In 539 BC, King Cyrus of Persia sent his armies against the Assyrians, but in crossing a river, his horse drowned. In fury he swore he would take revenge on the river. He commanded his men to focus on splitting the river into 360 different channels so as to dilute the force of its power, so that no one ever has to lose their horse to it ever again.
Did the river have free will? No. Did King Cyrus blame the river? Yes. Was King Cyrus angry at the river? Yes. Did King Cyrus solve the problem and prevent future harm? Yes.
Perhaps blame can help us identify the cause of harm.
Perhaps anger can give us the motivation to actually solve the problem.
Reference: "The Consolations of Philosophy" by Alain de Botton, (Page 81)