Symbolism and Metaphor in Poetry
E. E. Cummings: SOMEWHERE I HAVE NEVER TRAVELLED, GLADLY BEYOND 1931
somewhere i have never travelled, gladly beyond any experience, your eyes have their silence:
In your most frail gesture are things which enclose me, or which i cannot touch because they are too near
your slightest look easily will unclose me 5 though i have closed myself as fingers, you open always petal by petal myself as Spring opens
(touching skilfully, mysteriously)her first rose or if your wish be to close me, i and my life will shut very beautifully, suddenly, 10 as when the heart of this flower imagines the snow carefully everywhere descending; nothing which we are to perceive in this world equals the power of your intense fragility:whose texture compels me with the colour of its countries, 15 rendering death and forever with each breathing (i do not know what it is about you that closes and opens;only something in me understands the voice of your eyes is deeper than all roses) nobody, not even the rain, has such small hands 20
Discuss how symbols or metaphors are used in the poem
Identify the key symbol(s) or metaphor(s) within the work.
Explain the meanings they convey to readers.
How do these elements enrich the poem and deepen your understanding of its themes?
Remember that claims in all parts of the assignment should be substantiated by excerpts from appropriate sources. Use APA rules of style for quotations, paraphrases, and summaries as well as in-text citations and references. Quoted material should not exceed 25% of your response.