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READ THIS
Cummings resorts to the absolute freedom of words and punctuation to create a poem of perfect joy and
exuberance for life, nature and God. Indeed, he reaches beyond the five senses and relies on his intuition
to reach the fullness of spiritual awakening.
NOTE ON THE POET
ee cummings -- his real name was Edward Estlin -- was born in Massachusetts in 1894. His father was
a professor of Sociology and Political Science at Harvard University but who later became a Unitarian
minister.
Cummings was himself a Harvard graduate, obtaining a Masters degree in English and Classical Studies
in 1916. His intelligence and novel way of thinking, however, caused him to be ostracised and so he found
solace in his poetry.
Although he is known for his flamboyant style of writing, he also published a couple of novels and four
plays -- and was an artist who excelled in both drawing and painting.
Cummings' way of thinking was often transcendental, i.e. he believed it possible to reach an ideal spiritual
state by use of intuition rather than through established religious beliefs. Indeed, he reveals this concept
in "i thank You God for most this amazing".
His poetry was shaped by romantic tradition -- for example, he wrote many sonnets -- but he is best
known for his idiosyncratic style in which he used little punctuation, often wrote in the lowercase and
jumbled up the order of words.
It has been said that his poetry often makes little sense until it is read aloud. On the other hand, several
of his poems reveal his artistic flair in that they are pictures painted in words, e.g.
"r-p-o-p-h-e-s-s-a-g-r".
He was also known for his satire when addressing social issues, but he had a strong bias towards the
exuberance of love, sex and spiritual rebirth.
Cummings died of a stroke on September 3, 1962. He was 68 years of age. He had won many awards
for his work.
Have you looked at the questions
in the right column?
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TEST YOURSELF!
Read the left column and then answer
the following questions:
This poem has been described as being a sonnet. Is it indeed a sonnet? (6)
[Need help?]
Don't be fooled by the 14 lines, three quatrains and what appears to be a rhyming couplet. The definition
of a sonnet is much tighter than this: a poem which has a clear rhyming scheme as well as a defined
rhythm. Indeed, nearly all English sonnets have 10 syllables per line.
Count the number of syllables per line in this poem. What is the result?
Quatrain 1: 10, 11, 12, 13
Quatrain 2: 11, 11, 12, 10
Quatrain 3: 10 , 9, 9, 8
Couplet: 9, 9
So we have a very erratic rhythm. And what about the rhyming scheme?
abac, efef, ghgi, kl
Again most erratic, unless one counts some of the end words as half-rhymes. Even then, however,
sonnets just do not have half-rhymes.
At most, therefore, one can say that the poet plays around with the sonnet form, giving the appearance
of a sonnet but deviating from its strict construction. But remember that the whole purpose of the sonnet
was indeed this very strict construction. It was regarded as a holy poem with its very tight format.
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It has been said that the poet is often "transcendental".
- What is meant by "transcendental"? (2)
[Need help?]
"Transcendental" means that the poet believed it possible to reach an ideal spiritual state by use
of intuition rather than through established religious beliefs. Intuition is therefore at the centre of
this state.
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- In what way does an understanding of the term "transcendental" enable one to reach a richer
understanding of this poem? (10)
[Need help?]
To answer this, one needs explore each and every time that the poet refers to intuition as a means for a
deeper understanding of the world.
One could speak about the natural progression in his words, "for everything which is natural which
is infinite which is yes." The poet rises from the natural world of sensual perception to the infinite, to
the world of pure positivity. This can only happen by viewing the universe with the inner light of the spirit,
i.e. by intuition.
In the 3rd quatrain, the poet asks "how should tasting touching hearing seeing breathing . . . lifted from
the no of all nothing". He speaks again of being lifted beyond the sensual world, where he is raised
from the "no of all nothing" to the "yes of everything". Is this not a reference to moving
beyond sensory perception and into the spiritual world of intuition?
Finally, the poet speaks of the "ears of my ears" being awake and the "eyes of my eyes"
being opened. It is difficult to conceive of "ears of my ears" and "eyes of my eyes" in any
other way but as intuitive insight.
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How does the strange word order in this poem, and the lack of punctuation, force the reader to approach
the poem differently? (6)
[Need help?]
Punctuation and capitalization of words has the effect of making the meaning of text more precise.
Indeed, it is the usual task of writing to make one's meaning absolutely clear and free of ambiguity.
Doing the opposite -- avoiding capitalization and punctuation -- therefore causes one to stumble and
forces one to examine the text more carefully for meaning. In doing so, therefore, one is confronted with
two or even more meanings, all of which are possibly intentional. The poem becomes deliberately
multi-meaningful.
The jumbling of word order achieves the same effect. The reader is forced to consider all possible options
and then perhaps to arrive at several different meanings for the same set of phrases.
The ultimate object of a poem of this nature is to create a work of art which is open to various
interpretations, all of which might perhaps be true.
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Be able to explain how the poet makes use of most novel forms of imagery to reveal his
thought. (10)
[Need help?]
One must be thorough in answering a question like this. Go through all these worksheets and highlight
the images that the poet uses, explaining how each works. Consider things like:
- The "leaping greenly spirits of trees";
- The "blue true dream of sky";
- The use of the word "yes" to express the poet's infinite reality;
- The death and resurrection image in the 2nd quatrain, together with the concept of the
birthdays;
- The "no of all nothing" and the "human merely being";
- The "ears of my ears" and "eyes of my eyes" concept.
Above all, don't limit yourself. Play around. That, after all, is what the poet himself did.
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