Examining The Different American Poets English Literature Essay

In the 20th century there were many great American poets. Among the assortment of different verse forms and different poets, Edward Estlin Cummings has interested me the most. He has changed the traditions of verse forms throughout his authorship by interrupting the regulations of poesy in his alone artistic unconventional ways. The chief intent for my involvement is due to Cummings ‘ bizarre punctuation. Cummings ‘ has developed this alone manner of composing that can be misunderstood. The poesy of Cummings is frequently written in a free poetry construction covering with subjects of love and nature. When reading the composing manner of Cummings, one must observe his bizarre usage of words, and punctuation throughout his verse form. Harmonizing to Michael Webster ‘s critical essay titled, E. E. Cummingss: Romantic Ideology and Technique, Webster suggests that “ Cummingsaˆ¦reserves his experiments by and big for his free poetry incarnations of sarcasm, comedy, and description ” ( Webster ) . A He takes many different attacks, full of experimentation that changes the visual of syntactical elements and making effects on a verse form. Through a close scrutiny of several Cummings ‘ experimental verse forms, I will reason that he uses sentence structure, punctuation and words to “ exemplify ” the significances of his work. As both a painter and a wordsmith, Cummings understands the significance of presentation and uses alone methods to paint a image in our heads.

Cummingss changed the ocular of syntactical elements, set uping words and phrases to pass on with the reader. Cummingss is known for utilizing typography as a authorship technique throughout his verse form. Typography is a manner and visual aspect of print. In other words it is seen as a technique that arranges and modifies letters. Overall it ‘s a combination of font size, and spacing, typically used to plan in text. Cummingss uses typography as an elevated signifier of art, doing words easier to understand and more meaningful to read. When reading Cummings ‘ verse forms it is of import to observe the manner he uses font, missive spacing and punctuation, sing that he constructs most of his verse forms this manner for a ocular impact on the reader. It impacts the manner the reader sees and feels about the verse forms.

A great illustration of typography can be seen in a verse form, titled “ ! blac ” . Cummings finally attracts a reader ‘s attending by utilizing typography and uneven spelling in the verse form. Cummingss is really descriptive, one time read one can see Cummings ‘ alone manner of authorship, full of experimentation. He uses alone sentence structure to visually demo the struggle between black and white as a societal or racial struggle. Although is non straight stated one can construe it that manner with Cummings ‘ gap words. In the book 50 verse forms, Cummings writes:

! blac

K

agains

T

( whi )

Te sky

? T

rees whic

H Fr

om droppe

vitamin D

,

lupus erythematosus

af

a: ; travel

vitamin E

s wh

IrlI

N

.g ( 1 ) .

One can acquire the feeling of a negative feeling due to Cummings dropping the last letters of every word to the following line. It would do sense if the verse form is viewed as a racial struggle. Droping the last letters of the word shows of something falling apart, such as sing society being divided by inkinesss and Whites. Cummingss lived through the constitution of the Jim Crow epoch and likely has seen or experienced this calamity. Cummingss uses metaphor to compare a society that is falling apart with a tree that looses all its foliages. Cummingss shows the image of the foliages falling down. The verse form illustrates the fallen foliages by holding the last missive of every word in its ain line. When looking at the verse form closely it looks like the verse form itself is falling down.

Cummingss is besides known for his important usage of punctuation in his poesy. Cummingss who is besides an creative person uses his artistic attack to intermix his poesy into this ocular signifier of art. Cummingss frequently applies in his verse form the usage of commas, parenthesis, and colons where they are non on a regular basis used. Cummings uses punctuations as an art technique instead than a regulation, hence giving his poems a “ probationary and go oning consequence ” ( Friedman, 114 ) . The unusual usage of punctuation has brought into inquiry Cummings ‘ unconventional penetrations. Cummingss broke the regulations of poesy with his ocular manner, which led to literary critics knocking his work. Many critics think his methods are useless. Some critics argue that Cummings uses punctuation and “ linguistic communication with no grant to conventional acknowledgment ” ( Maurer 1 ) . I would hold on the fact that Cummings ‘ verse forms are sometimes hard to read because of his linguistic communication and punctuation use. However I wo n’t hold on the fact that his methods are uneffective. What make Cummingss so particular is that a reader has to analyze several of his verse forms to truly appreciate the significance of his method. Scholar Norman Friedman claims that, “ Cummings is fond of utilizing a calibrated series of marks-as in, ‘ ; : : ; ‘ , -to command the elation and celerity, the weightiness and awkwardness, of the readingaˆ¦to give a ocular sense of patterned advance ” ( Friedman, 114 ) .

With this position in head we can concentrate on how the usage of punctuation applies to the verse form “ may I experience said he ” from Cummings ‘ , a choice of verse forms. In looking at it closely Cummings does n’t include any citation Markss throughout the verse form. Before the phrase “ said he ” or “ said she ” of every line there is dialect between the adult male and the adult female ( 96 ) . It is interesting for the fact that the conversation does non hold any citation Markss but alternatively it has unsure elucidation for the use of parenthesis. In order to understand Cummings ‘ use of punctuation, one must see it as a technique that the author uses in order to develop effectual looks. In this instance the reader needs to handle parenthesis as a poetic device. Many times critics of poesy criticize poet ‘s deficiency of poetic linguistic communication and imagination. As a solution poetic devices aid develop both. This means that Cummings added parenthesis in his verse form for a ground, and should hence be read with much idea and concentration. It is deserving sing that Cummings parenthesized certain parts in the verse form to catch the reader ‘s attending and visualise what he is stating. Think of his punctuation as a signal of way. It helps the reader read the verse form more precise, as Cummings intended.

Cummingss frequently displays unusual pick of words. He tends to play with assorted vocabulary words by altering nouns into verbs, adjectives into nouns, or vice-versa. He has the ability to utilize words to make a temper, to infix images and feelings in the heads of readers. For case in the verse form “ Buffalo Bill ‘s ” , Cummings arranges the words by seting them together, doing it one whole large word. Cummingss writes:

Buffalo Bill ‘s

defunct

A A A A A A A who used to

A A A A A A A sit a watersmooth-silver

A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A entire

and interrupt onetwothreefourfive pigeons justlikethat

A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A Jesus

he was a fine-looking adult male

A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A and what I want to cognize is

how do you like your fair-haired male child

Mister Death ( 34 ) .

First to understand Cummings ‘ alone method one must understand who Buffalo Bill was. Buffalo measure was an American cowpuncher who was a professional bison huntsman and was really cunning with his gun. With this position in head we can concentrate on how it applies to the verse form. Cummingss admires the adult male ‘s ability to hit his gun when he writes: “ and interrupt oneteothreefourfive pigeonsjustlikethat ” . The Numberss are normally adjectives, but Cummings uses it as a noun. Sometimes Numberss can look like nouns because of eclipsis. The consequence by the manner Cummings structured it was to rush up address. He wants the readers to read it in this fast pacing giving the thought Bill was a fast taw, every bit good as a good taw when stating “ pigeonsjustlikethat ” , bespeaking the pigeons were taken out.

In add-on Cummingss verse forms are simple in nature and it ‘s truly interesting how a individual word can hold such a graphic image. The usage of Cummings methods gives a word so much significance. His usage of linguistic communication creates these images in the readers mind. This shows how Cummings is able to utilize simple linguistic communication in such a clever and inventive manner.

In the verse form “ I carry you bosom with me ” Cummings structural manner of words conveying about this consciousness of simpleness within the verse form. In the verse form Cummings writes “ no destiny ( for you are my destiny, my Sweet ) I want no universe ( for beautiful you are my universe, my true ) and it ‘s you are whatever a Moon has ever meant ” ( 156 ) . Careful reading of this verse form one becomes intrigued by his words. In a simple reading the storyteller addresses the reader that he has a psyche mate, and whatever happens with one affects the other. Cummingss uses the phrase “ whatever a Moon has ever mean ” to implement imagination in the readers mind ( 156 ) . Note that it is besides an illustration of personification. In a sense he is able to make these images with simple words by utilizing his other alone techniques. In the phrase “ ( for beautiful you are my universe, my true ) ” , Cummings uses parentheses for a pausing consequence, hence giving the words “ universe ” and “ true ” long permanent imagination. The word “ universe ” represents his being in life, with the sense that his love uplifts him n positive ways. The verse form itself is written in such simple linguistic communication. Cummings uses this technique in assorted plants that has been recognized and portion of the literary cannon overtime.

From analyzing Cummings ‘ ocular verse forms, one can certainly see how he portrays his ocular signifier of art into his verse form. His verse forms are alone ; one must see his verse forms in the position of Cummings ‘ artistic design. The words of his verse forms are sometimes scattered throughout the page as if he were seeking to pull something. Cummings does n’t merely like composing his verse forms but he wants the reader to see and experience his verse form. Whether or non Cummings ‘ poesy brings about wonder and involvement to the reader, there is no denying the invention of Cummings ‘ unusual manner of composing. Furthermore, his usage of words, sentence structure, and punctuation are methods and thoughts that are indispensable to an apprehension of Cummings ‘ authorship manner.