The Red Wheelbarrow

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The Red Wheelbarrow 

so much depends

upon

a red wheel

barrow

glazed with rain

water

beside the white

chickens.

By WILLIAM CARLOS WILLIAMS, Vilume I, 1909-1939

Here is a snippet of this poem guide by Craig Teicher:

“The poem we spent the most time discussing in class was—no surprise — “The Red Wheelbarrow”…

We haggled for a period or two over what exactly depends upon this wheelbarrow. Explanations such as “a wheelbarrow is really important for farming, and chickens represent farming” were offered. We wondered if the poem might be a tribute to the ways that nature (“rain / water”) could surmount humans’ mechanical encroachments (“wheel / barrow”), but nothing about the poem seemed to hint at that kind of reflexive hostility. Nowhere does Williams tell us why “so much depends / upon” his little scene; he leaves us to ask, and answer, that question…”

Hi!

I’m Ilona Ang. I’m an expat, a wife, a mom, a daughter, a sister, and a friend. Here I share with you those gems of information that “already have been said, but nobody was listening to.” Welcome!

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