: A Man of Poetry The background of E.E. Cummings, who was a distinctive, American poet, greatly influenced his literary achievements in poetry. This can be seen in the experiences of his early childhood. “Cummings was born Edward Estlin Cummings in Cambridge, Mass., on Oct. 14, 1894”(Ulanov 565). He was born into wealthy and creative surroundings. “Dr. Cummings was a woodsman, a photographer, an actor, a carpenter, an artist – and talented in all that he undertook. Mrs. Cummings [however] was a shy woman who over ....