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Education of ee cummings
Outline
I.Introduction
A.Cummings' life
B.Introduction to Cummings' ideogram form
C.5 Poems being analyzed
D.Thesis Statement: Cummings utilizes unique syntax in these poems in order to convey messages visually as well as verbally. II.Poem analyses
A.l(a
1.Theme - not sadness or loneliness, but oneness 2.Syntax
a.instances of 1' in the poem
b.shape of a poem representing leaf falling 3.Images - one and oneness
B.mortals)
1.Theme
a.eachness'
b.climbi' and begi'
2.Syntax
a."open ing"
b."of speeds of"
c."&meet&"
d."a/n/d"
e."(im" à "mortals)"
3.Images - circularity of poem
C.!blac
1.Theme
a.!' and its results
b.Cummings' comment
c..g' at end
2.Syntax
a.less free verse than one may first think 1.four and one line altering stanzas
2.lone consonants forming a sort of rhyme themselves 3.trees & against
t
; (whi) & sky; te, rees, & le
b.falling of a leaf
1.the whole poem's syntax
2.line and word spacing
3.IrlI
3.Images
a.comma after sky and trees
b.black against
t
t white
D.swi(
1.Theme differentiate b/w perception and conception 2.Syntax
a.swi(
b.terseness, primary lang., and unclear syntactical relationships
c.motion à Less
d.d,
3.Images against
t
t ó across à swift à swimming
III.Conclusion
A.Cummings' method
B.Comment on the ideogram
l(a
le
af
fa
ll
s)
one
l
iness
!blac
k
against
t
t
(whi)
te sky
?t
rees which
h fr
om droppe
d
,
le
af
a:;go
e
s wh
IrlI
n
.g
mortals)
climbi
ng i
not
eachness begi
n
dizzily
swingthings
of speeds of
trapeze gush somersaults
open ing
hes shes
&meet&
swoop
fully is are ex
quisite theys of re
turn
a
n
d
fall which
h now drop who all dreamlike
(im
swi(
across!gold's
rouNdly
)ftblac
kl(ness)y
a-motion-upo-nmotio-n
Less?
thE
(against
t
t
is
)Swi
mming
(w-a)s
bIr
d,
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 namely, ideograms. Cummings' most difficult form of prose is probably the ideogram; it is extremely terse and it combines both visual and auditory elements. There maybe sounds or characters on the page that cannot be verbalized or cannot convey 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...
Outline
I.Introduction
A.Cummings' life
B.Introduction to Cummings' ideogram form
C.5 Poems being analyzed
D.Thesis Statement: Cummings utilizes unique syntax in these poems in order to convey messages visually as well as verbally. II.Poem analyses
A.l(a
1.Theme - not sadness or loneliness, but oneness 2.Syntax
a.instances of 1' in the poem
b.shape of a poem representing leaf falling 3.Images - one and oneness
B.mortals)
1.Theme
a.eachness'
b.climbi' and begi'
2.Syntax
a."open ing"
b."of speeds of"
c."&meet&"
d."a/n/d"
e."(im" à "mortals)"
3.Images - circularity of poem
C.!blac
1.Theme
a.!' and its results
b.Cummings' comment
c..g' at end
2.Syntax
a.less free verse than one may first think 1.four and one line altering stanzas
2.lone consonants forming a sort of rhyme themselves 3.trees & against
t
; (whi) & sky; te, rees, & le
b.falling of a leaf
1.the whole poem's syntax
2.line and word spacing
3.IrlI
3.Images
a.comma after sky and trees
b.black against
t
t white
D.swi(
1.Theme differentiate b/w perception and conception 2.Syntax
a.swi(
b.terseness, primary lang., and unclear syntactical relationships
c.motion à Less
d.d,
3.Images against
t
t ó across à swift à swimming
III.Conclusion
A.Cummings' method
B.Comment on the ideogram
l(a
le
af
fa
ll
s)
one
l
iness
!blac
k
against
t
t
(whi)
te sky
?t
rees which
h fr
om droppe
d
,
le
af
a:;go
e
s wh
IrlI
n
.g
mortals)
climbi
ng i
not
eachness begi
n
dizzily
swingthings
of speeds of
trapeze gush somersaults
open ing
hes shes
&meet&
swoop
fully is are ex
quisite theys of re
turn
a
n
d
fall which
h now drop who all dreamlike
(im
swi(
across!gold's
rouNdly
)ftblac
kl(ness)y
a-motion-upo-nmotio-n
Less?
thE
(against
t
t
is
)Swi
mming
(w-a)s
bIr
d,
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 namely, ideograms. Cummings' most difficult form of prose is probably the ideogram; it is extremely terse and it combines both visual and auditory elements. There maybe sounds or characters on the page that cannot be verbalized or cannot convey 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...
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