The Great Figure Symbolism, Imagery & Wordplay

The title makes that "figure" sound a little like an action hero or a circus attraction: "Come and see the Great Figure in all his numerical glory!" But the poem provides no evidence for the greatn...

The movement of the fire truck is closely related to the movement of the lines in the poem. Williams produces a slow motion or "Doppler" effect (see "Sound Check" for more) by varying the lengths o...

While the beginning of the poem focuses on lights and colors, the second half shifts the focus to sound. This shift occurs right after the word "unheeded," which refers to something that no one is...