poem "In the desert"
E456259
"In the Desert" is a brief, starkly imagistic poem by Stephen Crane that explores themes of self-knowledge and the bitter nature of the human heart.
Observed surface forms (1)
| Surface form | Occurrences |
|---|---|
| In the Desert | 0 |
Statements (47)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
literary work
ⓘ
poem ⓘ |
| author | Stephen Crane NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| collectionPosition | one of the short lyrics in The Black Riders and Other Lines ⓘ |
| countryOfOrigin |
United States of America
ⓘ
surface form:
United States
|
| criticalReputation |
frequently anthologized
ⓘ
noted for brevity and imagistic power ⓘ |
| firstPublication | The Black Riders and Other Lines NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| firstPublicationYear | 1895 ⓘ |
| form | free verse ⓘ |
| genre |
imagist poetry
ⓘ
lyric poetry ⓘ |
| imagery |
creature eating its own heart
ⓘ
desert landscape ⓘ |
| includedIn | numerous modern poetry anthologies ⓘ |
| interpretation |
the creature represents the human self
ⓘ
the eaten heart represents acceptance of one’s own bitter nature ⓘ |
| language | English ⓘ |
| lengthInLines | 5 ⓘ |
| literaryDevice |
dialogue
ⓘ
imagery ⓘ repetition ⓘ symbolism ⓘ |
| literaryMovement |
American literary realism
ⓘ
early modernism ⓘ |
| meter | unmetered ⓘ |
| narrativePerspective | first-person observer ⓘ |
| notableLine | "Because it is bitter, and because it is my heart." ⓘ |
| openingLine | In the desert ⓘ |
| period | late 19th century American poetry ⓘ |
| publisherOfFirstEdition | Copeland & Day NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| rhymeScheme | none ⓘ |
| rights | public domain in the United States ⓘ |
| setting | desert ⓘ |
| studyContext | commonly taught in discussions of Crane’s poetry ⓘ |
| subject | a creature confronting its own heart ⓘ |
| symbol |
desert as spiritual barrenness
ⓘ
heart as inner self ⓘ |
| theme |
alienation
ⓘ
human nature ⓘ inner conflict ⓘ self-acceptance ⓘ self-knowledge ⓘ suffering ⓘ |
| tone |
bleak
ⓘ
philosophical ⓘ stark ⓘ |
Referenced by (1)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.