poetry texts, poem archive at plagiarist.com

i just want to say that i have to analyse this poem for english lit at school, and at first glance i must say that this poem looks like absolute rubbish. However; after reading through it more thouroughly and also reading through all the other opinions and interpretations on this page i realised that this poem actually has a much deeper meaning than just a wheelbarrow and chickens standing out in the rain. i agree with all the people who have said that williams purpose for writing this peom is to allow the reader to interpret the imagery in the poem individually, and because it is an individual interpretation of the meaning and depth within the poem, i think that is what makes this poem so debatable. Thank-you to everyone who helped me understand this.

I have always loved this poem because of its underlying seriousness. I was told once in a class by a professor that this poem was about world hunger...and I believed it because somehow, the visual I got made sense. I later heard from a seasoned scholar of literature that the story had to do with a young child who was on the brink of death...this child was a patient of Dr. William Carlos Williams...and apparently, these were his thoughts as he looked out the young girls' window.
The truth is, I don't know which theory is right (if either) but both make sense and that is what makes good poetry. It is very visual and definitely open for subjective interpretation.

Reading all these amazing philosophical psycho-analytical-ish interpretations has been really amazing and stimulating...but for me, as it's been for the last two years since I've read this poem, it's significance for me will always lie in its simplicity. And imagery.

Sometimes a poem is a poem. Don't overkill.

I think that wcw left it to us to decide...do we want to force symbolism or are we simply viewing art. And depending on what sort of person you are, your interpretation will reflect that, whether ideologically or visually

i think everyone has gone nuts with literally critiqueing.
look at what it is saying; so much depends on a red wheel barrow. thats it!! this poem is so famous because of it's simplicity, which is rarely done in poetry. it's post modern. it is unlike anything written before it.
what this poem does is show how the simplest things are so important. this poem makes us think about what seems so ordinary and mundane, and makes it come alive. we start thinking about it. it's nothing to do with meaning of life that so many people seem to have said.

Preston Grey, i'd like to see YOU write something better than this, or better than sylvia plath. it's very easy to critisize as you sit, anonymous, typing from a computer, making controversial claims for the sake of it while providing no reasons WHY you think that way.
while sylvia plath and WCW are famous poets with talent in spades and a legacy of wonderful poetry, you are a nobody. i somehow doubt that sylvia or WCW would care what you think. have a nice day.

So much depends on the introductory sentence.
That is all, there is no more;
No rain, no chickens, just an
introductory sentence waiting for
other sentences to fall behind.

the fowl all just HATE her.

I have a test in American literature coming up and this poem is part of it. I had no idea what to read about it if I have to analyze that one, so I am very thankful of all the things you have written here. You have lots of great ideas. Thank you! You've saved my day.

You can look at this poem in two ways: Symbolically or Litterally.
You go with the former and you get ENDLESS explanations of what Wcw's words symbolize.
Go with the latter and you get the litteral picture/situation: Everything depends on the Wheel Barrow!

That's what makes the poem so great! It's poetic beauty can be understood by a simple minded, ESL student in a matter of minutes and/or by a Philosophy Phd Professor who majored in English in a matter of years!