Camilla Portela

FLVS English III – Instructor: Mary Denis

September 13th, 2014

UNDERSTANDING 20TH CENTURY POETRY

“THE RED WHEELBARROW” BY WILLIAM CARLOS WILLIAMS

so much depends

upon

a red wheel

barrow

glazed with rain

water

beside the white

chickens

The Red Wheelbarrow is seen as an imagist style poem, when you read it, you automatically visualize what is happening as you read it. It is known as the best poem of that kind for its time period. William C. Williams was intrigued and got the idea of the poem from his friends who happened to be photographers. If it wasn’t for his friends’ photographs, he wouldn’t have written the poem or gotten an idea to make a poem like it. Although, the true influence for William to write the poem was for his elderly fisherman friend and his son, both African American. This poem shows us the significance of the wheel barrow to farmers, and chickens.

“FOG”BY CARL SANDBURG (1916)

The Fog comes on little

Cat feet.

It Sits looking over

Harbor and city

On silent haunches

And then moves on.

The first line of the poem is the highlight of the whole poem. It is intriguing and perfectly describes the poem. “The fog comes on little cat feet”, meaning that fog comes out of nowhere, unnoticed from its origins, it just happens there and sink its presence into being acknowledged by whoever is around it. And the use of a cat in the line, meaning that cats are silent creatures who are very sneaky and just like the fog, moves unnoticed.

COMPARE AND CONTRAST“THE RED WHEELBARROW” AND “FOG”

Both poems are very descriptive in the most simplest way, the wording choice is perfect in both poems as it fits just like a puzzle, perfectly matched. They are very short and simple poems, yet elegant and beautiful. Both poems make you read between the lines, wondering what the fog is doing and how things around it might react to it, or how the wheelbarrow connects with the farm and the chickens.