Alliteration: when words are used in succession, or even the first letter. “No fate(for you are my fate, my sweet)i want/ no world(for beautiful you are my world, my true)”

Here the consonants ‘f,’ and ‘w’ have been repeated to make it alliterate.

Enjambment:  A line is suddenly cut off urging the reader to quickly jump to the next line. The entire poem is filled with enjambments. “I carry your heart with me(i carry it in/my heart)i am never without it”

Parallelism: refers to using elements in sentences that are grammatically similar or identical in structure, sound or meaning, sometimes even in meter. It is seen in this poem in line 8 and 9. “and it’s you are whatever a moon has always meant/ and whatever a sun will always sing is you.”

Consonance: repetition of consonant sound in the same line. In the poem in the line “by only me is your doing, my darling,” the sound of ‘ing’ is repeated.

Imagery: It heightens a reader’s senses through the description of visual sights. Cummings has wonderfully created various images of nature to compare his love with. “Here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud,” and “and the sky of the sky of a tree called life.”

Personification: to associate human-like qualities in an abstract or non-human object. The poet has used this device in the last line of the second stanza to attribute the sun human-like qualities by making it seem like it can sing, “and whatever a sun will always sing is you.”

Hyperbole: Figure of speech used to exaggerate something to an extreme. The poet exaggerates his love when he says he carries his lover’s heart within his. 

Assonance: repetition of vowel sounds. In this poem, the sound of ‘u’ is repeated in the line “no world(for beautiful you are my world, my true)”.

I Carry Your Heart Summary

Love acts as a form of unity in this poem. This shows how the speaker of the poem and along with the subject have intertwined. The speaker hopes to initiate a true romantic devotion that would inspire people to see their partners as a part of them, and not as separate individuals. The speaker claims that he carries his lover’s heart inside his own and by doing so shows that he has wholly embraced his lover as his own. In an effort to convey his unconditional and deep love for her, the poet equates his lover to the moon, sun, and stars. Words like dear, lovely, beautiful, secret, and my whole world, among others, show a person’s deepest level of love for their loved one. And these phrases greatly aid in conveying the poem’s fundamental message, which is a profound love for the beloved that goes beyond the soul. I Carry Your heart Summary

The main theme of the poem is true love and connecting that love with both the body and the soul. It unravels the feeling of being deeply in love with someone. The speaker exclaims the beauty of love and talks about a relationship that will stand the test of time. It is so intimate that it transcends individuality, thereby tying both persons in love together. Love acts as a form of unity in this poem. This shows how the speaker of the poem and along with the subject have intertwined. The speaker hopes to initiate a true romantic devotion that would inspire people to see their partners as a part of them, and not as separate individuals. The speaker claims that he carries his lover’s heart inside his own and by doing so shows that he has wholly embraced his lover as his own. The speaker has even linked their actions together as he says whatever one does is also another one’s doing. For the speaker, love knows no bounds and it is only through true love that he has managed to tangle the body and soul. Their love gives meaning to the mundane and makes the speaker feel that is capable of everything. This form of love has indeed connected the body and the soul of the two people and has transcended all limitations. I Carry Your Heart Summary