anyone lived in a pretty how town Literary Elements

This poem fittingly uses third-person omniscient narration; the speaker has no detectable self and is anonymous. However, in the third to last stanza, the speaker says, "one day anyone died i guess." We do not learn anything more about the speaker, but by saying "i guess," the speaker indicates a level of unsureness; because this poem is not a straightforward critique, this moment emphasizes the fact that the readers are invited to draw their own conclusions.

This poem comprises nine stanzas in quatrains; the rhyme scheme changes between AABB and AABC.

"he sang his didn't he danced his did."
This metaphor seems to indicate that the character "anyone" goes about his life in a mundane fashion, that he does what he does. However, this line could be interpreted differently; since both singing and dancing are performative actions, maybe anyone is set apart from the other townspeople because he performs his uniqueness instead of hiding it.

"she laughed his joy she cried his grief"
This metaphor shows how close anyone and noone have become.

"and more by more they dream their sleep"
Here, death is compared to dreams and sleeping. This line is a play on an earlier line, where the townspeople "slept their dream." By saying anyone and no one "dream their sleep," Cummings indicates that they have some modicum of existence beyond their death; in death, they are closer to dreaming than they are to sleeping.

"Women and men(both dong and ding)"
The townspeople are compared to the noises the bells make. This may point to how the passing of time guides their habits.

"he sang his didn't he danced his did"
Here, "d," "s," and "h" are repeated, so this line uses alliteration.

"wish by spirit and if by yes."
In this line there is assonance between "wish" and "if."

"they sowed their isn't they reaped their same
sun moon stars rain"
Here, "s" and "r" are repeated several times, in an instance of alliteration.

This poem is about two people in a town who are different than the other inhabitants, but ironically, they also go unnamed and also live, marry, and die just like the other inhabitants. Though they are somehow different, we the readers do not get to see exactly how.

Narrative poetry

A town where life goes on steadily and cyclically

Contemplative

Protagonist: anyone; Antagonist: imminent death, potentially the other townspeople

anyone and noone fall in love in a small town where seasons steadily change. The main conflict is between them and the rest of the townspeople, who do not care for them, though the town's children intermittently love to gossip about them.

Anyone and noone are separated by death. The life in the town continues as usual.

"children guessed(but only a few
and down they forgot as up they grew
autumn winter spring summer)
that noone loved him more by more"

This quote foreshadows not only the relationship that will develop between noone and anyone, but also the way the children will stop caring about that relationship and will live their lives in the same way as the "someones" and "everyones" of the town.

"and more by more they dream their sleep
noone and anyone earth by april"

Here, death is described in an understated way; this lightens the tone around death, because it does not seem like death touches or affects the love between noone and anyone.

N/A

The use of the words "anyone," "noone," "someone," and "everyone" to refer to specific individuals paradoxically makes those individuals into a kind of synecdoche. "anyone" is both the name of an individual, and, as an individual, a part of the larger group to which his name also refers (anyone).

"(and only the snow can begin to explain
how children are apt to forget to remember
with up so floating many bells down)"

Here, snow is personified, though it is used to show how no one living can explain the short-term memories of children.

N/A

"Women and men(both dong and ding)"
The words "ding" and "dong" are used throughout the poem, giving sound to the bells that come up many times.