The Term - Analysis

Introduction and overall impression

William Carlos Williams's "The Term" presents a plain, observational voice that turns a small street scene into a quiet meditation. The tone is restrained, almost clinical at first, then shifts to reveal a subtle tenderness and wonder. The poem's calm repetition and spare diction create a contemplative mood that invites reflection on resilience and identity.

Relevant context

Williams, an American modernist and physician, often drew on everyday scenes and colloquial language to explore human experience. His focus on ordinary objects and moments reflects a modernist interest in immediacy and the poetic potential of the commonplace.

Theme: Resilience versus vulnerability

The poem contrasts the fragility of apparent human form with the durability of an object: a rumpled sheet of brown paper that mimics a man's size is crushed by a car but then rises again and rolls on. Imagery of being "crushed" and then restored emphasizes endurance despite violent contact, suggesting a quiet resilience that survives damage.

Theme: Appearance and identity

By describing paper "about the length / And apparent bulk / Of a man," the poem foregrounds how outward shape can suggest personhood without being one. The repetition of "over / And over" and the comparison "Unlike / A man it rose / Again" explore the gap between form and essence: the paper adopts a human silhouette yet lacks human vulnerability to finality, calling into question what truly constitutes identity.

Symbol and image analysis

The brown paper sheet operates as a central symbol: at once a discarded, mundane object and a stand-in for a human figure. Its rolling with the wind and recovery after being run over can be read as metaphor for survival, the persistence of the ordinary, or the indifferent continuity of the world. The contrast between mechanical motion (car) and elemental motion (wind) deepens the symbolic tension between external force and natural rebound.

Form and its support of meaning

The poem's short lines and enjambment produce a halting, observational rhythm that mirrors the stop-start motion of the rolling paper and the speaker's steady notice-taking. The minimal, plain form reinforces the poem's focus on a simple event made meaningful through attention.

Conclusion

"The Term" transforms a fleeting street image into a reflection on survival, appearance, and the gap between human likeness and human reality. Williams's spare language and attentive gaze invite readers to see the extraordinary persistence in the ordinary world.