Introduction To The Wedge

695 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: William carlos williams life essay

“There is no poetry of distinction without formal invention, for it is in the intimate form that works of art achieve their exact meaning”. In the “Introduction to The Wedge”, William Carlos Williams persuades the readers of the Wedge that the art of poetry has a complex relationship to society. A poem is “a small machine made of words” according to Williams Carlos Williams. Poems have different parts just like machines except they are not tangible parts they are words. The wording in a poem can have different functions but all together they perform the task of entertaining the reader or sending a message. William Carlos Williams wrote the “Introduction to The Wedge” because he believes that people still think of poetry as a means of expressing themselves and that we should understand that poetry should have a complex relationship to …show more content…

This is a powerful statement because a poem has the power to brighten the lives of many people. The reason behind this is because of the messages hidden inside of them. The characters a poem could have in it can help us build our own character. “All that an artist or a Sperry can do is drive toward his purpose, in the nature of his materials”. This quote by William Carlos Williams explains that an artist has to make the complications of their perceptions clear in their writing so that readers can find meaning from reading the poem. If an artist is not clear in their writing there is no room for the reader to gain anything from reading his or her piece of literature. Poetry should send a message to readers so that people can find meaning in reading them. Poetry that has strong messages in them can help readers if they are going through any kind of situation. Poetry should not just be about the authors feelings it should have some sort of connection to society so that anyone who is reading it can relate to the poem or at least understand the message it is

Show More
Related

  • Theodore Roethke's Relationship With His Father

    1136 Words  | 3 Pages

    Poetry is often created by an author’s need to escape the logical, as well as expressing feelings and other expressions in a tight, condensed manner. Hundreds of poets have impacted society throughout history through phenomenal poetry that, even with dark tones can be emotionally moving.

    Read More

  • How Does Billy Collins Use Figurative Language In Introduction To Poetry

    403 Words  | 1 Pages

    Poetry is something that is to be read delicately and cautiously if one wanted to find meaning through the words. Readers have to be gentle and patiently ponder about what they are reading in order to find any significance in the poem. If someone is not patient with reading, they will not feel impacted by poetry and will not want to read it. In Billy Collins’, “Introduction to Poetry,” he uses figurative language to help readers see that the way to enjoy and understand poetry is by reading between the lines and being patient with how each individual relates to the readings.

    Read More

  • Miller Williams Love Poem Analysis

    452 Words  | 1 Pages

    Williams uses dry and subtle words such as “car”, “coffee”, or even plain “water” to create this powerful and foreboding poem which is interpreted pessimistically after getting past the tedious words. Its implicit meaning can be hard to grasp because it is deeply embedded into the poem and also implies the opposite of what we are taught as humans; we grow up with plans, goals, desires too, and Williams opens the reader’s eyes to explain the pointlessness of it all. Williams writes this poem knowing he will contradict everything people learn to do starting from a young age. In spite of this, it may inspire readers to stop worrying about the small things and focus on the grand scheme, maybe get them “wanting to love beyond this meat and bone,” despite its adverse meaning (21). Ultimately, the author subduedly goes against the ideal rules of life and allows the reader to interpret it however they want- either explicitly understand that it is normal for humans to want thing, not want things, and be wanted, or implicitly understand that there is no point in investing in our desires, for when we die, our goals- both the finished and unfinished- will not matter in the

    Read More

  • The Drought Year By Hugh Wright

    912 Words  | 2 Pages

    Poetry is a form of literature that uses aesthetic and rhythmic qualities; it is solely used to evoke emotive feelings in the reader in which to convey a message or story. This form of literature has a long history dating back thousands of years and is considered a literacy art form as it uses forms and conventions to evoke differentiating interpretations of words, though the use of poetic devices. Devices such as assonance, figurative language, alliteration, onomatopoeia and rhythm are sometimes used to achieve a musical and memorable aspect to the poem. Poems are usually written based on the past experiences of the poet and are greatly influenced by the writer’s morals values and beliefs. Poetry regularly demonstrates and emphasises on the

    Read More

  • Carl Sandburg and Robert Frost's Ability to Connect with Poetry Readers

    1156 Words  | 3 Pages

    When you think of poetry what comes to mind? Do you think of the abstract thoughts of Emily Dickinson, the intense illusions of T.S. Elliot, or the vengeful stories of Sylvia Plath? Most people do think of poetry’s complexities and think that it does not relate to them because they cannot understand the meanings of the poetry. On the other side of things, there are poets who write goofy rhymes to make people laugh such as Dr. Seuss and Shel Silverstein. While it is easy to understand these goofy poems, they do not really relate to real-life. Then there are poets like Carl Sandburg and Robert Frost, who really know how to capture the essence of life. When poets do this, readers can easily relate to what the poets are talking about. They have made a connection with the reader about something the reader can understand. In particular, Frost and Sandburg’s “Out, Out –“and “Chicago,” respectively, are poems that offer a connection to readers because they focus on the everyday or “working class” side of life. Frost and Sandburg use their “blue collar” connection along with diction and imagery to create poetry that will be adored for many years to come.

    Read More

  • The Importance Of Poetry In The Streets By Naomi Shihab Nye

    700 Words  | 2 Pages

    Quite often, tHere are two sides to every story. Similarly, there are often several different viewpoints on any given topic. The idea of the importance of poetry is such a topic. While some may find poetry pointless and hard to follow, others stand behind such writing wholeheartedly. Naomi Shihab Nye stated, “Anyone who feels poetry is an alien or an ominous force should consider the style in which human beings think. ‘How do you think?’ I ask my students. ‘Do you think in complete, elaborate sentences?... Or in flashes and bursts of images, snatches of lines leaping one to the next?’ We think in poetry. But some people pretend poetry is far away.” Nye is correct when she compares the way humans think of the way poetry is written. It is clear that Naomi Shihab Nye is correct in her statement through the study of poems such as Streets by Naomi Shihab Nye, Halley’s Comet by Stanley Kunitz, and Who Burns for the Perfection of Paper by Martín Espada.

    Read More

  • Tales of Ise and The Tosa Diary

    1768 Words  | 4 Pages

    The poems make for a simple addition to the narrative and allows for a much more meaningful experience for a reader and makes for a much more engrossing story, thus adding to the experience as a whole.

    Read More

  • Lanston hughes comparison of two poems

    825 Words  | 2 Pages

    In today’s modern view, poetry has become more than just paragraphs that rhyme at the end of each sentence. If the reader has an open mind and the ability to read in between the lines, they discover more than they have bargained for. Some poems might have stories of suffering or abuse, while others contain happy times and great joy. Regardless of what the poems contains, all poems display an expression. That very moment when the writer begins his mental journey with that pen and paper is where all feelings are let out. As poetry is continues to be written, the reader begins to see patterns within each poem. On the other hand, poems have nothing at all in common with one another. A good example of this is in two poems by a famous writer by the name of Langston Hughes. A well-known writer that still gets credit today for pomes like “ Theme for English B” and “Let American be American Again.”

    Read More

  • From the Hazel Bough

    710 Words  | 2 Pages

    In poetry, we can vent our frustration and interpretations of the world around us on paper. Poets make their points using metaphors or little stories to bring them out. When reading poetry, I always put myself in the shoes of the first or third person to better understand what is trying to be put across in the words of the sonnets. Most poems can mean anything to anybody. There are many cases in which you see people finding beauty in things they don't even understand, such as an Italian Opera or Ancient Hieroglyphics painted on a pyramid wall. Poetry can be silly, cheesy, boring or down right appealing and consuming to the readers eyes.

    Read More

  • William Carlos Williams The Red Wheelbarrow

    657 Words  | 2 Pages

    Williams’ minimalist writing style employed free verse and by maintaining simplicity allowed the wheelbarrow to be the center of attention. He accomplished this task by breaking up the poem, which consisted of one sentence, into eight lines and further divided it into couplets. The beginning line of each couplet was longer than the second line, which only had one word. This formation allowed the reader to focus on specific words before moving to the next line. This is best illustrated in the opening lines, “so much depends/upon,” (Williams 288). Already, Williams has established the importance of the object by conveying to the reader that many things are dependent on the object. It is also significant that none of the words in the poem are capitalized nor did Williams

    Read More

  • Why Does Poetry Matter

    885 Words  | 2 Pages

    Poetry differs from other forms of literature because it tells a story using emotions. They are always so unique because no author is the same, and can all be interpreted a different way by every reader. The text suggest the the reader should “listen to the poem first” after going through it once just reading the words while giving no thought to the meaning of the poem. Then it says to “Articulate your expectations, starting with the title” this is done by not expecting the poem to mean just one thing, the reader needs to keep and open mind when reading poetry.

    Read More

  • I am a rock

    1264 Words  | 3 Pages

    When reading or listening to poetry, the main objective for me is to feel moved. Happiness, longing, sadness are some of the feelings that can be achieved just by listening to others’ words. It is within these words that creates another world, or separates us from our own. Words all have a certain kind of attachment to them, so if used properly an author can stimulate a reader beyond belief.

    Read More

  • Essay On The Importance Of Poetry

    938 Words  | 2 Pages

    Even though poetry is still taught in classes, students will only view it as a required subject. A majority of students do not find poetry interesting just from investigating on their own. However, when they are learning it in a classroom setting with their peers, they may have more enthusiasm about the topic. Yet, after these students learn about the influence that poetry has brought to our society, they are still inclined to explore their own writing style. There is nothing wrong with this, but this proves that poetry has strayed away from its actual literature and the value it

    Read More

  • A City's Death By Fire Poem Analysis

    1212 Words  | 3 Pages

    Poetry in essence is a written artistic form of expression. It allows for writers to reveal their ideas and feelings in a very unique way. Wallace Stevens once said, “Poetry is a destructive force”. In other words poetry has power, I believe this is a very true statement. Another poet by the name of William Carlos Williams once said, “Poetry is a small (or large) machine made out of words.” I also believe this statement to be true, each aspect of a poem is important to its function as a whole, and if something is missing or changed it can no longer work in the same way. The poet Derek Walcott I believe knew these “rules of poetry” and modeled them in his own writing. For example we can see use of these statements in his poem “A City’s Death By Fire”.

    Read More

  • What is Poetry?

    327 Words  | 1 Pages

    Poetry must be music in the form of words. Some poets believe the definition of poetry is in the music it creates. "Smooth or rough, with them, is right or wrong." Alexander Pope believed that a poem must be pleasant to the ear. A poem must follow certain rules. A poem can never "ring round the same unvaried chimes" and "[drag] its slow length along." Poems must "[whisper] through the trees" to please the reader's ear. For a poem to create music the poem must follow certain rules. What is the usefulness of a poem if it doesn't communicate any emotions to the reader in the end? It is nice to hear pleasant sounds but the goal of a poem cannot just be to produce pleasant sounds.

    Read More

More about Introduction To The Wedge

Open Document