Jhan Hochman, who holds a Ph.D. in English and an M.A. in cinema studies, is the author of Green Cultural Studies: Nature in Film, Novel, and Theory (1998). In the following essay, Hochman finds that Wright's portrayal of nature is one not easily summed up, and for that very reason, it is a depiction that could serve environmental concerns.

"Drought Year" describes a nature that is not one. Multiple players—animals, plants, and elements—might appear to yield a unified image of harsh nature, but subtler and more varied forces are at work. This analysis will begin with the poem's four elements (earth, air, fire, and water), then proceed to the poem's four flora, and finish up with its four fauna. This essay will show that the relationships between the three sets of four characters—four as a traditional symbol of multiplicity within a wholeness represented...