The research question I have chosen to investigate, “What is the relationship between nature and
loneliness in James Wright’s poetry?” is a study on the thematic concerns in the three poems
entitled “A Blessing”, “Northern Pike” and “Lying in a Hammock at William Duffy’s Farm in
Pine Island, Minnesota”. Besides being some of Wright’s most celebrated poems, the
relationship between nature and loneliness is especially prominent in these three works. I
critically analyzed these poems in terms of structure, imagery and figurative devices as well as
consulted a number of secondary sources. These included critic reviews to support my analysis
and biographical accounts to establish context in my investigation. In his poems, Wright uses the
feeling of isolation to first connect with his reader, and then from there goes on to describe the
natural world. All three works are strongly rooted in elements of the natural world, and
accordingly imagery plays a prominent role in expressing the feelings conveyed by nature.
Indeed, the ponies in “A Blessing”, the fish in “Northern Pike” and the scene before the speaker
in “Lying in a Hammock at William Duffy’s Farm in Pine Island, Minnesota” all inspire feelings
of loneliness in the speaker. At the same time, however, it is also nature that momentarily cures
the speaker of this same feeling of isolation. Wright’s contrasting use of nature as a symbol,
which inspires both positive and negative emotions, in this way showcases the duality of the
human mind, in which nature acts as a reflection as. The relationship between loneliness and
nature in Wright’s work can be said to be simple and honest yet contradicting at the same time. It
is this paradoxical nature inherent in all of his works that conveys the greatest depth of meaning
about human nature.

Grade: A