Examining Cumming's Poetry Essay
As children see this world as safe and harm free, little do they know one in ten children will be sexually abused before the age of eighteen (Darkness to Light). Examining how children do not know how much their life is in danger, e. e. cummings, the author of in Just, leaves behind a secret meaning of what is actually being said in his poetry. Leaving the reader to depict what his poetry means, cummings uses typography, allusion, repetition of words, and tone to guide his audience to discover the deeper interpretations within his poetry. Examining Cumming’s poem, typography is an essential aspect of providing emphasis to certain sections. Looking at the children’s name, they are all scrunched together. The opposite is with whistle, far, and wee where they are all spread apart. In some ways, Cumming is providing emphasis on these sections. Based on phonetics, eddieandbill will be said naturally faster and whistle, far, and wee will be said slower.
Proceeding with lines 16 through 21, the audience might notice one of the most played childhood games – hopscotch. Usually, hopscotch follows a basic pattern of 1 square then 2 squares; however, this hopscotch pattern differs by following a 1 1 1 2 pattern suggesting the children are advanced and not basic. Previously stated in line 15, the children Eddie and Bill alongside with Betty and Isabel, …show more content…
were playing hopscotch. Symbolically, the hopscotch ends with the balloonman arrival – whistling his pipe. Just as Robert Mayo said, “the game breaks up the poem, just as the balloonman breaks up the game (1947).” This balloonman, who is constantly in cummings poem, is in fact an allusion to Pan, a satyr from Greek Mythology overseeing puberty.
In contrast to this theory, the children are always returning to Pan and his panpipe just as the sheep and goats would return to him when he blew his horn. From an outside point of view, this might be seen as the children growing a year older every time the children return to him during springtime. The audience might notice this allusion in line 20 when it says the word “goat-footed.” Typically, this word is referred to satyrs because of their stature – consisting of half human and half
goat.
Diving deeper with the theory of Pan, the satyr seems as if he were a pedophile. Each time spring comes around, he brings the children in with his panpipe and in a mythological sense, satyrs are known for their seductiveness and sexual nature (KCTS); however, in this poem, the satyr is indeed a man (1947, Mayo). This man described by Robert Mayo is essential taking the innocence from the adolescents. The audience can see this because of the power the balloonman has as an adult (KCTS). With the theory of Pan in place, it is also suggested that Pan is actually the Christian Devil. In the book of Genesis, Adam and Eve are two beings who are innocent, but are able to be tempted by the devil. In this situation, the balloonman awakes the sexual instinct from Adam and Eve – promoting relationships with positive or negative effects (1992, Labriola). In comparison to the children, Eddie and Bill alongside with Betty and Isabel, they are metaphorically as Adam and Eve in the sense that they had innocence, but lost it because of the balloonman and his temptations.
As the audience reads this poem, it might be noticed that pan is referenced several times along with a few other words. This repetition of words provides emphasis on what events are occurring. Examining the poetry, the word balloonman can be noticed, not once or twice, but in fact three times. Previous to this word, adjectives are presented to describe the balloonman. First, using lame, consisting of a denotation describing a person as unable to walk or containing an illness in the lower extremities. Second, queer is brought forth, containing a context of strange or odd. Finally, the most important detail is revealed, goat-footed alluding to Pan the Satyr. Since balloonman is referred in many instances, it is important to identify how his is being described in order to gain a better understanding of him. Referring to springtime, this diction is stated three times – signifying the arrival of the balloonman. The same is with whistle, far, and wee, which is also repeated three times, leading the audience to the presence of the balloonman (1995, Pollack).
These words that are repeated ever so often play a role in how Cummings has controlled the audience’s emotions based on tone. Examining how cummings has written his poem, it is of the perspective of child. This might be noticed by the childish diction such as mud-luscious and puddle-wonderful. Further the idea of childish perspective, games that youth usually play were brought in. Using spacing or no spacing at all, Cummings controls the poem’s tempo (citation). Since the poem is accelerated in some sections, like the parts with eddieandbill, it does not give the reader a mental break – creating a continuous speed.
Cummings idea of using tone to add to the meaning of his poem was brilliant, as well was his use of allusion, typography, and repetition. It has truly added to his hidden theories in place for the audience to read. Just as Cummings left a secret message pertaining to the world’s hidden dangers… Society making it better as the child’s world.
Proceeding with lines 16 through 21, the audience might notice one of the most played childhood games – hopscotch. Usually, hopscotch follows a basic pattern of 1 square then 2 squares; however, this hopscotch pattern differs by following a 1 1 1 2 pattern suggesting the children are advanced and not basic. Previously stated in line 15, the children Eddie and Bill alongside with Betty and Isabel, …show more content…
were playing hopscotch. Symbolically, the hopscotch ends with the balloonman arrival – whistling his pipe. Just as Robert Mayo said, “the game breaks up the poem, just as the balloonman breaks up the game (1947).” This balloonman, who is constantly in cummings poem, is in fact an allusion to Pan, a satyr from Greek Mythology overseeing puberty.
In contrast to this theory, the children are always returning to Pan and his panpipe just as the sheep and goats would return to him when he blew his horn. From an outside point of view, this might be seen as the children growing a year older every time the children return to him during springtime. The audience might notice this allusion in line 20 when it says the word “goat-footed.” Typically, this word is referred to satyrs because of their stature – consisting of half human and half
goat.
Diving deeper with the theory of Pan, the satyr seems as if he were a pedophile. Each time spring comes around, he brings the children in with his panpipe and in a mythological sense, satyrs are known for their seductiveness and sexual nature (KCTS); however, in this poem, the satyr is indeed a man (1947, Mayo). This man described by Robert Mayo is essential taking the innocence from the adolescents. The audience can see this because of the power the balloonman has as an adult (KCTS). With the theory of Pan in place, it is also suggested that Pan is actually the Christian Devil. In the book of Genesis, Adam and Eve are two beings who are innocent, but are able to be tempted by the devil. In this situation, the balloonman awakes the sexual instinct from Adam and Eve – promoting relationships with positive or negative effects (1992, Labriola). In comparison to the children, Eddie and Bill alongside with Betty and Isabel, they are metaphorically as Adam and Eve in the sense that they had innocence, but lost it because of the balloonman and his temptations.
As the audience reads this poem, it might be noticed that pan is referenced several times along with a few other words. This repetition of words provides emphasis on what events are occurring. Examining the poetry, the word balloonman can be noticed, not once or twice, but in fact three times. Previous to this word, adjectives are presented to describe the balloonman. First, using lame, consisting of a denotation describing a person as unable to walk or containing an illness in the lower extremities. Second, queer is brought forth, containing a context of strange or odd. Finally, the most important detail is revealed, goat-footed alluding to Pan the Satyr. Since balloonman is referred in many instances, it is important to identify how his is being described in order to gain a better understanding of him. Referring to springtime, this diction is stated three times – signifying the arrival of the balloonman. The same is with whistle, far, and wee, which is also repeated three times, leading the audience to the presence of the balloonman (1995, Pollack).
These words that are repeated ever so often play a role in how Cummings has controlled the audience’s emotions based on tone. Examining how cummings has written his poem, it is of the perspective of child. This might be noticed by the childish diction such as mud-luscious and puddle-wonderful. Further the idea of childish perspective, games that youth usually play were brought in. Using spacing or no spacing at all, Cummings controls the poem’s tempo (citation). Since the poem is accelerated in some sections, like the parts with eddieandbill, it does not give the reader a mental break – creating a continuous speed.
Cummings idea of using tone to add to the meaning of his poem was brilliant, as well was his use of allusion, typography, and repetition. It has truly added to his hidden theories in place for the audience to read. Just as Cummings left a secret message pertaining to the world’s hidden dangers… Society making it better as the child’s world.