Buffalo Bill’s - E.E.Cummings

Question 1

What is the poem type + structure of Buffalo Bill’s?

Answer 1

• elegiac poetry —> subverting ideas
• free verse
• idiosyncratic style
• shape poem/unconventional structure

Question 2

What are some subverted ideas in the poem?

Answer 2

• “mister Death”: should be title of respect but irony/sarcasm is used instead
• “Buffalo Bill’s”: national hero; painting the hero as a animal killer/flashy show-off
• subverts the idea of a traditional poem: capitalization; chopped writing; not a traditional elegiac poetry

Question 3

How is irony portrayed in Buffalo Bill’s?

Answer 3

• Buffalo Bill dies in the hands of “Mister Death”
• both are killers, even someone who lives by killing cannot escape death —> a satire

Question 4

What is Buffalo Bill’s personality?

Answer 4

• typical American boy image “blue-eyed boy”
• a myth (hero)
• handsome + strong (able to tame powerful stallion)
• a good animal killer/performer (ability to shoot pigeons swiftly and accurately

Question 5

What are the 2 ways in which Buffalo Bill’s can be read?

Answer 5

• in admiration/in awe of Buffalo Bill’s skill and looks
• a satire of a flashy performer