Common Literature Styles Rules

Published Date: 02 Nov 2017

Introduction of E.E. Cummings

Common literature styles, "rules"

E.E. Cummings’ style of work and other poets of those times whose poetry has had an impact

Development of E.E. Cummings as a poet

Analysis and comparison between E. E. Cummings’ first and most recent poems

Conclusion

Works Cited

Introduction of E.E. Cummings

For my extended essay I decided to focus it on the topic of E. E. Cummings as his style of writing has always interested me, furthermore I wanted to understand what it is that is so special about him that has kept him famous through just over fifty years after passing away. I also wanted to find out if he has had as much of an impact on other readers and even poets of his time, as well as the poets of today, as he has had on me.

Even in modern day poetry, writers still quote E.E. Cummings’ poems. Despite the change in generation, the introduction of technology in terms of the television and computers, E.E. Cummings’ poetry has still not yet been forgotten. In an attempt to understand what has made E.E. Cummings’ poetry so famous to this very day, the following question arose: What has been the literary impact of E. E. Cummings?

I think that it is important to note that the word impact is very abstract and is hard to measure. Impact as defined in the Longman dictionary of contemporary English is "the effect or influence on an event, situation, etc has on someone or something" [1] , which in this case would be the impact of Cummings on literature.

In order to measure the impact Cummings has had, I decided to find out how Cummings has affected poetry as we now know it, how he has affected the readers of his poems and even how he has inspired and in what way he has inspired other new poets.

I have selected a few of E.E. Cumming’s more famous works, such as "l(a" and "i carry your heart with me" to deeper analyse and critique. Secondary research is also relied upon on as E.E. Cummings’ poetry has been dissected by many other critics as well.

Common literature styles, "rules"

Between the 1900 and 1940, the Modernist style of literature had begun to take over the literary world. [2] Modernism was an era in which not just poetry but all works of art, took a major turn from traditional forms of art. It was a time when artists began to question the world and were trying to make people of that time do the same and this style of writing had really impacted Cummings and had changed the way he began to write.

The Modernist style of writing consisted of heavy usage in irony, comparison, juxtaposition and sarcasm. Imagery and symbolism were also widely used and writers were trying to emphasize the subject of reality. [3] Writers or artists of this time wanted people to question society, how people perceived things to be and to question their views on their very own beliefs. [4] Strong and large contrasts backed up with powerful images was the tool in which writers used to try and make people question those beliefs, they had to make the reader not just question the beliefs of the world, but question his/her own beliefs as well. [5] 

Generally, modernist writers would use a first person narration, limited omniscient narration or only give a fixed narrated point of view. [6] This was done so that the reader will have no other options but to read the writings or poems in a manner that he has no choice but to trust the narration. Since no other alternatives are given, the reader has to trust in the narrator and as such the writer would be able to instil new ideas or doubts in the reader.

E.E. Cummings’ style of work and other poets of those times whose poetry has had an impact.

Although E.E. Cummings can also be considered a modernist writer, he had his own style to his poetry; he generally did not really follow the orthodox style of writing. [7] His unique styles of grammar, punctuation as well as the structure used are exemplified in most of his poetry. Cummings was known, mainly but not only, for not using capital letters, using punctuation rather oddly, indenting lines in non-traditional ways. He also wrote a lot of free verse, poems without rhyme and meter, but he also wrote a lot of sonnets and other "formal" verse, poems that did use rhyme and meter.

Some pieces of his work however, really did not visually look appeasing to the eyes and the structure of his poems made it seem like it was not a poem at all. For example in the poem "[l(a]", I think that this poem in particular is a perfect example of how Cummings’ poetry is and was especially unorthodox, both now and especially in that time.

"l(a

le

af

fa

ll

s)

one

l

iness"

The poem of consists 9 lines, with none of them longer than a couple of letters long, none of which forming a word horizontally and with no context or understanding, this poem is one in which a large number of people might not understand and might not appreciate.

Upon further analysis of the poem, we, the reader, can see that vertically the letters form the words a, leaf, falls and loneliness. The words "a leaf falls" is also embedded into the word "loneliness", this is also an example of how Cummings liked to force the reader to think about his poetry and give the reader a different experience that other poets might have.

Personally, what I get from the above poem is an image of a leaf falling down slowly. The words positioned in that structure could represent the leaf swaying down left and right when falling. When looking deeper to what the poem could mean, I thought that the whole poem itself could be a symbol for human life and how an individual in this world (tree), is just a leaf, all alone and when he/she/it falls or possibly dies, they go alone. The fact that the words a leaf falls being embedded into the word loneliness could represent the feeling of being alone. Compared to the tree, the leaf is insignificant and thus, when it falls no one really cares and "the leaf" is really alone.

By shaping the poem in such a manner, Cummings successfully makes the reader have to think more about the poem so as to try and decipher it to get the deeper meaning. By doing so, the reader will feel happy and senses of achievement which will in turn make the poem stay in the readers mind for a longer period of time. Cummings also shapes the poems oddly in other of his poetry such as "one", "!blac" and many others. This style of structure could also appeal to the reader as Cummings’ poems are like puzzles waiting to be solved.

Cummings’ works were seen generally to be for the younger, less mature adult who probably had just started exploring poetry. And although his works were very good, there is much distaste for his poetry in the academic world. In a paper written by David Chinitz of Loyola University of Chicago, on "Cummings’ challenge to academic standards", it argues that Cummings never truly developed as a poet, he remained static and he "developed insufficiently". Chinitz mentions that Cummings is a "writer of adolescent sensibilities who appeals mainly to adolescents". [8] 

Personally I disagree with this article. Cummings was an extraordinary poet, whose works are a timeless classic. Both adults and adolescent alike enjoy his poems, his books and other forms of his works. To reuse the example of "[l(a]", an adolescent or even someone who is inexperienced with poetry, would have a hard time trying to understand the poem and its possible deeper meaning. Because of this, I feel that Cummings really reaches out to a large range of readers and that he can be deep and thoughtful but rather prefers to write in the simplistically to accommodate the inexperienced reader. Although it can be admitted that the general style of Cummings’ works did not change or "develop" over time, for example, his playful form of writing, his grammar or lack of and other significant styles of Cummings, he did develop in other forms of writings such as the replacement of literary devices like similes and metaphors with symbolism and allegory. His development, though not necessarily by style or structure, was more on his word choice and language.

Cummings, as well as other writers of that time, exploited this by really making people question themselves, society and beliefs. Other poets of that time, in particular, Amy Lowell and Gertrude Stein were known to have significantly influenced Cummings as a poet.

Amy Lowell was one of the first few and one of the best "free verse" writing poets, that is, to abandon the desire to rhyme using words and instead use the natural rhythm in a reader, such as the natural cadence upon reading or the human’s natural pauses when breathing. She was also a poet who was known to use imagery to bring across her point more strongly.

"Free verse" or Vers libre in French was commonly used in Cummings’ poetry. A large number of his poetry, aside from his sonnets, was written in free verse and it was used for the purpose of the reader using their ears and not their eyes. By doing this, the reader is forced to use more than 1 of their senses when reading Cummings’ poetry which would then result in the poem being more impactful towards the reader. It was because of Amy Lowell’s imagist experiments that Cummings took in and begun to use into his own works, which helped to take his style of writing to the next level.

Gertrude Stein was a very upright woman; she was described as someone with a strong personality with a commanding manner whose self-confidence was overflowing. Stein wrote in a highly idiosyncratic, playful, repetitive and humorous style. She also tried to avoid using social judgement in her works which allowed the reader to have their own critique or opinion on the writing without conforming to social judgements or rules.

In the same way, Cummings was known to be a playful, joking, child-like writer. He tried to tackle socially important issues with humour and playful ridicule. The style of writing is very similar to that of Stein’s and her playfulness can be expressed in Cummings’ style of work. Unlike Stein however, Cummings did tend to take a stance on socially important matters, but he tended to utilise the view point of a child. He liked to use a child’s view point combined with childlike wonder in most of his works, which could be the reason why academics might find his works too simple.

In my opinion, I think that by taking the view point of a child, Cummings was trying to achieve an innocent or unbiased judgement on such important matters, which would have been untainted by society. By doing this, readers would not feel as uncomfortable or offended if Cummings was writing against their own beliefs and would tend to have a more open mind when reading his poetry. However, I can understand how it might not be very accepted and can seem like a very mediocre piece of writing, but I think it brings more to the table than meets the eye.

Development of E.E. Cummings as a poet

In an essay written by Isabelle Alfandary titled "Voice and Silence in E. E. Cummings’ Poetry", which writes about the difference between silence and voice in Cumming’s poetry.

In that essay, Alfandary focuses on the poem, is 5, section Four (1926). She writes about how Cummings used colours and shapes to represent a "composition of silences". [9] What interested me very much in this essay is how Alfandary described silence, how silence is more than just the absence of sound, but "a quality, an emotion and an abstraction" and how Cummings used it as a tool to enhance the emotions felt by the reader.

Her analysis also gives insight to the reason behind Cummings’ grammar, or lack of. Since silence is unspoken, Cummings used other senses like vision or sight, to convey this sense of silence in his writings. By utilizing punctuation, Cummings then creates this visual silence which the reader will get when reading the poetry. This is another example of how Cummings wanted the reader to use more than one of their senses when reading his poetry and it forces the reader to experience the poem differently by using different senses. [10] 

Cummings was a man who knew that he wanted to become a poet from a very young age; he spent his time writing and exploring different styles of poetry as a child. [11] When he was in Harvard, he integrated the modernist style of poetry into his own style of writing which was to ignore the orthodox use punctuations and syntaxes and to substitute with more dynamic language. [12] There, he also experimented with visual objects on the pages in attempt to enhance the reading experience.

I think that what really separates Cummings from other poets is the way Cummings uses his punctuations and grammar. His desire to not use capital letters, punctuations and to have odd grammar really excels his poetry to a level that might not be pleasing or acceptable to most. I think that by doing this, it allows his poetry to speak to a wider range of people and that different people would then get different messages from the poems based on how they themselves would place pauses or how they would read his poetry.

For example, if we look at the poem "i carry your heart with me (i carry it in]" we are able to observe Cummings’ style.

"i carry your heart with me(i carry it in

my heart)i am never without it(anywhere

i go you go, my dear ;and whatever is done

by only me is your doing, my darling)

i fear

no fate(for you are my fate, my sweet)i want

no world(for beautiful you are my world, my true)

and it’s you are whatever a moon has always meant

and whatever a sun will always sing is you

here is the deepest secret nobody knows

(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud

and the sky of the sky of a tree called life; which grows

higher than soul can hope or mind can hide)

and this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart

i carry your heart(i carry it in my heart)"

Immediately, we are able to identify the lack of capital letters in this poem, which is one of Cummings’ distinct styles which he is known for. Also, the unique use of parentheses has a visual effect on the reader. Personally, I do not understand the need for lack of capital letters in Cummings’ poetry. I think that other than creating a link between lack of capital letters and him, it does not really serve any literary purpose. However, generally a word starting with a capital letter signifies the start of a new sentence and between not capitalizing his words as well as minimal to no punctuations, other than the parentheses, the reader has their own choice on how they want to read the poem as well as when each sentence begins and ends. This analysis applies to all his poetry and not just in this particular poem.

When we look and read this poem, the way is written allows it to be read as a love poem, a vow, a simple thought of love, it takes many forms all of which expressing the love that he is trying to convey. Cummings creates an effect of almost reading two poems at the same time and the poem itself can actually be split up into two poems and still make perfect sense. By doing this, Cummings is basically emphasizing his point and to me it feels as though the two voices that the readers can read the poem in, represents the mind and the heart speaking. The lines outside the parentheses represent the mind, the thoughts of the person and the lines within the parentheses represent the heart and the emotions felt and expressed by the writer.

Cummings uses very descriptive language and words with powerful meaning to create strong images inside the readers head as well as evoke feelings of love. We can see this in the last stanza, "here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud and the sky of the sky of a tree called life;" this line just has so much power and meaning to it and it expresses the love and intensity of which he can feel it burning to the core.

This poem resembles that of a sonnet, however, it takes a slightly different path and really accentuates Cummings tendencies to make the poems his own by adding his own flair to it and avoiding the orthodox tendencies of writing.

Analysis and comparison between E. E. Cummings’ first and most recent poems

To fully understand and explore the development of Cummings as a poet, a comparison between Cummings’ older and newer poems was done and from this we would clearly be able to observe any notable changes or developments.

For the purpose of this comparison, I have selected "my love is building a building" as Cummings’ older poem, which was published in 1923, as well as "think of it; not so long ago" as Cummings’ newer poem, which was published in 1983.

"my love is building a building

around you, a frail slippery

house, a strong fragile house

(beginning at the singular beginning

of your smile)a skilful uncouth

prison, a precise clumsy

prison(building thatandthis into Thus,

Around the reckless magic of your mouth)

My love is building a magic, a discrete

tower of magic and(as i guess)

when Farmer Death(whom fairies hate)shall

crumble the mouth-flower fleet

He’ll not my tower,

Laborious, casual

where the surroundings smile

hangs

breathless"

The poem "my love is building a building" is a poem which once again carries the features and styles of Cummings. Minimum punctuations are used, except for the parentheses which are used in almost every other line, as well as peculiar use of capital letters on certain words.

Like Cummings’ other poems, the poem is very abstract and hard to understand on the first read. What I got from this poem, is the personification of Cummings’ love in the form of a building and how his love cannot be destroyed or scathed. A love so strong that "when Farmer Death(whom fairies hate)shall crumble the mouth-flower fleet He’ll not my tower". In other words, not even death will take away the love that Cummings has and the tower, the building, his love, will remain strong "where the surroundings smile hangs breathless".

"think of it: not so long ago

this was a village"

"yes; i know"

"of human beings who prayed and sang,

or am i wrong?"

"no, you're not wrong"

"and worked like hell six days out of seven"

"to die as they lived: in the hope of heaven"

"didn't two roads meet here?"

"they did;

and over yonder a schoolhouse stood"

"do i remember a girl with blue-

sky eyes and sun-yellow hair?"

"do you?"

"absolutely"

"that's very odd,

for i've never forgotten one frecklefaced lad'

"what could have happened to her and him?"

"maybe they walked and called it a dream"

"in this dream were there green and gold

meadows?"

"through which a lazy brook strolled"

"wonder if clover still smells that way;

up in the mow"

"full of newmown hay"

"and the shadows and sounds and silences"

"Yes, a barn could be a magical place"

"nothing's the same, is it?"

"something still

remains, my friend, and always will"

"namely?"

"if any woman knows,

one man in a million ought to guess"

"what of the dreams that never die?"

"turn to your left at the end of the sky"

"where are the girls whose breasts begin?"

"under the boys who fish with a pin"

Conclusion