“Whoever Lived in a Fair City,” by EE Cummings, is a poem that alludes to the circle of life and how birth and death are a natural part of this cycle. This meaning is conveyed by a complex metaphor; broken down, this metaphor slips away to reveal the real social commentary behind it. This poem is an allegory; the speaker uses pronouns with unclear antecedents to mask the true meaning and add a poetic touch to the simple belief he presents. The first poetic device the speaker uses to convey his meaning in this poem is unorthodox grammar and sentence structure. The poem begins with the lines "someone lived in a beautiful city / (with so many bells floating down)" (1 - 2). In this case, this improper grammar reinforces the point that the story of “anyone” (1). As such, the “as a city” (1) represents the fact that it is not necessary to specify the name of the city, since this happens to everyone in every city. The speaker then alludes to the fact that the events in this poem are natural and happen to anyone, anywhere. E.E. Cummings deliberately uses “anyone” (1) and “nobody” (12) as pronouns with ambiguous antecedents to generalize the meaning of the poem to society and all the people in it. In this way, the speaker uses these thoughts as social commentary. The speaker also manipulates time to bring out his message. Lines 3, 8, 11, 21, 34, and 36 all contain some order of "spring summer autumn winter" (3), as in lines 11 and 34, or "sun moon stars rain" (8), as in lines 11, 21 and 36. The changing order of these seasons indicates the passage of time. This manipulation of time draws attention away from these lines and towards the lines with deeper meaning hidden within. However, there is another form of time: the progression of life. The speaker comments on children's growth in terms of maturity levels and how, as they get older, they tend to forget their childhood tantrums and fantasies and move on. He or she says they “guessed (but only a few / and they forgot growing up” (9-10). Then goes on to say that “no one loved [anyone] more” (12), alluding to a relationship developing, foreshadowing a possible marriage.