1.

O Sweet Spontaneous

O sweet spontaneous

earth how often have

the

doting

fingers of

prurient philosopher pinched

and

poked

thee

has the naughty thumb

of science prodded

thy

beauty .

how

often have religions taken

qthee upon their scraggy knees

squeezing and

bueting thee that thou mightest conceive

gods

(but

true

to the incomparable

couch of death thy

rhythmic

lover

thou answerest

them only with

(spring)

Literally this poem is saying that the prodding and nosy people of religion, science and philosophy
are ruining and ignoring beauty, nature and love. The poem has some frustrated emotion in it.
Clearly the speaker is someone who doesn't like science, religion and philosophy but they rather
seem to want to focus on nature and the earth itself. The author appears to be speaking to the
world that they should be more spontaneous and don't need the deep thinking of these outside
sources. Focus on what's in your heart not your brain he tells the world. The form is irregular and
there is really no set format throughout the poem. This fits with the poem since you get the idea to
be creative and step outside the box. The rather wild structure of lines helps give the reader that
idea of creativity. The author uses some alliteration especially in the second line. It seems however
that most of the poem is cacophony as it does not blend well together and often sounds rough and
harsh. The poem is organized as a description of the ways those outside sources influence earth.
The language is very critical and harsh using words like prurient, scraggy, and squeezing.
Cummings uses limited figurative language. However he uses a large amount of personification
throughout the poem to make the reader feel like science and religion are people not just groups.

This makes the reader find these groups worse since they actually seem like real bad people. There
is no common meter throughout the poem which follows the message of the poem and the style of
Cummings. The message of this poem is that science and religion and philosophy dilute the real
beauty of earth. The poem ends with talking about religion and that they try to convince you to bow
down to God and ignore beauty and compassion and your heart. Cummings implores the reader to
just think about the beauty of spring and tell the religious leaders about spring because that's where
your heart should be. Focus on the beauty of nature and so lead with your heart. Don't listen to the
philosophers and sciences who only listen to their brain and ignore there heart. That is the wrong
way to lead your life according to the poem. I agree with a lot of what Cummings is saying and that
people should focus on their own heart to do what's right and that they should not focus on outside
sources telling you what to do. While we can't always ignore the scientists and the philosophers
sometimes it's best to just focus on nature and the real world and not over think things.

2. Anyone Lived In A Pretty How Town

anyone lived in a pretty how town

(with up so floating many bells down)

spring summer autumn winter

he sang his didn't he danced his did

Women and men(both little and samll)

cared for anyone not at all

they sowed their isn't they reaped their

same

sun moon stars rain

children guessed(but only a few

and down they forgot as up they grew

autumn winter spring summer)

that noone loved him more by more

when by now and tree by leaf

she laughed his joy she cried his grief

bird by snow and stir by still

anyone's any was all to her

someones married their everyones

laughed their cryings and did their dance

(sleep wake hope and then)they

said their nevers they slept their dream

stars rain sun moon

(and only the snow can begin to explain

how children are apt to forget to remember

with up so floating many bells down)

one day anyone died i guess

(and noone stooped to kiss his face)

busy folk buried them side by side

little by little and was by was

all by all and deep by deep

and more by moe they dream their sleep

noone and anyone earth by april

wish by spirit and if by yes

Women and men(both dong and ding)

summer sutumn winter spring

reaped their sowing and went their came

sun moon stars rain

Literally this poem is about a town where nobody loved or cared for anybody. It was a great and
beautiful town but nobody cared for each other and people worked for money and followed their
mind. However nobody cared about each and most people forgot what that even meant and that
caring matters. Soon people died and nobody cared and life just moved on. There is an emotion of
pain and fear. Cummings is worried that this town could become a reality and that the world could
be a place where only mind matters not the heart. He is talking to everybody yelling at them don't
let this happen. The poem is more organized for Cummings than typical using normal four line
stanzas and assonance as it sounds relatively smooth. While the poem mentions bells I think it has
a sad sound or tone and is a little depressing to the reader. There is an interesting type of language
used throughout the poem that portrays life moving quickly and smoothly but without the
excitement. Since their is no similes, metaphors, or hyperboles and a lack of figurative language it
goes with that theme of a city without excitement and love. He does use a large amount of
repetition to emphasize life moving on and the situation getting worse and worse. The theme is that
this is a disutopia where people overtime forget how to love and start to only worry about money
and power. The town may be nice and beautiful but people don't care and never look at the city that
way. It gets to a point where it is so bad that when people die they are just buried and nobody
cares. People just marry because that's what life happens in life but they never love each other. Life
is now miserable but it can't be changed because people have forgotten what love is. Cummings
wants everybody to realize why people need to focus on beauty and love and not on the brain
because the brain is where money power and greed are formed. The message that Cummings
provides is a good one. Looking at dictatorships like Nazi Germany a powerful but greedy man who
only cared about power used his brain decided to take over the world. He only used his brain to
attempt to take over the world. He then convinced thousands of people to focus on their brain and
forget their heart. Hitler made them forgot their compassion and love for other people. In other
words Cummings is right it is possibility our world could turn into this disutopia so we should
always lead with our heart and ask ourselves if we are being the nicest and most compassionate
people we can be.

3. Humanity's I Love You

Humanity i love you

because you would rather black the boots of

success than enquire whose soul dangles from his

watch-chain which would be embarrassing for both

parties and because you

unflinchingly applaud all

songs containing the words country home and

mother when sung at the old howard

Humanity i love you because

when you're hard up you pawn your

intelligence to buy a drink and when

you're flush pride keeps

you from the pawn shops and

because you are continually committing

nuisances but more

especially in your own house

Humanity i love you because you

are perpetually putting the secret of

life in your pants and forgetting

it's there and sitting down

on it

and because you are

forever making poems in the lap

of death Humanity

i hate you

Cummings is literally saying that he hates humanity. There are so many ridiculous things humanity
does that do not make sense but they do them anyways. The speaker is full of anger for these
things. Clearly the speaker is someone who is a little bit of a rebel who might say some things a lot
of people won't admit since he is criticizing the norm. The poem is often awkward providing a rough
tone and has times where a sentence continues on the next stanza. Most of the poem is in a four
line stanza but it occasionally breaks from that form. The rather wild form helps stay with the wild
theme of the poem. There is a large amount of figurative language throughout the poem. A use of
hyperboles, metaphors, and personifications helps exemplifies the the silly things in the story. This
use of these poetic skills greatly improves the poem and makes the poem far more enjoyable. I
really enjoyed the use of these especially of the metaphor of humanity sitting down on the secret of
life and the person forgetting it was there. The theme of this poem is that humanity needs to look at
itself in the mirror and see all the ridiculous things it is doing. Humanity is very negative but they try
to hide their faults and they sometimes just act foolish. Cummings is looking for answers to why
these things happens but he is really focused on ending these actions so humanity gets better.
Cummings provides a great message and he raises a lot of important points. My favorite point he
gives is when he talks about "country roads" and "mother" people always instinctively applauding.
The point here is when someone says something that sounds good we shouldn't just always go
along and do it. Cummings is suggesting that people shouldn't always go with the crowd and
actually think about what they are doing from both there heart and there brain. Sometimes people
just need to slow down and see if they should really be following all of humanity. I feel like this
message really connects with me because I often don't follow the crowd.

4. Nine

there are so many tictoc

clocks everywhere telling people

what toctic time it is for

tictic instance five toc minutes toc

past six tic

Spring is not regulated and does

not get out of order nor do

its hands a little jerking move

over numbers slowly

we do not

wind it up it has no weights

springs wheels inside of

its slender self no indeed dear

nothing of the kind.

(So,when kiss Spring comes

well kiss each kiss other on kiss the kiss

lips because tic clocks toc dont make

a toctic dierence

to kisskiss you and to

kiss me)

This poem is literally saying that there are so many clocks everywhere always telling people what to
do. It goes on to say that clocks don't matter that much and we shouldn't focus on clocks and time
but just focus on life. The poem almost sounds silly at points but it does have a talking point it is
trying to address. The author is trying to address people that run there life on time and watches
instead of running life on life itself. The interrupting of common words to replace words like tic and
toc and kiss provide that silliness and an attitude of I don't care. The poem provides a sound of
being annoyed but also of just moving on and carelessness. There is a lack of figurative language
throughout the poem which agrees with the theme of carelessness and not being to serious. The
stanzas follow no pattern and the last stanza is even in parentheses. There is some euphony in the
poem which does provide some rhythm throughout the poem. The theme is that life should be run
on how you're feeling in your heart. Most people run their life on clocks and time but if people
would just let their life's just go they might enjoy it more. This is an interesting message that
Cummings portrays and it certainly follows with his big message of focusing on life, love, and
nature and not overthinking things but leading with the heart before the brain. Time follows under
that part of not overthinking things just moving on in life. I do however think that sometimes time is
needed but we do sometimes use it to much. However without time and clocks, time management
would be a problem and that would become a major problem as people would be unable to
organize their priorities. Obviously that would be a major problem so while people should focus a
little less on time and just living their life you can't just take away clocks and time.

5. Spring

Spring is like a perhaps hand

(which comes carefully

out of Nowhere)arranging

a window,into which people look(while

people stare

arranging and changing placing

carefully there a strange

thing and a known thing here)and

changing everything carefully

spring is like a perhaps

Hand in a window

(carefully to

and from moving New and

Old things,while

people stare carefully

moving a perhaps

fraction of flower here placing

an inch of air there)and

without breaking anything.

The poem is literally saying that spring is like a storefront window being changed. It goes on to say
that spring is miraculous to everybody who sees it. The emotion is of awe as the speaker is clearly
in a feeling of how amazing spring is and that it is so amazing they can't even really put in into
words. The speaker is speaking to anybody who will listen because he feels spring is that
important. The poem uses a very large amount of figurative language as the speaker can't put into
normal words what springs means to him and he hopes the reader gets that same idea. The entire
poem is a metaphor as every part of the beauty of spring is compared to the changing of the store
front. Cummings makes the changing of a storefront window look like a miracle which makes spring
really seem amazing. He even makes spring seem like a hand while using personification which
improves the mystique and intrigue for the reader in spring. The fabulous figurative language
improves the poem and helps exemplifies the message Cummings is trying to give. That message is
that spring is a miracle that can't be taken for granted. He goes on to implore that life and
everything is reborn inane gets a new start in spring and that spring is careful and a gentle miracle.
Spring is a new start and it is an important lesson for anybody. I really enjoyed the use of figurative
language in the poem which makes it especially enjoyable to read. However, I found the message to
be a little overly romantic and while spring is a great thing I thought it was a little overemphasized in
its greatness. However I may not be able to appreciate the true miracle of spring because of living
in California where there is not such a dramatic season change.