Lying In A Hammock: Farm In Pine Island, Minnesota By James

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Are you a glass-half-full kind of person? Or are you a glass-half-empty kind of person? The poem I will be discussing, written by James Wright, is “Lying in a Hammock at William Duffy’s farm in Pine Island, Minnesota” and depending on whether you see yourself as an optimist or a pessimist, you can interpret this poem in two completely different ways. If you think as yourself as the glass-half-full kind of guy, you are probably going to read the first twelve lines of the poem and understand it to be about a vivid and delicate world that Wright has transcribed. The glass half-empty kind of guy is going to see the poem is a different and raw sort of way; with sad tones in all the right places. The almost unnoticeable, dark undertones hidden …show more content…

The way the poet was able to portray so many symbols with his words in such a short poem, is done well. The “bronze butterfly” (1) that the speaker sees, symbolizes the changes that he has never been able to go through. The chicken hawk that passes over him, “looking for home” (12) is a much deeper line when thought about. In reality, a hawk probably wouldn’t be looking for a home. This symbol conveys the idea that the speaker is really looking for his own home; a place where he can feel that he has lived an accomplished, and fulfilled …show more content…

Finally, the truth that had been hinted at throughout the poem is revealed. We finally see how the reader actually felt about the space around him. The dreamy description used to please the reader is the speaker's curse of wasted time. Their surrounding became constant reminder of things they would never accomplish. This line also takes the poem to the next level, making it relatable to the readers. At some point in life, we question ourselves and our accomplishments. We all often judge our choice; and we wonder about our wasted opportunities, or what could have been. Did you choose the right career? Should you have traveled after high school? What if you had taken that job? Most of our regrets are uniquely us, but this is a commonly shared one. Wright uses regret as an opportunity to teach the readers that no matter how nice something appears to be—for some, it can still not be good

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