Poem Analysis Of 'Townsfolk' By E. Cummings

Cummings has a beautiful understanding of the world around him which is evident through all of his works, but through this poem in particular. His claim that most people are too busy with themselves to find true love, is a problem I myself also believe when it comes to the lives we as human beings live. Cummings may have written this poem in 1940, but seventy-eight years later, the message still applies. If you were to take a step back from your daily life and look around, it’s easy to see that there are still so many distractions or “bells” that pull us away from each other and into our own bubble. One physical example would be our cell phones. While originally made for communication with each other, they are now instead used as something …show more content…
This poem hit me hard when I first read it because the qualities of the “busyfolk” Cummings describes, are qualities that I sometimes see glimpses of in myself and the people around me. While I am still a child and, much like the children in the poem, am still able to see true love, it is scary to think that one day I might forget what love really is all together and simply settle like the rest of the townsfolk. When you take a real look around, failed attempts at love are everywhere. Neighbors who never seemed to have any problems are suddenly getting a divorce and fighting over the kids, celebrity couples who seemed picture perfect one day, are now separated the next. With these constant reminders that love isn’t painless, it can be especially difficult for a young girl like myself, to be open to these feelings at all. It seems safer to instead put my guard up and keep things to myself, like the “busyfolk” did, because at least that way you can guarantee that your heart will be protected. However, if I were to do that I’d be falling into the trap my society has planted for me, the trap that Cummings is trying to warn me