William Carlos Williams: Poems Lesson Plan

What is the tone of “Danse Russe”? How does WCW establish this tone? Provide examples from the text.

Students should recognize the tone of this poem is more light-hearted and playful. The language, or diction, of the poem is primary in establishing the tone. WCW uses “silken” to describe the mist, “shining” to describe the trees, “happy genius” to describe himself, and playful verbs like “dance,” “waving,” and “singing.” The imagery in the poem does a lot of work establishing the light-hearted tone as well. He says, “the sun is a flame-white disc in silken mists above shining trees.” He describes himself as dancing “grotesquely before the mirror.” While grotesque can...