james wright
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Joe Callejo
Jay O' Leary
ENC 1102 A02
15th June 2004
Word Count 802
Have You Wasted Your Life
Above the persona's head, the person sees the beautiful but heavily burdened butterfly, asleep on the black tree trunk, blowing like a leaf while holding on in an envious shadow. Throughout the persona's unfulfilled past the persona followed everyone else. Not pursuing his own dreams. Mid way through the persona's life the persona sees a time were the persona's life was not disappointing, the persona saw something of value. The persona looks back as he becomes older still searching for his purpose and place in life.
The title of James Wright's poem "Lying in a hammock on William Duffy's Farm in Pine Island, Minnesota," is very important. The exact location is given not to inform us, but to memorialize a place and a time. The scene that is described and enacted has assumed a great importance in the poet's life. Wright uses imagery, our five senses to draw a picture in our minds and allow us two relive his past. The question of this poem is why the author feels he has wasted his life...