1 Symbolism in Williams Homan and Chicago Ave and Collins I Ask You The word symbolism refers to a specific

object, scene, character, or action that can directly and meaningfully be equated to ideas, values, persons, or ways of life (Roberts and Zweig 323). Symbolism is quite valuable, as it allows literature to take on far deeper meanings than what is easily seen on the surface. A piece of literature may have multiple layers of meaning, and if one is unable to identify its symbolism, the perceived meaning of that piece of art can end up rather shallow. Most symbolism is largely open to interpretation, and when used in a condensed medium such as poetry where relatively few words can go a long way it is largely the readers responsibility to interpret it and construct the poems meaning. Many poems can be interpreted in dozens or even hundreds of ways, and most are equally valid. Oftentimes, only the poet fully comprehends a poems symbolism and true meaning. Though both poems share little in common, Williams Homan and Chicago Ave. and Collins I ask you both contain plentiful symbolism. Homan and Chicago Ave. is largely about a neighborhood in Chicago that is plagued by gang-violence. It details the suffering of those involved and the death of an individual as a direct result of said violence. Upon careful examination, one may notice the poems use of Christian symbolism. The man who is close to death imagines buzzards tearing at his flesh (Williams 31-33). Though it is not actually recorded in the New Testament, Jesus is commonly depicted as having been pecked at by birds in a similar fashion. After the mans death, Williams writes, Tune the trumpets (33-34). Trumpets, according to the Bible, will be played when the dead are resurrected. It will happen in a moment, in the blink of an eye, when the last trumpet is blown. For when the trumpet sounds, those who have died will be raised to live forever. And we who are living will also be transformed. (New Living Translation, 1 Cor. 15.52). Williams then

2 mentions that the corpse will start singing (40). This, too, is mentioned in the bible in reference to resurrection. But those who die in the Lord will live; their bodies will rise again! Those who sleep in the earth will rise up and sing for joy (Isa. 26.19). Lastly, Williams writes about butterflies escaping from the mans body, flying upwards towards the sky, and scattering (Williams 42-44). Butterflies have long been a Christian symbol of resurrection. A caterpillar disappears into its cocoon, and will appear dead. However, later, it emerges resurrects itself as a much more beautiful butterfly. It should also be pointed out that Williams uses various versions of the word cross eleven times in total. Though each use has a different meaning, the mostblatantly religious one appears on line twelve, when the mother crosses herself, as is done in prayer by various sects of Christianity. One can argue, though, that perhaps Williams repeated use of the word cross is intended to illustrate the suffering of the people in the gang-infested neighborhood, and more specifically, to draw a parallel to the suffering and resurrection of Jesus. I Ask You does not have an obvious meaning, and aside from the first stanza, much is left to interpretation. It is clear that the speaker finds tranquility in his small kitchen. He has his pen in hand, and he is thankful that there are no distractions (Collins 1-7). Although there are many possibilities as to the poems meaning, one could suggest that the speaker is uncomfortable with the direction society is heading; people live for material goods and for their jobs, and they are unable to find happiness in such basic ways as writing. Lichen greening the high grey rocks suggests that time is passing (Collins 11). The writer states that over the dunes the world sails on, huge, ocean-going, history bubbling in its wake (Collins 12-13). Perhaps he has taken comfort in his house or island away from society. His island is protected by dunes (the walls of his house), but outside, there is a sea of people who cant appreciate the little, simple things in life. He then says that everything he needs is right in front of him. He doesnt

3 need a job that would allow [him] to row to work (he doesnt need to be part of the ocean of people working for money to buy material goods), nor does he need an Aston Martin DB4 an expensive, luxurious sports car sold in the late 1950s and early 60s (Collins 14-18). The writer also finds peace in the glasses of water and the small crate of oranges he has. He could have mentioned delicacies like wine and steak, but instead, he chose cheap food and drink (Collins 2021). Perhaps most interesting is the book on Stalin that he has (Collins 21). Joseph Stalin was the communist leader of the Soviet Union for thirty years. Communism condemns love of material goods. Next, the writer mentions three candles, each of a different height, singing in perfect harmony (Collins 24-26). Perhaps the candles represent three people, all different all imperfect due to human nature working together by doing their own parts to create something beautiful. Lastly, he thinks about a province made of one enormous sky and about a million empty branches (Collins 33-35). The province made of one sky could refer to the idea of having no countries; no arbitrary boarders. Collins uses juxtaposition by putting his thought of this singular, united country next to an image of a million dead branches. By doing so, he is saying that while such a place could exist, society will continue upon its current, downward path, and people will die through wars and inequality. Williams Homan and Chicago Ave. and Collins I ask you are very different poems. They share little in common, and their subject matters are unrelated. However, the one thing that they do share in common is that they both contain a lot of symbolism. By recognizing this symbolism, one can interpret them very differently. No one interpretation is necessarily more correct than any other, but that is the beauty of poetry. Depending on how one interprets a poem, symbolism can have entirely different meaning.

Works Cited 1 Corinthians. New Living Translation. N.p.: n.p., n.d. BibleGateway.com. Bible Gateway. Web. 28 Mar. 2014. Collins, Billy. I Ask You. Poem Hunter, 13 January 2003. Web. 26 May 2014

5 Roberts, Edgar V., and Robert Zweig. Symbolism and Allegory: Keys to Extended Meaning. Literature: An Introduction to Reading and Writing. Fifth Compact ed. Boston: Longman, 2012. 323. Print. Williams, Phillip. Homan and Chicago Ave. Poetry Foundation, n.d. Web. 26 May 2014.