Literature in English | e. e. cummings : ‘Buffalo Bill’s’, ‘maggie and milly and molly and may’, ‘nobody loses all the time’

e. e. cummings: A Guide to Three Poems

Hello! Welcome to your study notes on the poet e. e. cummings. Don't worry if his poems look a bit strange at first – that's part of the fun! In these notes, we're going to explore three of his famous poems:

• ‘Buffalo Bill’s’
• ‘maggie and milly and molly and may’
• ‘nobody loses all the time’

We'll break down what they mean, how they are written, and the big ideas behind them. Understanding cummings is a great way to see how poets can play with language, just like an artist plays with paint. Let's get started!

First, who was e. e. cummings?

Edward Estlin Cummings (1894-1962) was an American poet famous for his very unique and experimental style. Think of him as a rebel of the poetry world!

His Signature Style:

• He often used lowercase letters, even for his own name and the word "i".
• He played with spacing and line breaks to create visual shapes on the page.
• He used unusual punctuation (or sometimes no punctuation at all!).
• He even invented new words or squashed several words together.

Why did he do this? It wasn't just to be different. He used these techniques to control how we read the poem. He wanted us to pay attention to every single word and space. Think of it like a film director using camera angles and editing to create a specific mood. Cummings uses words and layout to do the same thing.

Poem 1: ‘Buffalo Bill’s’

Let's take a look at the poem as it appears on the page. Notice its shape!

Buffalo Bill’s
defunct
      who used to
      ride a watersmooth-silver
                  stallion
and break onetwothreefourfive pigeonsjustlikethat
                                                            Jesus

he was a handsome man
                        and what i want to know is
how do you like your blueeyed boy
Mister Death

What's it about? (The Gist)

This poem is about the famous American cowboy and showman, Buffalo Bill. The poem starts by bluntly stating he is dead ("defunct"). It then reflects on his flashy, heroic image and contrasts it with the simple, final reality of death. The speaker ends by asking "Mister Death" what he thinks of this great hero now.

Breaking it Down

• "Buffalo Bill’s / defunct": The poem starts with a shock. Defunct is a cold, business-like word for "dead". It immediately takes away the glamour from the famous name.
• "ride a watersmooth-silver / stallion": This creates a beautiful, sleek image of his past glory. He was a performer, a star.
• "onetwothreefourfive pigeonsjustlikethat": Cummings runs these words together to show speed and effortless skill. It's like hearing the rapid shots of a gun. But it also makes the killing of the pigeons seem mechanical and thoughtless.
• "Jesus / he was a handsome man": This sounds like something an ordinary person in the audience would say – a simple, admiring comment on his good looks.
• "and what i want to know is / how do you like your blueeyed boy / Mister Death": This is the core of the poem. The speaker addresses Death directly, as if he's a person ("Mister Death"). The famous "blueeyed boy" Buffalo Bill is now just another one of Death's possessions. It brings the big hero down to everyone else's level.

The Poet's Toolkit (Literary Devices)

• Form and Structure: This is a concrete poem (or shaped verse). Its shape on the page is part of its meaning. Does it look like a gun? A tombstone? The shape makes you visually experience the poem before you even read it.
• Word Choice (Diction): Notice the mix of words: defunct (formal) vs. Jesus (informal exclamation). This contrast highlights the gap between the legend and the man.
• Punctuation and Capitalization: Cummings only capitalizes Buffalo Bill, Jesus, and Mister Death. This makes them seem like important, almost mythical, figures. The lack of other punctuation makes the poem feel fast and breathless.

Themes to Explore

• Death as the Great Equalizer: No matter how famous or heroic you are, death comes for everyone. Mister Death claims Buffalo Bill just like anyone else.
- Heroism vs. Reality: The poem questions the idea of a "hero." Was Buffalo Bill a true hero, or just a handsome performer who was good at shooting pigeons?

Key Takeaway for 'Buffalo Bill's'

This short, visually powerful poem uses an unconventional style to strip away the myth of a famous hero, reminding us that death is the ultimate reality for everyone.

Poem 2: ‘maggie and milly and molly and may’

This poem feels very different. It's much more musical and story-like.

maggie and milly and molly and may
went down to the beach(to play one day)

and maggie discovered a shell that sang
so sweetly she couldn’t remember her troubles,and

milly befriended a stranded star
whose rays five languid fingers were;

and molly was chased by a horrible thing
which raced sideways while blowing bubbles:and

may came home with a smooth round stone
as small as a world and as large as alone.

For whatever we lose(like a you or a me)
it’s always ourselves we find in the sea

What's it about? (The Gist)

Four girls with similar names go to the beach. Each girl finds or experiences something different that seems to match her personality. The poem concludes with the beautiful idea that the sea (and nature in general) is like a mirror – what we find there shows us who we truly are inside.

Breaking it Down

• maggie finds a singing shell. The sound is so beautiful it makes her forget her worries. This suggests she is a thoughtful person who can find comfort and perspective in beauty.
• milly befriends a starfish ("stranded star"). This shows she is kind, imaginative, and sees wonder in nature. She doesn't see a weird sea creature; she sees a star with "languid fingers."
• molly gets chased by a "horrible thing" (probably a crab). This suggests she is easily frightened or tends to see the world as a threatening place.
• may finds a simple stone. The description is a paradox: "small as a world and as large as alone." A paradox is a statement that seems to contradict itself but contains a deeper truth. For May, this small stone contains the whole universe, and she finds comfort in being alone with her discovery.
• The final two lines sum up the poem's message: exploring the world is really about exploring yourself. The sea helps us find "ourselves."

The Poet's Toolkit (Literary Devices)

• Structure and Rhyme: This poem is much more traditional than 'Buffalo Bill's'. It's made of couplets (two-line stanzas) that rhyme (may/day, sang/and, star/were). This AABB rhyme scheme gives it a simple, song-like or nursery-rhyme quality.
• Alliteration: The repetition of the 'm' sound in "maggie and milly and molly and may" is very musical and makes the names memorable.
• Symbolism: The objects the girls find are symbols of their inner characters.
  • The shell = finding inner peace.
  • The starfish = friendship and imagination.
  • The crab = fear and anxiety.
  • The stone = contentment in solitude.
• Imagery: Cummings creates vivid pictures with his words, like the starfish's rays being "five languid fingers."

Themes to Explore

• Self-Discovery and Identity: This is the central theme. Your personality and outlook on life determine what you see and experience in the world.
• Perspective: Four girls go to the same beach but have four completely different experiences. This shows how our personal perspective shapes our reality.

Key Takeaway for 'maggie and milly and molly and may'

A charming and musical poem that uses a simple story to explore a profound idea: nature is a mirror that reflects our own soul back to us.

Poem 3: ‘nobody loses all the time’

Get ready for a funny story! This poem is a tribute to a beloved family member who was, by all accounts, a total failure.

(A shortened version is presented here for analysis)

nobody loses all the time

i had an uncle named
Sol who was a born failure
...
he married a woman who believed in her stars
...
Sol has a hunch
and bought a farm
...
then Uncle Sol had a vision and raised tomatoes
(instead of corn and potatoes) so he
...
lost the farm and went to the city
...
(and taught me how
to sing this song)
...
but somebody stooped in victory
and courtesy and augustly
stooped(and stooped)
...
and finally died...
...
they buried Uncle Sol and my aunt planted a tree
...
(and everytime the earth told the tree
to grow and grow) i remember Uncle Sol's farm
and his tomatoes and his fail
ure

and his worms...(at last)
with eyes like stars

What's it about? (The Gist)

The speaker tells the story of his Uncle Sol, a man who failed at everything he tried. He lost his farm and every business venture. Yet, the tone is affectionate, not pitying. The poem ends with a funny twist: after Sol dies and is buried, his grave becomes a wonderfully successful worm farm. In death, he finally finds a strange kind of "success."

Breaking it Down

• "nobody loses all the time": The title sets up the poem's optimistic, if ironic, message.
• Uncle Sol, the "born failure": The poem lists his failures humorously. He tries farming, but it doesn't work out. He goes to the city, and we assume he fails there too.
• "(and taught me how / to sing this song)": This is a lovely personal detail. The parentheses make it feel like an intimate aside. It shows that despite his failures, Uncle Sol had a positive impact on the speaker. He gave him stories and a certain way of looking at the world.
• The Ironic Ending: Other, more "successful" people die. But when Uncle Sol dies, he finally succeeds. His body nourishes the earth and creates a thriving worm farm. He literally becomes one with nature.
• "his worms...(at last)": The punchline! His final, posthumous success. The speaker imagines his uncle finally finding his purpose.

The Poet's Toolkit (Literary Devices)

• Narrative Poem: This poem tells a story, with a main character (Uncle Sol) and a simple plot.
• Tone: The tone is key here. It's humorous, affectionate, and deeply ironic. The speaker clearly loves his uncle and celebrates his uniqueness, not his failures.
• Irony: The poem is built on situational irony – where the result of an action is the opposite of what you'd expect. The man who failed at farming his whole life becomes a successful "farm" in death.
• Cummings' Style: We see his typical use of parentheses for asides, unusual line breaks (like splitting the word "fail / ure"), and a conversational, easy-to-read rhythm.

Themes to Explore

• Success and Failure: The poem completely turns our idea of success upside down. Maybe "success" isn't about money or winning. Maybe it's about being loved, telling stories, and eventually, returning to the earth.
• Individuality: Uncle Sol is an oddball who doesn't fit into society's expectations. The poem celebrates him for who he is, not for what he achieved.
• Life, Death, and Nature: Death isn't a tragic end here. It's a transformation into something new and productive. Uncle Sol becomes part of the natural cycle of life.

Key Takeaway for 'nobody loses all the time'

A warm and witty narrative poem that uses the story of a "loser" to challenge our definitions of success and failure, suggesting that there is value and even a strange victory in a life lived against the grain.

Comparing the Poems & Exam Tips

In your exam (Paper 2, Section B), you'll likely have to compare poems. Here’s how these three connect and differ.

Quick Comparison

Feature	'Buffalo Bill's'	'maggie and milly...'	'nobody loses...'
Main Theme	Death, Heroism vs. Reality	Self-Discovery, Perspective	Success vs. Failure, Individuality
Tone	Ironic, questioning, critical	Gentle, song-like, philosophical	Humorous, affectionate, satirical
Style / Form	Concrete poem, minimal punctuation, fast pace	Traditional rhyming couplets, musical	Narrative story, conversational, use of parentheses

How to Tackle an Exam Question

1. Read the Question Carefully: Underline keywords like "compare," "contrast," "stylistic devices," "tone," or "theme of death."
2. Plan Your Answer:
   • Introduction: Briefly introduce the poems and state your main argument (thesis).
   • Body Paragraph 1: Make your first point of comparison/contrast. Use the PEE method:
     • Point: State your idea. (e.g., "Both 'Buffalo Bill's' and 'nobody loses all the time' explore the theme of death, but they do so with vastly different tones.")
     • Evidence: Quote from the poems to support your point. (e.g., "In 'Buffalo Bill's', cummings uses the cold word 'defunct' and addresses 'Mister Death' directly...")
     • Explanation: Explain HOW the evidence proves your point. What is the effect of the poet's choice? (e.g., "...This creates a critical and ironic tone, questioning the hero's legacy. In contrast, the ending of 'nobody loses...' is humorous, presenting death as an unlikely success...")
   • Body Paragraph 2, 3...: Repeat the PEE method for your other points.
   • Conclusion: Briefly summarise your main points and restate your argument in a new way.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Just retelling the story. Your job is not to summarise, but to ANALYSE. Focus on the *how* and *why* – HOW does the poet create meaning? WHY did he choose that word or that shape?
• Ignoring cummings's unique style. The lowercase letters, spacing, and punctuation are NOT mistakes. They are deliberate choices. Always try to connect his style to the poem's meaning.
• Forgetting to compare. If the question asks you to compare, make sure you are constantly linking the two poems, using words like "similarly," "in contrast," "however," and "both."

You've got this! e. e. cummings's poetry is a playground of language. The more you look, the more you'll find. Good luck!