FREE ESSAY ON E. E. CUMMINGS

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. Cummings' most difficult form of prose is probably the ideogram; it is
extremely short and it combines both visual and aural elements. There may be sounds or
characters on the page that cannot be said or cannot carry 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'.
'll' indicates 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, represented 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. Oddly enough, this poem, too, stresses the idea of individualism, or'eachness',
as it is stated on line four. Lines 2 and 4, 'climbi' and 'begi', both end leaving the
letter 'i' exposed. This is a sign thatCummings is trying to emphasize the concept of
self-importance (Tri 36). This poem is an amusing one, as it shows the effects of a
trapeze act within the arrangement of the words. On line 10, the space in the word 'open
ing' indicates the act beginning, and the empty, static moment before it has fully begun.
'of speeds of' and '&meet&', lines 8 and 12 respectively, show a sort of back-and-forth
motion, much like that of the motion of a trapeze swinging. Lines 12 through 15 show the
final jump off the trapeze, and 'a/n/d' on lines 17 through 19, represent the deserted
trapeze, after the acrobats have dismounted. Finally, '(im' on the last line should bring
the reader's eyes back to the top of the poem, where he finds 'mortals)'. Placing '(im'
at the end of the poem shows that the performers attain a special type of immortality for
risking their lives to create a show of beauty, they attain a special type of immortality
(36-7). The circularity of the poem causes a feeling of wholeness or completeness, and
may represent the Circle of Life, eternal motion (Fri 26). Cummings first tightly written
ideogram was !blac, a very interesting poem. It starts with '!', which seems to be saying
thatsomething deserving that exclamation point occurred anterior to the poem, and the
poem is trying objectively to describe certain feelings resulting from '!'. black against
white is an example of such a description in the poem; the clashing colors create a
feeling in sync with '!'. Also, why (whi) suggests amusement and wonder, another feeling
resulting from '!' (Weg 145). Cummings had written a letter concerning !blac to Robert
Wenger, author of The Poetry and Prose of E. E. Cummings (see Works Cited). In it, he
wrote, for me, this poem means just what it says . . . and the ! which begins the poem is
whatmight be called and emphatic (=very). This poem is also concerns the cycle of birth,
life, death, and renewal. This is derived from the '.' preceding the last letter. This
shows that even though the poem is finished, the circle of life is not, and is ever
cycling (Weg 144). Through the poem's shape, !blac also shows a leaf fluttering to the
ground. The lines' spacing synchronizes the speed of the reading with that of the leaf at
different points in its fall. With its capital 'I's, 'IrlI' also indicates a leaf falling
straight down before it hits the ground (147). Reading this poem, one may realize the
lone comma on line 12. The poet writes about the sky and a tree, and then a comma
intrudes, which makes the reader pause, and realize the new awareness that the comma
indicated - that of a falling leaf (145). Lines 1 through 6 are also very important to
the poem. Although black against white may be referring to the color of the falling leaf
in contrast to the bright sky, it is not wrong to assume it means more. As stated above,
the poem's theme is the cycle of life, and black against white could be indicating life
death versus life. It shows that even though a leaf falling may be an indication of
death, falling of leaves is an integral part of the whole life cycle of the tree(146).
!blac may seem like a simple mess of words, but in reality is much more complex than
that. swi( is another poem of Cummings' ideogram form. The essence of this poem is seeing
a bird's swift flight past the sun, and the wonder of this experience. The poem mainly
tries to convince the reader of the difference between conception, what one sees, and
perception, what one knows he is seeing (Mar 105). The first line, 'swi(' shows that the
object the poet sees is moving so rapdly that before he completely utters his first word,
he must describe the object, and that it is passing before another object - the sun. His
use of only primary descriptives, such as speed, direction, color, and shape indicates
that he is trying to describe the bird as quickly as possible. The way he speaks, in
terse syllables that lack syntactical relationship to each other, imitate one who tries
to speak before he knows exactly what he wants to say; it is another indication of how
quickly the object is moving (106). a-motion-upo-nmotio-n/Less?, the 6th line, is
signifying that although the poet knows that both the objects are moving, one's motion
causes the other to seem still (106). The 'd,' at the end of the poem is showing that
after the poet has finally named the object he saw, he immediately loses interest and
stops, as writing more to further organize his thoughts would be superfluous (106). The
contrasting words in this poem are very important. 'against' contrasts with 'across', and
signifies a halt. It seems that the poet wants to stop the object in order to describe
it. But a stopping of motion would contradict 'swi/ftly', so Cummings decided to refer to
the speed average of the two, 'Swi/mming' (106). swi( contains less symbolism than the
other poems being analyzed, but it is similar in that the syntax adds greatly to the
poem. Cummings' peculiar method of using syntax to convey hidden meaning is extremely
effective. The reader does not simply read and forget Cummings' ideas; instead, he must
figure out the hidden meaning himself. In doing this, he feels contentment, and thus
retains the poem's idea for a more extended period of time. Cummings' ideogram poems are
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.
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. Cummings' most difficult form of prose is probably the ideogram; it is
extremely short and it combines both visual and aural elements. There may be sounds or
characters on the page that cannot be said or cannot carry 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'.
'll' indicates 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, represented 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. Oddly enough, this poem, too, stresses the idea of individualism, or'eachness',
as it is stated on line four. Lines 2 and 4, 'climbi' and 'begi', both end leaving the
letter 'i' exposed. This is a sign thatCummings is trying to emphasize the concept of
self-importance (Tri 36). This poem is an amusing one, as it shows the effects of a
trapeze act within the arrangement of the words. On line 10, the space in the word 'open
ing' indicates the act beginning, and the empty, static moment before it has fully begun.
'of speeds of' and '&meet&', lines 8 and 12 respectively, show a sort of back-and-forth
motion, much like that of the motion of a trapeze swinging. Lines 12 through 15 show the
final jump off the trapeze, and 'a/n/d' on lines 17 through 19, represent the deserted
trapeze, after the acrobats have dismounted. Finally, '(im' on the last line should bring
the reader's eyes back to the top of the poem, where he finds 'mortals)'. Placing '(im'
at the end of the poem shows that the performers attain a special type of immortality for
risking their lives to create a show of beauty, they attain a special type of immortality
(36-7). The circularity of the poem causes a feeling of wholeness or completeness, and
may represent the Circle of Life, eternal motion (Fri 26). Cummings first tightly written
ideogram was !blac, a very interesting poem. It starts with '!', which seems to be saying
thatsomething deserving that exclamation point occurred anterior to the poem, and the
poem is trying objectively to describe certain feelings resulting from '!'. black against
white is an example of such a description in the poem; the clashing colors create a
feeling in sync with '!'. Also, why (whi) suggests amusement and wonder, another feeling
resulting from '!' (Weg 145). Cummings had written a letter concerning !blac to Robert
Wenger, author of The Poetry and Prose of E. E. Cummings (see Works Cited). In it, he
wrote, for me, this poem means just what it says . . . and the ! which begins the poem is
whatmight be called and emphatic (=very). This poem is also concerns the cycle of birth,
life, death, and renewal. This is derived from the '.' preceding the last letter. This
shows that even though the poem is finished, the circle of life is not, and is ever
cycling (Weg 144). Through the poem's shape, !blac also shows a leaf fluttering to the
ground. The lines' spacing synchronizes the speed of the reading with that of the leaf at
different points in its fall. With its capital 'I's, 'IrlI' also indicates a leaf falling
straight down before it hits the ground (147). Reading this poem, one may realize the
lone comma on line 12. The poet writes about the sky and a tree, and then a comma
intrudes, which makes the reader pause, and realize the new awareness that the comma
indicated - that of a falling leaf (145). Lines 1 through 6 are also very important to
the poem. Although black against white may be referring to the color of the falling leaf
in contrast to the bright sky, it is not wrong to assume it means more. As stated above,
the poem's theme is the cycle of life, and black against white could be indicating life
death versus life. It shows that even though a leaf falling may be an indication of
death, falling of leaves is an integral part of the whole life cycle of the tree(146).
!blac may seem like a simple mess of words, but in reality is much more complex than
that. swi( is another poem of Cummings' ideogram form. The essence of this poem is seeing
a bird's swift flight past the sun, and the wonder of this experience. The poem mainly
tries to convince the reader of the difference between conception, what one sees, and
perception, what one knows he is seeing (Mar 105). The first line, 'swi(' shows that the
object the poet sees is moving so rapdly that before he completely utters his first word,
he must describe the object, and that it is passing before another object - the sun. His
use of only primary descriptives, such as speed, direction, color, and shape indicates
that he is trying to describe the bird as quickly as possible. The way he speaks, in
terse syllables that lack syntactical relationship to each other, imitate one who tries
to speak before he knows exactly what he wants to say; it is another indication of how
quickly the object is moving (106). a-motion-upo-nmotio-n/Less?, the 6th line, is
signifying that although the poet knows that both the objects are moving, one's motion
causes the other to seem still (106). The 'd,' at the end of the poem is showing that
after the poet has finally named the object he saw, he immediately loses interest and
stops, as writing more to further organize his thoughts would be superfluous (106). The
contrasting words in this poem are very important. 'against' contrasts with 'across', and
signifies a halt. It seems that the poet wants to stop the object in order to describe
it. But a stopping of motion would contradict 'swi/ftly', so Cummings decided to refer to
the speed average of the two, 'Swi/mming' (106). swi( contains less symbolism than the
other poems being analyzed, but it is similar in that the syntax adds greatly to the
poem. Cummings' peculiar method of using syntax to convey hidden meaning is extremely
effective. The reader does not simply read and forget Cummings' ideas; instead, he must
figure out the hidden meaning himself. In doing this, he feels contentment, and thus
retains the poem's idea for a more extended period of time. Cummings' ideogram poems are
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.
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.
Bibliography
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.