect example of his creation of words. This poem was written in a scattered way. In the first stanza the refrain is written stretched out horizontally, in the second it is compactly written horizontally, and in the third it is written vertically. He followed no traditional pattern or rhyme scheme.
At first glance, "in Just" appears to be cynical and pessimistic. The images of a "goat-footed ballonMan" darken the care-free feeling the poem was intended to portray. However, when the poem is more closely examined, one can understand that the poem is a celebration.