The First Time
The art of poetry is typically not an easy study. In most cases the reader is faced with several sources of double meanings and the freedom to interpret these meanings as they please; not necessarily in the way in which the poets would have intended. To many, this is what makes poetry so much more beautiful and meaningful than other forms of literature. To others, though, these characteristics contribute to poetry's tediousness and source of confusion. As with many poems, E. E. Cummings' "she being Brand" is filled with ambiguity and connotative meaning. As one initially reads the piece, she may interpret it as a brief account of a young man taking his "brand new" car out on the open road for her maiden voyage. Upon further examination, though, the poem's double meaning becomes evident through its form, language, and vivid imagery. The role of form in "she being Brand," as well as with most poems, is one of great importance. The theme, subject, and meaning are all reliant on the way in which the words are read. By ignoring the break up of the stanzas and the positions of the lines, the reader gets stuck on the literal meaning of the piece. It is only when one looks to the peculiar style of this po
As the reader looks at the page in front of her, the unusualness of the form is one of the first tings to be noticed. Some of the stanzas consist of several lines, The words are arranged in such a way that there is not a complete thought on just a single line. The sentences flow from line to line, and stanza to stanza, compelling the reader to continue on until she reaches the "climatic" ending. her radiator made sure her springs were O. (6-8) The punctuation also allows for the poem to facilitate two very different interpretations. The reader can either use the breakdown of the lines as a means of reference on when to pause, or look to the punctuation. In doing a combination of the two, the poem begins to take a different form. The innocence of the giddiness in the young boy and his new car is quickly transformed into an act with much greater meaning. By adding pause and breath between line and sentence, the virtue of the poem is succumbed by its new, sensual nature. rst sexual experience and that they both enjoyed it. The vivid, but ambiguous, images help the reader to see, and share in, the sensual double meaning of the poem. avenue i touched the accelerator and give (22) In addition to form, the language, which Cummings uses, helps to alert the reader of the double meaning in "she being Brand." All words have literal meanings, as well as, connotative meanings. This implies that what a person says is not always what she might mean. The dueling meaning of words is a tool that Cummings uses very carefully and effectively. The words chosen for this piece were done so with great precision and meticulousness. The v
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Approximate Word count = 1115
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
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