Who are you little i

Understanding the text

Answer the following questions.

a. Who can be the speaker of this poem?

The speaker of this poem is the poet himself. Here in this poem, he has presented himself as a little boy recalling his childhood experience connected with nature.

b. What is “little i” doing?

‘Little i’ is looking the beautiful and golden scene of sunset from a window and feeling about the beautiful way of transforming the day into the night.

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

The “little i” is the childhood of the speaker himself, and the speaker is the child grown-up. So we can say that the “little i” is the child version of the speaker.

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

The speaker is remembering an extremely beautiful scene of nature from his childhood days in the poem. He is remembering himself as a little boy who used to enjoy the beautiful golden sunset and its transformation.

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

The speaker seems to have a positive, nostalgic attitude towards the child. He feels a youthful presence in himself still now, who inspires him now to look out and enjoy the nature outside.

Reference to the context

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

I think Cummings has placed a semicolon between the words window to provide a break in the long sentence while keeping the thought flowing. In such situations a semicolon works stronger than a comma as in the present sentence structure.

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

There is no doubt that the speaker is the child grown up. Still he puts the question “who are you”. It may be because he is struggling to recall the wonderment of his youthful days. Or maybe, it’s his incredulity that there is still a youthful presence in himself enjoying the nature.

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)”?
Here, in these lines, we find the boy’s feeling about the beautiful scene of November’s golden sunset. He feels about wonderful transition of nature i.e day to night. Thus, the theme of these lines might refer to death. It is a touchy way to describe an unwelcome transition from the joyful youth to the end of life.

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

A rhyme scheme is the pattern of sounds that repeats at the end of a line or stanza. The rhyme scheme used in the poem is ABAB and CDCD.

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.

Cummings’s use of lowercase letters affect my understanding of the poem. He uses lowercase letters to emphasize his inferior feelings in regard to his experience. He used to enjoy nature in his childhood full of happiness but now his adulthood worries have suppressed his joys and pleasures.

Reference beyond the text

a. How does nature inspire the speaker in “who are you, little i”? Explain.

Nature inspires the speaker a lot in “who are you, little i”. The beauty of nature has made him to go back into his beautiful childhood experience. He finds himself as a little boy of five or six years old in his childhood. He used to look at the beautiful golden sunset and feels for the beautiful way of the transition of the day into the night.

b. Recall a childhood moment when you felt closely connected with nature. Describe the time and place as well as your feelings and thoughts about it.

c. Interpret the poem in any way you like.