about because the year is deflating and everything
is running out. The last two lines of this stanza are
similar in that the second line describes the appear-
ance of the words discussed in the first line.
The first three lines of the poem are unique
in that they are broken up and spaced, it seems,
to mimic the appearance of clouds in the sky.
Lines 7 and 8 are stepped to give a visual of the
silence running under the rain by placing the
second line running under the first. It could be
said that line 9 is also part of the step, even
though it is not indented, because it talks about
wrapping the silence, and the three lines together
look like the second line is being wrapped by the
other two.
This purposeful positioning of the lines gives
the poem a sense of energy and allows Wright to
qualify or intensify words by means of place-
ment. The white space provides the reader with
a visual pause for reflection and gives the poem
visual depth and dimension. Wright does not
overdo the use of enjambment or stepped lines,
reserving them for special impact. His lines are
like building blocks or the layers of paint on a
canvas; when finished, the lines all join to make a
whole, but each has made its own contribution
that should be analyzed individually.
HISTORICAL CONTEXTThe Blue Ridge Mountains
From the mid-1980s into the early 2000s, Wright
lived near the Blue Ridge Mountains in Virginia,
and he often mentioned them in his poetry, as he did
in ‘‘Words Are the Diminution of All Things.’’
These mountains are the largest range of the Appa-
lachian Mountains, running across the states of
Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina,
South Carolina, and Georgia. The name comes
fromthebluehazethatseemstoemanatefrom
the mountains. This haze is caused by isoprene
being released into the atmosphere by the trees.
Rocks along the eastern side of the Blue Ridge
are among the oldest in the world, dating back 1.2
billion years. Over 400 million years ago, during the
Silurian Period, the Blue Ridge Mountains started
to form and then were pushed up higher when
North America and Europe collided 320 million
years ago. The Blue Ridge contains the highest
mountains in the eastern part of the United States
with approximately 125 peaks over 5,000 feet and
39 over 6,000 feet. Mt. Mitchell in North Carolina is
the highest at 6,684 feet. Various peoples lived in
this mountainous region for thousands of years.
The Powhatan tribe called these mountainsQuir-
ank. Sioux Manahoacs, Iroquois, Cherokee, and
Shawnee lived in the area as well. Spanish explorers
such as Hernando de Soto (1500–1542) made
expeditions into the Blue Ridge, but no Anglo-
Europeans settled there until the English started
to arrive in the early seventeenth century. The
well-known explorer, William Bertram walked
through the Blue Ridge in 1775, calling the moun-
tains the Cherokee Mountains because he found so
many of their villages there. However, the Cherokee
were forcibly moved by the U.S. government from
the Blue Ridge area in Georgia in 1838 and 1839,
and the path they took on this tragically difficult
trek to Oklahoma is known as the Trail of Tears.
In modern times, the Blue Ridge contains the
Blue Ridge Parkway, a 469-mile long highway that
connects the Great Smoky Mountains National
Park at the south end and Shenandoah National
Park towards the north end. Noted for its many
breathtaking vistas, theparkway also has metamor-
phic rock formations that have folded bands of
colored minerals; the effect is the look of a marble
cake. Besides the parkway, part of the famous
Appalachian Trail runs through the Blue Ridge.
The Appalachian Trail, popular with hikers, starts
at Springer Mountain in Georgia, winds over 2,000
miles through 14 states, and ends at Maine’s Mount
Katahdin.
The Scottish and Irish immigrants who set-
tled the isolated valleys of the Appalachian/Blue
Ridge area developed their own dialect, customs,
and music. Bluegrass music, played largely with
acoustical instruments, began in the late nine-
teenth century and is based on both Scottish
and Irish folk music. Song lyrics are not com-
mon for bluegrass, but when there are lyrics they
will likely have Christian and rural life themes.
Also in the late nineteenth century, the custom of
fiddlers’ conventions began to give the many
talented fiddle players a chance to compete for
prizes and local fame. When radios came on the
scene, this venue became commercial. Tradi-
tional mountain folk arts such as storytelling,
folk dancing, quilt making, and handcrafts also
gave unique expression to the way of life in the
Blue Ridge and Appalachian Mountains and are
preserved at museums and festivals throughout
the region. Throughout the twentieth century
and into the early 2000s, tourism and folk craftsWords Are the Diminution of All Things