Frost and Williams

While reading, Frost and his poems stood out from all the other poets and their work, but not in a good way. To me, he just glorifies everyday tasks and objects. I understand the poems would mean nothing if he used ordinary words and ways to describe things. However, Frost takes the extremely long way to describe things like mowing and apple picking. He adds colorful words and phrases to make these chores appear more intersting, when, in fact, most people don't pay much attention to or care about picking apples or mowing the lawn. The majority of readers probably can't even relate to the way these events are illustrated.

Williams on the other hand, at least in my opinion, writes with more purpose, especially in "To Elsie." In this poem, he writes for and to the less recognized classes such as the proletariat and those of a mixed race. Williams gets to the point using less words than Frost and expresses how young men work six days a week just to get by. Nothing greets these men except for the mountains in Kentucky and the lakes and valleys of New Jersey, leaving them nothing to do except work. Then, Williams switches the focus from the men of the working class to Elsie, the girl born with Indian blood. Because of her ethnicity, Elsie is doomed to face disease or murder, and eventually she will be sent out to work at a young age. Readers are aware that Elsie is "different" from other desriptions as well. She has larger hips and breasts than most white women, and she wears chea[er jewelry.

While Frost exaggerates some monotonous tasks, Williams gets down to the core of things and discusses people and events more pertinent to real life.