EE Cummings
... this town, the individuals are the only ones capable of falling in love, where as the collectives are so united that they are completely oblivious to the fact that they are losing their own individual identities. Through this poem, Cummings makes clear the difference between being in love and not being in love. This poem demonstrates Cummings’ ability to give a theoretical word actual importance. This is accomplished by using specific grammatical structure as to allow the word to have two meanings in one. This is prevalent in the opening line with the indefinite pronoun “anyone” and the adverb “how” function together to form this certain sentence structure. From the first stanza, “ anyone lived in pretty how town,” Cummings use of “anyone” economically accomplishes three things: “anybody willing to make the sacrifices can be “anyone” (Lane), it shows the townsmen lack of interest towards the individuals who are in love, and its unique double usage of “anyone” as both a name and a pronoun. To his fellow townsmen he is just “anyone” but to the reader he is on who is capable of loving. In the second line of the poem, “with up so floating many bells down,” Cummings, through the rhythmical beat and the words “up” and “down” is able to evoke the sound of church bells and “in the sensual apprehension of their meaning -day and night, peace and war, birth and death- extends the music to mean the passing of time.” (Lane) Line three in this poem, “spring, summer, autumn, winter” intensifies the natural life cycle and growth. The mentioning of the changing seasons and the majestic phenomena of “sun moon stars and rain,” hold great significance to this poem, showing the passing of time; with the passing of time the children grow up and when the children grow they lose their innocence and ability to see and feel love. As the children lose their innocence they turn into the “women and men,” the “someone’s,” the “everyone’s,” and the “busy folk,” whom are all opposed and/or completely oblivious to the love of “anyone” and “no one.” However, “anyone’s” response and reaction to life is with singing and dancing, positive exuberance and joy, whereas the activities of “women and men” were continuously sowing and reaping, living their everyday, boring lives. Ironically, what these “mean and women sow and reap,“ is their negative attitudes towards life in itself- “their isn’t.” Unfortunately it is said that these people who have lost the capability to love are not going to be any happier after their death, “they reaped their sowing and went their came.” On the other hand, since “anyone,” and “no ones,” out look on life has been optimistic, “when by now and tree by leaf, she laughed his joy she cried his grief, bird by snow,” the two will continue on in their death as they lived their lives, “wish by spirit.” The individuals love for each other was so strong it is said that according to no one, “anyone’s any was all to her,” meaning that anything and everything...