1. By: William Carlos Williams
The Cod Head
By: William Carlos Williams

2. The Cod Head Thesis!
Williams uses ocean imagery and the symbolism of the cod head to portray the beauty of life. Context is

3. Structure-how the poem is organized Sound-musicality, patterns and other auditory techniques Structure and sound
water/wavy structure
-dashes
3 lines in each stanza
fragmented sentences
Flow, the sound flows like a pattern.
very detailed descriptions, but broken up
like the rest of the poems, no punctuation marks only in the first stanza "strands, stems, debris"
Sounds, also in the first stanza there's an alliteration(Repetition of initial consonant sound)
"Strands, stems debris", which has more meaning, that the weeds he is talking about aren't together, there broken up, a visual that these things are dead, like the Cod.
"Whips and ships"= Assonance(give definition)

4. Uses very good word choice image of a ship, there's ocean imagery
Language-figurative language/figures of speech: words that communicate ideas beyond there literal meaning
Uses very good word choice
image of a ship, there's ocean imagery
fathom, describes how deep things are in the stanzas
"lifting and falling" like waves, also an oxymoron, a figure of speech that contradicts itself
it has a meaning to life as well, that there are ups and downs in life, like waves in an ocean

5. The overall meaning to the poem
Flies around the Cod head- "Red cross"
Connection, is that he was a doctor,
The meaning- This adds to the meaning of the poem, is because he was a doctor, that's why he's so interested in this severed Cod head. This is why he wrote this poem. "Deep Down"- the connection to life. If you look deep down into this poem and at the Cod head it's self. This Cod head was severed, meaning it wasn't killed by nature. That Williams, is interested in the Cod head, and describes it so beautifully. Showing that not only is nature beautiful, but the whole life cycle is beautiful. That man/woman killed this Cod, some may see it as gross or wrong. But it's a way of life and that man/woman (Williams) can still see it as beautiful.

6. Our Interpretation
He uses imagery as the language to express his poem (Ocean Imagery)
Uses a Calm Waved as a motif to relate the structure to the words in his poem.
Deep moods to connect towards images he describes throughout the poem.
Appreciates the calm nature and surroundings.

7. Our Interpretation (2)
Alliteration to pattern the words in his poem. Such as in stanza 8, line 2, “Small Scudding Fish”.
Assonance to make sound to the reader, such as when Williams' says in stanza 3,
“oars whip
ships churn to bubbles---
at night”.
We feel that Williams creates this image of his words and the sea to help us visualize this imagery.
OVERALL : William C. Williams want’s to express and appreciate nature and the calm side of life.