The city of Paterson NJ, the birthplace of american industry

The City of Paterson , NJ : The Birthplace of American Industry

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The City of Paterson , NJ : The Birthplace of American Industry

Introduction

William Carlos Williams has been a major contributor to the development of American poetry . Like Walt Whitman , he was fiercely obsessed with creating a poetry that recreated not only his modern times , but also the language of his diverse nation . He viewed traditional meters and poetic structures as restrictive and believed that a new poetry needed to be grounded in the social and [banner_entry_middle]

economic reality of his modern world . As he explains in “The Poem as a Field of Action “what we are trying to do is not only to disengage the elements of a measure but to seek (what we believe is there ) a new measure or a new way of measuring that will be commensurate with the social , economic world in which we are living as contrasted with the past (Selected Essays 283 . An examination of this social and economic reality can provide us with an understanding of the socio-historical context that informed Williams ” poetry production But , as Williams ” words about finding a new measure suggest , this socio-historical approach can also provide us with a clearer understanding of the influences behind the stylistic innovations that Williams achieves in his poetry

Paterson is a city with a unique history . It was established in the late 1700s and through the nineteenth and early twentieth century it emerged as a leading industrial center . Its industrial focus attracted both skilled and unskilled immigrant labor . First , the English , Irish and Germans arrived to work in the cotton mills later the Italians Poles , and Lithuanians came to work in the silk mills . Different cultures , different languages , and different religions all became part of the Paterson social scene . These diverse people all came to Paterson with a common desire to work toward a better way of life . All too often , however , they came away from their millwork frustrated and disillusioned about the real opportunities available to them . Their discontent led to protests and serious disputes with mill owners and managers . Consequently , the city of Paterson also became known for its labor unrest . The 1913 silk strike , though a significant event in and of itself , was far from the only strike that occurred in Paterson . It was , in fact , one of many strikes . Yet this well-organized and lengthy strike dramatized the frustrations and disillusionment of the working class of the city

This study will explore how this local event influenced Williams subsequent poetic development . Such an in-depth exploration of Williams ‘ development will ultimately enhance our understanding of what this poet from Rutherford , New Jersey , tried telling the American people about themselves

The History of Patterson

Paterson is inextricably connected to the industrial history of the United States . In fact , the city owes its existence to the industrial vision of one man – Alexander Hamilton . Opposed to the agrarian ideal espoused by Thomas Jefferson and others , Hamilton believed that the country ‘s future… [banner_entry_footer]