Entry 73: No Ideas But In Things

One group of Modern poets was the imagists. They wanted to describe commonplace subjects just as they are. The imagist poets were very different from many popular poets of the nineteenth century, who believed that poetry should be about certain lofty, “poetic” subjects. William Carlos Williams was one of the imagists, and you can see examples of his poems on pp. 667-669 of your text. His motto was “No ideas but in things.” Do you think there should be any limitations on the subject matter of poetry? What are poems written about today?

• I believe that there shouldn't be any limitations on the subject matter of poems. There may be many different forms and restrictions concerning the poem's structure as well as form, but I don't believe that this should also apply to the subject matter of poems. Poems are a literary device that allows for people to express their ideas and opinions on any subject matter that they wish to express their opinions or ideas or points of view on. People may but limits themselves, but it depends and varies from person to person. Poems can be on a wide variety of subjects nowadays. It can range from the most traditional subject matters to the most popular and unconventional subject matters. An example of a traditional subject matter may have to deal with religion and plain ways of living. For example, a poem may show one's ideas, beliefs, opinions, and points of views towards its author's god, as well as his or her beliefs concerning everyday life or concerning a particular subject in relations to religion. A more unconventional subject matter may be fashion and clothing. The topics that I would be interested would be associated with dancing, basketball, sleeping, eating, chatting, hanging out with friends, and so on (what a teenager would typically do).