Cummings and Dylan Fathers and

Cummings and Dylan Fathers and Sons: A Brief Study of Paternal Influence Upon Writing Choices Every writer has a different story, a unique path they have taken to become a writer or identify himself or herself as a writer. Many are born with God given talent while others struggle to learn the craft and swim with the sharks. It is this internal story, an array of experiences that makes the writer who they are and influences what and how they write.

Early on, a writer recognizes the need to convey the story and a connection is born. This connection begins at a fundamental level of human sociology where the use of story is central. Howard Gardner reflects, "the ultimate impact of the writer depends most significantly on the particular story that he or she relates or embodies, and the receptions to that story on the part of the audiences" (14). By telling stories, allows for a certain level of openness or vulnerability on the part of the writer and makes them human.

In many ways, poems are snippets of stories told evoke emotion and pursue greater levels of thought. The act of writing poetry is deeply personal and draws upon the writer's many influences. This paper will focus on the works of E.E. Cummings and Dylan Thomas as they pertain to paternal influences. This paper will explore how the paternal relationship specifically with their fathers influenced and inspired the writing of their poems.

By comparing the two views of paternal and filial relationships, one walks away with a better understanding of the writers' choices and has a better understanding of the poetry's inner meaning. First one must define the context of these two terms. Paternal refers to a relationship between parent and child. Every person at one time in life has experienced this. Filial takes the definition of paternal a step further. The term filial literally means having the relation of a child, offspring or relation between two generations requiring obedience.

In other words, the two terms are interchangeable. E.E. Cummings His father and family life influenced Cummings' work greatly. Eich writes, "a most constant source of awe, he took his father's pastoral background and it used to preach in many of his poems" (1). It is later upon his father's death, Cummings enters a new poetic stage. Because his family was very important to him and they were very close; his father's death sobers him to write about more important facets of life.

It was upon his father's death; Cummings' inspired his mother to survive with his tribute through poetry. Instead of approaching the subject of death with darkness and gloom, his main objective is to celebrate life. He thought this would be a good coping mechanism for his mother. It is through his words, he paints a sense of spirituality. Eich explains, "His parents are described as strong and determined spirits, yet they have a comforting demeanor.

Cummings truly loved his parents, and had a sense of closure knowing that with his mother's death, the two were finally together" (2). In "my father moved through dooms of love" Cummings pays tribute to the man who inspired him to write. In this poem, he paints vivid images of his father's peaceful nature. I believe by reflecting back on his father's wonderful personality, allows Cummings to mourn but also gives the poet peace.

He compares what his father did for people as "feel the mountains grow./Lifting the valleys of the sea/my father moved through griefs of joy." Unfortunately sometimes it is too late to see a parent for what they really are until after death.

Cummings expresses this with "joy was his song and joy so pure/a heart of star by him could steer/and pure so now and now so yes/the wrists of twilight would rejoice." With this, Cummings recognizes his father's simple needs as being catalysts of joy. He knows his father impacted many people over the years and writing this brings him great joy.

His use of words is simple to reflect this element with this line "My father moved through theys of we." So simple and beautiful because without much description it paints an image of how his father went about his work. The fact that Cummings capitalizes the "My" also has significance and brings attention to the importance of his relationship with his father even after death. Dylan Thomas In "Elegy," Dylan Thomas uses the connection of his father being blind, to talk about his father's death.

This poem is about Thomas's father's death, but explains how Thomas felt about his father. His father was blind, and Thomas felt that he had to see things for his father.

The following quotes explain this: "...broken and blind he died/.../the darkest justice of death, blind and unblessed/.../Veined his poor hand I held, and I saw/Through his unseeing eyes.../.../Out of his eyes I saw the last light glide/.../and old blind man is with me where I go/Walking in the meadows of his son's eye." The first line of the quote states he's blind, and through the next few lines of the poem, it keeps hinting about darkness and how Thomas's father was blind.

It then starts talking about how Thomas saw through his father's eyes. You see this in the quote "...I see/Through his unseeing eyes." This creates a connection between Dylan Thomas and his father. The last line of the quote shows that Thomas felt his father was living the life he had, but in lines before that, he felt that he was living his father's life.

Dylan Thomas, though his father's eyes, creates a world which is feels he lives in, which is also how his father feels; seeing life through his sons' eyes. Thomas also discusses his father's inevitable passing in his most famous work "Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night." In this poem, Thomas expresses his anger toward the fact his father is now old and frail. In juxtaposition, it is important to remember how Thomas once saw his father as a strong military man.

The use of "Do not go gentle into that good night. / Rage, rage against the dying of the light" repetitiously signifies to the reader, Thomas's need to implore to his father hang on to life and do not give into the satisfaction of death. In many ways, this embodies the change in their relationship, a change that happens to many children and their parents later in life. It is this familiar theme that pulls at the reader and promotes an emotional response.

Thomas uses comparison to other men of his father's generation to evoke an anger out of his father as well with "Though wise men at their end know dark is right, / Because their words had forked no lightening they/Do not go gentle into that good night." This is really saying that Thomas understands time is short; it easy not to have energy to fight and that.