Final answer:
The poet known for employing deceptive simplicity is William Carlos Williams, famous for his spare language and insightful treatment of everyday subjects in poems such as 'The Red Wheelbarrow' and 'This Is Just To Say.'
Step-by-step explanation:
A poet renowned for using deceptive simplicity in his work is William Carlos Williams. Williams was a modernist poet notable for his experimental style and usage of simple, everyday language, coupled with complex themes and meanings. His famous poems include 'The Red Wheelbarrow' and 'This Is Just To Say.' Both of these works reflect his ability to transform commonplace objects and situations into profound poetic statements, a skill that is often associated with deceptive simplicity because the surface level of the text often belies the deeper meanings underneath.
Williams, often creating poetry that was compact and precise, likened a poem to 'a small (or large) machine made of words,' emphasizing that every part is essential and nothing is redundant. This approach to poetry is distinct from his contemporaries like Wallace Stevens, who embraced both the real world and the imagination. Stevens worked a standard job by day and wrote poetry in his free time, integrating the ordinary with the imaginary in his work.
Although Wallace Stevens is also a strong candidate for a poet who used deceptive simplicity, given his deliberate mix of the ordinary and the imaginary, the specific quality of deceptive simplicity in the context suggested is more closely associated with Williams. Thus, for the purpose of answering the student's schoolwork question, Williams would be the correct choice.