Paterson

Pick two characterizations of Paterson as a human man and compare them to two characterizations of Paterson as a landscape.

How does imagery of the natural landscape in Paterson construct a consistent setting over time?

What role do natural forces, especially the geological force of erosion and the chemical reaction of combustion, play throughout the text?

Consider the role that gender and sexuality play throughout this text. What would Paterson be like if it elevated marginalized voices instead of reifying dominant narratives?

Given that Paterson was published over the decades which immediately followed World War II, why might William Carlos Williams have chosen to focus in the text so heavily on the nineteenth century?

What role does the construction of American identity play in this text? Consider specifically how the various representations of the Revolutionary War relate to the development of the city of Paterson.

At the level of poetic craft, how does Williams demonstrate his conception of a wholly American poetry?

Pick at least five examples of Imagism found throughout the text and compare them. How do these examples relate to broader philosophical principles of the Imagist movement?