Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
THEMES IN THE YOUNG HOUSEWIFE
analysis of poems by William Carlos Williams
william carlos williams life essay
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: THEMES IN THE YOUNG HOUSEWIFE
The Use of Images in William Carlos Williams', The Young Housewife
As is typical of most Modernist poetry, William Carlos Williams uses very specific images in "The Young Housewife" to reveal not merely a particular circumstance or event, but to also suggest underlying themes and ideas of his subject matter. For example, he gives to the reader various real and imagined images, such her moving about in negligee behind closed doors, or her going about her daily affairs, that are at once very seductive and suggestive of ideas that supercede their appearances. These images especially accentuate the young housewife's naturalness and beauty. However, they are quickly contrasted by a comparison drawn by Williams of the young lady to a fallen leaf-a
comparison that initially seems completely bizarre and esoteric. One, in fact, wonders what Williams' purpose is in suddenly changing the mood of the poem to make this comparison. Upon close inspection, however, the comparison actually proves to be less confusing than it appears. In fact, when one considers the nature of a fallen leaf and compares it with various aspects of the young housewife's life, possible explanations begin to arise that clarify Williams' possible intent.
Primary to understanding the comparison, is of course, understanding the nature of leaves and more particularly fallen leaves. Universally, leaves are considered to play both a functional and ornamental role for trees. On the functional level, leaves enable photosynthesis and thereby give nourishment to the tree. On the ornamental level, they enrich the appearance of the tree, giving it more color and substance. In fact, leaves are widely considered to be the evidence of a tree's vivacity. La...
... middle of paper ...
... young housewife's sexual nature and beauty is to William and how much emphasis he puts on her captivity in her house, it becomes easier to understand the parallel of her to a fallen leaf. To Williams, the young housewife is like a beautiful leaf that needs to stay connected to its life force in order to maintain its beauty and vitality and even continue to nourish the tree. Otherwise it will inevitably dry up, become colorless and eventually die. Her marriage has separated her from the world and from her life force and will eventually cause her to lose her beauty and pristine nature. It is only a matter of time, in fact, before she becomes one of the leaves that Williams drives over in his car.
Works Cited:
Williams, William Carlos. “The Young Housewife.” Anthology of Modern American Poetry. Ed. Cary Nelson. New York: Oxford University Press, 2000.
Another difference lies in the position and shape of the tree itself. In Their Eyes, “the gold of the sun”, “t...
...ots her memory, the blossoms her dreams, and the branches her vision. After each unsuccessful marriage, she waits for the springtime pollen to be sprinkled over her life once again. Even after Tea Cake's death, she has a garden of her own to sit and revel in.
The Glass Menagerie closely parallels the life of the author. From the very job Tennessee held early in his life to the apartment he and his family lived in. Each of the characters presented, their actions taken and even the setting have been based on the past of Thomas Lanier Williams, better known as Tennessee Williams.
In The Glass Menagerie, Tennessee Williams presents us with four characters whose lives seem to consist in avoiding reality more than facing it. Amanda lives her life through her children and clings to her lost youthfulness. Tom retreats into movie theaters and into his dream of joining the merchant seamen and some day becoming a published poet. Laura resorts to her Victrola and collection of glass ornaments to help sustain her world of fantasy. Finally, Jim is only able to find some relief in his glorified old memories. This essay will examine how Amanda, Tom, Laura and Jim attempt to escape from the real world through their dreams.
Simple narrative typically of folk origin dealing with supernatural beings. Fairy tales may be written or told for the amusement of children or may have a more sophisticated narrative containing supernatural or obviously improbable events, scenes, and personages and often having a whimsical, satirical, or moralistic character. The term embraces popular folktales such as “Cinderella” and “Puss in Boots,” as well as art fairy tales of late...
Walker begins the story by describing the yard in which the mother is waiting for her daughter to come home. She shows the yard to the reader as being clean and wavy, which, according to the mother, is "more comfortable than most people know" (875). She feels that it is an extension of the living room. She compares the hard clay to the living room floor being swept smooth. This leaves a cool place to sit under the elm tree and "wait for the breezes that never come inside the house" (875). The reader at this point has already experienced the feeling of the soft grass, hard yet smooth clay, the cool breeze, and the smell of the elm tree.
...s’ poems, his purpose remains to identify with the thing, not just to describe it, and to allow it a way to express itself. In Young Sycamore William uses free verse lines to mimic the real curves and sways of a tree. In doing this, Gray states that it was Williams’ goal is to allow the reader to in essence become like the tree. By creating this effect upon the reader, Williams is able to show how beautiful a regular tree can be if it is looked at in a new way (Gray).
William Carlos Williams is a superb artist. Not only has he created a masterpiece of a poem, but he has also cultivated abstract and concrete images to paint a picture of his red wheelbarrow. Each word is a brushstroke to this "still life" poem. He has also taken elementary objects, such as a wheelbarrow and a chicken, and turned them into icons of industrialized civilizations. Without these indispensable components, society would not be as evolved as it is today. Williams uses an experimental structure in his free verse poem "The Red Wheelbarrow" and effectively demonstrates an array of figurative language. He also utilizes simplistic images to capture the essence of childhood, setting and technology.
“Whiteness continues to permeate Williams’ canvas, suggesting perhaps that the kind of purity which dominates his pastoral scene is also essential in the sort of love such a scene brings to mind” (190).
Folklore is a collection of stories passed down from generation to generation that includes Legends, Myths and Fairy tales. Legends are a semi-true story, which has been passed on from a person to another person that has an important meaning. Myths are a traditional story, especially one concerning the early history of a people or explaining some natural or social phenomenon. A Fairytale is a children's story about magical which they have imaginary beings and lands. Hispanic Folklore is the traditional is mostly about beliefs, legends, customs and stories of the community of the hispanic culture. Hispanic or latino culture encompasses the traditions, language, religious beliefs and practices, legends, music and history.
“Don’t judge a book by its cover.” This is a phrase that has been uttered numerous times to children by their parents. This aphorism has been used to not only apply to books but also people. In The Black Walnut Tree by Mary Oliver, the speaker faces a conflict between the literal and figurative meaning of a tree in her yard. In the beginning of the poem, the mother and daughter “debate” selling the tree to “pay off their mortgage.” But with a shift from literal language to figurative language comes a symbolic representation of the tree, one that represents family heritage and their ancestors’ hard work.
In the celebrated poem by American author Wallace Stevens, “Anecdote of the Jar,” we are driven to examine and understand the many symbolic connotations of “the jar” in its particular placement upon a hill; those of which may potentially coincide with the many interpretations of this world. While “the jar” represents many ideas corresponding to our paradigms of how we perceive our world, the most profound idea to me is the notion of emptiness which parallels the reality of emptiness in the prose “Clay” by James Joyce. The jar is an empty object, unable to give, only enabled to be acknowledged its presence. This is similar to the many depths in which the character Maria in “Clay” feels endlessly vacant to the core of her soul. They are comparable to each other in the lonely concept of emptiness.
Poet William Carlos Williams once stated, “Crude symbolism is to associate emotions with natural phenomena such as anger with lightning, flowers with love…” (Llanas 57). This quote is an excellent example of Williams’ style of writing; his poetry represents the idea of Imagism excellently. Although his poetry was once referred to as “over-looked,” and “misunderstood,” later in his life, many aspiring writers looked to him and his writing for inspiration (Llanas 57-58). William Carlos Williams’ writing represents to the reader that ordinary life can be beautiful.
Portrayal of Women in The Glass Menagerie, A Streetcar Named Desire, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Orpheus Descending, Suddenly Last Summer, and Period of Adjustment
The second folk tale is titled From things fall apart. It is a story of a greedy manipulative turtle who tricks a flock of birds out of their feast in the sky, but he soon learns his lesson when the birds take away their feathers and he is forced to jump back to earth thus shattering his smooth shell. This story shows that this culture believes that if you do bad things you will eventually get what is coming to you.The third folk tale is called In the Land of the Small Dragon. This story has many similarities with Cinderella. It is the story of a beautiful young girl named Tam who’s beauty reflects her inner kindness and innocence. Her half-sister Cam is ugly, which reflects her bitter, jealous, and lazy personality. Tams stepmother treats her like a slave and lets Cam do whatever she wants. Later in the story Tam is given new clothes and a