a man who had fallen among thieves BY

a man who had fallen among thieves BY : e. e cummings

Edward Estin Cummings Born on October 14, 1894 in Cambridge, Massachusetts Cummings volunteered to serve in the North- Harjes Ambulance group in France during WWI. He was imprisoned ( on false ground ) for three months in a French detention camp. His mother encouraged him into poetry which sparked his interest. Many of his poems are sonnets with modern twists. He was known for his lack of stylistic and structural conformity in his poetry. He was self-published and influenced by Gertrude Stein’s unconventional use of syntax and Amy Lowell’s imagistic experiment. He died on September 3, 1962 in North Conway, New Hampshire from a hemorrhage.

Amy Lowell helped established imagism. Imagism is the type of poetry that describes images with simple languages and great focus ( basically the images are very detailed. ) Gertrude Stein rejected punctuation and relied instead on words and sentences to convey emotion. Stein also did not follow the rules of syntax, meaning she did not follow proper sentence structure. e. e cummings was influence by Stein’s free flowing work and it is shown in his poem “a man who had fallen among thieves” as he has all but one word capitalized (Brushing). He too disregards proper syntax. Amy Lowell’s style of imagism was an inspiration to create the “Good Samaritan” painting because of her vivid diction.

I a man who had fallen among thieves He could of fallen in with the rough/bad crowd lay by the roadside on his back thieves is the roadside dressed in fifteenthrate ideas His misfortune of running into the reason why he’s laying in His ideas are not the best wearing a round jeer for a hat II fate per a somewhat more than less He is being portrayed as an unconscious man emancipated evening had in return for consciousness he is In exchange for his consciousness endowed him with a changeless grin endowed a changeless grin

whereon a dozen staunch and leal citizens did graze at pause then fired by hypercivic zeal sought newer pastures or because swaddled with a frozen brook of pinkest vomit out of eyes which noticed nobody he looked as if he did not care to rise III A dozen or so citizens passed by him or observed him The citizens thought they were performing a duty by ignoring the unconscious man The man is seen as bad person by the people and so they only want to surround themselves with decent citizens IV He is wrapped in his own dried vomit and he does not seem to be capable of noticing anyone around him Nobody bothered to help him because he gave the impression that he does not want to be bothered or perhaps he cant show he needs help

V one hand did nothing on the vest He is being described with more detail its wideflung friend clenched weakly dirt while the mute trouserfly He has his fly open confirming that confessed a button solemnly inert he was in trouble VI Brushing from whom the stiffened puke Even though the man was scared he i put him all into my arms put it upon himself to help out the and staggered banged with terror troubled man lying in the roadside It was a small act of kindness through a million billion trillion stars People are infinite compare to the universe

Good Samaritan Original painting by: Delacroix Replica painting by: Van Gogh Biblical Referrence: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead. ”

Structure • The poem is composed of 6 stanzas. (sestet) • This poem was written in iambic. • It’s atypical rhyme scheme ballad because not all the words rhyme with each other. • There are 24 lines in total. • Some dictions were made up, composed or combined together. (ex. Trouserfly, Wideflung, Hypercivic zeal) • There is a continuous enjambment until it reaches the 5 th stanza.

…TO BE CONTINUED • Line 6: “emancipated evening”…shows alliteration. Alliteration is a repetition of one or more initial sounds in wrods within a line. • Line 18: “its wide flung friend clenched weakly dirt” …oxymoron. An oxymoron is two words that contradict each other. • Lines 19 -20: “while the mute trouserfly confessed” …shows a paradox. A paradox is a statement which appears self contradictory. • Line 24: “a million billion trillion stars” …hyperbole. Hyperbole is an exaggeration.

Words to Know Jeer – to speak out or shout Emancipated – free or liberated Endowed – to give away something to a person Leal – loyal; true Zeal – enthusiasm; pursuing a cause Swaddle – to wrap around Brook – a small, natural stream of fresh water

Inert – lacking of ability to move Stiffened – being still Staggered – to walk, move, or stand unsteadily. Banged – a loud, sudden, explosive noise, as the discharge of a gun. Solemnly – no facial expression Staunch – loyal; committed Trouserfly – the fly of your trousers ( Buttons or Zipper). Fifteenthrate – low quality. Wideflung – wide

Diction • The diction of the poem is mostly negative but turns out positive towards the end. (ex. fifteenthrate ideas, thieves) • Uses negative diction to create a sense of sorrow for the unconscious man. (ex. “pinkest vomit out of eyes”) • The diction reflects a lack of empathy towards the unconscious man. (“which noticed nobody he looked as if he did not care to rise”) • Towards the end there is a more positive diction showing that the atmosphere is changing for the better. (ex. stars, friend)

QUIZ 1. Who was the original painter of the Good Samaritan? 2. Who influenced his interest in poetry? 3. What was the act of kindness that occurred in stanza 6? 4. What is the main allusion of the poem?

5. The word “jeer” means? 6. Give one example of a positive diction in stanza 5. 7. Give one example of a negative diction in stanza 1. 8. Where did e. e cummings volunteered? 9. The word “fifteenthrate” means? 10. Give one example of his combined or compound words.