NEB Grade XI Compulsory English Note | Literary Studies | Unit 2 | Lesson 4 Who are you, little i? | E. E. Cummings

Unit:2

Lesson: 4

Who are you, little i?

About the Poem

The poem 'who are you, little i',composed by E. E. Cummings, 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 recalls a childhood moment closely connected with nature. Perhaps the speaker is the poet.

Summary

The speaker stands next to the window and addresses himself in the form of his own inner child who is 5 or 6 years old, calling ‘little i’ as the childlike feelings still lives within him. The feelings that cause him to recall how he used to enjoy the golden sunset in November when he was a child. Now his adulthood worries have suppressed all his joys and pleasures. He considers the day turning into the night as the gradual passage of time. He welcomes this as a beautiful way.

Understanding the text

Answer the following questions.

a. Who can be the speaker of this poem?

...
Answer:
The person who recalls his childhood closely connected with nature can be the speaker of this poem

b. What is “little i” doing?

...
Answer:
Little i is peering at sunset through the window.

c. What can be the relationship between “little i” and the speaker of the poem?

...
Answer:
"Little i" is the speaker's inner child.

d. What is the speaker remembering from his childhood days in the poem?

...
Answer:
In the poem, the speaker is remembering the golden Nevember sunset.

e. What attitude does the speaker seem to have toward the child in the poem?

...
Answer:
The speaker seems to have positive attitude toward the child. He becomes nostalgic when he recalls his childhood.

Reference to the context

a. Why do you think Cummings has placed a semicolon between the words window and at?

The semicolon between the words 'window' and 'at' expresses a break between the two main parts of the poem. In the first part, the poet asks his question. In the second part, he goes on to describe the sense of wonder he has experienced.

b. If the speaker is the child grown up, why does he ask, “who are you”?

The speaker addresses his own inner child. The childlike wonder still lives within him. The feelings that cause him to remember how he used to enjoy the golden sunset in November when he was a child.

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)”?

The theme of the line is death. The day turning into the night as the gradual change of life into death. The speaker is ready to welcome death rather than staying suffering alive. This indicates how death can be a solution to a painful life.

d. What is the rhyme scheme used in the poem?

The rhyme of scheme of the poem is ABAB. For example, 'I' in the first line rhymes with ‘high’ in the third line, and ‘old’ in the second line rhymes with ‘gold’ in the fourth line.

e. Explain the pun in “little i” that is related to what he is doing.

A pun is the clever use of a word that has more than one meaning or a word that have different meanings but sounds the same. The pun in 'little i' indicates both a specific aspect of the poet's personality, the childlike feeling of wonder, and seeing the world through the 'eye' of a child.

f. How does Cummings’s use of lowercase letters affect your understanding of the poem? Explain.

Cumming uses lowercase letters to emphasize his inferior feelings in regard to his experience. He used to enjoy nature in his childhood full of happiness. Now his adulthood worries have suppressed his joys and pleasures.