Research Essay Example on William Carlos Williams
Brittany Leon
Mrs. Carden
Honors American Literature
2 September 2010
Imagism and William Carlos Williams Imagism was a movement in early 20th-century poetry that favored precision of imagery and clear, sharp language instead of the rhyming and Romantic style poetry. Many writers who followed in this new path became revolutionists who changed what poetry was once thought of. One of these insightful writers was William Carlos Williams. Williams’s poetry reflects elements and people of his life, events that took place throughout his life, and his writing shows his modern concept of literature that makes people feel emotions. Above all, Williams’s life is reflected in almost all his poetry. Williams had a lifelong tension between modern and romantic poetry as a result of his long relationship with the revolutionary poet Ezra Pound and his mother’s more romantic influence ("William Carlos Williams," par.3). Ezra Pound launched Williams as a poet in 1912 when he helped get his poetry in the English Poetry Review although, Williams’s mother shaped him as a man and shaped the verses he actually created regardless of Pound’s ridicule. Thus, Pound influenced Williams’s poetry in ways of realism and science; while in contrast Williams’ mother influenced him in ways of romance, freedom and impulse. According to Williams, “As a writer, I have been a physician, and as a physician a writer.” (Flachmann, par. 2). Being a physician gave him financial stability, time to write in between working, and enabled him to absorb inspiration from patients whether they were sick, dying, or even being born. Being a writer made Williams; see through his patients eyes and feel what they were feeling making him get to know people of all sorts, which was a good thing for writers to do so they can then portray a character with ease. As a result of these influences his writing only thrived.
On the subject of historical events, between 1880 and 1960 many historical events took place that
Mrs. Carden
Honors American Literature
2 September 2010
Imagism and William Carlos Williams Imagism was a movement in early 20th-century poetry that favored precision of imagery and clear, sharp language instead of the rhyming and Romantic style poetry. Many writers who followed in this new path became revolutionists who changed what poetry was once thought of. One of these insightful writers was William Carlos Williams. Williams’s poetry reflects elements and people of his life, events that took place throughout his life, and his writing shows his modern concept of literature that makes people feel emotions. Above all, Williams’s life is reflected in almost all his poetry. Williams had a lifelong tension between modern and romantic poetry as a result of his long relationship with the revolutionary poet Ezra Pound and his mother’s more romantic influence ("William Carlos Williams," par.3). Ezra Pound launched Williams as a poet in 1912 when he helped get his poetry in the English Poetry Review although, Williams’s mother shaped him as a man and shaped the verses he actually created regardless of Pound’s ridicule. Thus, Pound influenced Williams’s poetry in ways of realism and science; while in contrast Williams’ mother influenced him in ways of romance, freedom and impulse. According to Williams, “As a writer, I have been a physician, and as a physician a writer.” (Flachmann, par. 2). Being a physician gave him financial stability, time to write in between working, and enabled him to absorb inspiration from patients whether they were sick, dying, or even being born. Being a writer made Williams; see through his patients eyes and feel what they were feeling making him get to know people of all sorts, which was a good thing for writers to do so they can then portray a character with ease. As a result of these influences his writing only thrived.
On the subject of historical events, between 1880 and 1960 many historical events took place that