In James Wrights poem The Blessing, I strongly believe that the subject is the irreplaceable and

beautiful connection between man and nature. Even the title suggests that when the men slowed down
and went off the beaten path into nature, it was a blessing. The men seem tired and wanting of rest, and
when they do finally slow down, a blessing presents itself to them in the form of the beauty of nature in
two ponies in a field surrounded by barbed wire.
The first figure of speech used that suggests the connection between man and nature is in the second
line. Wright writes, Twilight bounds softly forth on the grass. Now we know that twilight is a natural
occurrence and is obviously not a being of any sorts. Using personification, Wright uses the words
bound and soft to describe the light on the grass. Twilight does not have legs and cannot bound from
place to place, nor can one physically touch it to feel if it is soft. By using these two figures of speech,
Wright effectively portrayed twilight as a connection between man and nature.
The second figure of speech used by Wright suggests again the connection between man and nature.
Starting in the third line, he writes:
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.
Wright uses two personifications and one oxymoron in these few lines to describe the bond between the
men and the horses (the connection between man and nature). The first personification is in the word
kindness. Yet again, we see an inhuman object (a horse) being given a human characteristic of
kindness. The oxymoron used is in the same line when it says Darken with kindness. One doesnt
usually associate darkness with kindness. They are usually used as complete opposites especially given
the connotative meanings behind darkness or things without light. The last personification in this part of
the poem is the use of the word gladly. Horses again not being human cannot be glad. This whole
portion of the poem is describing the nature-nurture concept and the connection between man and
nature.
The next figure of speech that is important to my subject is near the end of the poem where Wright says
And the light breeze moves me to caress her long ear.
That is delicate as the skin over a girls wrist.
Suddenly I realize
That if I stepped out of my body I would break
Into blossom.
There are two figures of speech that jump out at me here. The first is the obvious simile in the second line
of this portion of the piece when he says delicate as the skin over a girls wrist. By using the word as
we know this is a simile. By comparing the horses ear to a girls wrist, the man is instantly catapulted into
an almost sentimental mood. He doesnt compare it to just any wrist, but to a delicate wrist, a girls wrist.
The final figure of speech in this section that wraps up the whole poem is alliteration. By using the words
body, break, and blossom, we see the man have an epiphany of sorts. His connection is so strong
now to the horse and nature that he is going to blossom with happiness and cant contain it!
In conclusion, this poem was like a climactic story. It began with a couple of tired men going off the

beaten path. Suddenly we see the tempo rise and the descriptions that the men give keep intensifying
until finally there is that aha! moment where they feel as connected to the horses as to anything else.