Imagism as represented in William Carlos Williams’ Work

Objectives:

1. Students will be able to recognize and define Imagist poetry.
2. Students will be able to analyze and discuss work by Imagist poets, William Carlos Williams’ specifically.
3. Students will be able to write their own Imagist poetry.

Imagism is a modernist literary movement that started in the early 20th century.

It displayed the Imagist emphasis on precision, concision, and direct treatment of the “thing” itself.

Imagist writers promoted a poetry that was grounded in everyday realities, and sought a poetic practice that would help readers to break through the conventionalized and routinized experiences of modern life and reconnect to the raw realities of the world around them.

Williams Carlos Williams worked to promote a specifically American modernist poetry that worked with American cultural materials and American language practices.

The Red Wheelbarrow

William Carlos Williams

so much depends

upon

a red wheel

barrow

glazed with rain

water

beside the white

chickens

“The Red Wheelbarrow” by Williams Carlos Williams very much focuses on the common object of the red wheelbarrow and its placement next to the white chickens; it is straight forward in that sense.

It displays an Imagist emphasis on precision, concision and direct treatment of the thing itself through its use of a very simple, concise writing style and the strong representation of the “thing”.

This is something Williams deemed very important, as he said there are “no ideas but in things”.

There is also strong imagery that gets stronger as the poem progresses.

The description begins with “a red wheel / barrow (3-4)” and evolves into not only “glazed with rain / water (5-6)”, but also “beside the white / chickens (7-8)”.

Not only does this allow the reader to further understand the scene the speaker is observing, it shows the speakers wonder as they notice more and more detail as time goes on.

From one perspective, this could be the speaker focusing on/noting the sentimentality of the objects in question. Williams once said that there is nothing sentimental about a machine, and had a very strong devotion to simpler, everyday things in his writing. Taking this into consideration, Williams could try to invoke a sentimentality in us that we can only get from these ordinary things, as the speaker of the poem does with something that people normally wouldn’t consider.

From another perspective, one could say Williams is trying to make a point of how much detail there is in the everyday “thing”. The progression of description of this wheelbarrow show that there is nothing that is completely mundane and there is always more to something.

There are Imagist ideals conveyed through the language used in the poem, as well.

For example, many of the adjectives in the poem are very “gentle” words. Words like “glazed” to describe how the rain water sat on the wheelbarrow, and “white” to describe the chickens suggest the calmness of the moment the speaker is experience.

The first line of the poem is a little harder to interpret, however, as it is extremely short and really doesn’t say much.

It reads, “so much depends / upon (1-2)”.

The way that language is used here reinforces the undisturbed nature of the scene at hand. The reader is left to sit and wonder what could possibly depend on this wheelbarrow, and despite all of the possibilities, the speaker’s calmness in mentioning it lets the reader read the poem with ease without only focusing on this wonder.

This poem is a prime example of what poems of the 20th century Imagist movement looked like.

William Carlos Williams believed in the Imagist emphasis on communicating through precise, concrete images, as well as rejected the emotional language that was a part of many 19th century poems.

Imagists were modernists who wrote poetry that focused on the realities of everyday life, and Williams tended to “stay close to home” in his works. He was also known to work in “short, poetic lines that feature innovative line breaks”, which is clearly represented in this poem, as well as his poem This Is Just To Say (included on next page):

Follow-Up Activity!

You will be given a copy of This Is Just To Say by William Carlos Williams (the poem on the previous page of this book). Please answer the following questions about the poem.

1. Before reading, take a look at the title and body of the poem. What stands out to you? Is there anything in the title that may give you a hint towards what the poem is about? Consider what the poem may present.

2. After reading, consider the fact that Imagist poetry doesn’t usually give you a clear picture of who the “I” in the poem may be, nor does it clearly state the action of the poem. What do you see when you read this poem? Who would you interpret “I” as? What would you interpret the action as?

3. What impressions do you get about the “I” in the poem? What about the poem’s purpose?

4. Why do you think the images described in this poem are so passive (kind of like an after-thought)?

5. What senses are highlighted in the poem? (Though it doesn’t seem very sensory at first, there are a lot!)

6. What tone or emotion do you feel Williams is trying to convey in this poem? Use evidence to support your claim.