Essay Questions

How does Crane use allegory in his poetry?

Crane often uses allegory in his poetry, so that his seemingly fictional accounts have a practical, real-life element to them. For example, in "I Saw a Man Pursuing the Horizon," the speaker tells us about a man who attempts to chase the horizon, which obviously doesn't end well. However, when it is pointed out to the man that his pursuit is pointless, he says that this is a lie. As such, this poem is an allegory for people who are so set on their own beliefs and ideas, that they become deluded.

How does Crane represent war in his poetry?

Overall, Crane's representation of war in his poetry is bleak. He depicts the gritty horrors of war in his writing, arguing that war causes an unnecessary loss of life, and has terrible consequences for society as a whole. For example, in "War is Kind," he writes:

"These men were born to drill and die.
Point for them the virtue of slaughter.
Make plain to them the excellence of killing
And a field where a thousand corpses lie."

How does Crane support the idea that a person should value and trust their own emotions?

In his poetry, Crane often supports the idea that a person must believe and trust in their own emotions. Crane suggests that through life we might be taught ideas that are in contrast to our own emotional reactions. Ultimately, Crane suggests that our emotions can be used to guide our moral beliefs.

For example, in "Behold, the grave of a wicked man," a woman is told she cannot put flowers on a man's grave because he is "wicked." At the end of the poem, Crane asks if this were just, "Why did the maid weep?" Here, he is suggesting that her emotions are valid, and might suggest the man is not so "wicked" after all but might have been judged to be wicked as a result of arbitrary social rules and norms.