Wills+Paper

= = =__**ANALYSIS OF "SPRING IS LIKE A PERHAPS HAND"**__= //By Will Erickson//

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“Spring is Like a Perhaps Hand” by E. E. Cummings seems to be an expression of how spring can drastically alter our perception and interactions with the world around us, and how change can so seriously alter our beliefs and mindsets. Cummings uses a combination of literary devices and deeply made metaphors to express how important the seasons are to our perception of reality. This makes “Spring is Like a Perhaps Hand” a very interesting and remarkably unique poem. ======

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Cummings seems to use many literary devices to his benefit. For one thing, he seems to say certain phrases out of grammatical order. Not only does this give Cummings a persistent style, but it also allows for a feeling of other-worldliness, being so different from what the reader is expecting. One device that Cummings uses is repetition. He uses this device to trick the reader into further analyzing a certain word or phrase. When a reader sees a word repeated, the first reaction is that it truly must be important. Using these techniques, Cummings is able to make his poem seem incredibly unique and deep minded. ======

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Cummings seems to describe spring as a force of change that is able to bring about new things and new ideas into the world around us. Cummings states that spring is like a hand that is able to appear abruptly from nowhere. This is an interpretation of how winter is able to suddenly change to spring, when snow melts, flowers bloom, and the entire landscape changes. ======

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 Cummings states that spring is like a hand that arranges things in a window we all stare through. It can be inferred that what Cummings is trying to say is that spring alters how we see the world. If everything we see is through this window, or lens if you will, then the way that spring is altering the things in it alters the world we perceive through it. What Cummings is trying to show is that spring affects our world to the extent that it changes our perception of the things we see. The metaphor also gives the impression that spring is a transition from old things to new things. Winter is a time of year that is a cold time of death and retreat, whereas spring is a warm time of rebirth and new life. These differences alter our mood and our actions in our day to day life. These two metaphors show Cummings interpretation of spring as being a good time of change that makes us happy and controls our perception of the world around us. ======

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The other main emphasis in this poem is on springs’ carefulness. The poem constantly uses the word “carefully” and ends with the line “Without breaking anything”. This shows how spring is able to change our perception of the world so drastically, but at the same time it is still the same world. It can work in a more subtle progression, moving things in our world carefully and thoughtfully. While people stare at the change happening all around them they are able to see differences in the lens of their lives but the same basic view through the glass is still constant. It is a subtle change that changes a lot without going too fast, and doesn’t break anything by keeping the world around it the same. This deep use of metaphor allows Cummings to talk about the complex idea of seasons affecting mindset in more understandable and approachable terms. ======

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“Spring is Like a Perhaps Hand” is a poem that greatly personifies the extreme and gentle aspects of spring. Spring is able to completely change our perception of our world, but at the same time it does not truly change it. This is a constant balance that is explained and represented well in the poem, and with the combination of Cummings’ unique writing style, the result is a truly deep and interesting poem. ======