Who
are you, little i?
E.E. Cummings (1894-1962)
About the Author
· full name is Edward Estlin Cummings, often styled as e e cummings
· was an American poet, painter, essayist, novelist, and playwright
· wrote approximately 2,900 poems, two autobiographical novels, four plays, and several essays, as well as numerous drawings and paintings
· developed the style of poetry writing for which he became renowned, with its unconventional use of capitalization, punctuation, spacing, and structure
· regarded as an eminent voice of the 20th century English literature
Central Idea
Cumming’s poem ‘who are you, little i’ describes a child looking out a window at the end of the day. It is about nature and the effect it has on the speaker. The speaker of the poem is the person ‘voicing’ the words, recalling a childhood moment closely connected with nature. Perhaps the speaker is Cummings. The poet is not talking to a child he has found peering from some high window. Instead, he is addressing his own inner child, the childlike wonder within him.
Summary of the poem
The short poem entitled ‘Who are you little i?’ was composed by American poet E. E. Cummings. The poem written in alternate rhyme scheme (ABABCDCD) is about nature and the effect it has on the speaker. It describes a child looking out a window at the end of the day of November.
In the poem, the speaker is the poet and addressing himself in the form of his own inner child. The child is peering form some high window. Making use of lowercase ‘i’ the narrator informs the readers that he is not speaking to a child that he has found looking out a window. Instead, he is addressing his own inner child, the childlike wonder within him. He has been suddenly startled by the beauty of nature and the wonder and inspiration it has brought him has caused him to remember how he used to feel when he was a child. He asks ‘who are you little i?’ because it has been a long time since he has experienced this childlike sense of wonder. The feelings have reawakened the child within him.
The pun in ‘little i’ is that it does not refer to a specific aspect of the poet’s personality, the childlike sense of wonder, but it also refers to looking at the natural world through the eyes of a child.
The poet has used semicolon between the words ‘window’ and ‘at’ to show a separation between the two main sections of the poem. The first part expresses his curiosity in a brilliant manner and the second describes the sense of wonder he has experienced. The poet exclaims that contemplating the beauty of nature is a beautiful way to live life and to keep away the darkness.
Understanding the text
Answer the following questions.
a. Who can be the speaker of this poem?
The speaker can be the poet himself. The poet E. E. Cummings is addressing himself in the form of his own inner child, the childlike wonder living within him.
b. What is ‘little i’ doing?
The little ‘i’ is peering from some high window. He is praising the natural beauty reflected at the golden sunset of November.
c. What can be the relationship between ‘little i’ and the speaker of the poem?
The little ‘i’ can be the childlike wonder that lives within him. The speaker of the poem can be the poet himself, who is reawakened by the beauty and wonder of nature perceived by peering through the window.
d. What is the speaker remembering from his childhood days in the poem?
The speaker is remembering beauty and wonder of nature from his childhood days in the poem. The scene he views from some high window brings startling glimpse of his childhood memories. Then he immediately happens to address his own inner child within him.
e. What attitude does the speaker seem to have toward the child in the poem?
The speaker seems to have a positive attitude toward the child in the poem. He is recalling a blissful moment of his childhood days. The beauty and wonder of nature have reawakened his own inner child, the childlike sense of wonder.
Reference to the context
a. Why do you think Cummings has placed a semicolon between the words window and at?
I think Cummings has placed a semicolon between the words window and at to express a separation between the two main sections of the poem. In the first part, the poet asks a question and in the second part, he describes the sense of wonder he has experienced. The first part is resulted from his startling surprise given by the beauty of nature. The second one is simply a recollection of what he used to feel when he was a child.
b. If the speaker is the child grown up, why does he ask, “Who are you”?
The speaker is surely the child grown up. He asks, “Who are you?” because it has been a long time since he has experienced this childlike sense of wonder. He is grateful that these feelings reawakened his own inner child. He is vividly remembering his childhood in relation to his inner self of the present. The beauty and wonder of nature inspire him to appreciate his inner self.
c. In this poem, an adult reflects on the childhood experience. Based on that, what might be the theme of the lines: (and feeling: that if day/has to become night/this is a beautiful way?”
An adult reflects on the childhood experience in this poem since the speaker is addressing his own inner child. The beauty and wonder of nature revive his childhood residing within himself. Based on this experience, the theme of the lines ‘and feeling: that if day/has to become night/this is a beautiful way’ is more appreciative. The evident theme of these lines is contemplating beauty of nature is a beautiful way to live life and to keep away the darkness. These do not evoke the sense of frightening dark night.
d. What is the rhyme scheme used in the poem?
The rhyme scheme used in the poem is ababcdcd. In other words, the first line rhymes with the third and the second with the fourth. This is technically known as alternate rhyme scheme. The poet has repeated two ends sounds in an alternate pattern.
e. Explain the pun in ‘little i’ that is related to what he is doing.
The term ‘pun’ simply means humorous use of a word that has different meanings but sound the same. The pun in the ‘little i’ is that it does not refer to a specific aspect of the poet’s personality, i. e. the childlike sense of wonder but also refers to perceiving the world through the eyes of a child.
f. How does Cummings’s use of lowercase letters affect your understanding of the poem? Explain.
Cummings’s use of lowercase letters affects my understanding of the poem in the sense that the speaker is not talking to someone else. Rather, he is talking to his own inner child. The lowercase letter ‘i’ is used to indicate his own childlike sense of wonder. The wonder and beauty of nature inspire him to appreciate five- or six-years child within himself.
Reference beyond the text
a. How does nature inspire the speaker in “who are you, little i”? Explain.
In the poem ‘who are you, little i?’ the speaker is peering from some high window to enjoy beauty of nature. The wonder and beauty of nature inspire him to recall his childhood days. The use of lowercase ‘i’ indicates that he is addressing his own inner child, the sense of childlike wonder. He asks ‘who are you little i?’ because it has been a long time since he has experienced this childlike sense of wonder. The feelings have reawakened the child within him. This suggests that he used to enjoy watching nature when he was five or six years old. The natural objects and sites visible form the window bring his childhood memory back to the present and make realize his actual personality that is closely associated to his inner self.
This poem evokes the effect of nature on the speaker. Looking from the window, he happens to recollect his childhood moment closely connected to nature. In the poem, he is praising the beauty of nature connecting to his childhood attitude to nature and the inner child residing within him in the present.
