The+Red+Wheelbarrow

=//**The Red Wheelbarrow**// **by William Carlos Williams**= Chapter 1, Page 773, Poem 9

William Carlos Williams

Born September 17, 1883 Died March 4, 1963 (age 79)

Williams received his education in Rutherford, NJ, until 1897, and then was sent to school near Geneva and then attended the Lycee Condorcet in Paris. After returning to the United States, he was accepted to medical school at the University of Pennsylvania, and after graduating in 1906, went on to study advanced pediatrics in Leipzig. During this time, he developed an interest in poetry as a hobby, publishing his first book entitled //Poems// in 1909.

Primarily, Williams practiced as a family doctor, but he was an avid writer by night and also wrote many plays and short stories alongside his poetry. He was involved in the Imagist movement in the beginning of his career, which focuses on images and using clear, sharp language to isolate a single image. However, he began to disagree with the movement and focused on a more modernist approach.

__**The Red Wheelbarrow**__
so much depends upon

a red wheel barrow

glazed with rain water

beside the white chickens.

=**__Theme:__**=

**Objects will perform their duty, regardless of whether or not they are appreciated.**
Supporting examples: =__**Figurative Language:**__= Example: Repeated "s" sounds in the first stanza. Significance: Creates a rain-like sound, contributes to the wheelbarrow's neglect.
 * The wheelbarrow has been "glazed with rain water," which indicates that it has been left out in the rain, forgotten. This suggests that the wheelbarrow isn't very appreciated by its owner.
 * The poem also states that "so much" is reliant on the wheelbarrow, as it is a tool that makes moving a considerable amount of something (perhaps dirt or rocks) much easier. The line about the chickens adds to this, and suggests that the wheelbarrow has some duty on a farm, like moving feed to keep the animals alive.
 * Regardless of its neglect, the wheelbarrow still performs its important duty effectively, which is implied because so much depends on it.
 * Alliteration**

Example: glazed with rain water Significance: Reinforces the neglect the wheelbarrow faces by highlighting that it was left in the rain, and that the result of this was it becoming wet and potentially damaged.
 * Enjambment**

Example: "__red__ wheelbarrow," "__white__ chickens" Significance: Clearly encapsulates the image of the red wheelbarrow and the white chickens standing out in this scene. It reflects William's interest in the Imagist movement, which focuses on isolating an image and describing it clearly and concisely.
 * Imagery**

=**__Meter:__**= The poem is a single sentence, divided into four couplets in free verse. The second line in each couplet always consists only of one word, and sometimes the word is split from its first part in the first line using enjambment. Significance: The single word under a series of words resembles a wheelbarrow, and suggests to readers that the entirety of the first line is held up by one word alone. This can be connected to the wheelbarrow, the subject of the poem, as the wheelbarrow also supports a large load on one single wheel. The structure, therefore, stresses this importance.
 * Structure:**

=**__Emotion:__**= The poem has somewhat of a somber, resolute mood. This poem achieves this mood by describing how the wheelbarrow has been neglected and left out in the rain, and yet despite this it still performs its duty adequately.
 * Mood:**

I interpreted this poem to have a very reverent tone. It seems that the speaker has deep respect for the wheelbarrow, and acknowledges this by mentioning how important it is in the first couplet. It is clear that Williams also had a high opinion of the wheelbarrow's purpose, as he wrote a poem about how useful they are.
 * Tone:**

**Sources:**
“The Red Wheelbarrow.” Shmoop, www.shmoop.com/red-wheelbarrow/. Accessed 20 Mar. 2017.

“William Carlos Williams.” Poetry Foundation, www.poetryfoundation.org/poems-and-poets/poets/detail/william-carlos-williams. Accessed 20 Mar. 2017.