Ayn Rand’s Objectivisme Williams’ The Red Wheelbarrow & Williams’ The Red Wheelbarrow

Objectivism * Objectivism is the philosophy created by the Russian-American philosopher and novelist Ayn Rand. * The name "Objectivism" derives from the principle that human knowledge and values are objective: they are not created by the thoughts one has, but are determined by the nature of reality, to be discovered by man's mind.

Philosophy * Ayn Rand characterized Objectivism as "a philosophy for living on earth", grounded in reality, and aimed at defining man's nature and the nature of the world in which he lives.

Metaphysics: objective reality * Rand's philosophy begins with three axioms: existence, identity, and consciousness. Rand defined an axiom as "a statement that identifies the base of knowledge and of any further statement pertaining to that knowledge.

Objectivism states that "Existence exists" and "Existence is Identity Objectivism states that "Existence exists" and "Existence is Identity." To be is to be "an entity of a specific nature made of specific attributes." That which has no attributes does not and cannot exist. Hence, the axiom of identity: a thing is what it is. "consciousness being the faculty of perceiving that which exists. Objectivism maintains that what exists simply exists, regardless of anyone's awareness, knowledge or opinion. This idea is derived from Rand's theory which she called "the primacy of existence, in opposition to the theory of "the primacy of consciousness. Objectivism holds that the mind cannot create reality, but rather, it is a means of discovering reality.

Epistemology: reason It assumes that everything has a specific nature, and that objects react to outside forces because of that nature. It accepts the scientific method as a way to explore the universe. In this sense, it is much like pargmatism in that it views the world in a way that says “what works is what is true”.

Objectivism moves on to state that there are no other forces in the universe, magic and supernatural processes do not play a part. The only way to gain knowledge is through reasoning and experimentation. Objectivists reject feelings, hunches, faith and unfounded beliefs as a way of understanding and interacting with the world.

Ethics: rational self-interest Ethics means the study of beauty answering the question “what is art?” The Objectivists answer this question is that art is the interpretation of individual’s view of reality.

“Romantic Reality”, that is the version of art Ayn Rand calls. The idea of this version is to present people, institutions and things as they ought to be. Also to illustrate the ideal, but at the same time constrain them to the here and now. Rand has done this in the context of her writing. However, this idealism could be applied to any art form.

Politics Objectivism's politics derives immediately from its ethics, which provides the principles for "how man should treat other men."   Rand's defense of individual liberty integrates elements from her entire philosophy. Based on their political philosophy, Objectivists do not consistently follow typical "conservative" and "liberal" political positions.

Aesthetics Art, according to Objectivism, serves a human cognitive need. Objectivism regards art as a way of presenting abstractions concretely, in perceptual form. Objectivism regards art as an effective way to communicate a moral or ethical ideal.

Rand held that Romanticism was the highest school of literary art, noting that Romanticism was "based on the recognition of the principle that man possesses the faculty of volition," absent which, Rand believed, literature is robbed of dramatic power.

So now we conclude that… Objectivism rejects any belief in the supernatural—and any claim that individuals or groups create their own reality. Man is to perceive reality-not create it. Objectivism rejects mysticism (acceptance of faith or feeling as a means of knowledge) and skepticism (the claim that certainty or knowledge is impossible). Objectivism rejects any form of determinism, the belief that man is a victim of forces beyond his control (such as God, fate, genes, etc.).

The Red Wheelbarrow

The Red Wheelbarrow so much depends upon a red wheel barrow glazed with rain water beside the white chickens.

The Structure The poem has a distinct pattern, with alternating lines of two and one stressed syllables. The work seems to attempt to reach a specific combination of stresses, but purposely misses each time. This relates to Williams' basic doctrine that by examining an object in all of its immediacy, we can come into contact with something universal. There is a universal order to be found in the poem, but the individual lines never reach it. Rather, the particularity of each line gestures toward the underlying universal pattern.

The Red Wheelbarrow represents Williams' desire to raise the individual "to some approximate co-extension with the universe...to refine, to clarify, to intensify that eternal moment in which we alone live". He wanted to "escape from crude symbolism, the annihilation of strained associations, complicated ritualistic forms designed to separate work from reality".

so much depends upon Lines 1-2 The opening lines set the tone for the rest of the poem. Since the poem is composed of one sentence broken up at various intervals, it is truthful to say that "so much depends upon" each line of the poem. This is so because the form of the poem is also its meaning. This may seem confusing, but by the end of the poem the image of the wheelbarrow is seen as the actual poem, as in a painting when one sees an image of an apple, the apple represents an actual object in reality, but since it is part of a painting the apple also becomes the actual piece of art. These lines are also important because they introduce the idea that "so much depends upon" the wheelbarrow.

a red wheel barrow Lines 3-4 Here the image of the wheelbarrow is introduced starkly. The vivid word "red" lights up the scene. Notice that the monosyllable words in line 3 elongates the line , putting an unusual pause between the word "wheel" and "barrow." This has the effect of breaking the image down to its most basic parts. The reader feels as though he or she were scrutinizing each part of the scene. Using the sentence as a painter uses line and color, Williams breaks up the words in order to see the object more closely.

glazed with rain water Lines 5-6 Again, the monosyllable words elongate the lines with the help of the literary device assonance. Here the word "glazed" evokes another painterly image. Just as the reader is beginning to notice the wheelbarrow through a closer perspective, the rain transforms it as well, giving it a newer, fresher look. This new vision of the image is what Williams is aiming for.

beside the white chickens. Lines 7-8 The last lines offer up the final brushstroke to this "still life" poem. Another color, "white" is used to contrast the earlier "red," and the unusual view of the ordinary wheelbarrow is complete. Williams, in dissecting the image of the wheelbarrow, has also transformed the common definition of a poem. With careful word choice, attention to language, and unusual stanza breaks Williams has turned an ordinary sentence into poetry.

Reference http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Red_Wheelbarrow http://www.english.illinois.edu/Maps/poets/s_z/williams/wheelbarrow.htm

Prepared By: Karemah Al-Ghamdi . Fatimah Al-SSa’eed. Azizah Al-Zahrani. Maymonah Al-Maghrabi.