Today in class, we came to a poem that is both widely known and widely hated. It's a poem by William Carlos Williams, an American who wrote a lot during the '20s, '30s, and '40s. Williams is most often classified as a modernist and an imagist. He was more concerned with the arrangement of the words on the page and the picture that they presented than he was with elusive meaning. The words, to him, were less important than the way you put them together, and the way they were put together didn't necessarily tell you how to read them. He was out to make a truly American form of poetry, using the language in the same way an average American would do.
Back to the subject at hand - his most infamous poem. If you're at all familiar with his work, you'll have guessed it by now. If not, here it goes.
The Red WheelbarrowI've heard many different people lament over how ridiculous this poem is. Others say that this doesn't even qualify as poetry. And yet another group will praise it as the epitome of what Williams was trying to do - make something ordinary artistic.
so much depends
upon
a red wheel
barrow
glazed with rain
water
beside the white
chickens.
I'm no expert - but I'm inclined to say he succeeded.
After all, Williams managed to change the way America looked at poetry. Knowing that, it's easy to see that so much depends upon that red wheelbarrow.
1 comment:
That's interesting, a truly American form of poetry. That reminds me of this discussion we've been having in my 20th Century Lit class. We've been discussing the future of poetry. We touched on it briefly before spring break, and I think we're devoting next Monday to discussing it as well. Our teacher thinks poetry is dying out. I mean, think about it, when was the last time you saw a poem published in a newspaper? It no longer appeals to the average person. Now, poets only write things for other poets to read. No one has found a way to break out of 20th century forms and subject matter to find a new poetry that appeals to the every day people of the 21st century.
-Kristina
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