E. E. Cummings, born in 1894 and died in 1962, produced numerous poems featuring unconventional punctuation, capitalization, and placements of lines, words, and even individual letters. His most challenging form of prose is likely the ideogram, which is exceedingly concise and incorporates visual and auditory elements. Within these ideograms, there might exist sounds or characters that defy verbalization or fail to convey the same meaning if spoken rather than read.
Four of Cummings’ poems – l(a, mortals), !blac, and swi( – exemplify the ideogram form effectively. Cummings employs distinctive syntax in these poems to visually and verbally communicate messages. While some may perceive l(a as a poem of melancholy and solitude, Cummings likely had a different intention. This poem explores uniqueness and unity (Kid 200-1).
The theme of unity can be observed through the various instances and forms of the number ‘1’ within the poem. To begin with, ‘l(a’ includes both the numeral 1 and the singular indefinite article, ‘a’; the second line features the French singular definite article, ‘le’; ‘ll’ on the fifth line represents two ones; ‘one’ on the 7th line spells out the number; the 8th line, ‘l’, isolates the number; and ‘iness’, the final line, can denote “the state of being I” – that is, individuality – or “one-ness”, deriving the “one” from the lowercase roman numeral ‘i’ (200).
Cummings could have simplified this poem significantly, using only the words “a leaf falls: loneliness”, while still conveying the same message. However, he deliberately changed the usual sentence structure to emphasize the theme of oneness in each line. In fact, the entire poem is shaped like the number ‘1’ (200). The poem’s structure can also be interpreted as the path of a falling leaf; it descends, flipping and switching letter pairs, just like a leaf drifting down to the ground. The initial ‘l(a’ transforms into ‘le’, and ‘af’ becomes ‘fa’. The occurrence of ‘ll’ represents a sudden drop, which is then slowed by the longer line that follows, ‘one’.
In this poem, Cummings effectively portrays the concept of oneness by using the image of a leaf falling into a pile of fallen leaves on the ground (represented by ‘iness’). He also highlights the idea of individualism, or ‘eachness’, as stated in line four. The words ‘climbi’ and ‘begi’ in lines 2 and 4, respectively, both end with the exposed letter ‘i’, stressing self-importance. By doing so, Cummings brings the trapeze act to life on paper and conveys his message of unity and individuality.
This poem is entertaining as it demonstrates the impact of a trapeze act in the arrangement of words. In line 10, the space in the word ‘open ing’ signifies the start of the act and the brief pause before it fully commences. Lines 8 and 12, with ‘of speeds of’ and ‘&’ respectively, depict a back-and-forth movement resembling the swinging motion of a trapeze.
Lines 12-15 depict the final leap from the trapeze, while ‘a/n/d’ on lines 17-19 symbolizes the abandoned trapeze that remains after the acrobats have climbed down. Lastly, ‘(im’ at the end directs the reader’s attention back to the beginning of the poem, where ‘mortals)’ is located. By placing ‘(im’ at the conclusion, it signifies that these performers achieve a unique form of immortality by risking their lives to create a beautiful spectacle (36-7).
The poem’s circularity evokes a sense of completeness, symbolizing the eternal motion of the Circle of Life (Fri 26). Cummings’ initial tightly written ideogram, !blac, is captivating. It opens with ‘!’, implying that something noteworthy happened prior to the poem, and the poem endeavors to objectively describe the emotions stemming from this event. “black against white” exemplifies such a portrayal in the poem; the clashing colors elicit a sensation in line with the ‘!’ (Weg 145). Additionally, the inclusion of “(whi)” conveys amusement and wonder, further emotive responses to ‘!’ (Weg 145).
Cummings wrote a letter addressing !blac to Robert Wenger, the author of The Poetry and Prose of E. E. Cummings (see Works Cited). In the letter, he expressed that “for me, this poem means exactly what it says… and the which begins the poem is what might be called emphatic (=very).” The poem also explores the theme of the cycle of birth, life, death, and renewal, which is derived from the previous letter. This demonstrates that even though the poem has concluded, the circle of life continues endlessly (Weg 144).
The shape of the poem, done by !blac, depicts a leaf falling to the ground. The spacing of the lines matches the speed of both the reading and the leaf’s descent. Furthermore, the use of capital ‘I’s in ‘IrlI’ suggests a leaf dropping straight down. By reading this poem, one may notice the solitary comma present on line 12.
The poet discusses the sky and a tree, interrupted by a comma that prompts the reader to pause and become aware of a falling leaf (145). Lines 1 through 6 hold significant meaning in the poem, as “black against white” may not only refer to the color contrast between the leaf and the sky, but also symbolize the cycle of life, representing life and death.
The text demonstrates that despite the perception that a falling leaf symbolizes death, the act of leaves falling is actually a necessary component of the tree’s entire life cycle (146). Though it may appear as a disjointed collection of words, “blac” is another example of Cummings’ ideogram form in the form of a poem. The fundamental message of this poem revolves around witnessing a bird’s swift passage through the sun and marveling at this extraordinary encounter. The primary objective of the poem is to persuade the reader to discern the disparity between conception – what one visually perceives – and perception – what one understands they are perceiving (Mar 105).
The poet sees an object that is moving so rapidly that before he can speak, he must describe it. Additionally, the object is passing by the sun. The poet uses primary descriptors like speed, direction, color, and shape to quickly describe the bird.
The poet’s way of speaking imitates someone who is trying to speak before knowing exactly what they want to say. This is evident in the terse syllables that lack syntactical relationship to one another. It also indicates how quickly the object is moving (106). The line “a-motion-upon-motio-n/Less?” in the sixth line signifies that although the poet acknowledges that both objects are moving, one’s motion causes the other to appear still (106).
The final letter ‘d’ in the poem serves to indicate that the poet loses interest and stops after naming the object, as further organization of thoughts would be unnecessary. This can be seen as a contrast between the words ‘against’ and ‘across’, indicating a halt. The poet seems to want to stop the object in order to describe it, but this would contradict the idea of motion conveyed by ‘swiftly’. Therefore, Cummings decides to use ‘Swi/mming’ as an average between the two speeds. Although “swi(” has less symbolism compared to other analyzed poems, it shares Cummings’ unique method of using syntax to convey hidden meaning effectively.
Cummings’ ideogram poems are like puzzles that the reader must solve in order to understand the hidden meaning. By actively engaging with the poem and figuring out its message, the reader not only avoids simply reading and forgetting, but also experiences contentment and retains the poem’s idea for a longer period of time.
Works Cited
- Friedman, Norman. E. E. Cummings: A Collection of Critical Essays. New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1972.
- Kidder, Rushworth M. E. E. Cummings: An Introduction to the Poetry. New York: Columbia University Press, 1979.
- Marks, Barry A. E. E. Cummings. New York: Twayne Publishers, Inc., 1964.
- Triem, Eve. E. E. Cummings. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1969.
- Wegner, Robert E. The Poetry and Prose of E. E. Cummings. New York: Harcourt, Brace & World, Inc., 1965.
