William Carlos Williams wrote simple "local" poems without any complex allusions to other literary works. He also allowed the meaning of the words to dictate a poem's structure, instead of trying to fill out a traditional metrical form. Williams wrote what he wanted, about whatever he knew, using whatever structure seemed most appropriate to him at the time. For all those reasons, even amateurs can imitate his style, and we'd like you to try.
You should start by picking your subject. Williams wrote "local" poems, so choose something "ordinary" but important to your everyday life or your community. Once you've chosen a subject, you can begin writing. To write an Imagistic poem like "The Red Wheelbarrow," you'll need to create a concise but powerful image using as few words as possible. That means that every word counts!
As you draft your poem, keep the following things in mind:
| Imagist poems are short. You should describe your image in the smallest number of words possible. |
| William Carlos Williams used line breaks to separate thoughts, slow readers down, and create meaning. |
| The shape of Williams' stanzas created empty "white space" around them. The emptiness made the poems seem even more concise and sometimes added to the meaning of the poem. For example, you may not have noticed, but each stanza of "The Red Wheelbarrow" looks a little bit like a wheelbarrow. |
Your own William Carlos Williams poem may be as short as four lines, but if it is, make sure that your image is clear and well-written and "means" something. Review the rubric at the bottom of the page for a more detailed explanation of how your poem will be graded.
Open a blank word processing document and begin writing. When you're finished, save your poem and submit a copy to your teacher.
| Superior 5 points | Average 3 points | Poor 1 point | |
| Imagery and Content | Your poem uses vivid imagery to focus readers on a singular "local" topic (something ordinary). In your choice of words, you strongly convey a theme or mood related to the topic. | Your poem uses enough imagery to help readers identify your topic, but the images are considerably less vivid than the ones in most Imagist poems. In your choice of words, you suggest a theme or mood related to the topic, but the them needed a bit more development or emphasis. | Your poem needs more imagery to help readers imagine the scene you are trying to describe, or your poem does not yet suggest a theme or mood related to the topic. |
| Form and Style | Your poem uses free verse in a way that suits the content of your poem, and the language in your poem is simple and very precise. Your poem also demonstrates a clear understanding of Williams' use of line breaks or white space. | Your poem is written in free verse but your choices about syntax and line breaks don't necessarily support the content of your poem. The language in your poem is simple and very precise. Your poem also demonstrates some understanding of Williams' use of line breaks or white space. | Your poem is missing multiple features of Williams' style, and your language is not precise enough to convey your meaning clearly and powerfully. |
