E Cummings Research Paper

E. E. Cummings: The Rebel behind the Modernist Era
“No one else has ever made avant-garde, experimental poems so attractive to the general and the special reader” (“E. E. Cummings,” par. 1). Though he was vastly known for his rebellious style, his childhood was anything but. While the Harvard culture caused Cummings to detest his home town and the traditional conventions of society, it inspired his passion for poetry and his unique style (Kirsch, par. 21). Through his avant-garde poetic structure, “e e cummings” integrated visual art into his minimalist poetry to convey his controversial and innovative ideas on traditional topics, such as love and individualism, and inspired a new era of modernist writers to bring neoteric perspectives into

Commonly understood as an elegy, this poem reads as a sweet letter to a lost and beloved childhood hero (“Explanation”). However, Cummings’s inclination towards disparaging American culture proves to the readers this is not so (“On Buffalo Bill’s,” par. 8). Rather, Cummings, through his sardonic comments, “obstinately” attacks the American propensity to elevate “heroes” to a status above the rest. Buffalo Bill is not merely a person, but the embodiment of the American hero status. Buffalo Bill is “defunct,” a term not used to describe the death of a loved one, suggesting that Cummings felt “callous” indifference and “even approval of Buffalo Bill’s death” (par. 1). In life, Buffalo Bill was “an agent of death,” according to David Ray, a distinguished critic; the symbolism of Buffalo Bill destroyed this great poet’s childhood and “the kind of innocent faith and wonder that went along with it has been destroyed by his subsequent disillusionment” (par. 9). Ultimately, what Cummings achieved with this poem is expanding upon the Shakespearean idea that death is the great equalizer (Terblanche). In his Wild West shows, Buffalo Bill dealt out death, and would “break onetwothreefourfive pigeonsjustlikethat;” Society worshiped Bill

Poet Edward Field admired Cummings greatly for his ability to ignore the conventions of society, integrate humor, drop swear words, and still get printed as a serious poet. Ronald Koertge, another poet, wrote that he first discovered Cummings in graduate school when he was meant to be reading another author. He admired Cummings’ ability to let loose and break the rules in a way that evoked true emotion and thought. Koertge found that Cumming’s work gave him permission to be “foolish and carnal in print,” something that defined both his and Cummings’s career as writers (Locklin par. 6-9). Though Cummings inspired poets to take a direction in literature previously not explored, his influence spread further than that. After his career as a poet died down a bit, Cummings focused on giving seminars at schools, aspiring to inspire students to follow their dreams and be individuals, separate from conventions of society. He always started out a reading by explaining the period from which his selected poem was written, something that was new in the world of readings. His greatest hope was that someday young students could learn from his lessons given during his seminars, he wanted to be someone that the students would be interested in and truly listen to. His influence on this younger generation created a new wave of modernist writers who focused on conveying fresh ideas in a profound way (Cheever).