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Literary Analysis Essay

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Literary Analysis Essay


If, by E.E. Cummings is a poem written about, how if the world was different, wed be
different too. Throughout the poem, Cummings describes the world, but not from the point of the
viewer. The point of view is coming from an opposite opinion. If freckles were lovely, and day
was night, and measles were nice and a lie wasnt a lie, life would be delight, (If by E.E.
Cummings). This excerpt from the poem is a great example of such an opinion. Measles and
other diseases are quite horrid. There is no actual or possible way they could bring anyone
delight, unless you had wished it upon that person then, well, I suppose you would be happy,
but in any case-scenario you should not be happy. Youre sick and being sick is not fun. E.E
Cummings is one of the most renowned authors. Cummings became an innovative poet because
of his lack of stylistic and structural conformity (Poets.org). He has written many traditionally
styled works and sonnets that contain a flair or wit and whimsy (Poets.org). The three main
themes in this poem are imagery, mood, and pattern.
This poem can take on many meanings depending on the reader. In this paper, well only
be discussing one. The basic meaning of this poem is saying not to change to compliment your
surroundings. Continuing the poem, But things couldnt go right, for in such a sad plight, I
wouldnt be I. And is past was present, and false was true, there might be some sense, but Id
be in suspense, for on such a pretense, You wouldnt be you (Cummings). These lines in the
work are telling us how different everything would be. Not only would the world itself be
different, but as would yourself and everything else. The exact date or year of which this poem
was written isnt known, but it still has a good message. Even if anyone were to change the
slightest thing, like in a science experiment, the results wouldnt be the same because some, one
factor was changed or taken out. Though most of the things from the poem may not be possible,

like dirt ever being clean, the message can still affect us [line 14]. Cummings uses comparisons
throughout this work to spread his message of staying true to yourself. You wouldnt be who God
and you would want to be like. We shouldnt change to accommodate our surroundings, but
rather change things to help us (but not too much because then its a bit pushy and mean). You
can change things for the better or for the worse. If the change is for the better then you can
expect many great things ahead. If its not well, you know what you did.
The first element we encounter is the lovely imagery Cummings provides us with. Within
each line, we are given many adjectives and other helping words to create a wonderful image of
opposite things. In Cummings poem If, we encountered many intellectual images. We see an
example in verse 7, If earth was heaven and now was hence (Cummings). In this line we
imagine Earth very very fruitful and happy, having no war or darkness. It is literally heaven on
Earth as the line states our mind to think of. The next part is saying if now was then. This line is
a bit tricky but, within every passing moment, now really does become then because time always
goes on with or without you. It doesnt stop and wait for you to get ready, it says come and move
on with me or stay there and wallow while everyone else continues on. We cannot change the
past, so we have to keep going. If we wallow in it, then we wont be able to help use our past to
help shape and fix our present and future. For example, if you failed a past test and the teacher
says there will be a retake then you go home and start studying right away so as not to fail again.
The next element we read would be all the patterns within each section. After a line,
Cummings did us a favor and made them each end in the same sound so as to echo his message a
bit. The entire poem is full of patterns if you look closely. You can clearly see that line one, If
freckles were lovely, And day were night, (Cummings) rhymes with lines three, four and five.
Life would be a delightbut things couldnt go right, for in such a sad plight (Cummings).

The purpose of rhyme in poems is so that it looks good and sounds good. It captures your
attention and makes the reader keep going. Without something capturing your attention, why
would you keep reading? It would be pointless and a waste of your valuable time. Cummings
captures his readers attention with the first lines and reels them in with each continuous work.
Though not all literature may contain rhymes other elements of literature are present. The work
may contain mood, alliteration, pattern, and many other elements that are not listed. The
possibilities are endless!
The last element we encounter at the end of the poem is the mood. The mood in a literary
work can vary depending on the reader. Some many take it one way, while another may think so
differently. After reading this poem we experience a few different moods. The first is a sort of
gladness or joy. We are quite intrigued because Cummings is telling us how special we are being
our own unique person. The world is good with us the way we are because if we changed one
thing then every miniscule thing would change. The other mood encountered would be a touch of
sadness. We start to imagine a different world, which seems great at first, but as you continue on
you see how different it would all be. We see how our personality and relationships with people
would differ.
In Cummings poem, we experience many more elements that werent mentioned. With
Cummings illiterate (so to speak) syntax, spelling and grammar we find a deeper meaning. In
Cummings poem, we experienced three main themes which were imagery, mood, and pattern.
His perspective in each poem changes along with the mood in each of his literary works. He is
the second most known poet and has written many sonnets and other poems (Poets.org).

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