Driving or Sex
Driving or Sex? ... Cummings wrote this poem during the time, the 1920s, when young people were starting to have sex in their cars because they were away from parental eyes. ... Cummings cleverly brings together two of our favorite pastimes, driving and sex. Using the extended metaphor, driving a car, throughout the poem Cummings creates a humorous account of a young man’s sexual encounter with a virgin We become aware of the comparison immediately with "she being Brand / -new;" (Cummings Line 1-2). ... Often times the word "ride" is associated with sex also. Cummings writes, "was the first ride…" to show it is the womans first time to have sex (Line 25). Certain concepts of driving a car can be compared with preparing a virgin for sex. ... ) he creates a parallel between getting a car ready for driving and a virgin ready for the first entry (Line 6-9). ... When a virgin has sex for the first time she can become hesitant or a little afraid.