Question

poems by william carlos williams
part a directions read each description and decide if it comes from william
carlos williams’s poem “the great figure” or “this is just
to say.” write the correct title on each line.
______________________________ 1. takes place in a stormy, dark city
______________________________ 2. involves the figure 5
______________________________ 3. asks for forgiveness
______________________________ 4. describes gong clangs and siren howls
______________________________ 5. describes plums as delicious and cold
______________________________ 6. deals with a red firetruck
______________________________ 7. is three stanzas
______________________________ 8. is one stanza
______________________________ 9. mentions an icebox
______________________________ 10. describes wheels rumbling
part b directions write the answers to these questions. use complete sentences.

1. what kinds of things did william carlos williams often write about?

_____________________________________________________

1. what was the main job of william carlos williams?

_____________________________________________________

1. what were imagist poets concerned with?

_____________________________________________________

1. what is open form?

_____________________________________________________

1. what is a sensory image?

_____________________________________________________

Explanation:

For Part A, descriptions are matched to the two poems based on their core content:

1. "The Great Figure" is set in a rainy, dark urban scene.
2. The central symbol of "The Great Figure" is the number 5.
3. "This Is Just to Say" is an apology poem asking for forgiveness.
4. "The Great Figure" includes sounds of emergency vehicles and gongs.
5. "This Is Just to Say" focuses on eating cold, delicious plums.
6. "The Great Figure" centers on a red firetruck.
7. "This Is Just to Say" is structured in three short stanzas.
8. "The Great Figure" is a single, continuous stanza.
9. "This Is Just to Say" references plums taken from an icebox.
10. "The Great Figure" describes the rumble of the firetruck's wheels.

For Part B, answers are based on key facts about William Carlos Williams and poetic terms:

1. Williams was known for writing about everyday, mundane, small-scale objects and moments from ordinary life.
2. Williams worked primarily as a pediatrician and general physician alongside his writing career.
3. Imagist poets focused on clear, precise, concrete sensory details and avoiding overly flowery, abstract language.
4. Open form is a poetic style that rejects traditional fixed structures like consistent meter, rhyme schemes, or stanza lengths, instead letting content shape the poem's structure.
5. A sensory image is a literary device that uses language to evoke a reader's sense of sight, sound, touch, taste, or smell, creating a vivid, tangible scene or feeling.

Answer:

Part A

1. "The Great Figure"
2. "The Great Figure"
3. "This Is Just to Say"
4. "The Great Figure"
5. "This Is Just to Say"
6. "The Great Figure"
7. "This Is Just to Say"
8. "The Great Figure"
9. "This Is Just to Say"
10. "The Great Figure"

Part B

1. William Carlos Williams often wrote about ordinary, everyday objects and mundane moments from daily life.
2. The main job of William Carlos Williams was a physician (specifically a pediatrician and general practitioner).
3. Imagist poets were concerned with creating clear, precise, concrete sensory images and avoiding abstract, overly ornate language.
4. Open form is a poetic structure that does not follow traditional fixed rules of meter, rhyme, or stanza length, allowing the poem's content to dictate its shape.
5. A sensory image is a literary element that uses descriptive language to appeal to one or more of the reader's five senses (sight, sound, touch, taste, smell) to create a vivid, tangible experience.