The Bitter World of SpringLuis Rivera & Brittney Biggs

Thesis: William Carlos Williams uses a variety of literary devices to represent the difficulties of writing poetry that a reader will be able to understand.

Overall InterpretationObjects are upside down because they

are reflected on waterOn a wet pavement, the white sky recedes

mottled black by the invertedpillars of the red elms (1-3)

And brown smokeIs driven down, running like

Water over the roof of the bridge- (6-8)Readers need to understand-Shall the philosophers capture it?- (11)

Reader – other halfThe poet relies on the reader to interpret

the poem the way it’s meant to be

Sense: Meaning & LanguagePoint of View: 3rd personMood: Lonely/Empty

Bridge-keepers CubicleNo mentioning of human figureAnnounced

by the silence of a whitebush in flower, closeunder the bridge (13-16)

Repetition:Down 2x (7, 12)Water 3x (8, 13, 20)

Sense: Imagery & SymbolsVisual & Auditory

“On a wet pavement, the white sky recedes” (1)“Running like water over the roof of the bridge keeper’s cubicle” (7-9)“The shad ascend midway between the surface and the mud” (16-17)“Water headed, unrelenting, upstream.”(20)

Sense: Imagery & SymbolsVisual & Auditory

Colors“the white sky recedes” (1)“mottled black”“pillars of the red elms”“And brown smoke is driven down”“announced by the silence of a white bush in flower”“red-finned in the dark”

Style: Poetry TechniquesPersonification

“that lift the tangled net of their desires” (4-5)“and you can see their bodies” (18)

Simile“the fight as to the nature of poetry” (10)

Metaphor“And brown smoke is driven down, running like water” (6-8)

StructureInterjection

“-Shall the philosophers capture it?-” (11)Constant use of water

“On a wet pavement” (1)“tangled net of their desires hard into the falling rain” (5-6)“running like water” (7-8)“casting an eye down into the water” (12-13)“water headed, unrelenting, upstream.” (20)

SoundAssonance

And brown smoke is driven down, running likewater over the roof of the bridge-

keeper’s cubicle. And, as usual,the fight as to the nature of poetry… (6-10)

Connection to Other WorksSimilar Poems

The Widow’s Lament in SpringtimeSpring and AllThe Mind Hesitant

Activity

Conclusion

The literary devices found throughout the poem help describe the difficulties of producing poetry a reader will understand.