Tract
by William Carlos Williams
‘Tract’ by William Carlos Williams is a unique poem about funeral practices and how Williams’ speaker believed they should be altered to better serve the dead.
William Carlos Williams was an American poet and physician. His work is commonly associated with modernist movements like Imagism. His best-known poem is ‘The Red Wheelbarrow.’ He died in 1963 at the age of 79. Read more about William Carlos Williams.
‘Tract’ by William Carlos Williams is a unique poem about funeral practices and how Williams’ speaker believed they should be altered to better serve the dead.
‘Blizzard’ by the American poet William Carlos Williams is filled with vivid imagery of a blinding snowstorm and its aftermath. This poem taps on the themes of time, human history, and personal experiences.
Danse Russe by William Carlos Williams is a lighthearted poem in which the poet dances naked before a mirror. The poet, as he dances, admires himself and his own company, relishing his loneliness.
‘Hunters in the Snow’ by William Carlos Williams is a mostly straightforward description of a painting by the same name created by Pieter Brueghel.
‘Landscape with the Fall of Icarus’ by William Carlos Williams gives the reader a dark description of a painting by Pieter Brueghel.
‘Spring and All…’ by William Carlos Williams describes a desolate and dying landscape which borders a road and leads to a “contagious hospital.”
Classic to William Carlos Williams’ poetry, ‘The Great Figure’ is written in free verse without any punctuation. This modernist style is reflective of his inclusion in the Imagist movement.
‘The Red Wheelbarrow’ by William Carlos Williams depicts, in very simple language, a red wheelbarrow outside in the rain.
‘The Yachts’ by William Carlos Williams depicts the winners, or yacht-owners, in the capitalist system and the losers, or the poor, who are drowning in the waters around the boats.
‘This is Just to Say’ by William Carlos Williams contains a speaker’s apology to the listener for going into the fridge and eating plums.
‘To a Poor Old Woman’ by William Carlos Williams is a thoughtful poem. In it, the speaker describes the experience of an old woman eating a bag of ripe plums.
‘Willow Poem’ by William Carlos Williams describes the life cycle of a willow tree that is surprised by the coming of winter.