e. e. cummings

Page 675CCRS – RL.11-12.1; RL.11-12.4;

RL.11-12.10; L.11-12.5; L.11-12.6; W.11-12.4

e.e. cummings Cummings found guidelines in the imagist manifesto

that allowed him to experiment and to break old rules.

Cummings is known for unconventional syntax and usage – punctuation, use of parts of speech, spacing, capitalization, etc.

Cummings had his name legally changed to be e.e. cummings in all lower-case letters.

Literary Terms

Syntax – the way words are arranged in a sentence

Rhyme scheme – pattern of rhyme

Literary Terms

Approximate rhyme – words do not have exact chiming sounds but repeat only some sounds

Internal rhyme – rhyme inside a line of poetry

Literary Terms

Simile – comparison using like, as, than, or resembles

Synesthesia – the juxtaposition of one sensory image with another that appeals to a different sense

Paradox – a seemingly self-contradictory statement that actually reveals a truth

Quickwrite

Write about a time you were at a loss for words.

“what if a much of a which of a wind” (p. 676)

1. Cummings is know for using verbs, adjectives, and adverbs as nouns. Find at least five examples in the poem where he uses other parts of speech as nouns. Note the word and the line number.

2. Find an example of internal rhyme. Note the words and the line number.

3. To what three kinds of destruction is Cummings referring in the poem?

4. Identify the rhyme scheme of the first eight lines.

“what if a much of a which of a wind”

5. What is the tone of the poem?

6. Identify one possible theme for the poem.

“somewhere i have never travelled, gladly beyond” (p. 677)

1. Line 2 contains an example of synesthesia. Find another example in the poem. Quote the line and identify the line number.

2. How is line 3 a paradox?

3. Find an example of a simile. Identify the line number or numbers.

4. Translate the last line of the poem: “not even the rain, has such small hands.”

Activity

P. 678 Writing – Images in Prose Read the instructions in your textbook Write a well-written descriptive paragraph. Make

sure your paragraph is clearly organized either spatially (where items are located) or by order of importance.

Read “Miracles Are to Come” (p. 677) Write a paragraph summarizing the work.