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"9" by E.E. Cummings Analysis Essay

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“9” by E.E. Cummings
Edward Estlin Cummings was a unique poet with an equally unique writing style. E.E. Cummings was born on October 14th, 1894 in Cambridge, Massachusetts. In 1916, Cummings graduated with a master’s degree from Harvard University. During his studies, he was subject to many great writers such as Gertrude Stein and Ezra Pound. After working for five months as a volunteer ambulance driver in World War I, he was captured by French authorities. He was accused on accounts of espionage. After the war, he settled into a life in which he bounced around from houses in rural Connecticut and Greenwich Village. He also traveled through Europe meeting various poets and artists, including Pablo Picasso. During his life, Cummings won a …show more content…

In the way he conveys this, it’s clear that he feels time is moving very slowly. In the third stanza, “We do not wind it up, it has no weights, spring wheels inside of its slender self, no indeed dear nothing of the kind” (Cummings Web), Cummings creates vivid imagery. This shows that Cummings is relating how he has no use for a clock and doesn’t care for the principle of keeping time. He would rather live life time free, without having to worry about being on time or being late.
The third and final poetic device that shows up in the poem, “9”, is symbolism. To begin the poem Cummings uses symbolism. The number “9” refers to the number of times he uses the words, “tic-toc”, “toc-tic”, “tic-tic”, “toc”, and “tic”. Also, as seen in the fourth stanza, “So when kiss spring comes, we’ll kiss each kiss other on kiss the kiss lips because the tic clocks toc don’t make a toc-tic difference to kiss kiss you and to kiss me” (Cummings Web). Cummings uses the word “kiss” to complicate and clutter the verse. If you remove those words, he simply summarizes all of his thoughts in the last stanza. He says when spring comes; we can kiss because the clocks don’t make a difference to you and me. This symbolizes that Cummings can’t wait for the spring and summer months when the clocks don’t play a role in his life.
In conclusion, Cummings uses his poem “9” to relay his feeling to time. He feels that

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