How to Deconstruct a Text : Deconstructive Reading...

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I am Maya Batiya

A student of sem -3 (M.A.) Department of English, M.K.B.U.

"This blog explores how to analyze three poems by Shakespeare, Ezra Pound, and William Carlos Williams using deconstruction. Deconstruction, developed by Jacques Derrida, helps us understand texts by examining how meanings can be unstable and how interpretations relate to the text itself."

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

#Sonnet 18 by William Shakespeare 

Beautifully contrasts the transient nature of summer with the eternal beauty of the beloved. Shakespeare employs a deliberate choice of words such as "temperate" (moderate), "rough wind", "decline", "nature's changing course", and "fade" to emphasize the fragility and fleetingness of nature's beauty. Despite these natural changes, the beloved's beauty transcends time and remains eternal, immortalized by the enduring power of poetry itself.

In Sonnet 18, the use of the word "when" introduces a conditional aspect, suggesting that the beloved's immortality hinges upon the act of preservation through poetry. The poem itself becomes the vehicle through which the beloved achieves immortality—not through some inherent magical quality, but through the poet's words. As long as people continue to read the poem, the beloved lives on in the hearts and minds of those who engage with Shakespeare's verses, thereby ensuring their eternal presence in literary history.

 Sonnet 18 explores a nuanced perspective where both summer and the beloved are depicted as temporary compared to the enduring nature of the poem itself. This shift challenges the initial idealization of the beloved by acknowledging their mortality, akin to the fleeting aspects of summer. The imperfections of summer, such as the disruptive winds, can symbolize the turbulent and passionate moments within love itself, suggesting that love, like nature, isn't always flawless.

Moreover, the poem places the poet in a central and powerful position, as the creator and preserver of the beloved's eternal beauty through verse. This dynamic highlights a binary where the act of writing a poem becomes essential for immortalizing the beloved's beauty, suggesting a certain standard or ideal of beauty that poetry seeks to uphold and celebrate.

Ultimately, Sonnet 18 invites readers to contemplate the intersection of love, mortality, and artistry, challenging traditional notions of beauty and eternity through the lens of poetic expression.

# Deconstructing Ezra Pound’s "In a Station of the Metro" : 

 William Carlos Williams's "The Red Wheelbarrow" presents a challenge in its simplicity, where the absence of traditional imagery initially perplexes the reader. The poem's structure relies heavily on its linguistic elements rather than vivid visual descriptions, embodying a modernist approach similar to T.S. Eliot's "The Waste Land" and W.H. Auden's "September 1, 1939."

The juxtaposition of "crowd" and "patals" (petals) on a wet black bough illustrates a modernist visualization, contrasting urban and rural life. This binary opposition echoes Ferdinand de Saussure's theory of metaphysical presence and the challenge of interpreting absence within the poem, notably the absence of "noise" which enhances the atmosphere of isolation akin to ghostly apparitions in modern life.

Furthermore, the comparison between "faces in the crowd" and petals drifting from a black bough departs from traditional metaphors, emphasizing the fleeting and fragile nature of both urban crowds and delicate flowers. This thematic exploration underscores the fragmented reality of the modernized world, where beauty and transience intersect.

In deconstructing "The Red Wheelbarrow," Williams prompts readers to reconsider poetry beyond conventional imagery, embracing the power of minimalism and linguistic precision to evoke profound meaning.

# "The Red Wheelbarrow" by William Carlos Williams :

Indeed focuses on the materiality of everyday objects, portraying a vivid scene where a red wheelbarrow and white chickens become central figures. The colors red and white create contrasting atmospheres: red symbolizing strength, utility, and visual prominence, while white conveys simplicity and tranquility, enhancing the overall impact of these ordinary objects in the poem.

The poem's pristine and polished imagery may suggest an idealized setting, possibly drawn from the poet's imagination or a memory, devoid of typical elements like mud, dust, or dung that might clutter a real-world scene. This absence isolates the image, elevating it to a more idealized and aestheticized representation of everyday life, celebrating the beauty found in ordinary surroundings.

In conclusion, interpretations of "The Red Wheelbarrow" reveal layers of complexity through the interplay of meanings, binary oppositions, and the fluidity of interpretation. Different readings emphasize various facets, sometimes placing one interpretation at the forefront while others remain on the periphery, offering diverse perspectives that enrich our understanding of the poem's themes and imagery.

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