James Wright

James Arlington Wright is a Pulitzer Prize-winning American poet most notably known
for his original works “The Green Wall” and “The Branch Will Not Break.” James Wright is
regarded by many as one of the finest contemporary American poets. Wright was born in Martins
Ferry, Ohio in 1927 where he attended elementary and high school before joining Kenyon
College where he studied under John Crowe Ransom (Stitt & Graziano 4). After graduating cum
laude from Kenyon, Wright got a Fullbright scholarship that allowed him to attend the
University of Vienna where he studied Theodor Storm and Georg Trakl (Stitt & Graziano 4).
Wright returned to the US where he attained a Masters and Doctoral degree while studying
Theodore Roethke and Stanley Kunitz before taking up a teaching position at the University of
Minnesota. Wright is known for his excellent use of style and language in his poems, as well as
his thematic concerns.
The poem “Saint Judas” is a dramatic monologue of the disciple Judas following his
betrayal of Christ. Judas, overwhelmed by his actions seeks to end his life. The poem is nearly
Petrarchan sonnet, in almost regular iambic pentameter. The poet applies an unusual rhyme
scheme and makes use of juxtaposition in the title to suggest the contents as well as the form will
veer from tradition. Anyone familiar with the biblical tale of Jesus betrayal will be surprised at
the canonization of Judas. Witnessing the unfair treatment of a man at the hands of a pack of
hooligans, Judas rushes in “to spare his suffering.” In running in to save the man, Judas forgets

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himself. Judas thinks himself fundamentally flawed and evil as seen in the lines, “I forgot / My
name, my number, how my day began.” From this, a theme common in Wright’s works emerges,
that of the losing and finding of oneself. Judas’ lapse is not a way to escape his sin, but the first
step towards his repentance. Forgetting oneself is in keeping with the Puritan idea of having to
lose oneself before one can find their true self. Judas undergoes a transformation that is the first
step towards his redemption. The line “Dropping my rope/aside” refers to both the act of setting
aside the idea of committing suicide as well as Judas departure from the selfishness that saw him
betray Christ. Offering a fellow man help signifies he has righted his path.
The poem “Lying in a Hammock at William Duffy’s Farm in Pine Island, Minnesota”
addresses the broader theme of the meaning of life. As is typical in Wright’s poems, the title
suggests some facts about the poem. From the fact that the author chooses to use the exact
location Pine Island, Minnesota, we can infer that the persona is not in his hometown. Also, the
fact that it is described as an island suggests the persona feels trapped. The persona observes the
natural surroundings around him, drawing lessons from it as to the meaning of life. From his
observations, he comes to the conclusion that everything in nature has a purpose defined by God.
The poem makes use of positive, bright and cheerful images but with dark undertones. When
describing the bronze butterfly, Wright describes it as being “asleep on the black trunk, blowing
like a leaf in a green shadow.” The use of the image of a bronze butterfly gave a bright and
happy image but contrasted against the black trunk it is on we get the sense of dark undertones.
Finally, as is common in works by Wright, he ends the poem with a single line that makes for a
forceful ending, “I have wasted my life.” The line shows that the persona’s reflections while
“lying in the hammock” have led him to conclude he is not meeting his purpose. The line, like

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the images employed in the poem, presents a stark contrast to the rest of the poem. It is
unexpected, and that lends it the impact it achieves.
The poem “A Blessing” is a free verse, lacking in either consistent patterns of meter or
rhyme. Wright varies line lengths to achieve a natural, conversational rhythm. To round off his
use of form, Wright applies punctuation to enhance further the meaning. In line eight, for
example, the word alone is compacted between a comma and a full stop, further stressing the
idea of loneliness the word conveys. The title “blessing” communicates meaning, and is
consistent with the religious connotations that were in the previous two poems, and much of
James Wright’s works. The poet also applies the extensive use of imagery in the poem. The
imagery that emerges first is darkness and light. In the line, “Twilight bounds softly forth on the
grass,” the personification of the word twilight establishes an air of mystery that is present
throughout the poem. The lines “And the eyes of those two Indian ponies \ Darken with
kindness,” shows a juxtaposition that demonstrates unique use darkness and light symbolism.
Horses in the poem give another image. Their display of “kindness” and the way they “welcome”
the persona and his friend “gladly” reflects upon the rich beauty of nature, and the joy that nature
can offer those who take their time to appreciate it. The interaction between the men and the
ponies points to the fact that to truly appreciate what nature has to offer, humans have to leave
the relative safety of their artificial and man-made environment. The poem touches on human
isolation and alienation from nature, and concludes by focusing on their capacity for changing it.
In conclusion, Wright’s poems focused on a broad range of thematic areas, ranging from
self-perception, nature, and the meaning of life. Wright makes use of experimental language in
his poems, with the application of varied form elements in his poems. A common thread in most
of his poems is the consistent use of figurative language and symbolism to communicate his

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message across. Also seen in the examples examined thus far is the tendency by Wright to use a
title that communicates as well as suggesting some of the main ideas in the poem. In all, he
comes across as a very talented poet who was in complete command of his craft.