On the first day of school I asked my students to write a reflective essay on "The Heart" for homework. I told them they could make inferences, but that they should tie everything to the text of the poem. The responses were very interesting (telling?). I'll leave some of their ideas in the comments. I hope you take the time to read all of them. Sometimes they are the teachers.
The Heart
In the desert
I saw a creature, naked, bestial,
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."
.............................................................Stephen Crane 1895
6 comments:
"This has to be about a spiritual being" Shanice J.
"The creature...represents the animal nature of mankind" Pedro M.
"His soul is dry and shallow, perhaps." Courtney S.
"But the desert is a place of peace and clarity." Jarred B.
"The creature is a person who is bitter about life and has been thrown into a world of regret... His heart is in his hands - separate from his body - and he sits wasting away while he wallows in pity for himself." - Sam C.
"He has no clothes on. Everyone can see who he really is." Juana H.
"He held his heart just to make sure he could still feel." Lauren C.
"I think we all have to accept our personal weaknesses, but also, we should be thankful for them because those are what make us different from everyone else." Abby S.
"The hate generated from every person causes a bitterness in our hearts. 'We like it,' otherwise we would prevent it. Right?" Jennifer G.
"The creature could be the narrator's manifestation of his own self-destructive qualities. Noticing that this creature is male and naked, I can infer that he is human because one would not describe any other creature as naked." Kayla S.
"I think [this poem] is talking about self confidence. He didn't like who he had become, but at the same time he did like it because it was him." Jordan W.
"Bitterness was maybe all that he has ever known and that is why he liked the way it tasted." Abby G.
"The creature is not loved." Chris R.
"The creature is killing himself in order to survive in a different way." Corey H.
"He is feeding his soul by living a painful life." Antuan L.
"If he eats it, he will never have to feel the pain of his heart." Sasha N.
"To me, [Crane] is saying that he is [squatting] because he feels as though his feet let him down and could no longer carry this man through the journey of his life... He likes the empty place he is in. There is no chance to be let down or hurt." Katie C.
"[The creature] eats and likes his heart because he doesn't want to repent for whatever mistakes or actions he has done." Luis G.
"He describes the intake of truth by stating that he ate his heart." Brandi W.
"The poem is an evaluation of humankind... We should accept our dread and misfortune as natural so that we can maintain foreward movement." Steven P.
"There will always be one person who will take part in and ask you [what] your heart tastes like. That will be the person who changes your life forever." Jose S.
Aren't they lovely?!!
I think this will be a great year.
Holy Crap these kids are awesome. I wished I would have given it some thought before I read what they wrote. It is hard to think of my own now. Sounds like you have a smart group on your hands.
Have fun share some more of your work:)
You definitely have some smart and creative kids in your class. I had a hard time just getting past how disturbing the imagery of the poem was. I really liked their ideas!
You gave homework on the first day?
Hi!
Yes, I did give homework on the first day. I'm a hardass like that. But they didn't have any on the second day. Of course on the second day, they had to read their essays to the class.
They're gonna earn that diploma, as they ought to do!:)
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