In the Desert

In the Desert
by Stephen Crane

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.”

Summary of In the Desert
Popularity of "In the Desert": Stephen Crane, a well-known American poet and writer, wrote "In the Desert". It's a thought-provoking poem about human nature and greed. First published in 1895, the poem speaks of a person who sees a creature in the desert and eats their heart. It also shows how the person justifies this barbaric act. Although the poem has ten lines, it brings out the darker aspects of human nature perfectly.
“In the desert” As a representative of human nature: This poem is an expression of wonder. The speaker begins this piece with a description of a creature that he sees in the desert and that appears to him as an animal figure, crouching on the ground. When the speaker sees this, he asks that creature about the taste of the heart, to which the creature replies that it is bitter. He innocently states that he loves to eat it. At a deeper level, the poem unfolds certain realities of life. The loneliness of the creature in the desert speaks of its inner dissatisfaction with eating its own heart and represents its violent and greedy nature. Defect and bitterness, the creature loves and enjoys the current miserable state of its life.
Main themes in "In the Heart": Greed and Self-love are the notable themes of this poem. The poem revolves around two characters, a savage who happily performs an evil act and a passive man who does not try to stop this beast. Instead, he allows him to continue his practice. On the surface, the poem reflects the speaker's encounter with a strange figure in the desert who mercilessly eats his own heart with pride. In another interpretation, the heart represents free will. Eating is human activity where they take free will for granted. The poem talks about the human cycle of self-destruction.
Analysis of the literary devices used in "In the Desert"
Literary devices are used to add richness to the text and make the reader understand the hidden meaning. Stephen Crane has also made this poem interesting by using these devices. Here is the analysis of some literary devices used in this poem.

Assonance: Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds in the same line. For example, the / i / sound in "It's bitter, bitter."
Alliteration: Alliteration is the repetition of consonant sounds on the same line in rapid succession. For example, the sound of / h / in "He held his heart in his hands" and the sound of / b / in "It is bitter, bitter," He answered.
Anaphora: Refers to the repetition of a word or expression in the first part of some verses, for example, 'because it is' is repeated in the last stanza of the poem to emphasize the reason for eating the heart.
Consonance: The consonance is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line. For example, the sound of / d / in "I said," Is it good, buddy "and the sounds of / t / and / r / in" It's bitter - bitter, "she replied."
Enjambment: It is defined as a thought in verse that does not end in a line break; instead it continues on the next line. For example,
"But I like
" Because it's bitter,
"And because it's my heart."

Images: Images are used to make readers perceive things that involve their five senses. example, "I saw a creature, naked, bestial", "He had his heart in his hands" and "It is bitter - bitter".
Symbolism: Symbolism is a use of symbols to signify ideas and qualities giving them symbolic meanings that are "Heart" symbolizes the goodness and happiness of a person or the free will given by God.
Analysis of the poetic resources used in " In the desert "
The poetic and literary devices are the same, but some are used only in poetry. Here is the analysis of some of the poetic devices used in this poem.

Strophe: A stanza is a poetic form of lines or verses. There are two stanzas in this poem, with each stanza containing a different number of verses.
Free verse: Free verse is a type of poetry that does not contain rhyme or meter patterns This is a poem in free verse with no strict rhyme scheme or meter pattern.
Tercet: A Tercet is a three-line stanza that was borrowed from Biblical-Hebrew poetry. There is only one tercet in this poem.
Quotes to be used
useful when it comes to poverty. These lines best describe the shameful condition of people who lack joie de vivre.

“In the desert
I saw a creature, naked, bestial,
Who crouched on the ground,
Hold his heart in his hands,
And ate of it.
In the Bleak Midwinter Insensibility