William Carlos Williams

The Term

The Term - meaning Summary

Appearance Versus Resilience

The poem observes a crumpled sheet of brown paper that resembles a man as it tumbles in the street. A car flattens it, but unlike a human being the paper rebounds and resumes its earlier motion. The comparison quietly highlights themes of appearance, bodily vulnerability, and the indifferent durability of inanimate things. It invites readers to consider how likeness can mask essential differences between living fragility and object persistence.

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A rumpled sheet Of brown paper About the length And apparent bulk Of a man was Rolling with the Wind slowly over And over in The street as A car drove down Upon it and Crushed it to The ground. Unlike A man it rose Again rolling With the wind over And over to be as It was before.

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