William Carlos Williams 'The Note On The Fridge'
The Note on the Fridge We all know that sometimes it is the simple things that make more of a difference. William Carlos Williams set a prime example in his free verse poem: “This Is Just to Say”. Written in 1934, this simple and apologetic note was more than likely left for his wife before leaving for work. While being upset at the fact her husband ate her morning meal, I am sure she could not help but smile after reading his slightly amusing 28-word poem. In the first stanza, Williams’ states his main purpose for writing this modest poem. He proudly claims that “… [he has] eaten the plums/ that were in/ the icebox” (line 1-4), which would be more than enough to get just about anyone upset today. We also begin with Williams’ use of enjambment
which gives the reader a clue that each little line, or thought, is important, and written with care. Notice the two lines that contain nothing more than two words, “the plums” and “the icebox”. The added emphasis on these lines shows that speaker is giving specific detail about what he had done. In lines 3-4, he completes the imagery of the plums by explaining that were in the icebox, or refrigerator, so we can imagine that they are cold, and on a warm morning in New Jersey, we can assume that those would have been refreshing. In the next stanza, we begin to sense that the speaker is feeling guilty about the plums “…which / [she was] probably/ saving/ for breakfast” (5-8). These lines include even more enjambment. Again, we notice the lone word “saving” has own line, perhaps to show even more emphasis on the fact that he knew that his wife was keeping them for herself. Could that be the reason why these lines are short and broken up? This could also be a sign that Williams’ is just having trouble coming up with more words to express himself. In the last stanza, the speaker comes to a humble close by simply asking his wife to “forgive [him]” (9), only because he knows what he has done. Forgiveness is the best remedy for most wrong doings done to people. If you never ask for it, you may never receive it. After asking for forgiveness, he adds another vivid use of imagery by describing the “…delicious” (10) plums, which were, in fact, “so sweet/ and so cold” (11-12). This small note on the fridge might have been more than enough to show his wife that even though he ate her breakfast, he still cared enough to right her a note with all these details. The small poem that was written with so much love shows us that no matter how simple the transgression was, it never hurts to give a sincere apology. The absence of punctuation in the poem tells us that he did want the reader to stop just anywhere and just to read on through, except for where he places his breaks in the lines. This note has certainly taught us a valuable lesson, not only about the power of forgiveness, but also about the power of just confessing our problems. If you of know of your crimes, no matter how small, the best solution is to just let the person affected by the issue know. Who knows what good could come out of it.
which gives the reader a clue that each little line, or thought, is important, and written with care. Notice the two lines that contain nothing more than two words, “the plums” and “the icebox”. The added emphasis on these lines shows that speaker is giving specific detail about what he had done. In lines 3-4, he completes the imagery of the plums by explaining that were in the icebox, or refrigerator, so we can imagine that they are cold, and on a warm morning in New Jersey, we can assume that those would have been refreshing. In the next stanza, we begin to sense that the speaker is feeling guilty about the plums “…which / [she was] probably/ saving/ for breakfast” (5-8). These lines include even more enjambment. Again, we notice the lone word “saving” has own line, perhaps to show even more emphasis on the fact that he knew that his wife was keeping them for herself. Could that be the reason why these lines are short and broken up? This could also be a sign that Williams’ is just having trouble coming up with more words to express himself. In the last stanza, the speaker comes to a humble close by simply asking his wife to “forgive [him]” (9), only because he knows what he has done. Forgiveness is the best remedy for most wrong doings done to people. If you never ask for it, you may never receive it. After asking for forgiveness, he adds another vivid use of imagery by describing the “…delicious” (10) plums, which were, in fact, “so sweet/ and so cold” (11-12). This small note on the fridge might have been more than enough to show his wife that even though he ate her breakfast, he still cared enough to right her a note with all these details. The small poem that was written with so much love shows us that no matter how simple the transgression was, it never hurts to give a sincere apology. The absence of punctuation in the poem tells us that he did want the reader to stop just anywhere and just to read on through, except for where he places his breaks in the lines. This note has certainly taught us a valuable lesson, not only about the power of forgiveness, but also about the power of just confessing our problems. If you of know of your crimes, no matter how small, the best solution is to just let the person affected by the issue know. Who knows what good could come out of it.