What is the tone of James Wright's poem "A Blessing"?
"A Blessing” by James Wright resulted from an experience with his friend Robert Bly. In Bly's memoir, he recalls the scene:
“Just south of Rochester, James saw two ponies off to the left and said, ‘Let’s stop.’ So we did and climbed over the fence toward them….they glowed in the dusk, and we could see it. On the way…James wrote in his small spiral notebook the poem he later called ' A Blessing.'”
How interesting to know what brought this lovely poem to life!
The tone of the poem is ethereal. The quality of the poem is other worldly because of the twilight and aura of this unusual scene. The loneliness of the horses is duplicated in the poet's heart. He feels overwhelmed as he acknowledges that the mare seems to be drawn to him.
Normally, the horses would run from the intruders into their territory. This time it is the reverse. The...
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horses run to greet the poet and his companion. Joy and happiness enter the heart of the poet as he perceives that the horses welcome them into their world. Obviously, the horses have been ignored by man for too long.
We step over the barbed wire into the pasture
Where they have been grazing all day, alone.
They ripple tensely, they can hardly contain their happiness
That we have come.
Summary of poem
At dusk, the poet and his friend see two pinto ponies who have come out from a wooded area to greet the men. The men go through the barbed wire fence into the pasture where the horses are eating alone. The image of the rippling muscles of the horse indicate pleasure in the men coming into their world. The reader shares the feelings of the poet as he enters the pasture.
The imagery continues with a simile comparing the horses bowing their heads like two swans who touch heads and form the shape of a heart. It is obvious that the horses are companions, yet they long for human attention. Comfortable with the men, the horses begin to eat the spring grass.
The poet observes the horses, and he feels the need to hold the slender, black and white mare who walks toward him . He is captivated by the mare and compares her to a woman. Her ear is the soft skin on a woman’s wrist. The wind blows the mane of the horse on her forehead.
The man is so moved by the experience in his heart he can barely contain his joy.
…if I stepped out of my body I would break
Into blossom
This powerful image and metaphor show the beauty of the moment and the sensitivity of the poet. It replicates the splendor in nature. The blessing is the totality of sharing this brief moment with the animals that long for the men’s company.
References
In "A Blessing" by James Wright, how does the author's diction support the theme and tone?
“A Blessing” by James Wright comes from an actual experience of the poet. He and a fried were driving down the highway in Minnesota and passed a field where two ponies were standing. The beauty of the moment impressed Wright; and he returned to the field, got out, and went to the fence containing the horses. The poem reflects his impressions and feelings in the encounter with the animals.
Diction in a literary work refers to the vocabulary choice, the imagery provided, and the ordinary or unusual context of the words. Diction is especially important to imagery poetry since it is the words that provide the pictures and sounds reflected by the reader.
Every image in the poem speaks beauty. The poet’s vocabulary provides the perfect image to visualize the horse encounter.
JUST OFF THE HIGHWAY TO ROCHESTER, MINNESOTA
Twilight [The early evening] bounds [leaps] softly [quietly] out on the grass [the fields].
They [the ponies] have come gladly [eagerly] out of the willows [trees]
The ponies want to engage with the men so---
They step over the barbed wire [a barrier which may not just keep the horses in but may intend to keep the men out of the area]
The horses have been alone all day doing what horses do---nibble at the grass.
The man notices that the eyes of the two Indian ponies [which conveys that they are pinto horses or spotted] grow darker with gentleness as the men come closer.
They ripple tensely, they can hardly contain their happiness. Another exact image when the horse ripples his muscles [horses often do this after a long run or ride]…the horses and the men can barely hold in their joy.
When two swans touch foreheads, their heads and necks form a heart shape. How beautiful!
Yet they are so cut off from humanity.
They ripple tensely, they can hardly contain their happiness
That we have come.
They bow shyly as wet swans. They love each other.
There is no loneliness like theirs
One of them is particularly draw to the speaker.
Of the two ponies she is the thinner of the two---
Here is one of the beautiful images Wright gives to the reader:
The pony nuzzles his left hand…sheiis black and white….her mane falls wildly on her forehead.
The author’s word choice paints the picture exactly, so the reader can see the pony in his mind’s eye.
With the man standing near to her, the pony feels wants him to caress her ear which is a compliment to the man…the horse in a few minutes trusts him.
The horses begin to graze again near to the men…..
After experiencing these wonderful moments in nature, the man feels as though he comes out of his body and blossoms…possibly like an exquisite flower. His metaphor completes the poet’s time with the ponies…as he watches the horses eat the tufts of sprigs of grass in the growing darkness, this becomes a joyful moment in God’s natural world.
The theme can be stated simply as experience life…do not let the moments of beauty pass by. Enjoy them.
The tone comes from the poet’s heart as he watches, touches, and realizes what a special time this has been.