The Poetry of E. E. Cummings

Lesson Plan - Get It!

Audio:

Edward Estlin Cummings, also known as E.E. Cummings, chose to write his name in all lowercase letters as "ee cummings."

His move was revolutionary because it broke with writing traditions considered fundamental to the English language — a person always capitalized the first letter of their name.

Cummings's choice to write his name in lowercase letters signaled his break with literary tradition and a quest for a new, modern form of expression in poetry.

As you read this biography on E.E. Cummings, answer the following questions on a separate sheet of paper.

• What type of training did Cummings have in his childhood to prepare him for his later career as a poet?
• How did Cummings's use of wordplay and literary experimentation result in his imprisonment during WWI?
• What originality did Cummings display in the poetry of his first anthology, Tulips and Chimneys, in 1923?
• What was Cummings's one-word description of poetry?
• How does Cummings's unusual syntax (word order), irregular spacing, nontraditional word choices, and use of lowercase letters force readers to look at a poem with fresh eyes?
• What subjects and themes did Cummings frequently use in his poetry?
• What were some of the criticisms that Cummings's poetry faced throughout his career?
• What do literary critics see as Cummings's greatest achievement as a poet?

Once you've answered the questions, check them against the answers provided below.

As you've learned, Cummings referred to poetry as a process rather than a product.

• What do you think he means by calling poetry a process?

Move on to the Got It? section to read several of Cummings's poems.