she being Brand
By E. E. Cummings
she being Brand
-new;and you
know consequently a
little stiff i was
careful of her and(havingthoroughly oiled the universal
joint tested my gas felt of
her radiator made sure her springs were O.K.)i went right to it flooded-the-carburetor cranked her
up, slipped the
clutch(and then somehow got into reverse she
kicked what
the hell)next
minute i was back in neutral tried andagain slo-wly;bare,ly nudg. ing(my
lev-er Right-
oh and her gears being in
A 1 shape passed
from low through
second-in-to-high like
greasedlightning)just as we turned the corner of Divinityavenue i touched the accelerator and give
her the juice,good
(it
was the first ride and believe i we was
happy to see how nice she acted right up to
the last minute coming back down by the Public
Gardens i slammed onthe
internalexpanding
&
externalcontracting
brakes Bothatonce andbrought allofher tremB
-ling
to a ead.stand-
;Still)
Summary of she being Brand
- Popularity of “she being Brand”: “she being Brand” by e. e. cummings, a well-known American poetic voice, is an interesting metaphorical poem. The poem first appeared in his collection The Enormous Room published in 1922. Like all of his other poems, this poem also demonstrates his unusual style not only in writing but also in the meanings and use of literary devices.
- “she being Brand” As a Representative Sexual Experience: The poet presents his sexual experience with a new and inexperienced partner that he describes in metaphorical terms, presenting his partner as a brand new Cadillac or a car and himself an experienced driver. He uses the auto jargon to show her situation of being an inexperienced partner that is full of anxiety and fear due to her being in this situation for the first time. The poet states that she is a little stiff and he is careful before starting to drive the car after he lubricates, checks its carburetor and frees starts its clutch. He moves it back and forth with a little touch of accelerator after which he experiences a good ride.
- Major Themes in “she being Brand”: First sexual encounter, fear of the partners, and care of the partner are three major themes of this poem. The poem describes the fear of his partner for her being in this situation for the first time. He notes her anxiety and fear and states that he also takes care of it. This is because a partner is there to take care of and not just to enjoy the ride. Therefore, taking care of each other’s issues, problems and anxieties are important even if it is a sexual encounter.
Analysis of Literary Devices Used In “she being Brand”
literary devices bring variety into simple poetic pieces. cummings has also used some literary devices in this poem whose analysis is as follows.
- Allusion: It means to refer to some event, phenomenon or belief, or idea of some historical importance such as cummings refers to Divinity.
- Assonance: Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds in the same line such as the sound of /e/ in “Know consequently a / little stiff i was” the sound of /o/ in “Thoroughly oiled the universal / joint tested my gas felt of” and the sound of /a/ in “A 1 shaped passed.”
- Alliteration: The poem shows the use of alliteration in the shape of initial consonant sounds of the neighboring words such as the sound of /h/ in “he holds” and the sound of /w/ in “we was” and /s/ in “Stand still.”
- Consonance: Consonance is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line such as the sound of /s/ and /t/ in “happy to see how nice she acted right up to” and the sound of /m/ and /t/ in “the last minute coming back down by the Public.”
- Enjambment: It is defined as a thought in verse that does not come to an end at a line break; rather, it rolls over to the next line. For example;
was the first ride and believe i we was
happy to see how nice she acted right up to
the last minute coming back down by the Public
Gardens i slammed on
- Imagery: Imagery is used to make readers perceive things involving their five senses. cummings has used imagery in this poem such as “from low through / second-in-to-high like”, “her the juice, good” and “was the first ride and believe i we was.”
- Personification: The poem shows the use of personifications of car as if it has life and emotions of its own.
- Symbolism: Symbolism is using symbols to signify ideas and qualities, giving them symbolic meanings that are different from the literal meanings. The poem shows the use of symbols of carburetor, gear, accelerator to point out this experience.
Analysis of Poetic Devices Used in “she being Brand”
Poetic and literary devices are the same, but a few are used only in poetry. Here is the analysis of some of the poetic devices used in this poem.
- Diction and Tone: The poem shows the use of auto jargon with a serious tone.
- Free Verse: The poem does not follow any rhyming pattern. Therefore, it is a free verse poem.
- Stanza: A stanza is a poetic form of some lines. The poem has several stanzas having a different number of verses and even one liners.
Quotes to be Used
These lines from “she being Brand” are appropriate to quote when talking about driving.
clutch(and then somehow got into reverse she
kicked what
the hell)next
minute i was back in neutral tried