We spent half of English class on this poem today, analyzing the life out of what still looks to me like a note stuck to a refrigerator.
"I have eaten
the plums
that were in
the icebox
and which
you were probably
saving
for breakfast
Forgive me
they were delicious
so sweet
and so cold"
--William Carlos Williams
Before I get into the poem, his name is William Williams? Did his parents just have a really weird sense of humor or something? What kind of name is William Williams? Sure, you can add Carlos in there and maybe people won't notice right away, but putting the Carlos in unfortunately makes it sound pretentious.
Okay, the poem. We talked forever about how this is a message about marriage and communication, and how the plums are a symbol for virginity that the girl was saving the guy took. He says he's sorry, but he really isn't.
What if it's just about plums? What if this was a legit note that someone found, published it, and now us AP Lang students analyze the hell out of it? How do we know that was Bill's intention when he wrote this. You can find deeper meaning in everything.
"I chose to talk about this, but I really should be doing Chinese homework. And I'm hungry."
This quote is about giving into the temptation and has a message choosing something you feel is more important at the moment. And being hungry represents a sense of emptiness...
You get the point.
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