To A Poor Old Woman - William Carlos Williams
In this essay, I intend to comment on and critically assess William Carlos Williams' poem entitled 'To a Poor Old Woman.' Williams published this poem in 1935, at which point he was reaching the end of what he called his 'early career.' During this time he was refining his skills in, and learning about, the 'newly emerging' methods of composition. By ' newly emerging,' I mean that Williams was one of the modern American poets who rejected the use of iambic pentameters and rhyme in poetry and determined to "rinse the language of ornament and encrustation"(pg.7, Brinnin, J.M. William Carlos Williams. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1963.) That is, he believed in the importance of clarity and precision when representing his subjects.The subjects that Williams observes and depicts in his poetry are not unnatural, mythical or imaginary, but "the immediate and local"(pg.8.) The everyday occurrences in everyday life were the subjects of Williams' interest, especially the "tawdry, vulgar...[and] grotesque"(pg.22.) He was interested in the "observation without comment... [using] common speech... [and depicting] homely details..."(pg.12.) In the 'Imagist Manifesto,' Williams (together with his colleagues) points out the
Instead, he creates a concrete image, which is given detail by sensory descriptions; especially those relating to sight, sound and taste. The third stanza seems to be a 'physical detail' of the emotions that Williams represented in the stanza before. ) Of course, the meaning of the stanza can be interpreted in many ways and the interesting use of enjambment is crucial to get a sense of this 'animated' image. He represents her in no other way, but the way that he must have seen her. Hence a Williams poem should be regarded as a 'whole image', made up of carefully chosen 'details. It is an atmosphere of calm and peace and we imagine her smiling to herself, perhaps even thinking, 'that tasted good!' This poem is a fine example of Williams' lifelong goal to create a 'pristine and clean' kind of poetry by using simple language and highly visual details. The pace of "They taste good to her" in line 4 is slow and deliberate. We imagine their colour, their sweet smell and Williams directs our attention to the their other qualities; the way they seem "to fill the air"(ll. The word 'sucked' in line 11 is another of the highly 'colourful,' 'sensual' words that Williams employs in the poem. The way they possess the Poor Old Woman's complete attention and in the way that she ".
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Acceptance Essays
