Analysis of E. E. Cummings, William Blake, Chinua Achebe, and Lawrence Ferlinghetti Poems
somewhere i have never travelled,gladly beyond by E. E. Cummings
Biographical and Style Context of E. E. Cummings (1894–1962) - Edward Estlin Cummings is celebrated for his radical experimentation with poetic form and structure. - He utilized "radical" techniques, meaning he went down to the roots of language to sweep away and change traditional norms. - Experimentation Areas: - Form: The physical shape of the poem on the page. - Punctuation: Frequent absence of punctuation marks, unique spacing, and unconventional capitalization. - Spelling: Altering words for phonetic or visual effect. - Syntax: Disrupting traditional sentence structure. - Idiosyncratic Expression: He abandoned traditional structures to create a highly individual (idiosyncratic) means of poetic expression.
General Overview of the Poem (1931) - Theme: The mysterious, transcendental power of love. - Message: Love is presented as a foreign territory ("somewhere i have never travelled") where the beloved holds absolute power over the speaker. - Tone: One of wonder, awe, and ecstatic amazement. - Speaker: A man addressing his beloved.
Stanza-by-Stanza Analysis
Stanza 1 - Lyric: "somewhere i have never travelled,gladly beyond / any experience,your eyes have their silence:" - Lower Case "i": The use of the lower case "i" suggests the speaker's humility; the beloved is the center of the universe, not himself. - Eyes: Personified as having their own "silence," yet they speak to him. The eyes are described as the "window to the soul." - Spacing Technique: The lack of spaces between "travelled,gladly" and "experience,your" emphasizes the idea of a continuous, uninterrupted journey. - Juxtaposition: The poet juxtaposes "eyes" with "internal feelings."
Stanza 2 - Lyric: "in your most frail gesture are things which enclose me, / or which i cannot touch because they are too near" - Frail Gesture: "Frail" means weak or delicate; "gesture" refers to a hand movement. Despite being delicate, these movements HAVE the power to "enclose" (close, hold, or protect) him. - Paradox of Proximity: He cannot touch certain things because they are "too near," suggesting a spiritual or emotional closeness that transcends physical touch. - Lyric: "your slightest look easily will unclose me" - Slightest: The smallest or most subtle look. - Unclose: A unique word choice meaning to open up the speaker's heart.
Stanza 3 - Lyric: "though i have closed myself as fingers, / you open always petal by petal myself as Spring opens / (touching skilfully,mysteriously)her first rose" - Simile: He compares himself to a closed fist ("closed myself as fingers") for protection. - Metaphorical Shift: The fist image becomes a flower image. He compares himself to a rose, and the beloved to "Spring." - Personification: Spring is personified as a female force ("her first rose") that opens the speaker petal by petal. - Symbolism: The rose is a traditional symbol of love, but the stereotype is overturned: HE is the rose, not the woman.
Stanza 4 - Lyric: "or if your wish be to close me,i and / my life will shut very beautifully,suddenly, / as when the heart of this flower imagines / the snow carefully everywhere descending" - Semicolon Usage: Indicates two equally important ideas. - Imagery: Winter (the snow) has the power to kill or close flowers. He will shut down his life just as "beautifully" and "suddenly" if she wishes it.
Stanza 5 - Lyric: "nothing which we are to perceive in this world equals / the power of your intense fragility:whose texture / compels me with the colour of its countries / rendering death and forever with each breathing" - Perceive: To see or notice. - Intense Fragility: A paradox describing her delicateness as a powerful, compelling force. - Texture: Refers to the sense of touch. - Compels: Forces him. - Countries: Metaphor for vast, new experiences within her love. - Transcendental Love: This love makes death and eternity (