Poem Analysis - Heres To Opening And Upward

A Toast to Life and Feeling

E.E. Cummings' poem, "Here's To Opening And Upward," is a vibrant and celebratory ode to life, love, and the power of feeling over sterile thought. The poem embraces growth, passion, and intuition, rejecting the constraints of logic and fear. Its tone is initially celebratory and affectionate, shifting to a more assertive and defiant stance against restrictive thinking before returning to a sense of wonder and mystery. The poem feels like a joyful, slightly tipsy toast to the beauty and unpredictability of existence.

Themes of Growth, Love, and Intuition

One central theme is growth and renewal, symbolized by the opening lines referencing "leaf and sap" and the "flowering so new" beloved. This imagery suggests a springtime awakening, a blossoming of potential and the embracing of new experiences. Closely linked is the theme of love, both romantic and a broader love of life itself. The intimate connection between the speaker and their beloved is evident in lines like "your(in my arms flowering so new)/self whose eyes smell of the sound of rain," which evoke a sensory and deeply personal experience. Finally, the poem champions intuition and feeling over rigid thought, explicitly condemning those who "think it thinks,nor dares to feel." This emphasis on emotional intelligence is a rejection of overly rational or cautious approaches to life.

The Power of Nature and Sensory Imagery

Cummings employs recurring natural imagery to convey his themes. Mountains represent a steadfast, silent certainty, while snow suggests both purity and the transient nature of beauty ("a disappearing poet of always,snow"). Morning and twilight symbolize beginnings and endings, transitions that hold the promise of new dreams ("a first dream called ocean"). Notably, the "eyes smell of the sound of rain" is synesthesia, where one sense is described using another. This bold imagery enhances the poem's emphasis on the importance of sensory experience and demonstrates how deeply intertwined feeling and experience can be when one is truly attuned to them.

Rejecting Fear and Embracing Joy

The poem contains a distinct section where the speaker explicitly rejects restrictive forces. The lines "let must or if be damned with whomever's afraid / down with ought with because with every brain / which thinks it thinks,nor dares to feel" serve as a powerful manifesto against fear, obligation, and sterile intellectualism. The imperative "up with joy;and up with laughing and drunkenness" reinforces the call for uninhibited expression and the embrace of life's pleasures. This section emphasizes the freedom that comes from trusting one's instincts and refusing to be constrained by societal expectations or anxieties.

A Final Undiscoverable Guess

In conclusion, "Here's To Opening And Upward" is a celebration of life lived fully, embracing growth, love, and feeling over rigid thought and fear. The poem's vivid imagery and defiant tone create a powerful message about the importance of intuition and the beauty of the unknown. The final lines, referring to an "undiscoverable guess/of whose mad skill each world of blood is made," leave us with a sense of awe and mystery, suggesting that life's true essence lies beyond our ability to fully comprehend it, but that we should embrace it nonetheless. Perhaps the "mad skill" is simply the chaotic and beautiful nature of existence itself.