the meaning of a red wheelbarrow is the objective representation of objects.
the meaning of a red wheelbarrow is the objective representation of objects.
what is the meaning of a red wheelbarrow?
the objective representation of objects
the pictorial style in which the poem is written owes much to the photographs of alfred stieglitz and the precisionist style of charles sheeler, an american photographer-painter whom williams met shortly before composing the poem. the poem represents an early stage in williams' development as a poet. it focuses on the objective representation of objects, in line with the imagist philosophy that was ten years old at the time of the poem's publication. the poem is written in a brief, haiku-like free-verse form. with regard to the inspiration for the poem, williams wrote:
the red wheelbarrow
of course you can't figure it out by studying the text. the clues aren't there. this poem was meant to be appreciated only by a chosen literary elite, only by those who were educated, those who had learned the back story (williams was a doctor, and he wrote the poem one morning after having treated a child who was near death. the red wheelbarrow was her toy.) 









































section::::critical reception.









































the poet john hollander cited "the red wheelbarrow" as a good example of enjambment to slow down the reader, creating a "meditative" poem.
the red wheelbarrow