Sample Poetry Response Page

A Blessing

  by James Wright

Just off the highway to Rochester, Minnesota,

Twilight bounds softly forth on the grass.

And the eyes of those two Indian ponies

Darken with kindness.

They have come gladly out of the willows

To welcome my friend and me.

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.

They bow shyly as wet swans. They love each other.

There is no loneliness like theirs.

At home once more,

They begin munching the young tufts of spring in the darkness.

I would like to hold the slenderer one in my arms,

For she has walked over to me

And nuzzled my left hand.

She is black and white,

Her mane falls wild on her forehead,

And the light breeze moves me to caress her long ear

That is delicate as the skin over a girl's wrist.

Suddenly I realize

That if I stepped out of my body I would break

Into blossom.

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Paragraph 1: Why did I choose this poem?

I chose this poem because it shows great appreciation for the simple blessings in life. "Blessing" demonstrates the joy and happiness that can be found in nature.  I chose this poem because I need to see the beauty in a world that is often dark and difficult.  The poem personifies the feelings of horses and the relationship that people can have with animals.  There is a simplistic awe that I want to have for life, and I believe that this poem conveys that awe through the appreciation it has for nature. 

Paragraph 2: Poetic devices

Wright gives such strong emotion to nature through his use of literary devices.  Line 2 says, "Twilight bounds softly on the grass." Here, twilight is bounding, and bounding is a human quality, thus, this is an example of personification.  I can almost picture the darkness jumping/skipping through the grass. Another poetic device, consonance, is found in line 15, "I would like to hold the slenderer one in my arms."  The "l" sound is repeated in the words "like," "hold," and "slenderer."  This creates a rolling melody and mood of longing.

Paragraph 3: Form

"Blessing" is a free verse poem without a rhyme scheme.  In free verse poems, other poetic devices "hold the poem together," since their is no set rhyme or meter, so I will expand on Wrights use of poetic devices.  Lines 3-4 "And the eyes of those two Indian ponies/ Darken with kindness." Is an example of enjambment because though these lines contain the same idea (and they could be written as one line) there is a pause created when the two lines are separated (between "ponies" and "darken") which adds rhythm to the poem. Also, those two lines demonstrate paradox because usually darkness is categorized as an evil or negative trait in literature, but here it says the eyes "darken with kindness."  It is interesting to note that Richard Wright is an African-American author and thus he may have an aversion to the portraying darkness as negative.