The Cambridge Ladies Who Live In Furnished Souls

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Harvard University is usually a town associated with prestige and scholarship. In spite of this reputation, E.E. Cummings believes the upper-class of Cambridge, Massachusetts are not what they seem. Cummings was raised in a town with an important reputation to uphold, yet he grew tired of the bureaucratic ladies he saw neglecting their privilege by only seeking gains for themselves. E. E. Cummings manipulates the diction in “The Cambridge Ladies Who Live in Furnished Souls” through exaggerations, syntax, and various comparisons in order to portray the wealthy women of Cambridge, Massachusetts as more morally corrupt and snobbish than they appear. When first reading “The Cambridge ladies who live in furnished souls”, the reader may view E.E. Cummings as a cynic of the Harvard society. This is not entirely inaccurate, yet Cummings does not write about Cambridge as an outsider; he has a reputation in Cambridge. He builds ethos in the poem by having lived in the town of Cambridge among the townspeople and by graduating from Harvard University (Martin 1). The reader is able to align with Cummings line of thinking once they understand his background and values. Cummings was also the kin of an “ordained minister of South …show more content…

E. Cummings Cambridge, home of Harvard University, is crawling with women who fit this description. His poem reveals a sad truth about the lack of genuinity exhibited within the wealthy ladies of the town. Cummings and the ladies believe in polarized ideas despite them living in a similar environment for many years. Their reluctance to challenge themselves has made their current opinions embedded into their minds. Cummings believes their gossipy slander is the most they will attempt to contribute to the town. Even though the women have potential to change from their ways, it is likely they never will due to their reluctance to take initiative towards a better

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