“a man who had fallen among thieves”By e.e cummings

PRESENTED BY:Carlos ChavarriaDavid CalderonBen KaserAdriana ArellanoMiguel GomezPeriod 4: Honors World LiteratureMr. Berkowitz

About e.e. cummings• Edward Estlin Cummings was born on October 14, 1894 in Cambridge

Massachusetts.• He moved to Paris, France and fell in love with the city and his service

in the Ambulance Corps.• His mom encouraged him to read poetry and this sparked his interest

in writing poetry.• He was arrested by the French police due to the fact that he supported

the German• In addition to poetry, he was a Playwriter, Artist and an Author.• After being released from prison he left France and moved to the

United States.• He attended Cambridge Latin High School.• He died on September 3rd 1932 in North Conway, New Hampshire from

a stroke. • He is remembered as a literary legacy.

The Good Samaritan(Vincent van Gogh 1890)

“a man who had fallen among thieves”

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

fate per a somewhat more than less

emancipated evening

had in return for consciousness

endowed him with a changeless grin

whereon a dozen staunch and leal

citizens did graze at pause

then fired by hypercivic zeal

sought newer pastures or because

This man had gotten into trouble and was beaten unconscious.

He was being ridiculed as he laid on the ground.

As the man laid on the ground, many civilians passed on by ignoring him.

Citizen felt as if they were doing the right thing by ignoring the man.

Cummings refers to them as sheep

It takes away his consciousness and exchanged it with happiness.

swaddled with a frozen brookof pinkest vomit out of eyeswhich noticed nobody he lookedas if he did not care to rise

one hand did nothing on the vestits wideflung friend clenched weakly dirtwhile the mute trouserfly confesseda button solemnly inert.

Brushing from whom the stiffened pukei put him all into my armsa and staggered banged with terror througha million billion trillion stars

Personification is used with the button and the trouserfly, giving them human qualities. The button is so sad that it cannot move.

He brushes off the vomit and picks up the man.He is unconscious

while he is carried through the city.

He is unconscious inside of a brook. The frozen brook also represents death.

His eyes have ruptured and he can no longer see anything or anyone. Or they are possible black eyes

He was hurt to the point where he can not get up.

Important Definitions• Fifteenthrate: low class.• Jeer: to mock.• Emancipated: free from legal, social, or political restrictions;

liberated.• Endowed: give or bequeath an income or property to (a person or

institution).• Staunch: loyal and committed in attitude.• Leal: loyal and honest.• Graze: to eat grass in a field.• Swaddled: to wrap in garments or clothes.• Brook: a small stream.• Trouserfly: piece fabric that covers the zipper.• Solemnly: gravely or somberly impressive.• Inert: lacking the ability or strength to move.

Definitions (cont’d)• staggered: astonish or deeply shocked

About the Poem• It is a parable of “The Good Samaritan.”• The poem is composed of 6 quatrains. • The possible theme is compassion for others in need or treat

others the way you would like to be treated.• Rhyme scheme is ABAB CDCD EFEF GHGH IJIJ KLKL.• No meter

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

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

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

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

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

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

Examples of Literary Devices

• Line 6: “emancipated evening” Alliteration rhyme

• Line 15: “which noticed nobody he looked“ Alliteration rhyme

• Line 18: "its wide flung friend clenched weakly dirt" Oxymoron

• Lines 19-20: "while the mute trouserfly confessed" Paradox

• Line 24: “a million billion trillion stars” Hyperbole