Ee Cummings Essay

E.E. Cummings is known for his incredibly experimental-in-style poems which test the boundaries of poetry. l(a is one of E.E. Cummings more famous poems in his experimental portfolio. In a simple description of the poem, it is the word “loneliness” separated with the phrase “(a leaf falls)” after the first letter of “loneliness.” Written in 1958, this poem was published in the last years of his life, for he died in 1962, a mere 4 years apart from its publication. Throughout this poem, Cummings expresses the feelings of isolation, separation and death. However, along with those feelings, he means to invoke a sense of importance in his lonely readers. It’s necessary for the reader to preview the poem prior, because it becomes much more understandable
The leaf is alone as it drifts from its branch to the ground. A feeling of autumn warms the reader. It could be the first leaf to fall, or the last, depending on the imagination and viewpoint of the reader. Different readers can interpret the leaf falling to mean something else. The first leaf falling is an image of a green leaf getting ready to start the rebirth of life, and the last leaf is the image of being left behind while all the others are changing. The tree it falls from can be full of life as it begins its journey to death, or it can be dead, waiting for its inevitable chance at life again. Whichever image the reader sees, the impending image of isolation and sadness is constant. A leaf is still falling alone, and that image alone holds a feeling of separation. However, a leaf is a part of nature, and a leaf will always grow back in its place upon the tree it fell from. The imagery that Cummings gives the reader is a metaphor for death and rebirth, but he also includes the loneliness that occurs alongside those
He chooses the word “loneliness” as the base of the poem, because it is the straight-up impression that Cummings wants to get across to the reader. That, ultimately, this poem is about loneliness and provides a metaphor for what loneliness feels like. He uses the word “one” or a lowercase L is commonly used in the poem, usually separated from the other words to show its singularity and to emphasize its isolation. The lowercase L (l) also looks like the number one (1), and the letter is separated most often from the words of the poem, to emphasize that not only is it singular, but it is also isolated from the rest of the groups of letters. Then, he chooses the word “falling” because represents the way loneliness feels. Some people who experience an intense feeling of loneliness or depression feel as though they are falling into an abyss. The image of something falling can have many different meanings. For example, dreaming about falling is symbolic of feeling a lack of control over one's life. Lastly, he chooses the words “a leaf,” mostly because it means that the falling leaf is singular, and is the only one that seems to be falling from the tree. Leaves can symbolize many different concepts. Green leaves give a sense of hope, while dead leaves represent sadness. However, both green leaves and dead leaves are symbols of rebirth. Both are a natural part of the