Spring Storm

Fiction | Poem | Adult | Published in 1921

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Summary

Background

Poem Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Literary Devices

Form & Meter

“Spring Storm” is a stichic poem, which means it is made of a series of lines of the same approximate lengths. The poem is 17 lines and consists of a single stanza. As a poet who championed literary Modernism and the concept of a simple, direct American verse, Williams’s poetry is written almost exclusively in Free Verse. Poems written in Free Verse eschew the strict rhyme schemes, metrical rhythms, and specific structural patterns of classical poetry. “Spring Storm” focuses more on the image and the capturing of a specific moment in time than it does on any specific structural or metrical systems. Williams created something called the “variable foot,” which is considered a post-metrical approach to prosody. “Variable foot,” simply put, involves the step-down-line and considers each line equal to one single unit of breath. Essentially, each line of “Spring Storm” should be read in a single breath, with a slight pause after each line. This type of system is loose and works well within an otherwise free verse poem. Williams’s “variable foot” is meant to recreate the sense and cadence of American English.

Alliteration

Although “Spring Storm” doesn’t utilize a stylized metrical pattern or traditional rhyme scheme, Williams does use alliteration to give the poem a specific tone. Alliteration, or the repetition of the same letter or sound at the beginning of closely oriented words, is used in the poem to produce specific tonal effects. The poem’s title uses alliteration to imitate the -s sound that is usually associated with moving water or rainwater hitting the ground. Halfway through the poem, Williams again uses alliteration to repeat the soft, slipping -s sound: “Still the snow keeps” (Line 7). Throughout the poem, Williams describes the heavy rainwater as it consolidates and softens the ground: “But water, water / from a thousand runnels! / It collects swiftly” (Lines 9-11). The alliteration of the -s sound, along with the repetition of key words (“water,” “falls,” “drop”) helps to give the image of the spring storm more weight by providing a kind of sound track for the scene. The alliteration of the -s enlivens the scene of the ice and snow-strewn ground accepting spring water during the first rain storm of the season with the sound of falling, running, and flowing water.

Symbolism

“Spring Storm” relies on symbols to create deeper meanings. While on the surface the poem is about the turning of seasons, the deeper implications of the poem relate to the symbolism of the seasons and cycles of life. For example, the poem points out the turn from winter to spring, from a season of cold and death to a season of new life. Symbolically, the turn of seasons can be taken further as a reference to moving from seasons of darkness in life (depression, grief) to times of hope; hope, like water from a spring storm, can cut through ice, or despair, eventually bringing on a new stage in the cycle of life.