Draw Connections: “The Red Wheelbarrow” by William Carlos Williams

Draw Connections: “The Red Wheelbarrow” and “In a Station of the Metro”

William Carlos Williams’s “The Red Wheelbarrow” (1923) and Ezra Pound’s “In a Station of the Metro” (1913) are both prime examples of a style of poetry called imagism, which values concise, direct writing and aims to avoid abstract ideas or sentimentality. One famous guideline for imagism comes from another poem by William Carlos Williams, “No ideas but in things.” Read these two poems, each of which presents a swift, stark visual image, then answer the questions below.

Document links:

Annotated text of “The Red Wheelbarrow”

Annotated text of “In a Station of the Metro”

  1. In Pound’s “Retrospect” on Imagist poetry, he writes that poets should “compose in the sequence of the musical phrase, not in sequence of a metronome.” Neither of these poems follow a strict meter, but do they have a looser rhythm? Are there any musical terms you would use to describe their rhythm?

    Question

    In Pound’s “Retrospect” on Imagist poetry, he writes that poets should “compose in the sequence of the musical phrase, not in sequence of a metronome.” Neither of these poems follow a strict meter, but do they have a looser rhythm? Are there any musical terms you would use to describe their rhythm?
  2. How does each of these poems balance presenting a visual image and commenting on the image? Discuss the amount of space allocated to each task.

    Question

    How does each of these poems balance presenting a visual image and commenting on the image? Discuss the amount of space allocated to each task.
  3. Consider the differences in the setting of these two poems. Where is the speaker of “The Red Wheelbarrow” observing the scene? Where (beyond the obvious) is the speaker of “In a Station of the Metro”? How important is this difference?

    Question

    Consider the differences in the setting of these two poems. Where is the speaker of “The Red Wheelbarrow” observing the scene? Where (beyond the obvious) is the speaker of “In a Station of the Metro”? How important is this difference?
  4. Compare the punctuation in “The Red Wheelbarrow” to the punctuation in “In a Station of the Metro.” How does each poet use (or not use) punctuation to contribute to the meaning of the poem?

    Question

    Compare the punctuation in “The Red Wheelbarrow” to the punctuation in “In a Station of the Metro.” How does each poet use (or not use) punctuation to contribute to the meaning of the poem?