Poetry Analysis Essay

Michelle Rehberger

Professor Wexler

English 495ESM

18 February 2013

Poetry Analysis Essay

            William Carlos Williams is one of many modernist writers who used imagism as his primary method in his poetry. Arguably his most famous poem, “The Red Wheelbarrow” focuses on just one image: a wheelbarrow in the rain. The poem is incredibly short. It has just 16 words and is only 8 lines, but it represents much more than those 16 words. Imagism is not about the object, it is about the subject. Likewise, imagist poems are written from a subjective point of view, rather than an objective point of view. In this case, the subject would be the red wheelbarrow and it is written from the way that Williams sees it. This helps make the image strong and universal for most readers. It lets the reader see the wheelbarrow, but every reader will see a different wheelbarrow. It is a specific subject, yet it can be seen in many different ways. In fact, imagism is described as a “direct observation of individual objects” (Morgan). This fits right in with Williams’ poem. It is a direct observation of the wheelbarrow. Through his use of the tenets of imagism, which include lack of detail or simplification and reduction of the image, the literal shape of the poem, and the use of an economy of words, Williams is able to succeed in making a concrete, universal image for his reader.

            Imagism is one of the many strands and forms of modernism. It is dated back to about 1912 to Ezra Pound (Poets). Imagism was in many ways a response to Romanticism. As the article, “A Brief Guide to Imagism” says, “imagist poetry aimed to replace muddy abstractions with exactness of observed detail, apt metaphors, and economy of language” (Poets). To accomplish this, imagist writers had to follow three basic tenets. These tenants were:  Direct treatment of the "thing," whether subjective or objective, the use of an economy of words, to make sure to use musical phrase (Poets).  These are the three tenets that Williams followed when he wrote “The Red Wheelbarrow”.

            This poem lacks detail, but that is exactly how Williams makes his image so strong and so visible for every reader. Williams describes the wheelbarrow as “red” and “glazed with rain water” (Smith 87). Though this description is vague, the reader is still able to imagine the wheelbarrow. It becomes special because every reader will imagine the wheelbarrow differently due to the lack of detail. That’s what makes this poem subjective—only the writer can see it exactly how he has described it and every reader will have their own experience with it. The only part of the poem that Williams’ gives his personal input on is the first stanza. Williams writes, “so much depends/upon” (Smith 87). It is here that Williams’ gives his subjective view. The reader doesn’t know what it depends upon, only Williams does. However, that doesn’t mean the reader can’t put their own twist on the poem. That’s the whole point of imagism. The simplification of the image is what makes it visible to everyone. By not using multitudes of details, the image has become universal. Part of William’s style and lack of detail also lead to his ability to make the physical view of the poem itself reminiscent of the shape of a wheelbarrow. Williams organizes the poem so that there are three words on the top line and only one on the bottom line to create a silhouette similar to that of a wheelbarrow. This is just another way in which Williams creates a concrete image for the reader, but with so little detail.

            Williams also reinforces his image in this poem through the poem’s actual form. The form of each stanza of the poem creates the image of a wheelbarrow. This can be seen by looking at the actual poem itself:

so much depends

upon

a red wheel

barrow

            glazed with rain

water

beside the white

chickens (Smith 87)

Every stanza forms the shape and silhouette of a wheelbarrow, which helps make the image more concrete. The use of white space could also indicate more in the image. Is the wheelbarrow in an open field? Is the wheelbarrow by a barn? It seems to represent what the reader fills in the space with their own picture and imagination, which again helps the image become universal. The form is also very structured. The first line of each stanza is exactly three words and the second line is only one. Another way that he separates the images through form is by using contrasting colors to help clearly differentiate the two concrete images—the wheelbarrow and the chickens.  Morgan writes, “Williams places great reliance on color, particularly in the earlier poems, to define the object…” (Morgan). The colors help the reader identify the object. The wheelbarrow is red. The chickens are white. They have both been clearly defined.

            Another part of Williams’ imagist style is shown in his word choice—or lack thereof. Imagists would say that Williams uses an economy of words in “The Red Wheelbarrow”. As previously mentioned, one of the three main tenets of imagism is the economy of words, which is essentially picking your words carefully and sparingly. In this instance, less is better. Imagists believe that the poet should discard all words that do not directly contribute to the poem, creating an almost Haiku-like poem. A haiku can only be so long because it depends entirely on the amount of syllables in each line, thus limiting the poet to a small amount of words.  Likewise, imagist poets must only use words that are necessary to the description of the poem. By using only a small amount of words, the poem is simplified and reduced.  Williams definitely succeeds in this, seeing as his poem is merely 16 words long. He definitely used the economy of words and chose his words carefully.

            Williams’ poem “The Red Wheelbarrow” is an imagist poem that creates a concrete and universal image for the reader. The image will be different for everyone, but that is part of what makes the poem so unique. Williams uses imagist principles when he writes the poem, including the use of an economy of words. He creates the image through lack of detail and reduction, but also through the physical form of the poem itself.  This poem fits the characteristics of an imagist poem, and is recognized as such. The poem is subjective, for both the reader and the writer. And also through its subjectivity, it becomes universal.

Works Cited

"A Brief Guide to Imagism." Poets.org. Academy of American Poets, n.d. Web. 18 Feb. 2013. <http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/5658>.

Morgan, Frederick. "William Carlos Williams: Imagery, Rhythm, Form." The Sewanee Review 55.4 (1947): 675-90. The Johns Hopkins University Press. Web. 10 Feb. 2013. <http://www.jstor.org/stable/27537788>.

Smith, Philip. 100 Best-loved Poems. New York: Dover Publications, 1995. Print.