Next Wednesday we are going to do a presentation on William Carlos Williams. We will be talking about his life, style and will also be discussing two poems, one of which was also discussed during the session with Jeffrey Childs. Feel free to comment and discuss the poems, any suggestions and ideas will be welcomed and helpful!!
A Love Song
(one of the poems discussed in the session with Jeffrey Childs)
What have I to say to you
When we shall meet?
Yet—
I lie here thinking of you.
The stain of love
Is upon the world.
Yellow, yellow, yellow,
It eats into the leaves,
Smears with saffron
The horned branches that lean
Heavily
Against a smooth purple sky. There is no light—
Only a honey-thick stain
That drips from leaf to leaf
And limb to limb
Spoiling the colours
Of the whole world. I am alone.
The weight of love
Has buoyed me up
Till my head
Knocks against the sky. See me!
My hair is dripping with nectar—
Starlings carry it
On their black wings.
See, at last
My arms and my hands
Are lying idle. How can I tell
If I shall ever love you again
As I do now?
- what do you think of the title?
- starts and ends with a question
- self-reflexive
- imagery, synesthesia and synecdoche - physical but mainly emotional and psychological impact and effect that an encounter has had on the poetic subject
- automnal atmosphere
- parallelism with a tree - crossing of/between the organic world and the human reality
- "there is no light" - autumn anticipates winter; just like the poetic subject is in the clouds and can already anticipate his own fall
- doubt
- feeling of being lost
The Young Housewife
At ten AM the young housewife
moves about in negligee behind
the wooden walls of her husband's house.
I pass solitary in my car. Then again she comes to the curb
to call the ice-man, fish-man, and stands
shy, uncorseted, tucking in
stray ends of hair, and I compare her
to a fallen leaf. The noiseless wheels of my car
rush with a crackling sound over
dried leaves as I bow and pass smiling.
In regards to „The Young Housewife“ we would like to give you a few hints on how to understand the poem, just to give you a direction for the discussion, without telling too much about our own ways of interpreting it:
- poem as a comment on social inequality
- division into 2 spheres (male sphere, female sphere)
- voyeurism and female objectification
- carpe diem/ memento mori
- potential of change (?)
David Klein Martins and Marta Horta e Costa
Reading “The young Housewife” by William Carols Williams, we face again Pounds enormous influence on Williams and the evidence of Williams’ direct imagism principle, where he expresses ideas, treating things directly. More important her seems throughout the first reading, that Williams raises a statement about social inequality. A woman, here again in an everyday situation, as common in Williams’ poetry, is kept trapped in a house, which is said to be of“her husband”. While reading the poem, we get the image of the young woman as a prisoner or at least as an employee of her husband, although she should be his coequal partner. The division between the female and male sphere persists throughout the poem: the man in contrast to the “imprisoned” woman, is mobile and able to get the know the outside world. The woman instead is associated to an indoor life. It is also the woman, who apparently provokes the sexual tension, the reader can appreciate in the first stanza, while the man, as a represent of the cultivated society and member of the stronger gender, being able to contain his emotions and desires, is able to resist.
ResponderEliminarAbove comment is mine: Aurea Patício N°44920
ResponderEliminarIn “The Young Housewife” we see what the poetic subject is seeing in a pass by. This poetic subject is watching this woman, and saying that she lives in “her husband’s house”, he probably doesn’t know if that is her husband’s house or not but he makes that conjecture. He makes her look as a temptation that does not affect him, and that is why he “bows and pass smiling”, although is tempted enough to be looking at her (voyeurism).
ResponderEliminarWhen reading the first stanza, the poetic subject says that “passes solitary” in his car, but at the beginning of the second stanza he says “then again” and this made me think that he keeps going there to look at her (again with voyeurism), and also makes me believe he is talking about a routine. The poetic subject compares this woman to “fallen leaves” as if she was as meaningless as the ones he runs over.
Tânia Fortunato nº 46517
Reading the poem "A Love Song" by William Carlos William the poetic subject seems to be in love and wonders if he is going to continue feeling that way. It is a poem written "from the ground" as the poetic subject continues to talk about love; at the same time the poetic subject anticipates the "fall" of love with the line "The weight of love has buoyed me up, till my head knocks against the sky". The poetic subject is anticipating the decadence of his love as it rises against the sky«ies. There is also present the use of metaphor when the poetic subject refers to the yellow colour on the leaves - autunm - normally interpreted to something that is coming to an end. In the end of the poem he talks about the rigtness of life and wonders if he is going to continue feeling that way.
ResponderEliminarJani Rodrigues 44014
Hello,
ResponderEliminarI quite enjoyed both presentations but I have got to confess our professor's input was very curious. I thought the comparison of the poem "A Love Song" to a orgasm was unexpected! The poem seems simple enough and I had thought the same but being afraid to be so open about my opinion and afraid to be wrong as well.
Anyway,I do not have much to add to these comments. I apologize about making my comment so late.
Neuza Machado 44980