E.E. Cummings Essay Example

act and the still moment before it fully commences.The lines 8 and 12, 'of speeds of' and ';meet;', respectively, depict a back-and-forth motion similar to a swinging trapeze. The lines 12 through 15 illustrate the final jump off the trapeze, while 'a/n/d' in lines 17 through 19 represents the deserted trapeze after the acrobats have dismounted. Lastly, '(im' at the end of the poem brings the reader's attention back to the beginning, where 'mortals)' is found. This placement symbolizes the performers' attainment of a special type of immortality for their daring and beautiful show (36-7). The circularity of the poem evokes a sense of wholeness and represents eternal motion, perhaps symbolizing the Circle of Life (Fri 26).

Cummings's initial ideogram was !blac, a fascinating poem. It commences with an exclamation point that suggests something noteworthy happened prior to the poem, and the poem itself strives to objectively describe the resulting emotions from that event denoted by '!'. An example of such a description is "black against white" in the poem, representing the clash of colors and evoking feelings in line with '!'. Additionally, '(whi)' implies amusement and wonder, another emotion stemming from '!'. In a letter to Robert Wenger, author of The Poetry and Prose of E. E. Cummings, Cummings explained that for him, this poem means precisely what it says ...and the !blac.The beginning of the poem emphasizes its intensity, and it also explores the cycle of birth, life, death, and renewal. The use of a period before the last letter indicates that although the poem is complete, the cycle of life continues endlessly. The shape of the poem resembles a leaf falling to the

ground, and the spacing of the lines matches the speed of the leaf's descent. The use of capital 'I's in 'IrlI' suggests a leaf descending directly down until it reaches the ground. A comma appears on line 12, interrupting the description of the sky and tree, prompting the reader to pause and realize the presence of a falling leaf. The first six lines of the poem hold significance as well - "black against white" may refer to the color contrast between a falling leaf and the bright sky, but it also symbolizes the contrast between life and death. Even though a falling leaf signifies death, it is an essential part of the tree's lifecycle. !blac may appear as a jumble of words, but it holds a deeper complexity. Cummings' ideogram poem "swi(" follows a similar structure.The essence of this poem revolves around observing a bird swiftly flying past the sun, creating a sense of wonder. The main intention of the poem is to persuade readers about the distinction between conception, what one sees, and perception, what one knows they are seeing (Mar 105). The initial line, 'swi(' indicates that the object being observed is moving so rapidly that the poet must quickly describe it before fully articulating their first word. Additionally, it highlights that the bird is passing in front of another object, which is the sun. The poet solely employs primary descriptivism, focusing on aspects like speed, direction, color, and shape to rapidly depict the bird. Their choice of terse syllables lacking syntactical correlation imitates someone attempting to speak before formulating their precise thoughts, further emphasizing the speed of the object's movement (106). In

the sixth line, "a-motion-upo-nmotio-n/Less?" signifies that although both objects are in motion, one's movement causes the other to appear stationary (106). The "d" at the end of the poem signifies that once the poet finally identifies the object they saw, they immediately lose interest and stop, as continuing to write and further organize their thoughts would be unnecessary (106). The contrasting words used throughout the poem hold significant importance. The opposition between "against" and "across" conveys a pause or halt, suggesting that the poet desires to momentarily stop the object in order to describe it.Cummings decided to use the word 'Swi/mming' to represent an average speed, as a complete stop would contradict the idea of swiftness. Although "swi" contains less symbolism than the other analyzed poems, the syntax still plays a significant role in conveying meaning. Cummings' unique approach to hidden meanings through syntax is highly effective. Instead of simply reading and forgetting his ideas, the reader must decipher the hidden meaning themselves. By doing so, they experience contentment and retain the poem's message for a longer period of time. Cummings' ideogram poems are like puzzles waiting to be solved.

Works Cited:
- Friedman, Norman.E. E. Cummings: A Collection of Critical Essays. New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1972.
- Kidder, Rushworth M. E. E. Cummings: An Introduction to the Poetry. New York: Columbia University Press, 1979.
- Marks, Barry A. E. E. Cummings. New York: Twayne Publishers, Inc., 1964.
- Triem, Eve.E. E. Cummings. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1969.
- Wegner, Robert E. The Poetry and Prose of E. E. Cummings. New York: Harcourt, Brace & World, Inc., 1965.