http://www.englishforums.com/English/Poetry/Forum13.htmPoets.. come one, come all.enXMOD (Build: 3598.39794)http://www.englishforums.com/English/OldAgeSticksByEECummings/ccknp/post.htm#934358Thu, 08 Oct 2009 23:44:00 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:934358Anonymous0http://www.englishforums.com/English/OldAgeSticksByEECummings/ccknp/post.htm#934358http://www.englishforums.com/English/comments13-934358.xmlWord play and unusual spatial arrangement of words and symbols are two of cummings’s most significant contributions to modern poetry. Cummings drew and painted from an early age, and his poems often reflect his interest in visual representation of the world. Like a visual artist, he bent, broke, twisted, and reshaped the material of his poetic craft — language. In “old age sticks” cummings flouts the conventions of language in various ways. He uses enjambment — the spilling over of one line onto the next — to create multiple meanings, as in “youth goes/right on/gr/owing old.” He capitalizes words contrary to the standard rules, as in this poem, where he uses capitals to emphasize each word in old age’s string of negative commands:...http://www.englishforums.com/English/OldAgeSticksByEECummings/ccknp/post.htm#440353Sun, 08 Mar 2009 06:06:14 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:440353Anonymous1http://www.englishforums.com/English/OldAgeSticksByEECummings/ccknp/post.htm#440353http://www.englishforums.com/English/comments13-440353.xmlI find this to be one of cummings' best poems. It's all about the conflict between adults and/or authority who set up rules and young people who rebel. Notice that everything that "old age" says is IN parentheses (signifying their stifling control) and everything that "youth" says is OUTSIDE of parenthese (signifying freedom). Much if what "old age" says begins with a capital (signifying authority) and everything "youth" says is in lower case. The split words give cummings a double meaning. For example, breaking up "Mustn't" in the fourth stanza into Must/ n't signifies both those things adults say we MUST do and those things they say we MUSTN'T do. Better yet, the last two lines break up the phrase "growing old" into gr/owing...http://www.englishforums.com/English/OldAgeSticksByEECummings/ccknp/post.htm#424978Thu, 08 Jan 2009 06:06:14 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:424978Anonymous2http://www.englishforums.com/English/OldAgeSticksByEECummings/ccknp/post.htm#424978http://www.englishforums.com/English/comments13-424978.xmlwhat is this poem really abouthttp://www.englishforums.com/English/OldAgeSticksByEECummings/ccknp/post.htm#365806Fri, 08 May 2009 05:06:14 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:365806Anonymous3http://www.englishforums.com/English/OldAgeSticksByEECummings/ccknp/post.htm#365806http://www.englishforums.com/English/comments13-365806.xmlThe open ended parentheses leads us back to the beginning where youth just keeps on growing old...age sticks. It is a never ending cycle and a beautiful poem.http://www.englishforums.com/English/OldAgeSticksByEECummings/ccknp/post.htm#181084Wed, 08 Apr 2009 05:06:14 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:181084Mister Micawber4http://www.englishforums.com/English/OldAgeSticksByEECummings/ccknp/post.htm#181084http://www.englishforums.com/English/comments13-181084.xmlNot silly, certainly, but probably unanswerable in the absolute. I'm sure that every reader would take his own tack. Myself, I'd read the boys' names and the girls' names much as we'd say them anyway-- and that is probably what e.e. intended: Eddie 'n' Bill . As for gr/owing : I'd guess that e.e. wanted us to stretch it out a bit, is all... over two lines at least.http://www.englishforums.com/English/OldAgeSticksByEECummings/ccknp/post.htm#180923Wed, 08 Apr 2009 05:06:14 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:180923julielai5http://www.englishforums.com/English/OldAgeSticksByEECummings/ccknp/post.htm#180923http://www.englishforums.com/English/comments13-180923.xmlThanks. Just a silly question: How would you read the poems to demonstrate the unusual spellings and spacing? e.g. "bettyandisbel", "eddieandbill" or "gr owing old"? Would you speed up or slow down? Thanks!http://www.englishforums.com/English/OldAgeSticksByEECummings/ccknp/post.htm#180609Fri, 08 May 2009 05:06:15 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:180609Mister Micawber6http://www.englishforums.com/English/OldAgeSticksByEECummings/ccknp/post.htm#180609http://www.englishforums.com/English/comments13-180609.xmlI'm not a fan of e.e. cummings, Julie-- because I don't understand what he's getting at, usually. About these two particular poems, my reaction is that in just- may be more attractive because of its playful coined images ( mud-luscious and puddle-wonderful ), which old age sticks does not have. What the latter does hold for me is the ultra-simple staccato of the innate antipathy between youth and age. But, no, I can't match up the parentheses to their mates either-- perhaps there's an on-line exegesis somewhere....http://www.englishforums.com/English/OldAgeSticksByEECummings/ccknp/post.htmSun, 08 Mar 2009 06:06:15 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:179994julielai7http://www.englishforums.com/English/OldAgeSticksByEECummings/ccknp/post.htmhttp://www.englishforums.com/English/comments13-179994.xmlHere's the poem: http://www.palace.net/~llama/poetry/oldage I have to admit: I care for neither the punctuation nor the word splitting. The ( , & , and word-splits just make the poem "cutesy". I prefer " in just- ": http://www.web-books.com/Classics/Poetry/Anthology/cummings/InJust.htm . But I know next to nothing about poetry. Do others find the poem effective?