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  • Essay / Futility of the quest for knowledge in Stephen Crane's poem

    A scholar came to see me one daySay no to plagiarism. Get a custom essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get the original essayA scholar came to me one day. He said to me: “I know the way, come.” » And I was delighted. Together we hurried. Soon, too soon, we were where my eyes were useless, and I didn't know the way with my feet. I held on to my friend's hand; but finally he cried out, “I’m lost.” Saying a lot in a few words is often a good way to give the poem or prose enough length. Stephen Crane demonstrates the depth of words by communicating a short message in “A Scholar Came to Me Once.” With just one stanza and without relying on many traditional elements of poetry, he shows the futility of the search for knowledge and wisdom; he does this by relying on imagery and metaphor. Crane takes what is usually expressed as a simple adage and brings it to life with a picturesque story. The story is expressed through a poem that is open and devoid of detailed structure. There are no rhymes or meters. Instead, typical story elements are used. Two direct quotes are used to show the fall of man. What begins as unbridled optimism in a man the narrator considers erudite expresses itself through one who knows the path and wants to share it. He ends by saying: “I’m lost.” So the journey is narrated, as the tutor takes the narrator, the student, on a journey that leads nowhere. The poem is told in the same way as a story, as action occurs and a story is told. Thus, what is told brings forth images. The imagery is not explicit, but the way the reader is taken on the same journey as the narrator, a journey that ultimately leads to despair. This is what he invokes. It doesn't have to express the emotions, but it makes the reader feel the same way the narrator does. Keep in mind: this is just a sample. Get a personalized article from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay This poem, which ultimately serves as an extended metaphor for the futility of the search for knowledge, shows how wise people may think they are wise, but the more they search and discover, the more they discover that it is precisely the opposite: the search for knowledge. only leads to more ignorance, because it shows that there is still more to know.