Analysis of Tract by William Carlos Williams Essay

Analysis of Tract by William Carlos Williams The poem â€Å"Tract† by William Carlos Williams, on the surface, is a criticism of an ostentatious funeral (Geddes 37). However, the poem does have a strong hidden message. â€Å"Tract† could very well be a direct criticism of Dylan Thomas’ â€Å"Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night†(Geddes 123) and any other poem like it. In his poem, William Carlos Williams criticizes poets like Thomas for using too many stylistic formalities, thereby obscuring their poetry’s true literal content. He also scolds them for placing themselves into the poetry when, in his view, there really is no place for them there. Finally, he ends with an offering of recourse for all the poets like Thomas. On the surface, the†¦show more content†¦According to Williams, a villanelle is a form of â€Å"gilt† that is there for decoration alone. This gilt can be applied to the wheels of the hearse or to a small portion of the poem, if so desired, by the poet wit hout over-embellishment. This point is further emphasized with the line â€Å" no upholstery, phew! And no little brass rollers and small easy wheels on the bottom.† These features refer to other stylistic conventions used by some poets. The narrator in â€Å"Tract† insists that â€Å"on this [a rough dray] the coffin should lie by its own weight.† This can be interpreted to say that the poem should be judged as good or bad solely on the basis of its literal meaning and content; not on pretence and frills injected into the art. Because of its rhyme scheme and syntax, Dylan Thomas’ poem seems to be elegant. If the sophisticated style were removed, what would the poem say? What kind of poem would it be without the rhyme scheme? These are questions asked by William Carlos Williams’ â€Å"Tract.† The word tract, like the poem, also has a dual meaning. A tract could be a religious ceremony, such as a funeral, or it could be a medical term f or a biological structure that serves as a way of passage. It is a very fitting title for a poem that criticizes peoples’ way of passage from one life to the next. The poem stresses that a funeral should beShow MoreRelatedANALIZ TEXT INTERPRETATION AND ANALYSIS28843 Words   |  116 Pagesï » ¿TEXT INTERPRETATION AND ANALYSIS The purpose of Text Interpretation and Analysis is a literary and linguistic commentary in which the reader explains what the text reveals under close examination. Any literary work is unique. It is created by the author in accordance with his vision and is permeated with his idea of the world. The reader’s interpretation is also highly individual and depends to a great extent on his knowledge and personal experience. 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