Questions for the William Carlos Williams poems

1. Think about what Williams has in mind when he says, “so much depends upon a red wheel barrow.” What might he be saying about poetry or art? Do you agree with him?
2. In “The Red Wheelbarrow,” Williams focuses on an ordinary workday object. Are the subjects of “The Great Figure” and “This Is Just to Say” eqully ordinary? Explain.
3. The painter Charles Henry Demuth (1883-1935) was so struck by the dynamic imagery in “The Great Figure” that he painted The Figure 5 In Gold (which I will post, if need be). What movement do you see in the painting? What do you hear in the poem itself?
4. What one word is used metaphorically to describe the fire truck as if it were a person?
5. How would the feeling of “The Great Figure” change if the colors were different? Try it and see.
6. Which one of the five senses does the imagery in “This Is Just to Say” primarily appeal to?
7. Whom do you think the speaker of “This Is Just to Say” is addressing? What response do you imagine he or she will receive and why?