Nobody loses all the time

Question 1

Nonetheless, he was also able to write traditionally styled verse such as ____ with a flair for wit and whimsy. cummings’ work was also known for its focus on nature, sexuality and love, in both a sensual and a spiritual sense.

Answer 1

sonnets

Question 2

The form of the poem is in ___ ______.

Answer 2

free verse

Question 3

What main idea is introduced by line 1?

Answer 3

Line 1 introduces the main idea of the poem by placing it in a stanza of its own. This idea is proved true at the end when Uncle Sol finally meets with success.

Question 4

The ____ humour of the first line is only realised at the end of the poem when we read the last line.

Answer 4

ironic

Question 5

Who are we introduced to in stanza 2?

Answer 5

The speaker introduces us to his uncle in stanza 2 who is a ‘born failure’. The reader is provided with a character sketch of Uncle Sol and his many failed enterprises.

Question 6

He is presented as a ____-____ character and this is reinforced by the reference to ‘vaudeville’ which was theatrical entertainment featuring comedy, dance and songs.

Answer 6

tragi-comic

Question 7

What do the references to Uncle Sol singing ‘McCann He was a Diver’ - an actual song about a diver meeting a
mermaid -on ‘Xmas Eve’ suggest?

Answer 7

The references to Uncle Sol singing ‘McCann He was a Diver’ - an actual song about a diver meeting a mermaid -on ‘Xmas Eve’ suggests that he was the life of the party singing and performing with great enthusiasm suggesting his family members were fond of him.

Question 8

His different failures have similarities to ____ ___ but this positions the reader to have a sense of pathos (pity) towards him and his many failed attempts.

Answer 8

Charley Chaplin

Question 9

What does the use of enjambment throughout the poem provide?

Answer 9

The use of enjambment throughout the poem provides the effect of mimicking his never-ending list of
failures.

Question 10

What is the narrative enhanced by?

Answer 10

The narrative style of the poem is enhanced by colloquialisms such as ‘highfalootin’ which means pretentious. Thus, farming is not seen as a useful enterprise by the speaker and this is reinforced by the use of ‘indulged’ which suggests that Sol was giving into a whim of a fancy by turning his hand to farming.

Question 11

What does stanzas four and five focus on?

Answer 11

Stanzas Four and Five focuses on the many failures he experienced in his attempts at farming, but it also foregrounds his determined efforts to succeed by the way in which he adapts his farming with each failure.

Question 12

However, it could also be said that each of Sol’s failures led to another ____ which is shown by how the ____ of the vegetable farming became successful for the chickens etc which created a domino effect. Thus, his failures had an impact on other living ____where one failure was another’s success.

Answer 12

failures
success
organisms

Question 13

What is the tone?

Answer 13

The tone is matter-of-fact and is not critical of Sol’s ineptness or his failures.

Question 14

What is the shift in stanza 6?

Answer 14

There is a shift in this stanza as Sol does succeed in something when he ‘[drowns] himself in the watertank’.

Question 15

What is the ‘Victor Victrola and records’ is a reference to?

Answer 15

The ‘Victor Victrola and records’ is a reference to a record player which can be linked back to
Sol’s enjoyment of music illustrated in stanza one suggesting that perhaps this is a path he
should have pursued in life.

Question 16

What does the use of ‘auspicious’ mean?

Answer 16

The use of ‘auspicious’ means promising as well as a sign of future success which coheres with
the end of the poem where Sol does attain success.

Question 17

The diction of ‘scrumptious’ and ‘splendiferous’ is ____ and conveys _____ speech. The adjectives suggest that the funeral was an impressive occasion enhanced by ‘tall boys in black gloves and flowers and everything’.

Answer 17

colloquial

natural

Question 18

How is the speaker and his family’s fondness for Uncle Sol is conveyed?

Answer 18

The speaker and his family’s fondness for Uncle Sol is conveyed through the description of ‘i remember we all cried like the Missouri’ with the simile amplifying just how much they all cried.

Question 19

Why does the speaker use an emotive style in this stanza 6?

Answer 19

The speaker uses an emotive style in this stanza to convey the sense of loss his family feel
regarding Sol’s death.

Question 20

The use of ‘lurched’ seems to convey that even the ___ of the coffin seemed as though it might be a failure but it is in death that Uncle Sol succeeds because he ‘started a worm farm’.

Answer 20

burial

Question 21

In death, his body ____ and ____ the earth and sustains new life in the form of worms.

Answer 21

decomposes

fertilises

Question 22

What does ‘Sol’ mean?

Answer 22

‘Sol’ is the Latin word for sun which is the giver of life thus, Sol gives life through his death.

Question 23

The _____ used in lines 35 -38 provide the additional information of him finally achieving success.

Answer 23

parenthesis

Question 24

What is the lesson contained within the poem?

Answer 24

The lesson contained within the poem seems to be that of never giving up because resilience will finally reap positive results as shown by Sol’s death and his consequent success. Cummings’ himself experienced many failures but did eventually succeed in attaining his
Harvard degree.

Question 25

What is Sol’s personality?

Answer 25

Sol is a likeable character of whom his family is fond and defies conformity in that he
does not follow a predictable path through life.

The speaker’s attitude towards him is accepting and uncritical.

Question 26

What does the structure rely on?

Answer 26

The structure of the poem relies on enjambment and an absence of punctuation. This creates the effect of Sol moving from one failure to another continually.

Question 27

What is the effect of the lack of punctuation within the poem?

Answer 27

The lack of punctuation speeds up the rhythm until Sol’s efforts become a long never-ending list until the parenthesis and his final success.

Question 28

What is the mood?

Answer 28

The mood is sympathetic and one of pathos at his continual failure. His life seems futile and many people can empathise as well as relate to his lack of success.

Question 29

What do the long lines and short lines mimic?

Answer 29

The use of long lines and short lines mimics Sol’s lack of predictability as well as his lack of organisation.

Question 30

The unnecessary _____ in some places sounds like babble which is meaningless, much like Sol’s life which has had no meaning.

Answer 30

wordiness

Question 31

One ____ suggests that the appearance of the poem can be likened to a hole being dug in the ground.

Answer 31

critic