The poem “Who are you, little i?” written by E. E. Cummings is about the poet’s nostalgic feelings. The speaker remembers his childhood experiences and feels sad in his adulthood.
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Who are you, little i?
E. E. Cummings
who are you, little i
(five or six years old)
peering from some high
window; at the gold
of November sunset
(and feeling: that if
day
has to become night
this is a beautiful
way)
In “Who are you, little i”, the speaker is
remembering his childhood days and
feeling nostalgic in his adulthood. The speaker had a carefree life in his childhood. As a child, he used to enjoy a lot. He enjoyed the different natural activities. His childhood has many
memories which get reflected in his adulthood.
Presently, as an adult man, he can
no longer enjoy the moments as he used to do as a child.
As an adult
man, he has no choices besides remembering his childhood happiness. Now, he cannot enjoy as much as he did as a
child because of his maturity and various worries of his adult life. So the
speaker feels nostalgic as he cannot
bring back those beautiful moments full of happiness. The speaker carries many
fresh memories connected with nature. So, this poem reflects the poet’s strong
connection with nature and its effect on him.
In the poem,
the speaker is addressing his own inner child and not with any other child. The
poet is talking about his childhood. So the poet himself is the speaker
addressing his childhood. He is remembering
the time when he was five or six years old.
As a child,
he carried different wonders which are still fresh in his memories. Those great
feelings have just been awakened in his adulthood.
The speaker
is standing near a window in the poem. He asks himself "Who are you, little i?" because it
has been a long time since he has experienced this childlike sense of wonder.
He is looking out of the window in the evening and watching the sunset at the
end of the day. This very incident reminds the poet of his childhood days. As a
boy, he assumed the setting sun as the golden sun and enjoyed looking at the
beauty of the setting sun.
Then he
talks about the very truth/reality of life i.e sufferings of human being which is inevitable in everybody’s life.
As an adult man, the speaker’s days are turning into night. This means that he
can no longer stay being suffered but rather accepts the death happily. This
indicates how death can be a solution to a painful life.