I have no idea what it means and I can't find much info on it.
2007-11-25 09:34:51 · 1 answers · asked by Noe 2 in Arts & Humanities ➔ Poetry
If you don't know who Buffalo Bill was, you can easily look him up online. (His real name was William Cody.) About 100 years ago, he was a huge star and his Wild West Show played to big audiences all over the United States. When he died in 1917, it was a big deal. Like the death of a movie star or rock star today. In his poem, Cummings is just trying to communicate something about the excitement and star power of a larger-than-life performer.
2007-11-25 10:03:05 · answer #1 · answered by classmate 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
There is no right answer...but, for explanation, I'll try.
Replace the word "defunct" with "dead" just for a moment. Now think of how sometimes when a celebrity dies, they get more popular or their name lives on.
Maybe the poet is a fan. If he is, he has the ability to make Buffalo Bill live on, however, I do not really have a connection to this character Buffalo Bill myself, but the poet obviously has heard of him (he probably had some kind of show in the old days).
He's being compared to Jesus. I'm not sure if pigeons are a metaphor for something more important, but it seems to have something to do with showmanship or a TV show or how Buffalo Bill affected his fans.
"onetwothreefour...pigeonsjustlikethat" -- words jammed together remind me of target practice. They're show pigeons so maybe they're made of ceramic....
"Defunct" could mean many things, but certainly not "dead." The visual page and the cadence of the poem, when read, are lively and vibrant. So maybe it's just a tribute to Buffalo Bill written in a lively fresh way.
2007-11-25 10:08:11 · answer #2 · answered by gointonh 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Buffalo Bill Ee Cummings
2016-10-28 13:17:41 · answer #3 · answered by detkowski 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
There is also probably something in the way the poem is set up on the page. Look at the poem, draw a triangle... who is at the points? Try changing the inflection on the last line as you read it.. ask the question in different ways? Who is the "blue eyed boy" (Cody, Jesus, Death?). (He has used blue eyed boy to refer to idealized people in other contexts if memory serves)
2007-11-25 14:02:32 · answer #4 · answered by seanb1791 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋