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

This blog will explore "How to Deconstruct a Text" by looking at poems by Shakespeare, Ezra Pound, and William Carlos Williams. Deconstruction, a concept introduced by Jacques Derrida, involves breaking down texts to find hidden contradictions and ambiguities. Instead of seeing meaning as fixed and clear, deconstruction shows that meanings are always changing and depend on context. By uncovering these complexities, deconstruction challenges and questions established ideas and structures in language and texts.

1). Sonnet 18: Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day? by William Shakespeare 

Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?

Thou art more lovely and more temperate.

Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,

And summer’s lease hath all too short a date.

Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,

And often is his gold complexion dimmed;

And every fair from fair sometime declines,

By chance, or nature’s changing course, untrimmed;

But thy eternal summer shall not fade,

Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow’st,

Nor shall death brag thou wand’rest in his shade,

When in eternal lines to Time thou grow’st.

    So long as men can breathe, or eyes can see,

    So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.

Sonnet 18 begins by comparing the beloved to a summer day but quickly points out that the beloved is even better. Summer has its issues, like strong winds, extreme heat, and fading beauty. In contrast, the beloved's beauty is eternal because the poem immortalizes it.

Words like "temperate," "rough wind," "decline," "nature's changing course," and "fade" show how beauty is fleeting. The beloved’s beauty is also subject to this, but the poem preserves it. The poem suggests that the beloved’s beauty lives on as long as people read the poem.

Initially, the poem seems to contrast the beloved with summer. However, both are temporary compared to the poem. Everything alive eventually dies, including the beloved, but the poem and its message of love endure. If summer and love are both temporary, the poem might also be saying that love isn't always perfect, just like summer. The strong winds that damage flowers might represent the passionate, messy parts of love.

The poet also has a central role in the poem, suggesting that the beloved's beauty can only be eternal if it is written about. The poem praises beauty based on certain standards set by the poet.

2). In a Station of the Metro by Ezra Pound

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

This short poem might seem confusing at first because it doesn't have clear pictures. The images don't make sense by themselves but together, they create a certain feeling. For an Indian reader, especially someone not from a big city, the lack of familiar metro station imagery can be puzzling. The poem starts with the "crowd" and then talks about "petals." Comparing "faces in the crowd" to "petals on a wet, black bough" is a modern style, like the works of T.S. Eliot in *The Waste Land* and W.H. Auden in *September 1, 1939*.

The poem also contrasts city and countryside life. Ferdinand de Saussure talks about how it's hard to see what's missing. The poem doesn't mention "noise," which makes the lines feel isolated, like petals on a black bough. The word "apparition" gives a ghostly, modern feeling.

Comparing faces to petals is different from usual metaphors. Just like a crowd at a station is temporary, petals and flowers don't last long. This shows the fragile and broken nature of the modern world.

3). The Red Wheelbarrow by William Carlos Williams

"so much depends upon 

a red wheel barrow 

glazed with rain water 

beside the white chickens"

This poem paints a clear picture without any distractions, focusing on the physical objects. It mentions a wheelbarrow and chickens, which are familiar items. The colors red and white create a specific mood. Red might symbolize strength and usefulness, while white chickens could represent calmness or simplicity. This contrast makes both colors stand out more.

However, the clean and shiny setting might be an idealized image from the poet's imagination, possibly inspired by a book. The lack of mud, dust, and dung makes the scene feel less realistic and more perfect. The main idea could be celebrating everyday life and appreciating the simple things around us.

In conclusion, reading the poem shows that there can be many meanings, contrasts, and interpretations. When one meaning is focused on, other possible meanings become secondary, giving us different ways to understand the poem.

Reference

Barad, Dilip, Deconstructive Analysis of Ezra Pound's 'In a Station of the Metro' and William Carlos Williams's 'The Red Wheelbarrow', Researchgate.net, Accessed 4 July 2024.