Introducing the Poem

Literary Focus: Imagery

A Blessingby James Wright

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A Blessingby James Wright

Horses and children. . . have a lot of the good sense there is in the world.

—Josephine Demott Robinson

A BlessingIntroducing 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 BlessingIntroducing the Poem

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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 BlessingLiterary 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 BlessingLiterary Focus: Imagery

• hearing the drumroll of thunder

• smell the stench of rotting garbage

A BlessingLiterary Focus: Imagery

• touch words that stung like thistle thorns

• taste the friendship soured

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Imagery can also appeal to multiple senses at the same time.

honey-sweet bloom of innocence

A BlessingLiterary Focus: Imagery