E. E. Cummings :: essays research papers fc

The Poetry of E. E. CummingsE. E. Cummings, who was born in 1894 and died in 1962, wrote many poesys 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 auditive elements. There may be sounds or char bringers on the page that cigaretnot be verbalized or cannot convey the same message if pronounced and not read. quaternity 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 aboutindividuality - unification (Kid 200-1). The theme of oneness can be derived from the numerous inezces 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 sky 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. ll indicat es a quick drop of the leaf, which has slowed by a longer line, one. Finally, the leaf falls into the pile of fallen leaves on the ground, delineate by iness. Cummings has written this poem so perfectly that every part of it conveys the message of oneness and individuality (200).In mortals), Cummings vitalizes a trapeze act on paper.