Buffalo Bill ’s (Masterplots II: Poetry, Revised Edition)
At a glance:
- Author: E. E. Cummings
- First Published: 1920
- Type of Work: Satire
- Genres: Satire, Poetry
- Subjects: North America or North Americans, Nineteenth century, West, U.S., Native Americans or American Indians, Death or dying, Heroes or heroism, Exploration or explorers
The Poem
The poem announces that Buffalo Bill (William F. Cody, 1846-1917) is “defunct.” Cody had made a name for himself in the wild west as a buffalo hunter and Indian fighter. He subsequently became a showman, hiring many of the Indians (among them was Sitting Bull) who had fought the U.S. Army and doing road tours that featured staged battles between cowboys and Indians, sharpshooting exhibitions, and other events associated with frontier America. Cody was more than a national phenomenon; his wild west show toured Europe, and he was received as an example of the...
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