Final answer:
William Carlos Williams' and William Shakespeare's works are unified under the genre of poetry due to their thematic exploration of human emotions and love, despite differing in form and stylistic approach, reflecting the diversity of poetry as a literary art form.
Step-by-step explanation:
William Carlos Williams' poem, This Is Just to Say, and William Shakespeare's Sonnet 18, commonly known by its first line, "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?" both belong to the broad genre of poetry despite their differences in form, style, and era. Poetry is a form of literary art that expresses ideas, feelings, or tells a story in a specific form usually using rhythmic qualities, language that evokes sensory imagery, and often but not always, meter and rhyme. Williams’ modernist approach reflects a Low Modernism style, often experimenting with traditional structures, while Shakespeare's work, including Sonnet 18, is renowned for its iambic pentameter and classic rhyme scheme, showcasing the tradition of literary English poetry. Both poets engage with the theme of human emotions and existence, often focusing on the quintessential topic of love, highlighting the versatility and multi-faceted nature of the poetic form. Despite the contrast in their approach to poetry, both Williams and Shakespeare emphasize the importance and creative freedom within the genre, illustrating that poetry can take myriad forms while still being part of the same artistic tradition.