so much depends
upon
a red wheel
barrow
glazed with rain
water
beside the white
chickens.
I first read the poem "The Red Wheel Barrel," by William Carlos in my Intro to Poetry class. It's simple, yet beautiful. I always seem to come back to this poem, because it has stood the test of time in its popularity and has blogged many writers, including myself.
A wheel barrow is just an ordinary object on a farm, but is a symbol of the struggle and hard work that goes into toiling the land. Rain gives life to all living things, and as for the white chickens, I have no idea why they are emphasised. But maybe this was just a moment in time, when Williams questioned his life, and why life depends on simple tasks and objects: mirrors, money, coffee, cellphones. We allow these objects to run our lives; what would happen to us if they did not exist?
I know I'm going off the deep end here, but Williams' poem makes me question the world around me. His poem might be considered awesome, dumb, or pointless, to some people but if makes you look within yourself and think outside the box we build for ourselves.
For info and poems of Williams Carlos Williams check this out:
www.poets.org/wcwil/
I've taught the poem to students for longer than I care to remember. If you get a chance, watch the Voices and Visions segment on Williams. The director had many people repeat the poem, and it is a blast.
ReplyDeleteBTW: you'd do well to link to some critical sites regarding this poem and Williams.
Actually I'm not much into poem and literature. But still it is really a good one to me. I really liked the way its done.
ReplyDeletekabel