Pretty How Town
The poem “anyone lived in a pretty how town” was written by E.E Cummings, one of the most popular poets who was known for his innovative style and structure in writing. People are very fond of Cummings poem because unlike traditional poets, Cummings is rebellious, has his unique choice of words and refuses to follow proper syntax. The theme of this poem is centered around the awareness of time and death that takes place in an average town. The poem consists of an unusual form due to the author’s eccentric usage of capitalization, unusual syntax and punctuation in order to lay emphasis on events that are occurring within the poem. Cumming’s creates ambiguity throughout the whole poem using non-descriptive pronouns such as anyone, no one, someone,
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Cummings begins off with a very uncommon title about “anyone” who lived in a “how town,” ending it with an assonance. What does the author mean by “how” town? According to the OED, “how” means “Care, anxiety, trouble, sorrow” (“how” Oxford 1), which could depict the lack of care among the townspeople, furthermore “trouble and sorrow” might be related to the theme of life, time and death. The first stanza opens with the title of the poem “anyone lived in a pretty how town,” with the idea that “anyone” represent the individuals that’s abiding in the town. But why does the author choose “anyone” instead of a specific name? According to the OED, “anyone” means “a person or persons of any kind; any individual, without distinction or limitation” (“anyone” Oxford 2). Therefore, that author wants to draw attention away from a particular character yet rather indicate the town as a whole. In the following line, the abnormality of the poem begins as the author uses random …show more content…
The progression of time is presented again in a different order to differentiate time in this stanza than the previous. Cummings closes the stanza by introducing us to the second character “noone,” who’s love increases for “anyone” as time advanced. Moreover, Cummings choice of name “noone,” and her love for anyone partakes in a double meaning. The author is exemplifying that noone and anyone are meant for each other but also that the townspeople don’t care about one another. Proceeding to the fourth stanza, the reader can see that Cummings use of syntax keeps getting more bizarre. Look at the words the author chooses to use, “when my now and tree by leaf.” These words can be used to describe anyone and noone’s present love. According to the OED, “leaf” means “In various fig. senses, esp. with allusion to growth or thriving” (“leaf” Oxford 1b), thus “tree by leaf” may symbolize their of life and experiences. The author states “she laughed his joy she cried his grief,” where his usage of consonance displays noone’s attachment towards anyone’s happiness and
Cummings begins off with a very uncommon title about “anyone” who lived in a “how town,” ending it with an assonance. What does the author mean by “how” town? According to the OED, “how” means “Care, anxiety, trouble, sorrow” (“how” Oxford 1), which could depict the lack of care among the townspeople, furthermore “trouble and sorrow” might be related to the theme of life, time and death. The first stanza opens with the title of the poem “anyone lived in a pretty how town,” with the idea that “anyone” represent the individuals that’s abiding in the town. But why does the author choose “anyone” instead of a specific name? According to the OED, “anyone” means “a person or persons of any kind; any individual, without distinction or limitation” (“anyone” Oxford 2). Therefore, that author wants to draw attention away from a particular character yet rather indicate the town as a whole. In the following line, the abnormality of the poem begins as the author uses random …show more content…
The progression of time is presented again in a different order to differentiate time in this stanza than the previous. Cummings closes the stanza by introducing us to the second character “noone,” who’s love increases for “anyone” as time advanced. Moreover, Cummings choice of name “noone,” and her love for anyone partakes in a double meaning. The author is exemplifying that noone and anyone are meant for each other but also that the townspeople don’t care about one another. Proceeding to the fourth stanza, the reader can see that Cummings use of syntax keeps getting more bizarre. Look at the words the author chooses to use, “when my now and tree by leaf.” These words can be used to describe anyone and noone’s present love. According to the OED, “leaf” means “In various fig. senses, esp. with allusion to growth or thriving” (“leaf” Oxford 1b), thus “tree by leaf” may symbolize their of life and experiences. The author states “she laughed his joy she cried his grief,” where his usage of consonance displays noone’s attachment towards anyone’s happiness and