A man who had fallen among

thieves

The Good Samaritan

Edward Estlin Cummings was born on October

14, 1894, in Cambridge, Massachusetts

Earned both his B.A. and his M.A. by 1916 from Harvard University

Served in World War I overseas as a volunteer for the ambulance corps.

About the author

Many of his poems are sonnets, usually with a

modern twist.

Known for his lack of stylistic and structural conformity in his poetry

Cummings died on September 3, 1962, in North Conway, New Hampshire, from a brain hemorrhage.

About the author

Was a pacifist

Cummings self-published much of his work and struggled financially.

Cummings' work universally shows a particular idiosyncrasy of syntax

Uses satire very often

About the author

a man who had fallen among thieves lay by the roadside on his back dressed in fifteenthrate ideas wearing a round jeer for a hat

Stanza 1

From the first stanza Cummings makes a

reference to the parable of the Good Samaritan

“Fallen among thieves“ This could mean a few things. He might of fallen in with a rough crowd per say, he is a thief, he had the misfortune to run into some thieves, which is why he is lying on the road.

“dressed in fifteenthrate ideas” This means that the persons ideas are not the best, smartest. As in First rate ideas for example.

Stanza 1

“wearing a round jeer for a hat” here round

probably takes its second definition which is, vehemently/emphatically/thoroughly. Jeer being a rude and mocking remark. The man is perhaps dressed in a certain attire that society doesn’t like or the hat might be his mindset/way of thinking therefore he is a person that is usually rude and mocking.

Stanza 1

fate per a somewhat more than less emancipated evening had in return for consciousness endowed him with a changeless grin

Stanza 2

The second stanza shows to

a certain extent, almost exemplifying a drunk man. In exchange for his consciousness he was endowed a changeless grin.

Stanza 2

whereon a dozen staunch and leal citizens did graze at pause then fired by hypercivic zeal sought newer pastures or because

Stanza 3

The author now shows the reader the

surroundings of the unconscious man. The author shows that 12 or so citizens passed or observed the man.

The implication here is that the citizens felt they were performing their “citizen-ly” (civic) duty by ignoring the sleeping man; their understanding of their obligations is that they should surround themselves with nice, peaceful things and ignore a man in trouble, who is viewed as “bad.”

Stanza 3

swaddled with a frozen brook of pinkest vomit out of eyes which noticed nobody he looked as if he did not care to rise

Stanza 4

The author is now describing the

unconscious man on the roadside. The man is literally swaddled/ wrapped in his own vomit and does not bother to notice anyone and gives off the impression that he simply does not care and might be the reason nobody bothered to help the man.

Stanza 4

One hand did nothing on the vest its wideflung friend clenched weakly dirt while the mute trouserfly confessed a button solemnly inert.

Stanza 5

The 5th stanza is pretty straight forward, it

shows the unconscious man and describes him in more detail. One hand did nothing on the vest its wideflung friend clenched weakly dirt. This is showing that one hand was on his vest and that the other was wideflung, as in far away from his body and it clenched weakly dirt, as to show that the man is either in pain or some sort of anger.

Stanza 5

while the mute trouserfly confessed a

button solemnly inert.This is pretty much

showing that the unconscious man has his fly open, further confirming our suspicions that the man is indeed a drunk.

Stanza 5

Brushing from whom the stiffened puke i put him all into my arms and staggered banged with terror through a million billion trillion stars.

Stanza 6

This stanza could allude to the fact that

individuals are miniscule compared to the universe. In the grand scheme of things, this poem’s small act of kindness is sincere but lost in the grand scheme.

The man is brushing away the puke off the man and carrying him. “staggered banged with terror” this shows that even though he was scared the man put it onto himself to help the unconscious man.

Stanza 6

An allegorical poem as well as a free verse

poem

There is no rhyme scheme in stanza one, two, five or six.

Stanzas three, and four have a rhyme scheme of ABAB.

Has six quatrains but only two have a rhyme scheme

Structure

The diction of the poem is mostly

negative but turns positive towards the end. The author’s use of mostly negative diction gives the poem a sense of sorrow for the unconscious man and shows the harshness and ignorance of people.

Diction

Towards the end the author uses

positive diction not only giving the atmosphere a change but as well as exemplifying that in the story, showing someone finally helping the drunk man.

Diction

The first stanza gives off an eerie,

ominous feeling, depicting the man who had fallen among thieves.

The second stanza gives off a mysterious feeling and leaves the reader asking why he was endowed with a changeless grin

Tone

The third stanza gives off a

dignified attitude and later shows a sense of rejection and disgust towards the unconscious man.

The fourth stanza gives off a sense of abandonment and feeling of sorrow towards the unconscious man.

Tone

The fifth stanza again adds the

feeling of sorrow towards the man . The first half of the sixth stanza

shows hope and a sense of optimism for the unconscious man, the second half shows a sense of fear yet compassion from the man who is helping.

Tone

A man who had fallen among thieves’

comes from the biblical parable of the Good Samaritan. Here, Cummings’s narrator encounters a drunk, unconscious man on the street and carries him, even though he finds him disgusting and terrifying, just as everyone else does. The point is that we should still help people whom we find revolting.

Theme

The poem is an allusion to..?

What did the citizens do for the man who was lying on the road?

What is the Theme of the poem?

The word Jeer means?

Quiz

Where was e.e Cummings born?

Where did Cummings attend college?

What is the overall diction of the poem?

How did Cummings die?

Quiz

What is the rhyme scheme of

stanza three?

What type of poem is this?

Quiz