Class Generated Thesis Statements

Here's what your classmates came up with when developing thesis statements for William Carlos Williams' poem "Landscape with the Fall of Icarus":

I have broken up all the suggestions into two categories--you can use this list to build your own thesis, or come up with one that is not listed.

In the poem "Landscape with the Fall of Icarus", William Carlos Williams suggests that

a. people are selfish and unaware of their surroundings

b. people conform to society

c. people will not learn from the death of Icarus

d. nature will ultimately punish human actions

e. Icarus is not as important as the farmer to understanding the moral of Ovid's myth

f. humans often do not see tragic flaws

The following list should explain HOW Williams creates the above meaning

• by personifying images in the poem.


• by personifying nature.


• by personifying the sea.


• through his use of enjambment and short, unpunctuated lines.

Your introduction should include a thesis as well as a brief elaboration of your thesis. You should also reference Ovid and Brueghel in your introduction.