E. E. Cummings “Buffalo Bill’s” is an excellent example of a famous writer’s most elegant in formatting and syntactic avant-garde experiments. If we look at the poem from an interpretative point of view, our work is immediately cut out for us.
Buffalo Bill’s
deceased
Thankfully, we’re not looking to “interpret” anything here, so we can skip the rudimentary history lesson about the life and times of “Buffalo” Bill Cody. Rather than trying to “understand” this piece, we look at it and use it as proof… proof that Cummings came from the future. There is a clear lack of respect for the rules of formation and syntax throughout the poem, which is the first sign of this. Surely a Harvard graduate like Cummings would know better. The most possible explanation: this is how poetry (and perhaps written language in general) is generally structured in the future.
We can begin our investigation by looking at Cummings himself. His sketchy biographical information tells us that his alleged father, a minister in the Unitarian Universalist Church (which already sounds more like a secret space/time travel than a place of worship) encouraged him to develop his artistic gifts from a young age. So, consider the events in Wellfleet, MA, in 2003. Omnipoint, a telecommunications company, wanted to erect cellular communications antennas in a seaside town. Rather than setting the sights on the New England landscape, the people of Omnipoint came up with an easier solution: they approached the Unitarian Church and offered the sum of $50,000 if they would allow the antenna to be discreetly placed inside their church tower. . Unitarian Universal – quickly and Why? We’re not talking about the Amish here… the Unitarian Church, a relatively “liberal” church, doesn’t have any wonderful anti-technology principles to decline this offering on a theological basis. The Unitarians had nothing to lose and a great deal of money would gain—allowing Omnipoint to be placed inside their church. It is likely that there was some technological tool inside the Wellfleet Church. What kind of time-travel was born in Cambridge and raised, a mere hundred miles from Wellfleet!
But I digress. It is proved in the poem. The central metaphor here is that Cummings compares himself to “Buffalo Bill.” To understand this, all you need to know about “Buffalo” Bill Cody is that when he set up the Wild West advertising chess, he was actually little more than a shrewd businessman. Even after the days of the wild west were very much over, William Cody and his companions perpetuated “Buffalo Bill” on stage shows and stories. In his later days, “Buffalo Bill” used his reputation to promote businesses that he had invested in many Southwestern locations. by comparing himself to William Cody, Cummings lets us in on his secret: the Massachusetts boy artist is really just a character; a legend… a marketing device.
And if we are still not convinced, Cummings continues with greater proof:
who used
ride a silver watermooth
a horse
“A silver shot of water?” Overtly, this is a simple allusion to Buffalo Bill riding a horse. But are horses silver and smooth as water? Horses have veins, well-defined muscles, not to mention nappy manes and clunky hooves – they are not “scales” by any stretch of the imagination. And while horses come in many tones and colors, “silver” certainly isn’t one. But back to space or time machines… when I think of such a machine, I think of a sleek, chrome box: “silver” and “aquaemooth”.
He continues with a hint of a sheep in the future;
and I would kill onetwothreefourfive doves just like that
Jesus
What is behind this lack of space? My hypothesis is that Cummings arose from a time and place where the English language evolved beyond the necessity of space. . Human literature and written languages have been continuously evolving since the dawn of man. The only logical assumption, then, is that people will eventually become so good at reading and writing that spaces will become superfluous. The abolition of logging will also help in cutting down the consumption of forest products and in turn reduce the need for industrial processes that convert Wood into paper. As we already know, these environmental issues are increasing in importance every year. Perhaps in Cummings’ time the spaces were prohibited by law to preserve trees and protect the environment.
And why the sudden mention of “Jesus?” Is this another metaphor? It can best be argued that Cummings likens himself to Jesus because they both “rose from the dead.” Although we know for a fact that Cummings died in 1962, it only stands to reason that he will be reborn, since his actual date of birth is in the future.
The end of the poem sees our “Buffalo Bill” (or Buffalo Jesus, if you prefer) flying off into the sunset while patting himself on the back.
He was a handsome man
and what do I want to know?
how are you doing your blueeyed boy
Death of the Master
He calls the Buffalo Dog, and thus metaphorically calls himself a handsome man. While the first impression is clear, I don’t think he actually calls himself physically attractive. But he uses the word “beautiful” closer to his English origins. One major definition of beauty is “requiring great skill or skill.” How poetic he is, he seems to flatter himself. The inevitable confusion between the old and new definitions of the term is itself a metaphor for Cummings time travel. to pay.
“Blue Boy” Cummings talks about next, to Stray Cats’ 1992 song “Baby Blue Eyes” -a jam, than Cummings, surely he would not have been with his family, had he not seen his future, that he would be released thirty years after his death! Notice this lyric: “The star is in one eye, and lies in the other.” This is a perfect summary of how Cummings fooled the world with his experimental poet shtick. Of course, anyone familiar with the Stray Cats will be quick to point out that the song was about a girl, when Cummings wasn’t a girl. That’s why we should look at “Mr. Death” as a word play that “desires his own death.” Mathematically, the two hidden feminine pronouns cancel each other out and can thus revert to the masculine. And Cummings “wished his death” in time by going and dying many years before he was born!
If you’re still in doubt, just look at Cummings’ photo. See a nearly bald, bulbous head. In the future, it only stands to reason that people be careful beyond the minimum protection of the hair and for the thickest cultivated heads, which serve as built-up helmets , to protect them in journeys through time and space. Critics often said that Cummings was “ahead of his time.” Until now, just now, it is made who is better than that, for it is said to drink.
