Who are you little i?

"Who are you, little i" is a poem by E.E. Cummings in the twentieth century. Cummings, a poet, playwright, and novelist, was born in Cambridge. In this poem, he reflects on his upbringing and mature years. The speaker led a carefree childhood. As a child, he had a great time. He enjoys various nature activities. Many recollections from his childhood remain with him as an adult. As a grownup, he can no longer enjoy the moments as he once did.

In the poem, the speaker is standing near a window. He wonders, "Who are you, little i?" because it had been long since he had experienced this youthful magic. He stared out the window at night, watching the sunset. This encounter reminds the poet of his boyhood. As a youngster, he mistook the fading sun for the golden sun and enjoyed admiring its beauty.

Then he discusses the basic fact of existence, namely the pains of humans, which are unavoidable in everyone's lives. As a mature man, the speaker's days are passing into night. This signifies that he can no longer bear suffering and instead welcomes death gladly. This demonstrates how death can provide a resolution to a terrible life.

As an adult, he has no choice but to recall his childhood joys. He is now unable to fully enjoy his childhood because of his maturity and different concerns concerning his adult life. As a result, the speaker feels nostalgic for being unable to relive the happy days. The speaker brought back many new memories of nature. As a result, this poem depicts the poet's close affinity with nature and how it has influenced him.

Some Important Questions

1. 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)”?

ans: The boy's thoughts on the lovely sight of November's golden sunset are expressed in these lines. He thinks about the beautiful change from day to night in nature. Thus, death might be the theme of these lines. It's a delicate way of expressing an unwanted change from a happy youth to the end of life.

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

ans: My interpretation of the poem is impacted by Cummings's usage of lowercase letters. He emphasizes his inferior sentiments about his event by using lowercase letters. When he was younger, he used to love the outdoors and was always content, but now that he is an adult, his anxieties have stifled his enjoyment.

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

ans: To create a break in the lengthy sentence and maintain the flow of ideas, I believe Cummings inserted a semicolon between the terms window. In some circumstances, a semicolon is more effective than a comma, as seen in the example sentence construction.