Summary Of She Being Brand By Ee Cummings
E.E. Cummings’ Biography and Analysis of “She” in She Being Brand
Born in Cambridge, Massachusetts on October 14, 1894, Edward Estlin Cummings was an author, poet, and playwright who challenged the traditional standards of poetry. (“E.E. Cummings Biography”) His interest in poetry began during his term at Harvard University where he was exposed to writers such as Ezra Pound. After serving in the military in World War I, Cummings began writing poetry and was influenced by the style of Picasso in particular. Then, in 1920, his poetry truly debuted when The Dial published some of Cummings’ works which “foreshadowed the synthetic cubist strategy [he] would explore in the next few years.” In fact, Cummings continued to push the boundaries of traditional poetry by experimenting with punctuation, syntax, and overall form (“E.E. Cummings”) and including “jargon and sexual innuendo” (Fiero) throughout his poems. …show more content…
Cummings’ poem She Being Brand chronicles the story of a man attempting to drive an uncooperative car. However, Cummings’ is able to simultaneously explain a man’s car troubles while also injecting “sexual innuendo” (Fiero) to suggest a comparison between the experience and sexual intercourse with a woman. The poet implies that the “she” is in fact a woman. He insinuates that the woman is inexperienced innocence by noting that she was “Brand / -new” (Cummings 1-2) and “a / little stiff” (Cummings 4-5). Their interaction begins when the narrator “[cranks] her / up” and “[slips] the / clutch” (Cummings 9-11) but she kicks him. This imagery demonstrates that she is uncomfortable with his abrupt approach and, like a car, refuses to continue at such a pace. When the man tries again “slo-wly” (Cummings 15), the woman responds positively because her “gears … / [pass] from low / … to-high” (Cummings 16-20). Their sexual intercourse reaches a peak when the narrator “[slams] on / the / internalexpanding / & / externalcontracting brakes” (Cummings
Born in Cambridge, Massachusetts on October 14, 1894, Edward Estlin Cummings was an author, poet, and playwright who challenged the traditional standards of poetry. (“E.E. Cummings Biography”) His interest in poetry began during his term at Harvard University where he was exposed to writers such as Ezra Pound. After serving in the military in World War I, Cummings began writing poetry and was influenced by the style of Picasso in particular. Then, in 1920, his poetry truly debuted when The Dial published some of Cummings’ works which “foreshadowed the synthetic cubist strategy [he] would explore in the next few years.” In fact, Cummings continued to push the boundaries of traditional poetry by experimenting with punctuation, syntax, and overall form (“E.E. Cummings”) and including “jargon and sexual innuendo” (Fiero) throughout his poems. …show more content…
Cummings’ poem She Being Brand chronicles the story of a man attempting to drive an uncooperative car. However, Cummings’ is able to simultaneously explain a man’s car troubles while also injecting “sexual innuendo” (Fiero) to suggest a comparison between the experience and sexual intercourse with a woman. The poet implies that the “she” is in fact a woman. He insinuates that the woman is inexperienced innocence by noting that she was “Brand / -new” (Cummings 1-2) and “a / little stiff” (Cummings 4-5). Their interaction begins when the narrator “[cranks] her / up” and “[slips] the / clutch” (Cummings 9-11) but she kicks him. This imagery demonstrates that she is uncomfortable with his abrupt approach and, like a car, refuses to continue at such a pace. When the man tries again “slo-wly” (Cummings 15), the woman responds positively because her “gears … / [pass] from low / … to-high” (Cummings 16-20). Their sexual intercourse reaches a peak when the narrator “[slams] on / the / internalexpanding / & / externalcontracting brakes” (Cummings