The Poem the Red Wheelbarrow by William Carlos - Essay Example

?Close reading and examination of the poem "red wheelbarrow" Introduction A single look at the Poem the Red Wheelbarrow by William Carlos William canbe very infuriating it appears so simple, guileless and even meaningless. However, a careful examination of the way the poet simply but fully and reflectively examines an object as ordinary as a wheelbarrow makes us acknowledge that he has learned a lot about life. Although he is somehow lonely and seemingly, not used talking much, the poet is wise and such a good lover of life. Evidently, he is an appreciator of life, and especially the small things of life like a wheelbarrow which although we tend to overlook them or underestimate their value, they are vital to the happiness and survival of mankind. The poem focuses on an objective depiction of an object. When broken down, the subject of the poem is “so much,” the object is "the red wheelbarrow" the verb is “depends.” This implies that the author’s main focus is on the wheelbarrow and the importance attached to it. Form and similarities with haiku William’s The Red Wheelbarrow is composed of a single sentence broken down into four couplets (Williams par 1). It features only 14 words and 19 syllables. On its sentence form, the poem reads "so much depends upon a red wheelbarrow glazed with rainwater beside the white chickens." This piece of work resembles haiku because of its few syllables. This poem mimics the Japanese haiku called haiqua because each of the lines is 1-3 words long. Just like in haiku, the poet is very objective. It uses an economy of words to explain many big things but without speaking on the details of each one of them. Williams prioritizes this than personalizing the image of the reader just as the authors of many haiku poems do. Stanza arrangement The poem features four stanzas, each with three words in the first line and one on the second. If the poem was written as one sentence across the page, the reader would move quickly through the sentence. However, breaking the poem into six short lines helps the reader to pause at the end of each line-break and at the end of each stanza to contemplate on their possible meanings and, the interconnections between the stanzas and all the components of the poem. The stanza arrangement has also been used by the poet as a tool of capturing attention and this is evident in the first line of each stanza. The stanzas of the poem are also arranged in a manner that it helps the reader to point out the independent existence of the various components of the poem as well as the possible connections between them. For example, he puts wheel and barrow, rain and water, and white and chicken in different lines to suggests that every detail in the poem exists independently. The wheel and barrow can exist differently but both are important if used together. Uncapitalized letters in the poem The author of the poem has written the whole poem in lower case and this suggests his view of equality among all the various components of the poem, none of them is superior or more important than the other. This sends a message to those who depend on the red wheelbarrow that they should attach more meaning and value the red wheelbarrow just as they do value themselves. For example, the wheel that pulls the barrow is as important as the barrow because it provides a point of attachment for the wheel. This means meaning can only be derived when the two function together. So much depends upon Although the poem does not have a specific or actual subject, the “so much” represents its abstract subject. The use of so much instead of an actual subject is a strategic device used by the author to stimulate the readers to imagine the many possible things that could depend upon the wheelbarrow. When taken literarily, a wheelbarrow is a human tool which is used to accomplish many important tasks like transporting building materials, farm tools and products, ferrying water, offloading various inputs. Although unexpected, the same wheelbarrow could be important in rushing someone to a health centre across the street in case of an emergency and where vehicles are out of reach. This means even human life depend on it. These tasks therefore represent the “so much” referred to by the author. Red wheelbarrow A wheelbarrow is a tool for doing hard manual jobs. The red color evokes thoughts of courage, blood and sacrifice. In the American culture, the red is symbolic color mostly representing patriotism. However, wheelbarrow and chickens are mainly found in the homestead of farmers, especially small scale farmers. The red wheelbarrow could therefore be American farmers and the much sacrifice and labor they make to produce the agricultural products that are used as food and raw materials for many industries. They make huge contributions towards the growth and stability of the nation’s economy. Just like the wheelbarrow, this group of people are not esteemed and rewarded as they should by the society. Instead, other people who have not labored as much as these farmers gain this recognition and reward like merchants and political leaders. Rain water The wheelbarrow is glazed the rain water. This rain water is therefore its source of brightness, happiness and hope of survival. No one supplies rain water. It comes by divine power and when this does not happen, those who depend on it suffer. The rain water is therefore a representation of the sweat produced by the American farmers as they toil to meet the demands of the nation. It also represents the pain and agony they go through, and the tears they shed because their hard labor is not paying back accordingly. Dependence on rain water implies that no one cares much about these farmers, not even through the proceeds of what they have toiled to produce. A mention of water also brings into mind blue color, the color associated with the sky. Blue represents peace, loyalty and calmness. This indicates the loyalty and peace demonstrated by these farmers despite the things they go through that could justify aggressiveness. White chicken White color symbolizes innocence. In this stanza, the author has used the word white chickens to indicate quite a good number of innocent people the wheelbarrow. In this poem, the white chicken represents the children of farmers. The children are not the cause but innocent victims of the unfavorable lives of their parents. By depicting the chickens as beside the red wheelbarrow, the author intended to pass the meaning that the chickens were expecting some form of help or depended on the wheelbarrow. Even though the parents are in a desperate condition, their children depend on them for livelihood. Conclusion In his Poem the Red Wheelbarrow, Williams makes an economical use of words to bring out a big lesson to the society. Through this poem, Williams challenges the human society to acknowledge the importance of the things they have always accorded little recognition than they actually deserve such as the wheel barrow. Despite the many tedious and manual work accomplished by this tool, many are the times that its owners fail to treat it as it should. As depicted by the poem, it is beside the chicken and not in the store, an implication of improper care. The same applies to the American farmers. Although they accomplish the tasks that the sophisticated upper class people do not want to do and the society and its economy depend on them for survival, the same society rarely cares for them as they should be. Work Cited Williams Carlos. The Red Wheelbarrow. 2008. Web. Viewed 13 February, 2012 http://writing.upenn.edu/~afilreis/88/wcw-red-wheel.html Read More