Meaning Of The Poem “Cummings”
Cummings describes a normal life that a community lives every day without realizing the value of each day. The people live in a disorganized way in the town. The poet emphatically uses the word “anyone” to indicate that an individual lived a quiet life in the town (Cummings, 1985). The individual’s life revolves around living the same life each day. The individual does the same tasks every day and has never been happy of the life that he lives every day. The poem illustrates the lack of care that surrounds the community. The town’s women and other people do not care about other people within the town. The poet wants the reader to understand the dangers of living in a safe place or town. People within the town do not have a sense of community. The people care more about themselves and their families. The poet also provides a vivid description of children’s perception that all people loved each other. However, the kids change as they grow up every day in the town. Time passes and seasons change over and over again (Cummings, 1985). Most of the children fall in love, get married and live the same life until they die. The cycle of life is repeated but no one understands the importance of caring for other people. The town’s people live the same lives even after their friends die. Seasons also come and go with the same repetitive nature of life happening every day.
Figures of Speech
The poet uses various words and figures of speech in the poem.
Anyone: The word describes the lack of community sense within the town. Only a few people care about others in the town.
With up so floating many bells down: The phrase describes a community living in a life of confusion (Cummings, 1985). The floating bells describe the irony behind living in a safe place.
Sun moon stars rain: The phrase describes the various activities that go around in town over time.
Forgot: The word describes the forgetful nature of people as they grow up. The children forget the lack of care within the society.
Snow: The word describes the cold nature of the town. Everyone lives a life of their own and there is no genuine sense of friendship in the town.
Poetic Elements
The poet uses different poetic elements within the poem.
Symbolism: The poet says that the children guessed indicating that they could be right (Muthiah, 2015). Symbolism is used to indicate the cold relationship among the grownups.
Rhyme: The poet uses rhyme scheme to stress various issues within the poem. For instance, he says that the pretty how town had all its floating bells down.
Imagery: The poet describes the four seasons and how they occur severally. He creates a visual representation of the repetitive nature of life that the people lived in the town.
Metaphor: The poet also uses metaphor by linking the tree by the leaf. The poet compares the present moment as a part of the entire life.
Connotation: The poet also uses connotation to enrich the meaning of death in the after the town’s life. The “busy folk” means that the people were busy forgetting that they shall also go through the same experience.
Role of Poetic Elements
The words and the poetic elements enhance the understanding of the poem. First, the words define the uncaring nature and the shattered lives that people lived in the town (Muthiah, 2015). The cold relationship continued over the seasons as people did not understand the need of a genuine friendship. The poetic elements make the poem enjoyable by creating visual interpretations of the people’s lives and deeper meanings.
