Poem Analysis

“In Time of Daffodils,” by E.E. Cummings is about memories and how we try to forget them. At the same time, the
memories that Cummings writes about also ties in with the idea of growing up.

In the first stanza, Cumming writes “In time of daffodils (who know the goal of living is to grow),” Cummings is
describing childhood in the first stanza because he says the “goal of living is to grow.” Throughout childhood, children
don’t think much about life except for playing in the sun or eating candies. When someone is growing up, they’re
oblivious of their surroundings and only see themselves as what’s important. Children start to grow up when they start to
realize that not everything in life is perfect. For instance, when a child falls, people will often say its part of growing up;
when a child gets into trouble, it’s also a part of growing up. So by saying that “the goal of living is to grow,” Cummings
is describing the children who are growing up. But Cummings isn’t talking about the situation in its present state but he’s
talking about it as a past tense. He says “In time of daffodils (who know,” using “in time” you know that Cummings is
describing the past. This stanza ends with the lines of “Forgotten why, remember how.” I think Cummings is trying to say
that as he thinks about this memory of whoever is thinking about it is forgetting why something happened but remembers
how it happened simply because they’re thinking about it. Cummings is describing about how you never truly forget about
something that’s happened in the past because by thinking about forgetting it, you are remembering it.

In the second stanza, Cuming continues to talk about growing up but instead uses lilacs. He says that the lilacs
“who proclaim that aim of walking is to dream,” and he describes another phase of childhood. In this phase of childhood,
the child is done growing up and is probably going through adolescence because they’re dreaming more than growing.
Cummings is continuing to describe events happening in the past because he still uses “in time” to start our each stanza.
He ends this stanza with “remember so (forgetting seem),” this means that the things that seemed so perfect are now lost.

In the third stanza, Cummings writes about roses who amaze. Cummings is describing a time in someone’s life
where everything is perfect. You can see this because Cummings says that “our now and here with paradise” and this time
in a person’s life is the most successful because everything is going their way. Then at the end of the stanza, Cummings
says “forgetting if, remember yes.” This line shows that whatever this person wished for earlier in their childhood (in time
of daffodils) their dream came true because when the poem says “forgetting if” it’s like saying forgetting the “what ifs.”
The “what ifs” are the questions someone would ask themselves when they’re younger like “what if I had a house so big
that I could fit my whole family in it.” When the poet writes “forgetting if, remember yes,” he’s saying that the person has
forgotten that they had this dream because as of now, the dream has come true because all they can remember is the
answer yes.

In the fourth stanza. Cummings ends with the lines of “remember seek (forgetting find),” which explains that the
older you get, the harder it is for you to remember your purpose in life. Some might refer to this as a mid life crisis and by
saying remember seek, Cummings is saying that a person can remember that they were looking for something or thinking
about something but they soon find themselves “forgetting find,” or in other words, they are forgetting the reason why
they were thinking about or looking for something.

In the last stanza, Cummings writes: “and in a mystery to be (where time and time shall set us free) Forgetting me,
remember me. Cummings says that “time and time shall set us free.” This concludes all the phases of growing up for the
whole poem because it’s true that someone can only grow with time and learn with their mistakes and experiences. The
last line of this stanza, unlike the other stanzas ends with the person forgetting and remembering the same subject, “me.”
The last line shows that by trying to forget the subject, you will only remember them because you’re thinking about them.
This line comes to show that in life, you can never truly try to forget something or someone because they will always be
part of your past.
Artwork Analysis

I decided to draw a clock with daffodils in it because the poem is titled in time of daffodils. The whole poem talks about
growing up and losing time in your life. The clock represents this time because clocks are used to tell time. The clock
doesn’t have any hands drawn on them because sometimes it’s hard to tell what time E.E. Cummings is describing in his
poem.

In Time of Daffodils

In time of daffodils (who know

The goal of living is to grow)

Forgotten why, remember how

In time of lilacs who proclaim

The aim of walking is to dream

Remember so(forgetting seem)

In time of roses(who amaze

Our now and here with paradise)

Forgetting if, remember yes

In time of all sweet things beyond

Whatever mind may comprehend,

remember seek(forgetting find)

and in a mystery to be

(where time and time shall set us free)

Forgetting me, remember me

E.E. Cummings