Comparing Williams 'And Icarus' Fall

Both poems comment on the abnormality of the occurrence, and how strange it was that no one noticed it. Williams' poem expresses an idea of the interconnectedness of the life: the coast on which the ploughman is standing is beat down upon by the sun that melts Icarus' wax wings, which in turn means he falls in the coastal waters breaking upon the coast. Auden's poem deals with the unconcern often expresses and miracles, or in this case, absurd tragedy. They give similar view on the painting, but they emphasize different things: the Williams emphasizes the absurdity of the fall itself and the ungracefulness of that fall, whereas Auden focuses on the reactions of the bystanders in the painting.

Williams' tone is much calmer, creating a picturesque scene in our mind and downplaying the tragedy of Icarus' fall, whereas Auden is much more tragic, focusing on the uncaring attitude of the bystanders. Williams' language was also much simpler
Instead, the birth of a new invention suddenly failed in the most spectacular way. I think that the fact that the picture is in Spring is a sort of situational irony.

In the second poem, the main irony is this rather surreal, tragic, and horrific event, and yet no one seems to notice: not the ship, not the peasant, not the children, or dogs -- or indeed anyone. Everyone's attention is diverted from this exciting anomaly -- how often does one see a man fall from the sky, after all?

Williams' imagery is of an idyllic coastal scene of country folk doing country-folk things while Icarus "plunges into the drink," so to speak. He uses wording focusing on the scenery and the Spring theme using words and phrases such as "a farmer was ploughing his field," "concerned with itself," "splash," etc. Auden, however, uses dramatic words, such as "the forsaken cry," "dreadful martyrdom," "disaster,"