Year 12 IB Extended Essays 2017

Abstract

The research question that I am investigating is ‘How effectively does e.e. cummings

represent spontaneous delight and its capacity to reveal the youthful vivacity of the

human spirit in his poetry?’ The methodology of my research involved critical analysis of

numerous poems spanning cummings’ career and personal reflection on recurring themes and

ideas. It was evident me that his poems contain an undercurrent of hope and a tangible mood

of spontaneous delight. I selected a range of poems that embodied cummings’ youthful spirit

most effectively. I assessed and deconstructed the poems and correlated them into key ideas

that symbolized the foundation of cummings’ youthful spirit. These key ideas are linked in an

intimate way to the ‘spontaneous delight of the youthful spirit’, with these being: The irony of

youth; The importance of being young at heart; Spring as a metaphor for growth; Childhood

and new beginnings; and The Primacy of youthful passion over reason. I also researched

extensively into e.e. cummings’ influences and background, as socio-cultural context is de

rigueur in revealing a deeper understanding of the purpose of his poetry.

It is clear that the spontaneous delight of the youthful spirit that cummings’ works exudes

represents a summary of the key ideas investigated. Cummings explores life through his

ubiquitous acknowledgement of the primacy of youthful passion over logic and reason.

Cummings’ lexicon and register reflect the disregard he harbours for traditionalism and is

symbolic of youthful indifference. The liberating use of experimental grammar and nonsensical

phrases complement this disregard but also serve as a metaphor for e.e. cummings’

unconventional views. My final conclusion is that, through the use of unique phrasing and a

tangible passion for life, cummings infuses his poetry with a sense of spontaneous delight and

through it reveals the youthful vivacity of the human spirit in his poetry

Word Count: 300