“The Red Wheelbarrow,” one of William Carlos Williams’ most well-known poems, initially gained notoriety in 1923. Despite the poem’s obscurity, one of its lines portrays a red wheelbarrow that has been placed next to three white hens after becoming wet in the rain. The speaker considers the significance of that red wheelbarrow. With the rest of the poem being obscure, the speaker states that “so much depends” on the wheelbarrow (Williams, 1-2). This poem has significance despite the fact that much of the information is conveyed through visuals.
First, the readers will recognize the colors the poet mentions . The author uses color imagery to help the listener visualize the scenario that is being described. It is impossible for the readers to miss the wheelbarrow’s color. ” a red wheel barrow” (Williams 3-4). It has a special meaning in the poem.
Williams even gave the chickens in the poem a color. “The White Chickens” (Williams, 7-8). This poem gives the readers an illusion of being on a farm.
The wheelbarrow sticks out more to me than any other object mention in the poem due to its color. The color red always catch a person’s attention.
Secondly, Williams mentions that the wheelbarrow is “glazed in the rain (William 5). This part of the poem states that the rain, a natural element, connects with the wheelbarrow. This implies that the rain is used to make the old wheelbarrows shiny and new. It also could mean that the raining is cleaning off the rusty wheelbarrow, giving it that shiny red color that’s mentions in the poem. The only metaphor stated in this poem is ” a red wheelbarrow” (William 3-4) ” glazed with rain water” (William 5-6 ). This goes without saying that the rain has a significant affect on the wheelbarrow and making the wheelbarrow look glazed.
Lastly, The imagery used in this poem shows the concept of perception versus reality. “A red wheelbarrow” (Williams 3-4) is emphasized in this poem because it has a significant meaning to the poet. He wants his readers to understand the meaning of the wheelbarrow and why the color was chosen. While the poet mentioned that it is a wheelbarrow, and put big emphasis on its red color forces readers to pay attention to the illustration. Williams also indicates in this poem, that the poem can be perceived on a very broad perspective of the readers. It also shows how frequently readers miss the small things in a poem such as in the first stanza “So much depends upon” (Williams 1-2). Someone will likely to understand the significance of a big object versus understanding the small aspect of the object. Somebody’s perception is subjective and can have a reflection on the reality of everyday life.
In conclusion, the poem displays imagery to illustrate an illusion that goes beyond the words that the reader is reading. .Williams is illiterate the topics of the unknown in this poem. He mentions imagery, as in the colors. ” a red wheelbarrow” (Williams 3-4) and ” besides the white chickens”(Williams 7-8. He stated the “glazed”( Williams 5), which has a significant meaning to the wheelbarrow. The reader can perceive this as the rain cleaning or making the object new and shiny. Williams then ends by making sure the reader understands that things are more objective than subjective.
- Cite Page Williams, Carlos William. “The Red Wheelbarrow.” Compact Literature: Reading, Reacting, Writing 9th edition, edited by Laurie G. Kirszner Pp. 563
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