What Is The Structure Of The Poem By E. E Cummings

A poet whose works I thoroughly enjoy is E.E Cummings. When I read poetry, a large amount of my enjoyment is deciphering the meaning or themes behind a poem. Poetry by Cummings takes this a step further from other poets by having almost a lack of a distinct style. Cummings takes many steps away from the traditional form of poetry with his obscure and bold experimentation in his poems. This drift from orthodox methods is evident with his unique spelling, grammar, use of punctuation, and his form and structure of his poetry. The works of Cummings takes one on a journey trying to interpret his poems. One feels almost lost upon first reading, but after careful examination, you feel a surge of satisfaction after finally “cracking the code” of his

Cummings makes the reader take many twists and contortions using an assortment of rearrangements of the word grasshopper. When reading this poem, you begin to see that the structure of the poem is of the same nature of a grasshopper. Along with a grasshopper, the poem leaps and hops from place to place.“r-p-o-p-h-e-s-s-a-g-r” illustrates simply the movements of a grasshopper, which Cummings describes as ungathering, rearranging, and leaping. The syllables of the word grasshopper also enhances this effect of the actions of a grasshopper by being arranged in the manner of an acrostic, using scattered punctuation, and the spacing of words. The reader feels as if they just saw a grasshopper leap after reading. The way Cummings writes this is to put a certain emphasis on every letter of the poem. He and the reader cherish every single letter and punctuation mark because it slows down the pace of the reader and makes them take in the entire

This includes nature of the world and the nature of people, specifically children. The title means “in just spring” and only spring we can see radical changes in the environment. One of the connotations of spring is the change in season from winter. The snow melts away, leaving the ground wet and “mud-luscious”. Puddles are everywhere and children are outside playing. As this all is happening, a balloonman calls to the children and they quickly come running. This emphasis on the quickness of the children to abandon their games is seen when Cummings combines the children’s names into one to signify haste. “and eddieandbill come running from marbles.” However as the poem progresses it morphs into something more sinister. The balloonman is now seen as “goat-footed”, which has a more sinister tone to it. This is an allusion to Pan, a Greek god that introduces sexuality to people. Also, Cummings capitalizes the M in balloonman, which emphasizes the “man”. This is pointing toward the second aspect of the meaning of the poem; the change in nature of children. The balloonman is seen as a symbol of upcoming adulthood. There is a duality to this change, it can been scary becoming an adult and the changes can be overwhelming and it is also not a negative transformation. Earlier in the poem children are seen embracing the nature of spring and the balloonman, despite him being “goat-footed” which represents the fear of growing