Oh, The Places You'll Go

James Wright’s poems “Lying in a Hammock” and “In Response to a Rumor” share similar poetic elements that bring about nostalgic imagery with a dark twist. In “Lying in a Hammock,” Wright chooses to portray the world of the poem in vivid color: “...I see the bronze butterfly/ Asleep on the black trunk,/ Blowing like a leaf in green shadow.” This simple use of color-coded words brings the narrator’s visions to life for the reader. Assonance and consonance also color the poem, bringing rhythm to the words and unifying the images being created. However, the final line of the poem brings Wright’s vivid landscape to a dark place (“I have wasted my life.”) This volta leaves the reader a bit stunned at first, but brings a thematic element to this poem-how are we spending our days? Are our lives in their present state the way they should be? Have I wasted my life? 

On a similar note, “In Response to a Rumor” brings us to another nostalgic scene for a narrator, though the imagery here is definitely more bleak. In contrast with “Lying in a Hammock,” Wright chooses to strike us with a damning assertion from the very first line of the poem (“I will grieve alone.”) This poem also gives us more glimpses into the narrator’s voice throughout the work, allowing our journey through the landscapes to also become a journey through our own minds. His work with irony and contrast in these two poems demonstrates the importance that a single phrase or statement can have in a piece of literature.