By: Megan Gulland, Eryn Jackson
and Jessica Calk
 William
Carlos Williams uses imagery and
movement to compare the skills of a writer
and the skills of a painter.
Briar: A Mediterranean shrub
or small tree with hard,
woody roots and thorns.
Hipped: interested or
obsessed.
Static: lacking in movement,
action or change.

A man who is a writer and was once intrigued in
painting

“I, a writer, at one time hipped on painting”

He sees regular objects in a more artistic way
than most, which helps him to see the movement
in the paintings.

He talks about 3 different art styles:
Writing
 Painting
 “irregularly as an accompaniment” – refers to music

 Imagery:



“- The flowers, the gloves-” (Stanza 2, line 2)
“A series of varying leaves clinging”(Stanza 4,
Lines 3-4)
“The cat-briar after last night’s storm, its
waterdrops ranged upon the arching stems
irregularly”( Stanza 5, Lines 1-4)
 He
talks about paintings in order to
help the reader imagine what he
imagines
 He wants the reader to be able to
see what he sees
 “A

pregnant motion” ( Stanza 4, line 2)
Meaning an important motion
 “but
the thinking male or the charged and
delivering female frantic with ecstasies”

Williams feels like the paintings come to life.
 “the
arching stems irregularly as an
accompaniment”

A simile is a comparison of one thing and another
of a different kind
 Williams
uses metaphors and similes to show
the reader that he believes, that since he is
a writer and is intrigued with painting, that
he has a more creative mind.
Raindrops on a Briar
I, a writer, at one time hipped on
painting, did not consider
the effects, painting,
for that reason, static, on
the contrary the stillness of
the objects- the flowers, the glovesfreed them precisely by that
from a necessity merely to move
in space as if they had beennot children! but the thinking male
or the charged and delivering female frantic with ecstasies;
served rather to present, for me,
a more pregnant motion: a
series of varying leaves
clinging still, let us say, to
the cat-briar after last night’s
storm, its waterdrops
ranged upon the arching stems
irregularly as an accompaniment.
Green: The repeating
sound of “ing” x7
Red: The repeating
sound of “ly” or “ty” x4
Purple: Alliteration - 2
phrases
 All

of the “ing” words are verbs.
It seems William Carlos Williams is telling us the
things he was doing and how he feels about it. It
kind of gives us the sense that he was writing,
like someone would in a diary. Like, he was
telling a story, not really a poem.
5
stanzas
 4 lines in each stanza
 There are many dashes and commas

“The contrary the stillness of
the objects—the flowers, the gloves—
freed them precisely… etc.”
 There
is one period and it is at the end
 There is one exclamation mark in stanza 3,
line 2
 Williams
uses this format in the poem to help
emphasize the important parts of the poem.

Speaker: A man who writes and enjoys painting

Point of View: First Person

Tone: Informative
 “I, a writer, at one time hipped on painting”

Rhythm:
 The poem is very choppy, which kind of makes the poem
harder to understand or follow.

Mood: Relaxed


He doesn’t really show much emotion
Enjambment:
 The entire poem is a run on line, where
more information carries over from one line
to the next.
 Williams
does this to inform the reader of
how creative he is and how creative they can
be by looking into different forms of art.
 He makes the poem choppy and difficult to
read because both painting and writing can
be difficult to understand.
 Juxtaposition:

Movement-Still
It’s showing the reader how the narrator has a
more creative mind, because he can see how the
paintings move.
Mini Activity: Get with partner and try to draw two pictures that
juxtapose one another. (2-3 minutes)
 He



adds in juxtaposition to help compare
His creativity with others
Painting and writing
Movement and Static
 Structure:

The Bitter World of Spring
 Nature:


Spring and All
The Widow’s Lament in Springtime

The theme of nature is reoccurring
 Write
a 2-3 line poem with a partner, and
then try to “draw the poem.”
 Then discuss, did it turn out the way you
expected?
 Overall
William Carlos Williams uses imagery
and movement to show how he is more
creative because he is a writer, and can see
movement within the paintings. Williams
feels that the paintings come to life and he
understands the painter through their
artwork.