How might "Spring and All" be interpreted as a reaction to the violence of World

War 1?

Be sure to cite examples from the poem to support your analysis.

Answer: Williams compares the world after the war to a dying landscape. Through a number of metaphors, the poet describes the terrible consequences of the war.

Explanation:

"Spring and All" is a poem by William Carlos Williams (1883 - 1963). In order to understand the poem, it is important to note that it was written towards the end of World War I. The world still suffered the consequences of the war, and was slowly recovering.

That being said, the poet uses a number of metaphors to both describe the terrible consequences of war, and yet leave the readers hopeful about the future. At the beginning of the poem, Williams describes a road which leads to a "contagious hospital", and the dying landscape by the road. There are bushes that have become twigs and muddy fields. The adjectives that Williams uses to describe the landscape serve as a metaphor for the state of the world at the end of the war:

" ... small trees

with dead, brown leaves under them

leafless vines."

Just like the nature, the world as people knew it before the war has also become unrecognizable. However, there is a change of tone at the end of the poem. Williams announces the beginning of spring, which will bring life. There is a promise of a better future that will come after the war.