Assignment #4: Poetry Book Review

For this assignment, I decided to read Stephen Crane’s “The Black Riders.” Stephen Crane is my favorite poet, and this book does a great job of showing how unique his style of poetry is.

Being a self-proclaimed author of “lines,” not poems, his works are written entirely in free verse and rarely have a specific meter. However, there are often a lot of vivid images and metaphors in his work that push it beyond being a couple of normal sentences. His style usually consists of short, enjambed lines that are set up like narratives. From some of his poems, I almost get the feeling that they’re old fairy tales or fables.

What I enjoy the most about his poetry is that his poems often require the reader to really think about what he is saying with his use of metaphor. As critic Ruth Miller once put it, Crane writes “poetry that stimulates the mind rather than arouses the heart.” Often the poem’s metaphor will reveal Crane’s (rather bleak) look on life and an interesting perspective on a common topic. He often writes about war, religion, and the nature of man, and is not afraid to poke fun at the hypocrisy and outrageousness of them.

In “The Black Riders,” Crane’s poems are not listed by titles; they are instead listed by roman numerals from I (one) to LXVIII (sixty-eight). The book opens in a grand way with the first poem describing the “Black Riders” rushing towards battle, and the book’s first poem ends on the line “Thus the ride of sin,” which does a fantastic job of setting the tone for the rest of the book. Not only is the topic of war introduced, but also the idea of religion and war being sinful.

One of my favorite poems from the book is “III.” At first I did not understand it, but after pondering it for some time, I came to the realization that Crane was pointing out how humans often do things quite harmful to themselves, and that even though they are aware of it, they foolishly continue their habit.

In the desert
I saw a creature, naked, beastial,
Who, squatting upon the ground,
Held his heart in his hands,
And ate of it.
I said, “Is it good, friend?”
“It is bitter – bitter,” he answered;
“But I like it
Because it is bitter,
And because it is my heart.”

However, I have seen multiple different ideas as to what the poem is about, which I think is an awesome feature about his writing; multiple people can interrupt it in so many different ways. Some say that this poem is above love, how you can love someone so much that it hurts, like you’ve exposed your hear to them, but since loving someone and exposing your heart to them leaves you open to extreme hurt, it is bitter at the same time. Another could say that if you have a good heart, you are loved are surrounded by those you love, but this creature is an outcast, hence why his heart tastes bitter, because there is no one to share love with out in the desert.

For anyone looking for thought provoking, short and concise poetry in a narrative-style, I highly suggest Stephen Crane’s “The Black Riders.” His poems offer a unique, eye opening view on some of the most common things in life.