E.E Cummings poetry Flashcards
Key context on Cummings
Cummings believed deeply in the individual + the conflict within the world drove a lot of his poetry. His writing was influenced by what he experienced throughout his life which is why much of his work has idiosyncratic syntax
Cummings is associated with modernist free-form poetry and uses lower-case spellings for poetic expression.
state the key poetic + structural devices utilised by Cummings in ‘In Just’
Cummings uses his characteristic style that has made his poems so memorable and engaging to read.
He plays with spacing, capitalization, indention, and syntaxwhile at the same time creating a semi-clear image of spring. The poem delves into themes of spring, rebirth, innocence, and alludes to a darker theme of corruption.
- Alliteration
- Enjambment
- Allusion (alluding to the true nature of the balloonman by giving him the feet of a goat. He is obliquely connecting the man to the mythology surrounding satyrs)
- Juxtaposition.
“in Just” - the random capitalisation is reflective of the cusp of the moment recurring a pause straight after. Theres extensive spacing throughout the poem which carefully lays out the pase deliberately in different patterns. The syntax is scrabbled, as it commonly is within cumming’s works, and the spacing is pushed to its limit.
What is Cummings ‘In Just’ centered around?
‘In Just-’ speaks on the beginnings of spring, a concerning balloonman/satyr, and the children he calls to his side.
The poem takes the reader through a few, confusing, spring-like images. He speaks on the mud that suddenly appears everywhere and then later, the puddles of water. In amongst all this are children playing.
They stop what they’re doing and run or dance to the side of a whistling balloonman. The poem concludes with the man continuing his whistling and the speaker alluding to more children coming to his side.
