poetry texts, poem archive at plagiarist.com

this poem for me is a sort of haiku... it presents a single impression, a snapshot... we have the image of the wheelbarrow, the chickens; it's raining, and there are puddles all around... therefore, when it says "so much depends upon a red wheelbarrow", it's referring to life... the life of the chickens, because if the wheelbarrow wasn't there they would have no shelter FROM the rain, and they would drown... anyway, that's my interpretation...

I felt this was quite an effective poem. Although it is extremely obscure in its structure and content, it achieves the purpose of a poem: to mkae the reader think beyond themselves. Because the poem was only 16 words, tons of imagery must be packed INTO it, and word choice must be immaculate. Although FROM first glance, the poem seems to be quite straight-forward, the firt half of the peom haunts the reader for the rest of the poem: "So much depends upon a red wheelbarrow." These words make the reader think. As well, it makes the reader go back and read it again, since the true meaning of this poem must be discovered and imagined, and not just uncovered. The imagery depicted in it (red wheelbarrow beside white chickens in the rain) seems to be very basic, and this causes the reader to think even harder about why so much depends upon it. The meaning of this poem, I feel, is very individual. To me, it stresses duty even through simplicity. The wheelbarrow's job is to provide for the chickens. And becaseu the wheelbarrow is red, it represents to me that it is impure. The whiteness of the chickens displays their purtiy (not in a moral sense however, in responsibilty). The fact that the wheelbarrow is glazed with rain, in this context, means that it has undergone some hardships yet still must contribute to society inorder for it to function. The wheelbarrow could represent any sort of.. Cinderella-type character.

Also, in WCW's Great American Novel, he makes clear that it is not the words that make a piece of literature great, yet it's sequence. Same game for this poem... Brilliant start... controls the reader's curiousity, and makes them ponder over it.

This is about a woman's red, glistening vulva and how male poets may be inspired by that, especially when they can't handle them sexually. You know, like "Carlos" and Baroness Elsa. Please read all about it at wotans warriors

I don't think William Carlos Williams meant anything when he wrote this poem. He may have simply written for fun or because he was bored. It doesn't need to be analyzed so thoroughly, because there is nothing to analyze.

details

My interpretation is based on my English professor's (Ron Loewinsohn - UC Berkeley) analysis, as well as my own input.

This poem could be merely an imagist poem if it were not for the first stanza - "so much depends upon" - which adds a message to the imagery. And this is the line that intrigues readers, causing them to read the poem over and over to find what it is that "so much depends upon."

Why is the wheelbarrow red, and the chickens white? I don't think the specific color is as important as the fact that they are details. In this sense, the poem can be seen as a "stop to smell the roses" aphorism with much more kick and depth. The poem may be saying that "so much depends upon" details in life, if one is to make sense of the world, acquire an engaging knowledge of life, and appreciate beauty to its fullest. And so the bigger picture of the supposed farm/dwelling scene depends on the small detail of the glistening wet wheelbarrow and the chickens beside it, a detail that is unfortunately lost if one were to quickly glance at the whole dwelling scene in passing, never knowing what the scene is actually composed of.

One last quick comment. The structure of the stanzas depicts the form of a wheelbarrow. The structure of the wheelbarrow is important to its function, just as the structure of the poem is important the way the words function. Another detail upon which so much depends.

Right now I am looking out of my dormitory window onto a rainy Berkeley night. Does anybody else notice the multi-paned windows of the apartment building across the street, which gives the building a sort of antique, romantic feel? So much depends upon the black window frame glazed with rain water beside the white curtains.

Jordan!

You're an idiot! Why do you even read poetry? And as far as deferred dreams go, over there at Langston's place -- yeah! They first explode in a ring of fire and then they go back INTO passive mode and shave their heads so they can don the straw braids and submit to the suicidal despair of a Wotan in the final act.

Poetry is written FROM a different dimension than prose. What makes poetry so enlightening is YOU have to move up to this dimension to see it.

The beauty of this poem is in it's simplicity. A simple statement of a comples operation (the farm).

The reason there are so many different ways to interrupt this poem is because it is reflecting some basic turth that lies some where underneith the words. This truth in the words of William Wordsworth is "too deep for words" which is why we need images, if this truth could be explained in words then this poem woudl not be needed.

All one needs to do is feel it.

I have heard this poem explained as a photo, which I think would fit in with WCW's era and background. Without the red wheelbarrow, the picture would be unexciting. With it, it has an object, a center as it were, that leaps out at us. WCW was influenced by Chinese and Japanese esthetics. That kind of "simple balance" fits in with the picture concept, for me. Also, he was famous for his deconstructed, simplistic style, which also fits with the photo idea, for me.

It's really a lovely poem, and very signature in my mind. Very Aaron Copeland in its American-ness.

I was under the impression that the poem hinged on the double-meaning of the word "barrow", surely given its own line for a reason.

Do you think it could be saying "so much depends on the red white and blue"? -red wheelbarrow, blue rain, white chicken