Speaker and Tone. The speaker is the character who speaks in a poem—the voice assumed by the writer. Tone is the emotional attitude toward the reader or toward the subject implied by a literary work. As you read, determine what tone the speaker uses toward the person he is addressing.
Rhythm and Meter. Rhythm is the pattern of beats or stresses in a line of verse or prose. The meter of a poem is its rhythmical pattern. Try to figure out the stress pattern of the poem as you read.
Image and Imagery. An image is language that creates a concrete representation of an object or an experience. An image is also the vivid mental picture created in the reader’s mind by that language. The images in a literary work are referred to, collectively, as the work’s imagery. As you read, think about what senses the images refer to.
Speaker and Effect. The speaker is the character who speaks, or narrates, a poem—the voice assumed by the writer. The effect of a literary work is the general impression or emotional impact that it achieves. As you read, think about how the speaker sees the image, and consider the effect the poem creates upon the reader.
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A map of Williams’s lifelong journey in pursuit of the American idiom can be read in these two poems. “The Red Wheelbarrow,” one of Williams’s earlier poems, reflects the impact of Imagism, a movement that championed the use of free verse and concise images, or word pictures. In 1924, Williams rejected free verse and began his experimentation with controlled measure, eventually developing his signature “variable feet,” or, as Williams called them, “loose verses.” Williams said, “The iamb is not the normal measure of American speech. The foot has to be expanded or contracted in terms of actual speech. The key to modern poetry is measure, which must reflect the flux of modern life.” “This Is Just to Say” was published in 1934, while Williams was still refining and experimenting with his verse.
Did you ever wish to borrow something? Write the note you would leave behind if you took the item without asking.
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