Analysis Of The Poem Since Feeling Is First, By E. Cummings

since feeling is first
Purposely applying unpredictable and sparse punctuation and conventions, Cummings emphasizes the importance of logic versus emotions through this style. In the poem, Cummings conveys his love and devotion to a woman of an unknown source by thus stating, “[they] are for each other.” Cummings expresses his beliefs that emotions are much more powerful and worth paying attention to rather than reasoning. The carefree feeling of being in love overpowers the brain’s tendency to overanalyze. Throughout the poem “since feeling is first,” Cummings elucidates that you can only “wholly” cherish someone if it is not constrained by “the syntax of things” since decisions should be based off the heart rather than the mind. In the first line of the poem, Cummings initially brings to attention the fundamental importance of emotions. Presuming there to be a question mark after “who pays any attention to the syntax of things,” it instead brings forth a firm statement or belief. The pause in this sentence makes us consider the meaning behind “will never wholly kiss you.” This is generally entailing that “[a person] who pays any attention/ to the syntax of things\ will never wholly kiss you” (2-4). In the second stanza it reveals that he- the speaker- is uncaring of pursuing his emotional impulses, no matter of being named a fool. Being named a fool equally symbolizes being
Spring is particularly associated with regrowth, connecting to a blooming of passion that the two feel for each other. However in the next stanza he let’s go of all intellectual