It goes without saying that for the appropriate interpretation of any poem, it is highly essential to examine its “background.” In other words, it is important to find information about the author as the understanding of its personality frequently provides a better insight into his or her works. Thus, Edward Estlin (E. E.) Cummings may be regarded as one of the most prominent and innovative poets of the 20th century (Poetry Foundation). In an attempt to create a unique and distinct personal style, he eagerly experimented with language and poetic form. As a result, a typical poem of E. E. Cummings is precise and spare with a few eccentrically placed keywords. In general, his style is characterized by the invention of new words, the synthesis of new words through the combination of two common ones, assigning other private meanings to words, and the revision of linguistic and grammatical rules to suit individual purposes (Poetry Foundation). It is possible to say that E. E. Cummings has established his poetry as visual objects that contribute to the creation of readers’ individual perceptions and private associations.
In the first reading, “She Being Brand” the author describes his experience of driving a new car. The process of starting and driving a car in the 1920s was completely different in comparison with modern vehicles, and E. E. Cummings is consistent and accurate in its description. In other words, on the basis of substantial technical groundwork, he delineates a new engine’s little stiffness, the need for oil for the joint, the clutch’s possible slipping that may lead to the engine’s kicking (Cummings). At the same time, the author cannot control the car during the whole ride in an excellent manner. At the same time, he is seemingly enjoying the ride speeding up and slowing down to test the car’s capabilities.
However, being one of the most obscure poems of the author, “She Being Brand” directly unfold its second meaning once being perceived. Writing his poem as a single extended metaphor, E. E. Cummings compares the process of riding the car with the first sexual intercourse with an inexperienced woman who is unimportant to a man. These two concepts are directly linked from the beginning of the work through the personalization when the author addresses the car as “she” (Cummings). His indifference for the woman is emphasized by the use of mechanical language with a commercial mindset supported by the sexual revolution in the 1920s and the mobility provided by the invention of automobiles. Thus, when he capitalizes the word “Brand” he lets readers understand that he treats his partner simply as an object. In general, the author presents this work for satiric purposes in order to reflect the appearing attitudes of a new consumer-oriented society.
Subsequently, through the description of running in the car, Cummings refers to the preparing for and the sexual contact itself. In the ironic tone comparing the woman with the car, he decides to be “careful of her” knowing it will be her “first ride” (Cummings). Surprisingly, all language of this poem is completely appropriate to vehicles and is saturated with erotic associations at the same time. The phrase “having thoroughly oiled the universal joint” similar to the manual instruction from the vehicle’s manual is a brilliant metaphor for the lubrication process; “tested my gas felt of her radiator” refers to sexual foreplay as well (Cummings). Although through the description of the series of disorders with the car in the process of driving and the change in his confident and patronizing tone, the author refers to the inability to control the process with the woman, finally, he happily admits that everything goes smoothly. “As we turned the corner of Divinity avenue I touched the accelerator and give her the juice” which addresses the climax of the intercourse (Cummings).
In general, it is possible to say that “She Being Brand” is a poem full of deviations. Cummings traditionally alters its structure and creates “a rhyme scheme unlike traditional poetry” (Khalid et al. 334). The work is full of idiosyncratic spacing, irregular capitalization, and erratic text alignment. However, these poetic tools are used purposefully as they perfectly reflect the rhythm and peculiarities of actions. For instance, cut and short stanzas mixed with longer parts show the complicated process of the engine starting and driving the car. At the same time, they address the process of sexual contact as well when an initially self-confident man has to stop and continue “slo-wly;barely nudging” due to the woman’s lack of experience. In other words, the poem’s rhythm embodies the awkwardness of a new vehicle riding for the first time and imposes this experience on the man’s sexual actions and the process in general. At the beginning of the poem, the exclusion of commas and the extension of the lines’ length indicate the acceleration of the tempo due to the author’s eagerness that subsequently stops due to the first challenges. Later, the success in both riding and the intercourse is demonstrated by extended lines and homogeneous parts and cut phrases and words imply the subsequent final of both processes.
Works Cited
Cummings, E. E. “she being Brand.” All Poetry, Web.
Khalid, Anam, et al. “Stylistic Analysis of Deviations in E.E Cumming Poem She Being Brand.” International Journal of Advanced Scientific and Technical Research, vol. 1, no. 5, 2015, pp. 328-337.
Poetry Foundation. “E. E. Cummings.” Web.