In the poem "The Parable of the Blind", William Carlos Williams displays a belief about religion that God cannot always save people. The poem is about blind people but mentions a church. The picture shows blind men walking in a line looking upward and an ending result of them falling into water. In the background of the picture a church is present. The blind men are looking up toward God but are still falling into the water. Looking upward does not save them.
The first part of the poem is describing the painting. The first line, which says "This horrible but superb painting", indicates that the subject of the work is insensitive and perhaps a poor choice but that the artwork is done quite well. The next few lines go on to say that there is no red in the composition. This is because darker tones or colors display a gloomy, hopeless setting. Red is bright, vibrant and full of life and would contradict the setting and mood of the painting. The poet writes these lines to show that the subject is sad and undesirable for one to think about.
The second part is about the blind men; "shows a group/of beggars leading/each other diagonally downward"(4). The word beggars indicates that the blind men are peasants and lower in society's status. These men stay together and lead each other though they cannot see. The poet is saying that the blind men stay together to help one another because they can relate to each other's disability and perhaps this is an indication that misery loves company or that there is safety in numbers.
The third part of the poem is telling the reader to where and what the blind men are leading one another. In the painting the blind men are being led to the right side of the canvas whose ending point is "to stumble finally into a bog"(9). A bog is water and these blind men obviously cannot see it. They will fall into the water because they can't see where they are going. Williams is saying that even though people try to help each other sometimes they lead one another into dangerous and even fatal situations.
The next part of the poem describes the end result of the painting. The blind men start out on one side of the canvas unaware of what awaits them on the other side; "of which no seeing man//is represented"(12). This line tells the reader that the disabled are the only ones in the picture. Only blind men are leading one another, looking up to God or heaven, and they are falling into the bog. This would not happen to people who can see. The reason the poet mentions this is to remind the reader that this type of experience doesn't happen to sighted people. If there were someone sighted there to help the blind beggars they would be saved.
The following lines comment on the appearance of the blind men. They are unshaven because they are not able to see to shave without cutting themselves or doing a thorough job. These men are destitute so they may not even be able to afford to shave even if they could see what they were doing. "The des-/titute with their few//pitiful possessions" (15), refers to the place in society these men occupy. They are poor and tired. They are not seen as important because they are peasants and they are disabled; no one feels inclined to help them because they are viewed as expendable, perhaps even as a drain on society.
Peasants do not own many possessions but the few they do have are important because it's all they have. Their wash basin that is mentioned is essential for washing. Peasants have the same basic need for cleanliness and good health as anyone else does. The church that is seen in the painting represents the need for faith. All people no matter what their status in society or their disability need to believe in something to give their lives purpose and meaning. The church is painted small in the background because while having faith is important the artist is trying to convey that one cannot depend on only faith to have a successful life.
The next part of the poem supports a previous idea that having faith in God is not a guarantee for long life, health, wealth, good social standing or safety. "The faces are raised/as toward the light" (19). The picture is painted in dull earthy colors. This signifies the environment is sorrowful. These men want God to help them. They are looking to Him with eyes that cannot see yet they still believe He is there. The have faith though they cannot see. Ironically the eyes He gave them do not work so they are still going to fall into the bog. Williams is saying that one cannot feel sorry for oneself nor should one depend upon God to save him or fix everything that is wrong in one's life. Those who are sick do not always get cured; those who are disabled do not always get healed; those who are poor do not always become rich.
The last part of the poem tells the reader the outcome. The first few lines are saying that there is no extraneous detail, or no unnecessary detail. This is because the painting is focusing only on the blind men and their surroundings. "One/follows the others stick in/hand triumphant to disaster"(21) are the last lines of this poem. These lines are saying that the men are very confident and are trying hard but will encounter disaster anyway. They look up to god but he cannot save them for their upcoming disaster. The poet is saying that the blind men are destined for this fate. God cannot save everyone them. They have hope that He will but it is useless. They are blind to the truth that God cannot always save people.
This poem describes the picture that goes with it very well. It is very descriptive and has nice expression of the poets analysis of the picture. Compared to the other poems and pictures, this one is quite different. It is about religion and has a meaning that is perhaps deeper than the others. There are no light colors in this picture; no vibrant colors that stand out. It is all earthy and dull tones. There are no normal people in the pictures. All the other poems have normal people in them. However, this does relate to many of the other poems because peasants are mentioned. Its almost as if some of the poems show the negatives and positives of how peasants live. Although there are many struggles for them, they can still have confidence and be happy. This poem shows a great point of view about religion and shows how the author felt about it. Religion cannot always save people..
The first part of the poem is describing the painting. The first line, which says "This horrible but superb painting", indicates that the subject of the work is insensitive and perhaps a poor choice but that the artwork is done quite well. The next few lines go on to say that there is no red in the composition. This is because darker tones or colors display a gloomy, hopeless setting. Red is bright, vibrant and full of life and would contradict the setting and mood of the painting. The poet writes these lines to show that the subject is sad and undesirable for one to think about.
The second part is about the blind men; "shows a group/of beggars leading/each other diagonally downward"(4). The word beggars indicates that the blind men are peasants and lower in society's status. These men stay together and lead each other though they cannot see. The poet is saying that the blind men stay together to help one another because they can relate to each other's disability and perhaps this is an indication that misery loves company or that there is safety in numbers.
The third part of the poem is telling the reader to where and what the blind men are leading one another. In the painting the blind men are being led to the right side of the canvas whose ending point is "to stumble finally into a bog"(9). A bog is water and these blind men obviously cannot see it. They will fall into the water because they can't see where they are going. Williams is saying that even though people try to help each other sometimes they lead one another into dangerous and even fatal situations.
The next part of the poem describes the end result of the painting. The blind men start out on one side of the canvas unaware of what awaits them on the other side; "of which no seeing man//is represented"(12). This line tells the reader that the disabled are the only ones in the picture. Only blind men are leading one another, looking up to God or heaven, and they are falling into the bog. This would not happen to people who can see. The reason the poet mentions this is to remind the reader that this type of experience doesn't happen to sighted people. If there were someone sighted there to help the blind beggars they would be saved.
The following lines comment on the appearance of the blind men. They are unshaven because they are not able to see to shave without cutting themselves or doing a thorough job. These men are destitute so they may not even be able to afford to shave even if they could see what they were doing. "The des-/titute with their few//pitiful possessions" (15), refers to the place in society these men occupy. They are poor and tired. They are not seen as important because they are peasants and they are disabled; no one feels inclined to help them because they are viewed as expendable, perhaps even as a drain on society.
Peasants do not own many possessions but the few they do have are important because it's all they have. Their wash basin that is mentioned is essential for washing. Peasants have the same basic need for cleanliness and good health as anyone else does. The church that is seen in the painting represents the need for faith. All people no matter what their status in society or their disability need to believe in something to give their lives purpose and meaning. The church is painted small in the background because while having faith is important the artist is trying to convey that one cannot depend on only faith to have a successful life.
The next part of the poem supports a previous idea that having faith in God is not a guarantee for long life, health, wealth, good social standing or safety. "The faces are raised/as toward the light" (19). The picture is painted in dull earthy colors. This signifies the environment is sorrowful. These men want God to help them. They are looking to Him with eyes that cannot see yet they still believe He is there. The have faith though they cannot see. Ironically the eyes He gave them do not work so they are still going to fall into the bog. Williams is saying that one cannot feel sorry for oneself nor should one depend upon God to save him or fix everything that is wrong in one's life. Those who are sick do not always get cured; those who are disabled do not always get healed; those who are poor do not always become rich.
The last part of the poem tells the reader the outcome. The first few lines are saying that there is no extraneous detail, or no unnecessary detail. This is because the painting is focusing only on the blind men and their surroundings. "One/follows the others stick in/hand triumphant to disaster"(21) are the last lines of this poem. These lines are saying that the men are very confident and are trying hard but will encounter disaster anyway. They look up to god but he cannot save them for their upcoming disaster. The poet is saying that the blind men are destined for this fate. God cannot save everyone them. They have hope that He will but it is useless. They are blind to the truth that God cannot always save people.
This poem describes the picture that goes with it very well. It is very descriptive and has nice expression of the poets analysis of the picture. Compared to the other poems and pictures, this one is quite different. It is about religion and has a meaning that is perhaps deeper than the others. There are no light colors in this picture; no vibrant colors that stand out. It is all earthy and dull tones. There are no normal people in the pictures. All the other poems have normal people in them. However, this does relate to many of the other poems because peasants are mentioned. Its almost as if some of the poems show the negatives and positives of how peasants live. Although there are many struggles for them, they can still have confidence and be happy. This poem shows a great point of view about religion and shows how the author felt about it. Religion cannot always save people..
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