e. e. cummings

1. e. e. cummings Page 675 2007 COS – 1a 2010 COS – RL.11-12.1; RL.11-12.4; RL.11-12.10; L.11-12.5; L.11-12.6; W.11-12.4 AHSGE – R.IV.2

2. e.e. cummings • Cummings found guidelines in the imagist manifesto that allowed him to experiment and to break old rules. • Cummings is known for unconventinal syntax and usage – punctuation, use of parts of speech, spacing, capitalization, etc. • Like imagists, he experimented and broke old rules. • Cummings had his name legally changed to be e.e. cummings in all lower-case letters.

3. Literary Terms • Syntax – the way words are arranged in a sentence • Rhyme scheme – pattern of rhyme

4. Literary Terms • Approximate rhyme – words do not have exact chiming sounds but repeat only some sounds • Internal rhyme – rhyme inside a line of poetry

5. 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

6. Quickwrite • Write about a time you were at a loss for words.

7. “what if a much of a which of a wind” (p. 676) • 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. • Find an example on internal rhyme. Note the words and the line number. • To what three kinds of destruction is Cummings referring in the poem? • Identify the rhyme scheme of the first eight lines.

8. “what is a much of a which of a wind” • What is the tone of the poem? • Identify one possible theme for the poem.

9. “somewhere i have never travelled, gladly beyond” (p. 677) • Line 2 contains an example of synesthesia. Find another example in the poem. Quote the line and identify the line number. • How is line 3 a paradox? • Find an example of a simile. Identify the line number or numbers. • Translate the last line of the poem: “not even the rain, has such small hands.”

10. 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.