An Analysis of E.E. Cummings Poems:
Saying E. E. is a talented poet would not be true, E. E. Cummings is a gifted poet who writes with so much feelings that someone who does not know him and reads his work would think he or she is reading Romantic poetry written in the most unique style.
Cummings poetry cannot be read in a hurry, since one needs to interpret his coinage of words. In Pity the Busy Monster, Mankind, the title and first line of the poem, Cummings begins to talk about humanity in relation to the earth. The “not” in the second line does not add or take from the poem. The rest of the line is clear; he says that man has a disease that he is happy to leave to metastases; the disease is curiosity; he is not contented to take anything at face value, man is on a quest to understand technology and how to make it better (lines 1 – 6). In the nest four lines, lines four through ten, he says that man has obstruct with the natural order of the earth and there are times when he does thing that he should have never touch and it turns on him, for example man makes bomb, that can destroy him. Cummings speaks of the natural objects of earth, tree, stars, stone, things of nature that man cannot change. Man will never measure up to nature, nonetheless, he is not ready to discord his specimens. Man is proud of his work and would like to believe he has created magic and deludes himself that he is omnipotent, more sensible people looking on know that man is going to hang on to his pseudo self-worth, the doctor cannot cure this disease.
In the poem, “Buffalo Bill” Cummings is speaking literally; the apostrophe “s” on Bill is not a contraction to show ownership but to say “Buffalo Bill is Defunct,” he is dead, he is no more. The imaginary of a water smooth silver horse is vivid; he is comparing the horse to very still water, no ripples. He breaks five pigeons, meaning he shoots them. One must remember that Buffalo Bill is a legend and Cummings is addressing him as such. The word “Jesus” is strategically placed in a line by itself to enforce the dauntlessness of Buffalo Bill. Throughout the nine lines of the poem Cummings is paying tribute to Buffalo Bill and in the end he shows that Bill in not invincible, he dies like everyone else.
Like Buffalo Bill, Cummings is legendary, he breaks every rule of grammar; yet, readers only notice the art and depth of his poetry.
