--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Look at this poet William Carlos…" description: "\"Look at this poet William Carlos Williams: he is primitive and native, and his roots are in raw forest and violent places; he is word-sick and place-cr..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a06/edward-dahlberg-10740_admire_look-at-this-poet-william-carlos-william_985904.jpg" --- # Look at this poet William Carlos Williams: he is primitive… ![“Look at this poet William Carlos Williams: he is primitive and native, and his roots are in raw forest and violent places; he is word-sick and place-crazy. He admires strength, but for what? Violence! This is the cult of the frontier mind.” quote by Edward Dahlberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a06/edward-dahlberg-10740_admire_look-at-this-poet-william-carlos-william_985904.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a06/edward-dahlberg-10740_admire_look-at-this-poet-william-carlos-william_985904.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a06/edward-dahlberg-10740_admire_look-at-this-poet-william-carlos-william_985904.jpg) > “Look at this poet William Carlos Williams: he is primitive and native, and his roots are in raw forest and violent places; he is word-sick and place-crazy. He admires strength, but for what? Violence! This is the cult of the frontier mind.” [Edward Dahlberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-dahlberg/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Williams is depicted as raw, instinctive, and driven by violent impulses, reflecting a frontier mindset that prizes strength over refinement. **In simple terms:** He is raw and violent, valuing strength. Key Takeaway Recognize raw instincts but seek balanced expression. Themes rawness violence frontier mindset instinct strength Mood intense critical reflective Type analytical critical literary When to use this quote - creative writing workshops - literary analysis - personal reflection - cultural studies Key Concepts primitivism cultural critique psychology Questions to Reflect On - How does raw instinct shape art? - Can violence be transformed into constructive expression? A Different Perspective His focus on violence may overlook the potential for compassionate creativity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cult/) [Forests](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forests/) [Frontiers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/frontiers/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Poet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poet/) [Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/) [Primitive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/primitive/) [Roots](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/roots/) [Strength](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strength/) [Violence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/violence/) [Violent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/violent/) ## Related quotes > [It is very perplexing how an intrepid frontier people, who fought a wilderness, floods, tornadoes, and the Rockies, cower before criticism, which is regarded…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-dahlberg/it-is-very-perplexing-how-an-intrepid-frontier-people-who-fought-a/) [Edward Dahlberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-dahlberg/) > [William Carlos Williams, late in his long life, had a dream: He saw an enormous spiral staircase in empty space, and his father slowly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliot-weinberger/william-carlos-williams-late-in-his-long-life-had-a-dream-he-saw-an/) [Eliot Weinberger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliot-weinberger/) > [From a literary standpoint, I've been loving Raymond Carver's short stories, William Carlos Williams' poems, Richard Siken's 'Crush', John Fante, and Jim Harrison's book…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greta-salpeter/from-a-literary-standpoint-i-ve-been-loving-raymond-carver-s-short/) [Greta Salpeter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greta-salpeter/) > [ “That kind of thinking \[that writers must alleviate their guilt for leading a creative life\] is based on the idea that the creative life… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ariel-gore/that-kind-of-thinking-that-writers-must-alleviate-their-guilt-for/) [Ariel Gore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ariel-gore/) > [The major poets of New Jersey have all suffered, whether it's Whitman, who lost his job for 'Leaves of Grass,' or William Carlos Williams,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amiri-baraka/the-major-poets-of-new-jersey-have-all-suffered-whether-it-s-whitman/) [Amiri Baraka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amiri-baraka/) > [“Exhausted after a full day of treating patients, William Carlos Williams angrily answered the phone. “Doctor,” said a woman’s voice, “my child has swallowed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ross-wetzsteon/exhausted-after-a-full-day-of-treating-patients-william-carlos/) [Ross Wetzsteon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ross-wetzsteon/) > [“When I think of the meaning of food, I always remember these lines by the poet William Carlos Williams, which seem to me merely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/when-i-think-of-the-meaning-of-food-i-always-remember-these-lines-by/) [Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/) > [One of the appeals of William Carlos Williams to me is that he was many different kinds of poet. 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So much depends upom a red wheel barrow glazed with rain water beside the white chickens.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/the-red-wheelbarrow-by-william-carlos-williams-so-much-depends-upom-a/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“I prefer not to starve, to live by the practice of medicine, which combines the best features of both science and philosophy with that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-carlos-williams/i-prefer-not-to-starve-to-live-by-the-practice-of-medicine-which/) [William Carlos Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-carlos-williams/) > [You can't be a poet certainly of my generation and not have deep in your animal brain the comment of William Carlos Williams, no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-s-di-piero/you-can-t-be-a-poet-certainly-of-my-generation-and-not-have-deep-in/) [W. S. Di Piero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-s-di-piero/) > [“The top eleven are, in order, T. S. Eliot’s “Prufrock,” Robert Lowell’s “Skunk Hour,” Robert Frost’s “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening,” William…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/the-top-eleven-are-in-order-t-s-eliot-s-prufrock-robert-lowell-s/) [Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) > [“I have never had a money practice; it would have been impossible for me. 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