102 Engl 8-30-05 Analysis-"Shes Being Brand" The poem "She's Being Brand", written by E.E. Cummings is literally about a drivers first experience with a car. But it is easily seen the metaphor between the drivers first ride in this vehicle and his first sexual experience. With so many smaller hints within, I believe this to be a great poem for metaphors. Going directly to the poem, sexual metaphors are everywhere. "She's being brand, new;and you, know consequentially a, little stiff I was, careful of her", can be put to a virgin, a mans excitement at the opportunity, and being gentle; going back to the car would be maybe the stiffness of the new seats and gears and being careful not to damage it. "Having, thoroughly oiled the universal, joint tested my gas felt of, her radiator made sure her springs were O., K." would relate to preparing for sex, lubrication and back to the gentleness-making sure she is ready. In a car it is important that all gears are lubricated or it will not run properly and will break down, so one has to make sure everything is in good working order to take care of their new vehicle. "I went right to it flooded-the-carburetor cranked her, up, slipped the, clutch (and then somehow got into reverse she, kicked what, the hell) next, minute I was back in neutral tried and, again slo-wly," shows inexperience. This shows a lack of patience, flooding it and putting the vehicle in reverse shows he is not taking the time to figure out how it works and just wants to get going. When doing this with a woman he is not finding out what she likes and is rushing her. This can show that he is self-centered, not interested in taking care of a car or woman properly. He is also immature, not being knowledgeable about the car or the woman. The parenthesis explaining ,,accidentally getting it into reverse can tell that he was self-conscious about it, as a man would be if he a made mistake as obvious as that in bed. Now he realizes he was rushing and needs to take this slow in order to do it
2 right. "Tried and, again slo-wly;bare,ly nudg. Ing (my, lev-er Right-," Here the punctuation shows vividly how he is taking it slow by breaking up the words. "From low through high like, Greasedlighting) just as we turned the corner of Divinity, avenue I touched the accelerator and give, her the juice, good," speaks of how the car is picking up pace and actually getting somewhere, or of how the sexual intensity is raising and ending in his orgasm. "(it, was the first ride and believe I we was, happy to see how nice she acted right up to, the last minute coming back down," is evidence that this was his first time in bed and on the road. "I we" reveals his self centeredness again. At first he is about to say ,,I was happy to see..., but the realizes there is another party involved and adds the ,,we afterwards. "Down by the Public, Gardens I slammed on, the, internalexpanding, and, externalcontracting, brakes Bothatonce and, brought allofher tremB, -ling, to a:dead., atand-, ;still)," reviews a dramatic finale, slamming on both brakes and coming to a ,,dead stand still. In a vehicle the brakes both at once are the foot brake which is internal and the emergency brake which is external, where if one slams them both their car will most definitely come to a stop. With a woman this could be the physical and emotion end or ,,brakes and the stillness after making love. Now going outside of the direct metaphors, in the world today cars lead to sex. Whether one is speaking literally of sex in a car or in general that marketers use sex to sell cars. There is also a mans natural love for automobiles and women. The poem "Shes Being Brand" is full of transportation becoming metaphors for a mans first sexual experience, his actions, thoughts and reactions.