E. E. Cummings William Carlos Williams Wallace Stevens

E.E. cummings's "she being Brand/-new" appears to be, at its surface, a poem about a man taking his car for a spin and learning the nuances of his new vehicle. The imagery and descriptions cummings uses allows the reader to understand the various things that need to be broken in.

The poem's narrator freely admits the car was "consequently a little stiff," which can be further seen in how the narrator felt the need to "oil the universal joint" and test the gas, and made sure the radiator was in good condition. The ritual the narrator employs allows the reader to see how he takes great care to make sure that the not only are his needs met, but also that he does not do any damage to the car.

The narrator also comments that he was impressed by the first ride and the results of his approach to breaking in his brand new car. On another level, "she being Brand/-new" can also be interpreted as an extended metaphor for a sexual encounter with a new partner. The extended metaphor completely transforms the meaning of the poem, yet the narrator's approach to sex comes off as mechanical and not sensual.

One of the questions that arises due to this metaphor is how the narrator views women; does the comparison of a woman to a car insinuate that the narrator sees women as possessions? "since feeling is first" by e.e. cummings, is reminiscent of many 17th century carpe diem poems, including "To the Virgins, Who Make Much of Time" by Robert Herrick. "since feeling first" features a spontaneity in writing and syntax that is reflective of the instinctual nature of emotions.

By referencing the lack of attention to syntax when expressing one's emotions, cumming's demonstrates that he is self-aware about how the syntax of logic is disrupted and that logic prevents an individual from giving themselves wholly to another. Furthermore, cummings insinuates that one should act upon their desires before it is too late. cummings insinuates that he does not believe that there should be boundaries or constructs that are used to define what is written and how life should be lived.

It is interesting to see how cummings utilizes language/grammar as a comparison to life; disruption of syntax to describe logical thought, the contention that life is not a paragraph, and the comparison of death to parenthesis. Does the simile of grammar to life reflect cummings's relationship with his writing? William Carlos William's direct poetic style allows him to get to the point of what he is trying to describe and gives the reader the opportunity to imagine the image Williams is creating without external influences.

"This is Just to Say" is a short poetic apology about a man who has eaten some plums that were being saved for a particular meal. Williams relies on the readers' previous experiences of disappointment to convey his message. The narrator expects the owner of the plums to be disappointed that 1) the plums that were being reserved for breakfast were eaten, and 2) the plums were delicious and cold and could not be experienced by the individual who had bought them.

Because Williams relies on an individual's personal experiences to convey emotion in the poem, do personal perspectives enhance the impact of the narrator's apology or is the message diminished? "Proletariat Portrait" not only forces the individual to picture the proletariat woman's inconvenience, but also forces the reader to think of the poem in political terms.

Through the description of the proletariat woman, the reader is forced to sympathize with the woman not only because she is poor as is demonstrated through the description of her ripped stockings and the substandard quality of her shoes, but also because of her social class.

Moreover, Williams raises the question: Is the nail in her shoe the only thing that is causing the proletariat woman pain? What else can be causing her pain and what can she do to alleviate it? William's brief and direct description of the woman allow the reader to determine the level of poverty that she is subjected to. Wallace Steven's "The Snow Man" seeks to delve into the psychology of winter and what it takes in order to endure such harsh weather.

The poem contends that one must be psychologically strong in order to "Regard To regard the frost and the boughs/Of the pine-trees crusted with snow;//And have been cold a long time/To behold the junipers shagged with ice,/The spruces rough in the distant glitter//Of the January sun; and not to think/Of any misery in the sound of the wind." Through this argument, Stevens is asserting that one must be able to see their environment and current situation from different angles and not simply focus on the negative aspects.

While Stevens' focuses on how the snowman perceives the world, one is left wondering if the snowman is a unique thing or if there are other snowmen that share the.