The poem entitled “A Blessing,” by James Wright is about two ponies. The poet and his friend were passing by these animals and stopped to watch their actions.
They see that the ponies are glad to see them because they come closer to them as if to welcome them to their pasture. The ponies love each other, but they have no one else. That is why they are so happy to have visitors. Once the horses get used to the foreigners in their pasture, they go back to what they were doing, which was eating grass.
One of the ponies approaches the poet and nuzzles his hand.This gentle gesture and the mere feel of the pony cause the poet to have a sort of epiphany. He may have realized one of two things. He may have suddenly discovered the beauty of nature and what it is all about.
He does not go into detail to say what his actual discovery has been. It is possible that he wants to keep this to himself, yet still allow the reader to know that something magnificent has happened. Another possible realization that the poet may have arrived at may be that he knows now that there is, in fact, life after death.When he does die he will not just disappear, but he will “blossom” into something new and beautiful.
I think that it is very possible that the poetry and ideas of William Wordsworth inspired James Wright. Although this is the only poem by James Wright that I have been exposed to, it has very similar qualities to that of a Wordsworth poem. William Wordsworth explained his ideas on poetry in the selection “Preface to Lyrical Ballads. ” He says that when writing poetry he takes situations from everyday life and attempts to describe them in the everyday language of men.
Yet, at the same time, presents them in an unusual way that includes imagination. He also stated that poetic words should not be any different than regular prose. It is evident in Wordsworth’s poetry that he is quite successful in using the common language of men. His poems are not difficult to understand, in that the words are easily recognizable because they are, for the most part, used in ordinary conversation.
Though the topics of Wordsworth’s poems differ, there seems to be a recurring theme, which is nature.In “Tintern Abbey” he writes of his love of nature and how he used to be very animal-like and roam wherever he was led. Wordsworth is also very descriptive of the natural scenes in his poetry. This line from “The Ruined Cottage” exemplifies his vivid descriptions of nature throughout his poetry: “Towards the wane of summer, when the wheat / Was yellow, and the soft and bladed grass / Sprang afresh and o’er the hay field spread / Its tender green.
” James Wright also describes nature brilliantly in “A Blessing.His descriptions of the ponies and their movements allow the reader to imagine that they too are standing in the pasture. For example, when reading the line “They ripple tensely, they can hardly contain their happiness/ That we have come,” one can imagine the little horses standing there almost bubbling over with excitement of the new visitors. Just as Wordsworth, Wright uses nature as a main theme in his poem.
Wright does not use imposing words in his poem as many other poets do.He, again like Wordsworth, uses common prose to get his point across. A Blessing” is very easy to understand. There are no words that are difficult to understand and that would force the reader to pause to think about what that word might mean.
The reader is able to move along smoothly and enjoy the intended rhythm of the poem. Wright also illustrates his scenes like Wordsworth using imagination. When describing the interaction with the ponies he uses metaphors to help the readers to identify with his experience. “And the light breeze moves me to caress her long ear / That is delicate as the skin over a girls wrist.
These lines compel the reader to imagine that they are touching the pony and feeling its ear.Wright is reminiscent of Wordsworth in this way that Wordsworth also has the ability to make the reader feel as though he or she is partaking in the action of the poem. James Wright could have most definitely used William Wordsworth as a source of inspiration in the writing of “A Blessing. ” Nature is the main theme that these poets have in common.
As well, both poets use the language of common men in their poetry. The untrained reader could easily mistake Wright’s poem “A Blessing” for a Wordsworth poem.
