e. e. cummings
Page 675
CCRS – RL.11-12.1; RL.11-12.4;
RL.11-12.10; L.11-12.5; L.11-12.6; W.11-12.4
e.e. cummings

Cummings found guidelines in the imagist manifesto
that allowed him to experiment and to break old
rules.

Cummings is known for unconventional syntax and
usage – punctuation, use of parts of speech,
spacing, capitalization, etc.

Cummings had his name legally changed to be e.e.
cummings in all lower-case letters.
Literary Terms

Syntax – the way words are arranged in a
sentence

Rhyme scheme – pattern of rhyme
Literary Terms

Approximate rhyme – words do not have
exact chiming sounds but repeat only some
sounds

Internal rhyme – rhyme inside a line of poetry
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
Quickwrite

Write about a time you were at a loss for
words.
“what if a much of a which of a wind”
(p. 676)
1.
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.
2.
Find an example of internal rhyme. Note the words
and the line number.
3.
To what three kinds of destruction is Cummings
referring in the poem?
4.
Identify the rhyme scheme of the first eight lines.
“what if a much of a which of a wind”
5.
What is the tone of the poem?
6.
Identify one possible theme for the poem.
“somewhere i have never travelled,
gladly beyond” (p. 677)
1.
Line 2 contains an example of synesthesia. Find
another example in the poem. Quote the line and
identify the line number.
2.
How is line 3 a paradox?
3.
Find an example of a simile. Identify the line
number or numbers.
4.
Translate the last line of the poem: “not even the
rain, has such small hands.”
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.
Read “Miracles Are to Come” (p. 677)

Write a paragraph summarizing the work.