Essay about E.E. Cummings The Birth of Modern Poetry

â€Å"The greatest poets are those with memories so great that they extend beyond their strongest experiences to their minutest observations of people and things far outside their own self-centeredness.† This quote said by Stephen Spender depicts a great poet as someone who utilizes their past observations to increase their knowledge about people, nature, love, and life. Like a great poet, E.E. Cummings employed his past experiences in his poetry and life. Known as one of the preeminent poets of the 20th century, E.E. Cummings poetry has received an array of both positive and negative criticism. Nonetheless, Cummings’s poetry has inspired many poets and authors with his liberal views on love, nature, and religion along with his modern†¦show more content†¦Blackmur, a literary critic, criticized E.E. Cummings’s poetry stating, â€Å"There is a great big moral vacuum at the heart of E.E. Cummings’s poetry.† (Roberts 256) Other critics also re probated his work by stating that there were no morals or lessons gained from reading his poetry. Another critic, Louise Bogan, remarked, â€Å"It is the deletion of the tragic that makes Cummings’s joy childish and his anger petulant.† (Roberts 256) Bogan stated that because there is no plot or lesson to Cummings’s poetry, his joy is childish and his anger is grouchy. Another asset of his poetry that was heavily criticized was his unique style of writing. The contemporary writing style was very unfamiliar to his readers at that time. In his poem â€Å"Snow†, Cummings incorporates his unique writing style along with his typographical errors: â€Å"Emarkable /s)h? /ya /(from n/o(into whe)re f / ind).† (Thompson 2) Despite the confusion and difficulty to read and comprehend the poem, Cummings sought to promote a diverse lesson with his usage of separated letters and other punctuation marks in order to create verbal movements and cause the reader to c ontemplate (Webster 15). E.E. Cummings’s audacity to ignore the biased criticisms of critics and develop a contemporary writing style has made him one of the most baffling, yet eminent poets of the 20th century. E.E. Cummings’s love poetry has modeled the modern views of love. Known to be a radical poet, Cummings appalled many criticsShow MoreRelatedEssay about E.E. Cummings612 Words   |  3 PagesEdward Estlin Cummings is a famous poet and novelist. A true man of the arts, he also enjoyed playwrights, painting, and drawing. His lifetime lasting from 1894-1962 was vivaciously lived! He spent a large portion of his life in his birth state, Massachusetts, although certain life events lead him beyond the United States. Cummings served in the U.S. Army during World War I, and was a volunteer in an ambulance unit as well. A great portion of his life was also dedicated to his Harvard educationRead More The Poetry of e.e. cummings Essay3340 Words   |  14 PagesThe P oetry of e.e. cummings The poems to come are for you and for me and are not for most people. --its no use trying to pretend that mostpeople and ourselves are alike. Mostpeople have less in common with ourselves than the squarerootofminusone. You and I are human beings;mostpeople are snobs. Take the matter of being born. What does being born mean to mostpeople? Catastrophe unmitigated. Socialrevolution. The cultured aristocrat yanked out of his hyperexclusively ultravoluptuous superpalazzoRead More Time in Thomas’ Fern Hill and Cummings’ anyone lived in a pretty how town3549 Words   |  15 Pagesis lost; poetically speaking,†¦time is regained in the act of visionary creation (Crewe 400). Poetry allows for the capture of a moment in time otherwise lost in the blink of an eye. British poet Dylan Thomas and American poet E.E. Cummings have both been noted for the recurring themes of passage of time in their poetry. In Thomas’ Fern Hill and Cummings’ anyone lived in a pretty how town, both modern poets utilize a juxtaposition of paradoxes to express the irrevocable passage of time and theRead MoreThe Disenchanted Research Paper3448 Words   |  14 PagesFitzgerald’s life and work were in a knot from the start; his profession spanne d one of the most tumultuous eras of the century, and from the very start he was the creator and the victim of the new culture of celebrity which accompanied the rise of modern technology. Budd Schulberg masterfully created a character that closely and in many ways represents Fitzgerald in his later years; Manley Halliday is that character. â€Å"His mind’s eye, incurably bifocal, could never stop searching for the fairy-tale

Library of Babel Essay - 1528 Words

In Jorge Luis Borges’ short story â€Å"The Library of Babel†, the author depicts the entire universe in the form of a mysterious and intricate â€Å"Library.† The author gives life to the library by describing the fruit- like â€Å"bulbs† that emit light, as well as a vestibule which contains two compartments for â€Å"sleeping and satisfying one’s physical necessities.† (Borges 112) This library is lined with â€Å"an infinite number of hexagonal galleries,†(Borges 112) containing bookshelves with an immeasurable amount of books. However, most of these books are indecipherable, and therefore, meaningless. Borges’ characterization of the library leads the reader to believe that he is alluding to the numerous books of the Bible. He questions the Bible’†¦show more content†¦Both Adam and Eve were tricked into believing that the fruit will present them with a more fulfilling existence, but instead it proved lackin g and disappointing. Furthermore, the narrator soon after says, â€Å" Thousands of greedy individuals abandoned their sweet native hexagons and rushed upstairs and downstairs, spurred by their vain desire to find their Vindication.† (Borges 115) The â€Å"greedy individuals† the narrator speaks of are a symbol of humankind’s dissatisfaction with its existence, and its constant need to search for something more divine. Thus, the narrator describes Adam and Eve’s fall from Grace, which was â€Å"spurred by their vain desire to find their Vindication.† To further illustrate the universe in the form of a Library, Borges compares the insignificance of man to the majestic configuration of the universe, â€Å"Man, the imperfect librarian, may be the work of chance or of malevolent demiurges; the universe, with its elegant appointments- its bookshelves, its enigmatic books, its indefatigable staircases for the traveler, and its water closets for the seated librarian-can only be the handiwork of a god.† (Borges 113) In this quote, Borges himself insinuates that the Library, like the universe, was created by a higher power. The intricacy of the library’s structure- such as the bookshelves, the innumerable amount ofShow MoreRelatedLibrary Of Babel Analysis1408 Words   |  6 PagesThe Library of Babel, Borges talks about a library that can have all the books that have ever been written. When Borges describes it, he states that â€Å"The universe (which others call the Library) is composed of an indefinite, perhaps an infini te, number of hexagonal galleries, with enormous ventilation shafts in the middle, encircled by very low railings.† In this quote, Borges allows the author to imagine this fantasy library with an â€Å"infinite† number of rooms, but later says that this library isRead MoreThe Library of Babel by Jorge Luis Borges634 Words   |  3 PagesThe Library of Babel by Jorge Luis Borges was about a Library filled with an infinite, or perhaps finite, number hexagon rooms. These hexagons contain all books that exist, and many that have yet to be written. The story describes the last thoughts of a man who has lived in this library universe. The Library itself holds many books that hold perceived power from the knowledge they hold. One of the most incomprehensible concepts he raises is a book that contains all other books within the Library. TheRead MoreA World Of Books By Borges1436 Words   |  6 Pagesample amount of it is the story â€Å"The Library of Babel.† He first mentions them when he says †¦ Of a general theory of the library and the satisfactory resolution of the problem it s no construction yet made clear: the formless and chaotic nature of almost all books. (81) The books in the library all have millions of different variations of each other. This chaotic list of randomly unnecessary copies of each book maximizes the level of entropy output in the library. Which is already big enough to takeRead MorePurpose of Creation Myths836 Words   |  3 Pagesmyth is that documented in the Epic of Gilgamesh. In this epic, the problems of life and living are the primary and overriding theme. Nonetheless, most of the creation theories explain the confusion of tongues and the tower of Babel. For instance, the aspect of the tower of Babel is in the creation accounts of the Syrians, Greek, Chinese, Sumerian, Hindu, and Babylonians among others (Ellis 13). The enormous flood documented in Genesis is in the creation myths of the Incas and the Hopi Indians. In summaryRead MoreHighly Motivated And Eager To Learn Essay778 Words   |  4 Pageswhich I catch a glimpse of a distant city which would take a lifetime just to walk through, or stumble upon a library i n that city with more books than I could ever count, let alone read, or find a book in that library about far greater libraries which are now so much dust in the wind. nbsp; A turning point in my understanding was a famous Borges story called The Library of Babel. Here I learned that there is no discernable difference between an infinite number and very large finite numberRead MoreHenry David Hwang ( M. Butterfly )1558 Words   |  7 Pagesmake statement on the unavoidable creative procedure, misses or conceals a bit of the reality of it. Byatt acknowledged an inspiration moment for Possession as the time she come across with a famous Coleridge scholar working in the British library and â€Å"mused that much of what she {Byatt} knew of Coleridge had been filtered through that individual †¦ adding that ‘I though, it’s almost like a case of demonic possession, and I wondered, has she eaten up hers?’† Byatt thought of writing a novelRead MoreOrder and Chaos2780 Words   |  12 Pagesand intolerance of other views. One view can not exist without the other ,and they are both impractical and incomplete. The joining of the two is essential for a human being and the world as a whole. This point is clearly illustrated in the Library of Babel where all was known ,yet chaos was rampant because no faith could exist. Music can sometimes sound random, chaotic, and spontaneous but all music has a certain structure and fundamental elements. Though music has many benefits its main objectiveRead MoreTheme Of Heroes In Fahrenheit 451701 Words   |  3 Pagesand unnecessary, as well as, leads firemen who seek out and annihilate them. â€Å"You know the law,’ said Beatty. ‘Wheres your common sense? None of those books agree with each other. Youve been locked up here for years with a regular damned Tower of Babel† (35). Beatty is saying to a woman that her books are against the law and that they make no sense before she kills herself. Beatty exhibits no remorse for the woman when he mentions, â€Å"don’t worry about it† to Montag and doesn’t care. â€Å"Clarisse McClellanRead MoreA Brief Look at Genesis832 Words   |  3 Pagessinned and were exiled from the Garden of Eden. We see the God’s judgment in the flood. This is where God sees our evil and flood s the Earth only sparing Noah and his family. Our foolish acts that lead to various languages and nations from the tower of Babel can be found in Genesis 10:1-11:9. The patriarchs of the Bible begin here. The stories of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph can be found within Genesis. This is the creation of the covenant relationship with God. The Abrahamic Covenant begins hereRead MoreFahrenheit 451 By Ray Bradbury944 Words   |  4 Pagesown personality and beliefs. For example, You know the law, said Beatty. Where s your common sense? None of those books agree with each other. You ve been locked up here for years with a regular damned Tower of Babel Beatty speaking to the owner of a hidden library who lights herself on fire along with her books. This passage highlights the argument about why books should be illegal. The mentality is controlled by the old fashioned thoughts of communism. Society should be able to control

Tattered Paper, Over-Used Pens, and a Cramped Right Hand free essay sample

My life is the outcome of tattered paper, over-used pens, and a cramped right hand. I sit on my bed writing about my cousins playing a half court of basketball with two gallons of warm water on the side in the hot, humid, hellish heat. There was a time when I would join them, but that was before we all â€Å"grew up†. We played games of â€Å"tag†; â€Å"throw up, tackle†, our version of football free-for-all; â€Å"fifty†, our basketball free-for-all; and kickball until our mothers called us in because it was too late in the night. After a while, everything gradually transitioned from friendly game play to competitive sports—sports I either didn’t understand or did not like. The more they played sports, the more I stayed in my house and read. I rarely came outside. I have read books from horror to modern day fantasy and everything in between. Books gave me a place where I could escape. We will write a custom essay sample on Tattered Paper, Over-Used Pens, and a Cramped Right Hand or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page I could always go to a place where everything would work out for the better when real life circumstances were not looking too attractive. At times, I wished that books could come true—preferably for my life. I envied how characters got their desired life that their author created; I wanted a life I could create. However, in order to create a life, one has to know how to create. I began to pay more attention in English class, took Journalism and Creative Writing classes to pick up on writing structures and styles, and demonstrated my gained knowledge for anyone who wanted to see. I soon wrote the first chapter of my second life. From that first chapter came the second, then the third, and so on until I had completed my new life. Yes, it had a lot of kinks and errors throughout, but the overall work was complete. Mark Twain once wrote that â€Å"there is little difference between a man who won’t read and a man who can’t read.† As I grow older, I think more and more young adults who do not like reading and do not understand the mystic nature of writing, do not fully appreciate the English language. I, on the other hand, while still confused about some English literature, am still fascinated by the fact that our language is comprised of so many other languages and cultures. I try to keep a transcendentalist outlook on life—looking forward to the mixture of oranges, reds, pinks, and yellows each morning. I know that whatever direction my life goes, it will be the outcome of tattered paper, over-used pens, and a cramped right hand.

Racial and Ethnic Groups free essay sample

The United States is known as the Melting Pot of the world. This is because of the many different cultures that arrived from many different countries. All in hopes of the American Dream. In this paper we will focus on the African migration and the Asian migration to the U. S. We will examine why these two groups decided to migrate to the U. S. And in what geographical areas they settled. We will then analyze and explain what influences other ethnic or racial groups had on each other, if any, once they migrated.We will also evaluate the power-conflict theory and how it applies to African and Asian roofs. Furthermore, we will explain how the concept of multiculturalism might be applied to the two groups of focus. In conclusion, we will provide examples of these groups customs, beliefs, and values have-or-have not- become incorporated into American. Migration The African migration dates back to the 1 Dutch and French companies dominated the importation of African people at that time. We will write a custom essay sample on Racial and Ethnic Groups or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page England joined the trade as well in the 1 6005. Local African societies were raided by Europeans and who took people by force. Greed and fear played a role in African coastal rulers involvement in the trade. These rulers succumbed to the European Slave-trade becoming the go-between, serving European Slave traders. The enslavement was motivated by cheap the potential of cheap labor on farms and plantations across America (Fagin, 2011 Africans settled mostly in the Southern States of N. America where most of the conservatives held plantations. According to historians from the mid-16005 to the 1 sass, there is an estimate of 10-1 million slaves imported to the Western Hemisphere.Most were taken to the West Indies and South America, and only 5 percent were brought directly to North America (Fagin, 201 1). Asian Migration There s a variety of Asian cultures in the U. S. Today. However, the very first Asian culture to settle in the North America were Filipino around 1 750, they settled in what later would be Louisiana. Around 1840, the British and Spanish brought over collies from China, India, and Philippines to make up for the shortage of slaves from Africa. They settled them in the Islands in the Caribbean, Peru, Ecuador and other South American countries (El, C.N. 2013). The first big rush of Asian migration to the U. S. Came during the Gold Rush in mid sass. Asian (mainly Chinese) people were lured by the promise of Gold aches and return home rich. They were settling in what is now known as California. One of the most important factors as to why the Chinese would leave China was economic hardship in their country (El, C. N. 2013). Racial Teeth nice Influence Chinese were the primary Asian group migrating to the U. S. Nevertheless, there were already misconceptions about the Chinese culture before they even arrived.People did not understand their customs, and therefore; they Were stereotyped. Most of the time their lifestyle was described as exotic and sinister. There was Xenophobes, which is a fear of anything associated with China ( Fagin, 2011 , Cheap. 4). Europeans appealed to the racist theory of fearing foreign genes and germs. It is easy to say that the Asian culture had little to zero influence on other cultures during the time of migration. One can say that the motivation behind having Asian-Chinese migration was due to economic growth for the united States. When the U. S. Was in need of hard labor with cheap pay. The Western culture had significant influence on the Chinese culture. From clothes, food, speech, and Western medicine. Many of those customs had to be left behind in order to assimilate to an already stile and competitive environment. The Chinese people had to become accustomed to the Western ways of conducting business, food and so forth. To this day, there is an effort by the Asian culture to be more Westernizes. Many Asian business owners or workers have American names, which have become their legal names, but when asked what their real name is: they allow for their Asian traditional name is.The American culture has had far more influence in the Asian culture than the Asian culture on the America. More so back in the 1 sass to early 1 sass, during the big migration period. During this RA there was groups of culture segregation. Asians had Asian stores, businesses, and temples/churches As did the Italians, Irish, and Jews. African the African culture were most segregated culture of them all. Between the sass and mid 1 sass most Africans lived in plantations or were victims to slavery. Safe to stay their influence on other cultures was nonexistent.However, the most influential culture imposed on the African culture was the European culture and beliefs. While the Africans were denied traditional food, ability to learn to read, write, and live life as they did in their country. They ere taught the bible as a way to keep them subordinate to the Anglo slave masters. A couple of influences that did emerge during the slave era that still exist to this day is what we know as soul food and soul music blues and jazz. Soul food comes from the ability to cook what was left over meat like chitins, gizzards and so on. Cheap food like corn, greens were made because it was either leftover meat or cheap food they can make from the plantation. In the music you will find stories of love sorrow, and overcoming obstacles. This music influenced the creation of and a lot of great artist who have come timeless throughout the years due to the influence of Soul music. Power-conflict Asian groups chose to migrate to Western world, America. However power- conflict relates not only to involuntary immigrations. It also relates to inequalities in economic position, power, and resources. Which Chinese, in particularly, experience during the Gold Rush and railroad era. They were also exploited, doing the work that the white Americans did not want to do but paying them cheaper wages. The Chinese were overworked and underpaid. There was an institutionalized discrimination. As laws were eventually made to keep Asian from migrating to the U. S. African Without a doubt the African culture experienced power-conflict In all aspects of the term. They were involuntarily brought abroad, exploited, experienced economic inequalities (still continue to do so), by working as slaves for free and being treated like merchandise and not human beings. They were branded, as if to say they were a product and property of so and so. The government created laws that prohibited the African group from human rights, like freedom of speech, and the right to live freely. They were kept in the bottom of the rungs societal racial and ethnic ladder (Fagin 201 1, Cheap- 2). Multiculturalism While this paper focused mainly on Chinese culture. Multiculturalism is very common in the Asian groups. The Asian community is made up of highly diverse nations. Diverse referring to linguistics, religion, culture, socially, politically, and ethnically. These nations are diverse in different ways, as they also cope with diversity in their own way. You can assume where an Asian person is from, and what language they may speak. However, the truth of the matter is that there is more to an Asian group than their image. There is history, tradition, and customs, and it all varies depending on where they are from. African in South Africa there are 11 languages recognized, among them English. There has been trouble by the government in being able to identify the diversity South Africa has. It has been famously known as Rainbow Country made famous by Nelson Mandela. There is a multiculturalism in the African ethnic group, but has yet to be embraced fully because of hate, fear, and prejudice by its own people and government. America Incorporated Asian cultures has had a big influence in the Western world throughout the years. A couple Of examples are the food, holistic approach, and an ever growing amount of meditation and natural healing. Chinese and other Asian restaurants are every/here nowadays. They are no longer just restricted to Chinatown. Asian influence in food has spread out throughout the entire nation, and continues to grow.Another influence has been the holistic and natural approach to healing powers of the mind and body. Meditation, yoga are all rooted from the Asian culture. More and more people are practicing such methods as a way of healing. African the African culture have made their mark in history. As we discussed earlier they were able to incorporate a little of their world into cuisine, and music. Jazz, Blues, funk all have the roots of African beats, and rhythm. The food that the plantation workers learned to make, has been learned to love and appreciate and to this days it is made and appreciated by many different cultures.Conclusion The United States is indeed a melting pot of cultures, ethnicities, customs, and traditions. We have to admit, many racial groups suffered to come to the United States, and suffered even after coming. Asian migrated to the U. S voluntarily in hope of making it big during the Gold Rush era. However were still discriminated, and stereotyped. African people were brought he re by Orca, forced into the slave trade and mistreated in so many ways that it has been an injustice for centuries.The power-conflict theory has been applied to both these cultures in more than one way. Multiculturalism exists in both racial groups. Now, in modern days we are able to see the influence these two groups have had to the American culture.