red-rag and pink-flag... (11) - A poem by e.e. cummings

Comment 3 of 4, added on November 11th, 2008 at 10:53 PM.

e.e.cummings lived from 1894 to 1962, so his writings span the gamut of the first half of the 20th Century, so I'm not sure where the comment came from that cummings "was in the first." He lived through both world wars, and was also an ambulance driver in the Spanish Civil War in the 1930s. This particular poem was published in 1938, towards the end of the Spanish Civil War, just before Franco (a fascist) defeated the Spanish republicans, and nearing the time of Hitler's reaching the peak of his power.

So it's certainly a comment on the raping and murdering performed by fascists (black shirts) and nazis (brown shirts). I'm not sure about the red rag and pink flag references. . . .

Matt from Canada

Comment 2 of 4, added on May 9th, 2006 at 5:12 PM.

Nice try, Iba.
But Facism in Europe and Italy occur during the second world war and cummings was in the first.

Steven from United States

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