


Study with the several resources on Docsity
Earn points by helping other students or get them with a premium plan
Prepare for your exams
Study with the several resources on Docsity
Earn points to download
Earn points by helping other students or get them with a premium plan
Community
Ask the community for help and clear up your study doubts
Discover the best universities in your country according to Docsity users
Free resources
Download our free guides on studying techniques, anxiety management strategies, and thesis advice from Docsity tutors
This document delves into the significance of the theme 'feeling is first' in e.e. Cummings' poetry, discussing the antithesis between heart and head attitudes, the importance of feeling over thinking, and the organic nature of life. The document also touches upon cummings' views on growing, living in the present, and the importance of imagination.
Typology: Slides
1 / 4
This page cannot be seen from the preview
Don't miss anything!
That (^) Cummings (^) was himself (^) "man thinking" (^) at times is revealed (^) not only in the^ ideas^ ofhis^ writing, its vocabulary, (^) structure, stylistics, but also (^) in the elaborate meditation, (^) concern, pondering, and (^) thinking exemplified, for example, (^) in the (^) "Notes and Drafts" for "Buffalo Bill's and the (^) "r'INAL (^) SCmM• for (^) No Thanks, both presented (^) in Richard (^) Kennedy's (^) E. E. Cummings Revisited (57,^ 96),^ and in the painstakingly worked-over (^) version of"rosetree, rosetree" reproduced (^) in Norman Friedman's (^) The Art of His Poetry (138). Cummings attacks "the (^) syntax of things," but this (^) is (^) not to (^) say that he abandons (^) reason or never follows (^) syntax in his writing. (^) He is talking about a way of^ life,^ not^ a way of^ writing.^ His^ own writing,^ vibrant^ asit^ is^ with feeling, (^) is reasoned (^) in the (^) sense that (^) it is organized, it is coherent, (^) it has
"Syntactic Deviances" and those (^) "Syntactic Innovations" that (^) Irene R. Fairley has identified and exemplified. Anyone, then, "who (^) pays any attention / (^) to the (^) syntax ofthings" (^) is being unduly rational and logical (^) at (^) a most inappropriate time and will, (^) conse- quently (^) "never wholly kiss (^) you." When (^) we are faced with (^) a crucial life decision, (^) Cummings vigorously advises (^) a "heart" rather (^) than (^) a "head" choice. The etymology, of (^) syntaxcan be illuminating here: related (^) to tactics,
General would. (^) The cogitation and practicality involved (^) are obviously crucial for (^) any General facing (^) an enemy army, but such (^) syntax, such thinking and (^) practicality in love, (^) mean only (^) a partial, incomplete (^) lover. While the (^) "i" of the (^) poem is undoubtedly (^) regarded (^) as a "fool" by the (^) one "who (^) pays any attention / (^) to the (^) syntax of things," the (^) "i" paradoxically revels in being (^) a fool. (^) To be (^) a feeling (^) person, a more complete individual,
"my blood approves" (^) as opposed (^) to the scorned (^) "gesture of (^) my brain," carries (^) on the (^) contentions of this feeling-first (^) lover, this self-styled "fool," who lives (^) and loves (^) more "wholly." (^) He does (^) so because, (^) as a fool, he (^) can move beyond^ mind,^ beyond^ "the^ syntax of^ things."^ It^ is^ this^ fool,^ then,^ that is wise: the wise-fool paradox that (^) is the incredible and miraculous foolish- ness of^ "All^ lose,whole^ find"^ (556).^ This^ is^ the^ foolishness^ of^ love. Another antithesis (^) in "since feeling (^) is first," built around similar (^) opposi- tions, (^) comes in the (^) injunctions "Don't cry" and (^) "laugh." This (^) segment of the poem includes^ one of^ my favorite^ lines^ in^ all^ of^ Cummings:^ "we^ are for^ each other." Teaching (^) composition, I often (^) urged vigorous verbs. (^) Here is (^) a poet with (^) a compelling and precise vocabulary, (^) a subtle selector ofjust (^) the telling word, choosing (^) one ofthe weakest ofweak (^) verbs. But (^) note the accumulated
find, the verb (^) sings, (^) our very are-ness, our being in each other. (^) Or, (^) as Cummings (^) put it in "because (^) it's / (^) Spring":
(^106) • Spring (^) Issue #5,
what's wholly marvelous (^) my Darling is that^ you & are more than^ you
ca us
Reinforcing the point is that^ magnificent^ be^ and^ us emerging^ from^ because. In addition,^ one of^ the^ love^ sonnets insists^ that^ love^ makes^ the^ loving^ me
transcendence of love: "we (^) are for^ each^ other."
paragraph," reminds^ us (as^ we also^ recall^ our old^ composition^ classes)^ that life (^) is (^) not (^) one topic with (^) a topic (^) sentence, developed^ with^ unity,^ coherence, and emphasis. In his (^) cogent "in time of^ daffodils"^ Cummings^ argues that^ "the goal of^ living^ is (^) to grow"^ (688);^ consequently^ a severely^ limited^ paragraph of life (^) cannot contain the^ constant growth^ and^ the^ concomitant^ change^ he advocates. He is arguing^ for^ a shifting,^ multifaceted,^ growing^ and^ changing meaning in^ life,^ not (^) an ordedy,^ rational,^ unified,^ and^ single^ meaning^ that^ can be caged^ in (^) a paragraph.^ Life^ moves beyond;^ "life's^ not^ a paragraph." Etymologically, paragraph^ means a marking^ off,^ a note placed^ in^ the
insisting, is always^ a new start, (^) a new meaning,^ a new topic^ sentence, another (^) new paragraph.
think is (^) no parenthesis,"^ helps^ convince^ me that,^ despite^ the.^ reference^ to "your eyelids'^ flutter,"^ and^ despite^ the^ injunctions^ "Don't^ cry"^ and^ "laugh, leaning back in (^) my arms," this^ is^ not (^) a seduction^ poem. Far^ too much^ in "since.feeling (^) is first" lies beyond^ eroticism. The^ poem illuminates,^ rather, a way of^ living^ and^ an^ approach^ to^ dying. It is later^ in his^ career that^ Cummings^ more fully^ distinguishes^ between death and dying. Twenty-four^ years after^ "since^ feeling^ is^ first"^ appeared^ in is 5(1926),^ Cummings^ published^ "dying^ is^ fine)but^ Death"^ in^ XA/PE,^ which makes this^ distinction:
October, 1996 Spring^ • 107
(67). (^) In other words, (^) in that persistent theme of (^) Cummings, things (^) are not what they (^) seem: appearance belies reality. (^) Someones and (^) everyones, we recall, ".slept their dream" (515). (^) Part of (^) growing, Cummings is insisting, (^) is to live^ one's^ dreams,^ in^ the^ real^ world^ of^ so, not seem..The trick (^) here, of course, is^ to know^ which^ is^ which.^ The^ paradox^ is profound. As (^) Cummings puts it^ later^ in^ 95Poems, "the^ departure of everything (^) real is the / arrival of everything (^) true" (720). (^) While the real (^) may be (^) seem, the (^) true is certainly (^) so. Roses, Cummings continues, shock (^) us with (^) amazement (^) as (^) we realize that, (^) as we grow to apprehend (^) and (^) savor our now and here fully, (^) we can dwell in paradise (^) now and here. (^) It is critical (^) in Cummings' view of life (^) to be alive (^) in each (^) now:
ourselves (^) exist (^) sans
Paradise (^) is (^) not necessarily, then, (^) some mental (^) construct of (^) a far-off, (^) forever, after-death (^) eternity ("such (^) a flower (^) is love's (^) any now" [576|), (^) but (^) is rather the joyous affirmation^ and (^) acceptance of (^) what is, what truly, (^) is, what (^) is (^) now, what (^) is here--or (^) in (^) a word, (^) "yes." So (^) yes beyond (^) •fmoves (^) to this (^) now and here because (^) the (^) yes (^) person knows (^) how (^) to (^) grow and thus (^) can dream the world (^) to so. This (^) is (^) to be (^) amazed "with paradise." (^) Yes, then, is aliveness and growth: (^) "i imagine that (^) yes is / the only living (^) thing" (528). (^) Cummings insists, indeed, (^) to summarize the point, (^) "yes is (^) a pleasant (^) country: / if's (^) wintry" (578). The affirmation (^) and (^) acceptance of life (^) now and here (^) is growth (^) to self- transcendence and the (^) paradise that is. One (^) can gain this (^) paradise through (^) yes, but (^) it is (^) a yes that (^) must (^) move beyond (^) ff. The choice (^) is clear: (^) Cummings (^) says that "the greedy (^) the people" act "as^ if^ as can yes"^ (801).^ Living •^ living^ as •f(if only (^) I had been (^) a base- ball (^) player, the dissatisfied (^) teacher might think), all this, (^) which is (^) not yes, negates growth.^ Cummings decided^ on this (^) as a boy. (^) One of his first (^) poems, entitled "If," (^) essentially makes this (^) point: "For if (^) here (^) was there / (^) We wouldn't (^) be (^) we" (1064). (^) As this (^) poem is from his Cambridge (^) Latin School years (1908-11),^ we can see that^ the^ feelings^ involved lasted (^) a lifetime. I have discussed (^) "in time of (^) all (^) sweet things beyond! whatever (^) mind (^) may comprehend" (^) in (^) my remarks (^) on •since feeling (^) is first." About (^) seekandfind let (^) me (^) say that (^) growth in Cummings ("the goal of (^) living is (^) to grow") demands not standing^ still^ on established^ dogmas, rituals, (^) answers, but (^) moving beyond (^) to (^) new perspectives, (^) new truths, (^) or, as Cummings (^) put it another way, as we have^ seen, "life's^ not (^) a paragraph"^ (291).^ Denying, for^ example, "the merely undeniable (^) fact that (^) two times (^) two is four," (^) he •rejoices (^) in the purely (^) irresistible truth" of his (^) title (^) ts 5 (221).
(^110) • Spring (^) Issue #
As I approach^ the^ conclusion^ of^ these^ remarks (^) on "in (^) time of daffodils(who know," let (^) me pause for (^) a moment to remind (^) you that (^) a lovely (^) musical version of^ this^ magnificent^ poem has^ been^ prepared by Catherine (^) A. Richards and printed in Sp•ng (New (^) Series Number (^) 2, 29-32).
(when time from (^) time shall (^) set (^) us free)," and (^) I approach it through
claimed •there is (^) a time for timelessness" (683). Indeed, (^) one of his (^) most splendid (^) sonnets, the penultimate (^) poem of (^) the (^) same volume, begins:
being (^) to timelessness (^) as it's (^) to time, love did (^) no more begin than love will end (768)
And (^) so at this (^) moment of (^) time, in this (^) now and here, (^) we dream of timelessness (^) as we consider his final (^) injunction, "forgetting me,remember me."
that (^) process of forgetting that inevitably (^) occurs after (^) one's death, (^) as
of those privileged (^) to know (^) Cummings in (^) person are still (^) with (^) us. Yet throughout (^) our time, and especially (^) on this (^) 100th Anniversary celebration of his birth, (^) we do remember him. Somehow here, (^) now, feel (^) Cummings saying (^) to all, (^) to each of (^) us gathered (^) in his (^) spirit: "forgetting (^) me,remember me."
Works (^) Cited Fairley, (^) Irene R., E. E. Cummings and (^) Ungrammar.. A Study of (^) Syntactic Deviances in his^ Poems. New York:^ Watermill^ Publishers,^ 1975. Friedman, (^) Norman. E. E. Cummings: The (^) Art of (^) His Poetry. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins (^) Press, 1960. Kennedy, Richard (^) S. E. E. Cummings Revisited. (^) New York: Twayne Pub- lishers, 1994. Richards, Catherine A. "Scoring (^) Cummings." Sp•ng, New Series Number (^2) (October 1993): (^) 20-33.
October, (^1996) Spring (^) • 111