Conformity And Individuality In E. E. Cummings's Poetry

E.E. Cummings is best known as being one of the most innovative and creative poets of his time. His poetry is a form of him expressing his feelings in a way that not many men his age could. The poems of E.E. Cummings have been able to live in the minds of people longer than he has. Stanley Hyman explains that “A writer survives in his best work, not his worst, and at his best Cummings has written at least a dozen poems that seem to me matchless.” (Hyman 117) His poetry has lasted for years since he wrote them and still remain relevant to this day. Among them is Humanity I Love You, a poem the criticises the humanity during the time period of E.E. Cumings but still remains relevant to the current society. He used emotions to get what he wanted. …show more content…
Cummings used individuality and his heart to distinguish him from other poets. Although Cummings was a sellout, he was a strong believer in individuality. His lifelong faith was in a man’s individuality. Much of his effort of writing came from the enemies of that faith- mass thought, group conformity, and commercialism (Deckle 69). Cummings believed in individuality so much that he made his personal enemy conformity and commercialism. Originality and individuality were the same thing fo Cummings. Cummings had to be original in his poems because he wanted to have depth to his work. To be original, he transformed vocabulary to help him express himself. He is known for being an over emotional poet who created his own way of doing and thinking. Bernard Deckle has said that, “ “Cummings’ unorthodox poetic style was in itself an expression of his individuality. Often his poems were recklessly strewn with out of order syllables, letters, and punctuations marks. He rarely used capital letters and until the mid 1930s, preferred his own name to be written in lowercase (e.e. cummings)” (Deckle 69). Cummings’ unorthodox style is a big reason why people read his poems. E.E. Cummings tried so hard to express individuality that he created his own poetic forms and styles. The style created visually pleasing poems (Logan 118). Cummings was a superior writer compared to others during his time. His vocabulary and power of chick helped him be a successful writer (Logan 118). E.E. Cummings was an unconventional writer, but not in an uneducated way. He had a great education and spoke highly of it. His poems seem unconventional, but they are also smart and well