Study Guide. Subscribe Now. In the first four lines, Cummings describes
the ladies whom he is criticizing
. They live in “furnished souls”—that is, their souls, as is the case with their lives, are assembled, readymade, and artificially arranged—and their minds are “unbeautiful” and “comfortable.”
What kind of poem is the Cambridge ladies who live in furnished souls?
Using a traditional verse form,
the sonnet
, as his structure, Cummings transforms the fourteen-line poem so that it is neither a Shakespearean nor a Petrarchan sonnet (the two types traditionally associated with this verse form).
What is meant by living in furnished souls?
Study Guide. Subscribe Now. In the first four lines, Cummings describes
the ladies whom he is criticizing
. They live in “furnished souls”—that is, their souls, as is the case with their lives, are assembled, readymade, and artificially arranged—and their minds are “unbeautiful” and “comfortable.”
How does EE Cummings describe Cambridge ladies?
He describes the Cambridge ladies as
“unbeautiful and have comfortable minds
,” meaning they do not think in an original or innovative way, or take risks, instead sticking to simple thoughts of what they know. …
What are furnished souls?
“furnished souls” they
have all the possessions that they need
, they fill themselves with earthly wants versus thoughts or spiritual fulfillment. “comfortable mind” they live in their own world where they do not have have to worry about anything.
Who wrote the Cambridge ladies who live in furnished souls?
Edward Estlin (E.E.) Cummings
was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He attended the Cambridge Latin High School, where he studied Latin and Greek. Cummings earned both his BA and MA from Harvard, and his earliest poems were published in Eight Harvard Poets (1917).
What does the poem anyone lived in a pretty how town?
‘, a poem about anonymity and obscurity.
A man named anyone lives in an average town, gets married to no one, and eventually dies
: the poem captures the ordinariness of the life of the average American, but in Cummings' trademark style.
Who is the speaker in next to of course god america i?
‘next to of course god america i' seems to be spoken from the heart of E.E. Cummings himself. He removes himself from the poem by using a speaker within a speaker, but the content of the poem directly corresponds with Cummings' life experiences.
What does the poem all in green went my love riding mean?
In summary, then: ‘all in green went my love riding' describes
a beautiful woman as she rides a golden horse at dawn
. … The speaker of the poem describes the deer, including four ‘fleet does' or female deer, which are nearly struck by the arrow the woman shoots from her bow.
What does Cummings refer to as sterilized contours?
The poet feels that the sympathy of the rich was sterilized. Their
unconcern
was a sterilized contour turning inhumane to the poor who sought aids and shelter. Their unconcern pains the poet. It raises his ego and emerges as the lower class was brutally victimized.
What do the four seasons represent in anyone lived in a pretty how town?
Cumming uses season to explain the poem's progress. “spring summer autumn winter” (3) and “sun moon stars rain” (8) symbolizes
time passing
, which represents life passing. In the poem, as the seasons and skies rotate, life continues along with them.
What is the main message of WH Auden's The Unknown Citizen?
“The Unknown Citizen” was written by the British poet W.H. Auden, not long after he moved to America in 1939. The poem is a kind of
satirical elegy written in praise of a man who has recently died and who lived what the government has deemed an exemplary life.
What does up so floating many bells down mean?
with up so floating many bells down)
All right, so now we're back to the cycle of the stars and rain and sun and moon
. No matter what the people in this poem are doing, Cummings wants to remind us that nature's cycle just keeps going.
How is next to of course god america i satirical?
next to of course god america i is one of the strangest sonnets ever written. It is a poem that delights in its own satire, that whimsically dances with cliches and pays little heed to punctuation. Overall, this is a rebel sonnet that ridicules the notion of patriotism, as delivered by an anonymous speaker.
What does the line by jingo by Gee by gosh by gum make you think about the speaker?
On the one hand, the speaker's tone seems sarcastic and deliberately ridiculous, as made evident by the lines, “
thy sons acclaim your glorious name by gorry / by jingo
by gee by gosh by gum.” The use of these absurd words suggests that the speaker wants to humorously mimic the way people talk when they become excessive …
What is the theme of my sweet old etcetera?
The theme of this poem isn't just about the aspects of war; it's also
about the insight of humanity's breach in the prospects of war
. This breach affects the human psyche in the soldiers and their family members, depending on the propaganda presented to these people.
