Comments & Themes

What does the image of light in “A World Without Objects Is a Sensible Emptiness” symbolize?

Compare Wilbur’s playful verse in Opposites, More Opposites, and Runway Opposites to Mary Hunter Austin’s child-centred Children Sing in the Far West.

Contrast the post-World War II sensibilities of Wilbur’s “The Beautiful Changes” with incisive scientific eye of William Carlos Williams’ “Queen Anne’s Lace.”

Define what is may be considered as a confessional voice and why Wilbur’s voice differs (or not) from that definition.

Analyse “The Mind-Reader” focusing on perspective. Which is the method behind the composition of the poem?

Analyse the use of language in “The Death of a Toad” (1950). Which is the purpose of so much discipline of language?

Can serious changes or improvements be detected between Wilbur’s early poetry and his mature work?

How can be described Robert Frost’s influence on Wilbur’s poetry?