The Bastard Peace
The Bastard Peace
THESIS: WILLIAMS ILLUSTRATES THE
IMAGE OF POVERTY WHILE
INCORPORATING ASPECTS OF
SPRINGTIME IN ORDER TO
COMPREHEND THE ACTUAL MEANING
OF PEACE.
Overall Interpretation
 Servants are trapped and living in poverty
 “-where a heavy woven-wire fence topped with jagged ends,
encloses a long cinder-field by the river-” (1st Stanza)
 People still have the sense of hope
 “A dandelion in bloom-and a white butterfly-” (Lines 11-12)
 However, people lack confidence for change.
 “The sun parches still the parched grass.” (Lines 13-14)
 Continue living their “peaceful” life.
 “There to rest, to improvise and unbend!” (Line 23-24)
 False peace (title)
Sense:
Meaning and
Language
Purpose/Effect:
Williams wants to show
the understanding of
poverty and using 1st
person is the effective
way.
By involving the images
of springtime, it
portrays the concealed
sense of hope which
tells the reader that
poverty is not peaceful.
Williams repeats
important words to
communicate the extent
of poverty.
 Speaker: A poor individual
 Point of view: 1st Person
 Internal monologue: Expressive
Thoughts
 Mood: Hopeless


“Cinder Field” (4)
“Parched Grass” (14)
 Diction:



“Bastard Peace” : A false peace (title)
“Disposal Tank”, “Sewer Intakes” : Loss of
freedom.
“Dandelion”, “White Butterfly”, “Service
Path” : Sense of hope
 Repetition:


“Water” repeated 2x: Freedom
“Fence” repeated 3x: Blocked Freedom
Senses:
Imagery and
Symbols
Purpose/Effect:
Williams uses the
imagery of poverty and
springtime to help
contrast the ideas
between good peace
and bad peace visually.
The color ‘white’ is used
as a symbol to indicate
that the people
surrender and are
hoping for better peace.
Imagery of Poverty
 Parched Grass/Cinder Field
 Cracked Houses
 Home-made push cart
 Small wooden pit-covers
 Two chickens
Springtime Imagery
 Dandelion in bloom (line 11)
 A white butterfly (line 11-12)
 Shining water/river
 Sun
Symbolism: color
 “a white butterfly” (line 11)

Style: Poetry
Techniques


Purpose/Effect:
Williams enhances the
bad image of poverty.
Williams’s use of
stream of
consciousness helps
communicate the true
thoughts of poverty.
Hyperbole
Paradox


The sun parches still the
parched grass. (Line 13-14)
Title contradicts poem
Stream of Consciousness

Thoughts show that society is
not peaceful
 Repetition: ‘fence’ 3x
 The essence of springtime
Structure:
form,
organization,
and pattern

End Stopped with hyphens
 Represents a cycle in the poem
 Syntax
 Long sentences
 No period at third sentence at
the end of the poem
 Stanza: 4 lines each
 No change in society

Purpose/Effect:
The structure of the
sentences indicates the
duration of poverty by
showing that poverty is
never-ending.
Williams incorporates
the exclamation points
to contrast the emotion
between poverty and
peace.
Poverty is continuous

Exclamation Points

Symbolizes hidden positivity.
 “Gid ap!” (Line 21)
 “There to rest, to improvise and
unbend!” (Lines 23-24)
Sound:
Musicality and
Auditory
Techniques
Purpose/Effect:
 End-Rhyme
 “by” and “butterfly” (Lines 10 and
12)
Williams uses end
rhyme at one point to
emphasize the
concealed sense of hope
to show depression.
 Free Verse
 Throughout the poem with the
exception of line 10 and 12
Williams uses free verse
to consider poverty as
‘peaceful;’ however, it is
seen as depressed
through the reader’s
view.
Connection to Other Poetry by Williams
 Poems with similar ideas:
 “The Poor”
 The
use of visual imagery to enhance understanding
 Same idea of poverty
 Historical context:
 The Great Depression (1929-1943)
Part 1: Activity
Draw an image of what you think true peace
means to you.
Illustration
Part 2: Discussion
 If the poet were to add a period at the end of the
poem, would this bring any effect on the idea of
poverty and explain why?
 The poet has incorporated images of springtime in
the poem. Would the main idea of the poem change
if the theme ‘spring’ were omitted? How effective
would this change be on the main idea of the poem?
Conclusion
BASED ON THE USE OF IMAGERY AND
STRUCTURE OF THE POEM, IT CAN BE
DETERMINED THAT POVERTY IS NOT
PEACEFUL BUT IS CONSIDER
IMAGINARY PEACE UNTIL A MIRACLE
OCCURS.