e.e. cummings (Edward Estlin Cummings, 1894-1962) was an innovative poet, who used techniques that warped the laws of English. He was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in October 14th, 1894. His parents(Edward Cummings and Rebecca Clarke) were liberal, indulgent, and smart people who encouraged him to be creative and innovative. He attended a full course at Harvard University. It can also be noted that his father, who further nurtured his talents, worked at Harvard. Cummings read Gertrude Stein, Ezra Pound, and Amy Lowell while in college. 

A major event that influenced his style and topics was when he went along with a friend to volunteer for a French ambulance group called the Norton-Harjes Ambulance group. He and his friend were pacifists, peacemakers, and as World War I was going on at the time and tensions were high, the French government wrongfully thought they were treasonous. This was after some officials read their letters and found false evidence that they were working with the enemy. They were imprisoned in a detention camp for three months. e.e. cummings was angered by this, and attacked the French government’s authoritarianism with a novel detailing his experience called The Enormous Room. It was received very well, and his attack succeeded and he became a celebrity. This influenced his later literary attacks on evil and corrupt institutions. e.e. cummings began writing his poems in 1904. 

Some of his most famous poems written during his lifespan are“i carry your heart with me” and “Since Feeling is First”. These are love poems, as Cummings’ favorite poem themes were love and nature. Cummings’ style was one in which adverbs could be used as nouns and punctuation and capitalization rules could be changed. He was one of the first poets, and perhaps the only one, to use this style. His poetry won him the Guggenheim Fellowship for Creative Arts in US and Canada in 1933, and the Bollingen Prize for Poetry in 1958. He was an amazing poet who created an entire new style of poetic writing. 

Cummings had three wives: first Elaine Orr, then Anne Minnerly Barton, and finally Marion Morehouse. He also had a sister, Elizabeth Cummings, and a daughter, Nancy Andrews. Cummings lived in quite a few places, including Paris, New York, even sometimes New Hampshire, and his hometown of course. He went to Paris specifically to study art, as it was his main pursuit other than poetry. Cummings had quite the inspiring and interesting life, and it’s a shame that he tragically died from a brain hemorrhage on September 3rd of 1962 at the age of 67.

https://www.biography.com/people/ee-cummings-9263274

http://www.english.illinois.edu/maps/poets/a_f/cummings/cummings_life.htm

https://www.poets.org/poetsorg/poet/e-e-cummings

https://learnodo-newtonic.com/ee-cummings-famous-poems

Do the rules of modern English really need to constrain poetry? e.e. cummings, the author of magnificent poems like “anyone lived in a pretty how town” and “[little tree]” proved that they didn’t. He was quite a success, and one of the best writers of modern English poetry. His poems always fit into categories, even though he warped them, and they contained many language and literary devices, meanings, and tone and mood.

In “anyone lived in a pretty how town” the people of the how town do normal things like eating, marrying, and dying. The surface meaning of this is that in secluded, sheltered areas, activities never do really change. The deeper meaning however, as you look into all the dying and marrying, is that all people, no matter what they do, die in the end. “Noone and anyone earth by April” They both died, even with their kind souls and good gestures. The overarching message, theme, is that even if you think it will not, time continues, and continues, and humans stay the same. In the other poem, “[little tree]”, the surface meaning seems clear. A tree has been cut down for Christmas by a man, and it is so beautiful it will capture all the hearts of those who look at it. The deeper meaning is about the fact that even plants, even temporary plants, deserve to be well taken care of. The theme of this poem is that, in life, no matter how hard it is to go on, everyone can find happiness. The spangles get to shine, the tree gets to be proud and cared for, the man and his little sister are filled with pride about it, and the neighbors are stunned by the tree.

There are many poetic and language devices used in the two poems. In “anyone lived in a pretty how town” there is imagery, the statement, “(and only the snow can begin to explain how children are apt to forget to remember

with up so floating many bells down)”. There is also repetition like “stars rain sun moon” being repeated with slightly different spellings, and the by repetitions, “all by all and deep by deep”. Alliteration is evident in those by repetitions as well. End rhyme is also used,

”anyone lived in a pretty how town

    (with up so floating many bells down)” and 

“they sowed their isn’t they reaped their same

           sun moon stars rain”. 

Symbolism is strong in the poem. “Anyone”, “noone”, “everyones”, and “someones”. These represent vague forms of actual people, because there are many people in the world, and e.e. cummings wanted to symbolize that instead of making a protagonist. Why all these devices are used is to emphasize the sense of time going on. The continuous repetitions and imagery signified that time repeated itself over and over. Alliteration brought to attention this emphasizing they were doing. The symbolism of vague forms represents the different people who over time wear the pronoun titles. End rhyme was used to add a bit of variety to the poem for excitement. The second poem,”[little tree]” used fewer devices and was shorter, 

but it was still quite a poem! Imagery was used, such as “you are so little

            you are more like a flower” and “the balls the chains red and gold the fluffy threads” The only other real device used in the poem is personification, such as “only don’t be afraid” and “every finger shall have its ring”. The personification was used to show the tree’s beauty and spirit, inner and outer, and the imagery was used to show the same thing, though it also showed the time of Christmas. 

Both poems use stanzas and are both narrative. “Anyone lived in a pretty how town” is 3rd person omniscient and “[little tree]” is first person. “Anyone lived in a pretty how town” has a happy tone and an informative mood. The tone is right because everything in the poem is rhythmical, steady, and happy even as time sweeps them away. For example, when anyone died busy people buried him and no one side by side, this has rhythm and cheer in it even with death. The mood is correct because even as I read the poem, I feel no emotions, just, interest. This is because for a curious reader, it’s just an interesting poem, as the time, death, and happiness balance each other out but show a lot of info about the stream of life for someone who’s not looking for the tone. “[little tree]” has a hopeful mood and a joyful, happy tone. The tone is correct because the little tree is being praised and clothed beautifully. The tree is also being given pride. “every finger shall have its ring” and “and how’ll they’ll stare!

oh but you’ll be very proud” The mood is correct because it makes the reader feel hopeful for their future, because the tree was lost, abandoned in the forest, young and alone, but then it was helped and became beautiful and protected. Everyone loved it. A change of fate happened very easily. 

e.e. cummings was a master of using poetic devices, tone, mood, meanings, and themes to help in unique, warped poems. In the two poems analyzed, the moods are informative and hopeful, the tones are both happy, perhaps e.e. cummings was going for a positive look to his works. Imagery is used in both poems. Alliteration, symbolism, repetition, and end rhyme were used to the fullest to represent the time sweep of “anyone lived in a pretty how town” and personification to give the tree of “[little tree]” a spirit and inner and outer beauty. Both poems are narratives and use stanzas, perhaps e.e. cummings liked structured stories. The first poem is in 3rd person omniscient, to show all about the how town’s unchanging activity. The 2nd poem is in 1st person, to show the little tree from the man’s perspective. These poems relate to things in real life, as “anyone lived in a pretty how town” showed that, no matter how much some may fear it, death always comes at the end of life. You need to accept it. “[little tree]” showed that you should never give up hope, even if you are sick with cancer, you can get better. It also showed us that everyone can be happy, not just one person, and having pride doesn’t mean that you are selfish. These poems together show us that life is a never fully changing dream which you can always enjoy and never fail.