Maria Manunta
Poetry
Second Response

Poetry is extremely difficult to decipher. It seems that every part of a poem has meaning, whether it is a space between two words or a shape that the stanzas create. Complex is a great word to describe E.E. Cummings. Some people may be able to understand him but others have extreme difficulty getting through a poem. Form is an important aspect in understanding meaning. Cummings two poems, “Buffalo Bill’s” and “next of course god America I,” share very different forms which can help determine what is easier to decipher; whether it is a poem with words all over the page or a poem more constraint and formal. In the poem, “Buffalo Bills,” Cummings is telling a story. If a reader did not know the background of the poem, it would be extremely difficult to truly understand what he is talking about. He is describing a cowboy which makes the poems form acceptable. The words form an image of what could look like a horse’s head. The word “watersmooth” in the fourth line is what could describe the poem. It flows smoothly, almost like a waterfall and forms images in the readers mind. Cummings uses imagery to connect with the audience: “Who used to ride a watersmooth-silver stallion and break onetwothreefourfive pigeonsjustlikethat”(Lines 3-6). He is describing Buffalo Bill with action words that are tangible to the audience. A picture is painted of a man on his horse, riding in the wind, not afraid of anything. Cummings states, “He was a handsome man”(Line 8). He is making Buffalo Bill a hero and mocking death. He carries a proud tone through every sentence. This poem is a lot easier to decipher because there is a story behind it and a meaning that comes with the story. It has a bright color with it, it kind of looks like freedom. When a person thinks of a horse running, he tends to think of what freedom feels like. The last two lines make Buffalo Bill seem immortal: “how do you like your blueeyed boy Mister Death.” Even though this hero is dead, Cummings is making him immortal. He is saying how even in death this boy is special and brings joy and safety along with him. It is safe to say that the form of the poem adds meaning to what Cummings is describing. The words are placed specifically to demonstrate what the poem is trying to get across. It flows right along with Buffalo Bill and his horse. The form facilitates the understanding in this poem.
The “Buffalo Bill” poem is a little simpler to understand compared to “Next to of course god America.” Poems are hard to understand when there is one speaker and tend to be harder when there are more than one. Especially when it is difficult to point them out. This poem has two speakers in it, which gives the poem two different meanings and it is harder to follow. Cummings fools the reader by including something familiar, making the reader think he will be able to understand. By including lines such as, “By the dawn's early my country tis of” (Line 3-4). One can see patriotism in the words, but then a different speaker taking the words apart; the speaker is adding more to the poem.
The poems shape is very formal. There are no words scattered across the page or long spaces between words. The poem gets to the point fast and moves from line to line without taking a breather. The tone is patriotic and sad. It is rougher and does not flow as smoothly as the last poem.
The lines are confusing, while the form is more familiar. The speaker in the poem is mocking the patriot who is talking about America, the land that he loves. The speaker is stating how even though the soldiers were heroes, they are still dead. He changes words around, to put what the patriot said in a different way.
No matter how short or simple a poem may be, there could always be a million ways to decipher its meaning. While the form and shape of a poem can sometimes facilitate the understanding process it can sometimes make it worse or have no effect on the significance of the poem. “Buffalo Bill” is a good example of how a difficult poem can become just a little bit easier by having a little bit of imagery added to the mix.