Turning a Poem into a Story - Coursework Example

Developing a Story from a Poem I(a entails a poem authored by E. E. Cummings. The poem is the first in the 1958 collection of the 95 Poems written by the author Cummings. The poem shows a single leaf falling; this is a symbol that illustrates a sense of loneliness. The loneliness sense if further illustrated through the poem structure. The separation of the world sued in the poem indicates individual separation, which is the main result of loneliness. The poem fragments ‘loneliness’ term to illustrate l-one-liness, meaning identification of singular.

The isolated l, also represents the numeric one. The overall structure of the poem is in the shape of number 1. The ‘a’ symbol in the beginning line illustrates singularity. In the second line, ‘le’ illustrates French meaning for singularity. The story titled The Lonely Teenager. The Lonely Teenager The story discusses the daily life activities of a poor teenager, Smith, who resides in a dismal household in the working class region of Manhattan. The boy experiences bleak prospects as far as life is concerned.

He also illustrates minimal interests in activities, apart from petty crime. In order to escape from his worsening physical and emotional situation, the boy embraces and actively participates in long-distance running sports. Smith was caught and handed over to the police for committing a crime involving bakery robbery. Smith was found guilty for committing the robbery crime, and hence confined in a prison school for sentenced youths. The prison is based in the Ruxton Towers. He was taken to the prison in handcuffs, and thereafter detained in a greatly restrictive and bleak environment.

The negative prison environment made him to seek solace and embrace the long distance running sporting event. The prison school authorities, therefore, had adequate opportunity of noticing the physical prowess of Smith. Long distance running is important to Smith because it provides the much needed destruction against the brutal prison regime. The sports prowess made the prison authorities to promise him light workload, during the remaining 6 months prison duration. This is on condition that he wins the significant cross country competition, so as to enhance the public relations image of the prison school.

However, Smith threw his win away during the competition day. After maintaining a comfortable lead in the race, Smith deliberately stops a few meters from the finishing line. This is despite the fact that he could easily win. The spectators shout and encourage him to finish the race, but Smith remains standing hence enabling other runners to finish the race. He lost the race through defiance that was directed at the prison authorities. Smith illustrated independence and free will, through the action of deliberately allowing others to win the competition.

The prison authorities were not pleased with the action of Smith; hence they subjected him to harsh treatments and labor, in the remaining prison duration. Smith resigned to emotional and physically destroying labor that he was subjected to. Smith, however, has no regrets for his actions.