How to Deconstruct a Text : Deconstructive Reading of Three Poems by Shakespeare, Ezra Pound and William Carlos Williams

 "How to Deconstruct a text"

Welcome to my blog,This blog is part of a task on how to break down a text. It involves deconstructing three poems by Shakespeare, Ezra Pound, and William Carlos Williams. Deconstruction, a method developed by Jacques Derrida,  It helps us see how the poem's meaning can change depending on who reads it and what they think it's about.

Introduction:

Deconstructing a text involves critically examining its meanings, structure, and underlying assumptions to uncover different interpretations and question the text's seeming coherence. This method, rooted in Jacques Derrida's philosophy, aims to reveal the ambiguity of meaning in texts and how language shapes our perception of reality.

'Sonnet 18' by William Shakespeare:

Sonnet 18 begins by comparing the beloved to a summer day but emphasizes that the beloved is superior. While summer has issues such as strong winds, extreme temperatures, and fading beauty, the beloved's beauty remains eternal. Words like "temperate," "rough wind," "decline," and "nature's changing course" underscore the temporary nature of beauty in the natural world. Ultimately, the beloved's beauty is immortalized through the enduring praise of the poem.

The word "when" suggests that the beloved's immortality depends on being preserved in the poem. It implies that the beloved's beauty lasts forever only because the poet wrote about it. The poem is what makes the beloved immortal, not some magical quality. As long as people read the poem, it keeps the beloved's memory alive.

Initially, the poem contrasts the beloved with summer, suggesting the beloved is better. However, both are temporary compared to the eternal poem. Everything, including the beloved, eventually dies, but the poem's message of love lasts forever. If summer and love are both temporary, the poem might also suggest that love, like summer, isn't always perfect. The "strong winds" that damage flowers could symbolize the passionate, messy moments in love.

The poet is central and holds a dominant position. Another contrast is that the poem makes the beloved's beauty everlasting. If the beloved is beautiful, a poem can be composed. Beauty is measured by certain standards, and the poem emphasizes physical appearance.

'In a Station of the Metro' by Ezra Pound:

"The apparition of these faces in the crowd; Petals on a wet, black bough"

The poem contrasts two images: "The faces in the crowd" and "Petals on a wet, black bough." This creates a tension between city life and nature, and between what is fleeting and what lasts. "Apparition" suggests ghostly, fleeting images of city faces, showing how urban life is temporary. Meanwhile, the natural image of petals hints at delicate beauty and impermanence. The poem challenges fixed meanings by highlighting these opposites: ghostly vs. real, city vs. nature, and temporary vs. lasting. It meditates on how beauty and experiences are brief and fragmented in modern life.

'The Red Wheelbarrow' by William Carlos Williams :

The poem seems simple at first, just a snapshot of images. But if you look closer, its meaning isn't so clear. The phrase "so much depends upon" suggests something really important, but the things described—a red wheelbarrow, rainwater, and white chickens—are ordinary. This contrast between everyday things and their supposed importance makes us question what's truly valuable. The bright red wheelbarrow with the white chickens stands out visually, but it doesn't explain their connection, leaving us to figure out what it means.

Conclusion:

In conclusion,interpretations of the poems reveal their complex meanings, the use of opposing ideas, and the freedom of interpretation. When one meaning takes focus, all other interpretations move to the sidelines. This opens up new ways of understanding the poem.

Thank you...

Reference:

Barad, Dilip. “Deconstructive Analysis of Ezra Pound’s ‘In a Station of the Metro’ and William Carlos Williams’s ‘The Red Wheelbarrow.’” Researchgate, July 2024, www.researchgate.net/publication/381943844_Deconstructive_Analysis_of_Ezra_Pound’s_’In_a_Station_of_the_Metro’_and_William_Carlos_Williams’s_’The_Red_Wheelbarrow’.