Ee Cummings Research Paper

Poets’ work shape their careers and are almost always influenced by their backgrounds or experiences that changed their lives. During high school, E.E. Cummings was educated in what was thought to be “the last generation to be educated in precisely this manner” (Docherty) of a “sound classical education” that resulted in him adopting many poetic strategies. E.E. Cummings then attended Harvard University where he was introduce to the avant-garde writers of Ezra Pound and Gertrude Stein. These two writers influenced Cummings in such a huge way that Cummings himself became an avant-garde writer too by experimenting with different techniques and grammar in his poetry. In his two poems “Spring is like a perhaps hand” and “maggie and milly and molly and may”, he experiments with very unique grammar and formatting. He uses this odd technique to get the reader’s attention so that they read deeper and understand the meaning. His life also relates to these poems because of his birthplace in Cambridge, Massachusetts and he writes about the New England seasons. E.E. Cummings’ use of unique grammar and avant-garde writing is largely from his rare and influential learning opportunity that helped shape his poetic career in writing about his birthplace and other topics. …show more content…
Cummings starts the poem with, "maggie and milly and molly and may" (Cummings 1). Cummings uses an alliteration by using the letter “m” repeatedly to make the poem sound like song lyrics. These catchy lines engross the reader and make them understand why it must be important that there is repetition. This way the reader will read the rest of the poem with their best attentiveness. Cummings made musical rhythms just as important as the poem's visual appearance (Kirsch). Cummings engages the reader by including a metaphor and rhyme. "may came home with