Introducing the Poem Literary Focus: Imagery A Blessing by James Wright Feature Menu

A Blessing by James Wright

Horses and children... have a lot of the good sense there is in the world. — Josephine Demott Robinson A Blessing Introducing the Poem

In this poem the speaker and a companion pull off a Minnesota highway at dusk, where two ponies graze in a pasture. The scene inspires an unforgettable sense of connectedness with nature. A Blessing Introducing the Poem [End of Section]

Imagery is language that appeals to our senses. By using imagery, poets help us see things in new ways re-create experiences for readers A Blessing Literary Focus: Imagery excite our emotions and our imaginations

sight the speckled frog nested in the tender bloom Imagery that appeals to the sense of sight is the most common in poetry. However, imagery can appeal to any of the five senses—sight, hearing, smell, touch, and taste. A Blessing Literary Focus: Imagery hearing the drumroll of thunder

smell the stench of rotting garbage A Blessing Literary Focus: Imagery touch words that stung like thistle thorns taste the friendship soured

[End of Section] Imagery can also appeal to multiple senses at the same time. honey-sweet bloom of innocence A Blessing Literary Focus: Imagery

Make the Connection [End of Section] Close your eyes, and try to visualize something in nature. Describe what you are seeing. You could be describing something as big as the sky or as small as an ant, as soft as a rabbit or as squishy as a swamp, as... Well, you’ve got the idea. Explain how what you are describing makes you feel. A Blessing Quickwrite

Meet the Writer

James Wright (1927–1980) often wrote about the places in his life, including Minnesota, where he taught college for eight years, and Ohio, where he grew up during the Great Depression. He received the Pulitzer Prize for his poetry in More About the Writer [End of Section] A Blessing Meet the Writer