POETRY PRESENTATION Paula Duong & Nhu Quynh Nguyen

A Portrait of the Times 1. Two W.P.A. men stood in the new sluiceway 2. overlooking the river – One was pissing 3. while the other showed by his red 4. jagged face the immemorial tragedy of lack-love 5. while an old squint-eyed woman in a black 6. dress and clutching a bunch of 7. late chrysanthemums to her fatted bosoms 8. turned her back on them at the corner P

 Title: “A Portrait of the Times”  Stanza #1  Stanza #2  Stanza #3  Stanza #4  Stanza #5  Stanza #6  Stanza #7  Stanza #8 P + Q CLASS ACTIVITY

Thesis  Despite the drastic gap that exists in social classes, William shows that the lives of three different individuals may still relate to one another through the shared experience of hardship and the loss of a loved one Q

Overall Interpretation  Based on the Williams’ Background  As a doctor, saw many patients  Sees what happens around him and hears from others  Based on Time Period  Shows that social class difference still exists between the rich and the poor  “jagged face” (10)  “fatted bosoms” (21)  Deaths of many people  “immemorial tragedy” (11)  Living in grief and mourning over loss of loved ones  “late chrysanthemums” (19) P

 Speaker: Unspecified Observer  Type of narration: 3 rd person P.O.V. (omniscient)  Diction  Simple words  “W.P.A.”(1)  Vulgar – “one was pissing” (6)  “jagged face” (10)  “sluiceway” (3)  a sliding gate or other device for controlling the flow of water, esp. one in a lock gate  Mood: reflective and dark  Theme: Despite contrast of class differences in life, one aspect that can still be shared/ related = loss or reflection of a loved one  Tone: straightforward and realistic Sense: Meaning & Language Williams uses a 3 rd person omniscient point of view to allow readers to absorb the setting of the poem from an anonymous perspective without any personal opinions interfering the observations His diction with specific word choices like W.P.A. gives away the time setting of the poem, and vulgar or harsh words like pissing and jagged adds a heightened sense of reality The approach of describing the setting in a simple and straightforward tone creates a mood that is reflective of the time period Q

chrysanthemums Diction + Senses: Imagery & Symbols Works Progress Administration

Senses: Imagery & Symbols IMAGERY  Color  “red jagged face” (9-10)  “ black dress” (15-16)  Darkness  Immemorial tragedy  Lack-love  Black (dress)  Chrysanthemums SYMBOLISM  Color Imagery  Red = something to do with lack of love (the poor)  Black = something to do with death (the rich)  Contrasting colors = contrast of different social class back then  Comparing these two: a man who’s loveless and a woman who’s rich  Despite social class differences, they both still have a shared similarity: the loss of a loved one  World War II + Great Depression Q Effect/Intent: The color imagery expresses the similarities between social classes and the contrast between the colors symbolized the common experience they’ve been through.

Symbolism (Continued) + Connection to Williams/ Historical Context IN THE POEM  Social class differences:  Two men hired by government (W.P.A.) = hinted as poor  “pissing by the river” (6-7) = members of lower class; willing to be shameless  “immemorial tragedy/ red, jagged face” (10-11) = indicates hard life by physicality of hard lines on the face  E.g. Great Depression  “fatted bosoms” = fat/ glutinous -> rich and upper class (diff. class/ contrast than the two poor men)  “turned her back on them” (22-23) = because doesn’t want to connect/ associate with them  Symbolized division between classes  The wealthy are turning the back on the poor, but the poor do have the government on their sides WILLIAMS’ LIFE  Published poem in 1941  Between time period of Great Depression & WWII  Williams’s life career = doctor  Witness the reality and impact that war or significant tragic event can have on various people Q

 Not much creative uses of stylistic techniques in poem  Indicates that poem = straightforward and simple  Realistic vibe  No use of metaphors or similes  Only description of the setting + actions Style: Poetry Techniques Effect/Intent: Williams wanted to express the actions of the characters within the poem in order to portray their social classes within society and how they can be compared. By focusing only on other aspects of poem (senses, structure, & sound) instead of technique -> allows Williams to effectively emphasize on the actions of his characters to deliver the theme P

 Enjambment  Anomalies  “stood in the new” (2) = only line with 4 words  “immemorial tragedy” (11) = only line with 8 syllables  “late chrysanthemums” (19) = only line with 6 syllables  Few punctuation marks + 3 dashes  Various pauses  Perceived at slow pace  Very concise and broken up  Forces readers to pause and vividly visualize the imagery  Allow mind to process images  Doesn’t end with a period anywhere  Never-ending memories of tragedy Structure: Form, Organization, & Pattern Effect/Intent: Enjambment was used to show how the difference in social classes and the similarities between them don’t just end with experiences, but can be compared in many aspects. Anomalies emphasized the importance of the whole poem and gives the audience an idea of what his actual message is. The punctuation marks causes pauses in order to allow readers to process the events within the story in their mind and have a better understanding of the real issue at hand. P

Two W.P.A. men stood in the new sluiceway overlook ing the river— One was piss ing while the other showed by his red jagged face the immemorial tragedy of lack-love while an old squint-eyed woman in a black dress and clutch ing a bunch of late chrysanthemums to her fatted bosoms turned her back on them at the corner Q — = one word — = -ed ending slant rhyme — = -ing ending slant rhyme — = -ums end rhyme — = hyphened words Sound: Musicality & Auditory Techniques

 One word - pauses -> creates a slow pace and flow  Hyphened words - show how the words go together  Various slant rhymes  -um endings = nouns that create complete images  -ing endings = significant that these actions are explained and emphasized on their actions; indicates time of these actions  Not past tense -> continuous  End rhyme  -ed endings = effect of flowery sound (showed + red) Sound: Musicality & Auditory Techniques Williams includes various pauses throughout the poem to create a serene musical flow. The single words force the readers to pause at some point and to make the pace have a lingering, soothing effect. The pauses let readers take in the images of the three figures’ actions. The slant rhymes and end rhymes that are included in the poem help alert readers and make them pay attention to the meaning of the words. Q

Connection to Other Poems by THE POET  In relation to his life and experiences:  Theme of Death = “Spring and All”  Mood of Sadness =  “The Widow’s Lament in Springtime”  “Spring and All”  Constant use of enjambment  Represents his stream of thought as he writes his poems  Anomalies  One line being only one with certain number of words  “The Widow’s Lament in Springtime” -> “Thirtyfive years” (7)  “A Bastard Peace” -> “butterfly” (12)  “The Poor” -> “custom of necessity—” (10) P

Conclusion  Not intended as an artistic, poetic feel  Simply write down what took place between 3 figures  Frank, simple observations  Little snapshots [portrait] of specific timeframe then  Shows social class differences  Snapshot of 3 different figures: loss of loved one(s)shared  “A Portrait of the Times” – shows a moment in how humans can still connect in times of hardship [e.g. War], despite the gap in society P + Q