This Is Just To Say Essay Questions

How does Williams use enjambment in the poem?

Williams uses enjambment in the poem both to separate individual images and to keep the reader involved in the short rhythm of each line. Enjambment connects unfinished lines, making the reader continue through a stanza (or even in a complete poem) in order to complete a scene or thought. As such, Williams is able to use this to break up individual details and images (the icebox or taste of the plums, for instance) to create a more distinct impression of these individual things within the text.

What do the plums symbolize in the poem?

Plums symbolize everyday pleasure in the poem. By choosing to have the speaker vividly recall the delicious taste of the plums, Williams is highlighting the intense feelings that can be evoked by a commonplace object. Furthermore, in selecting this sense memory as the final image of the poem, Williams is showing that the speaker's enjoyment of these plums is still lingering in his mind. Similarly, the guilt the speaker feels about eating the plums is rooted in the awareness that his wife was hoping to eat them the next day and, because of how good they tasted, he knows he has taken this small joy from her.