Rosanna Warren has somewhat of a coy behavior because she is reluctant to give details which results in multiple views from the audience at the end of the poem. In “In Creve Coeur, Missouri” Warren portrays the scene of an amateur photographer and a courageous fireman trying to bring a child back to life after being trapped in a fire too long. Warren pretends, in a teasing or challenging way, to be reserved or modest. As with many poems, there are different ways of perceiving them, especially when the irony hits and possibly turns the whole meaning of the poem around. As the photographer snaps photos of the scene, the small child lays helplessly on the ground gasping her last breath. It is revealed that the fireman was unsuccessful at saving the life of the child, but the photographer won a prize for the snapshot. The speaker gives me a certain vibe that he or she lives in a tarnished world of loss, anguish, and sacrifice, by the tone of “In Creve Coeur, Missouri” but also inhabits a realm of classic purity by portraying such lines to be strong and meaningful.
The speaker seems to use certain personal experiences as the basis for his or her poetry, and it adds art and literature for inspiration as well. He or she laces personal work with similes to enhance the meaning of the poem. “Her work within this poem ranges between the rhapsodic and rational, which shows her deep and abiding interest for visual arts” (Poetry Foundation). Warren utilizes her sense of creativity in paths that involve both the characters art form as well as her own.
The speaker seems to use certain personal experiences as the basis for his or her poetry, and it adds art and literature for inspiration as well. He or she laces personal work with similes to enhance the meaning of the poem. “Her work within this poem ranges between the rhapsodic and rational, which shows her deep and abiding interest for visual arts” (Poetry Foundation). Warren utilizes her sense of creativity in paths that involve both the characters art form as well as her own.
In the first line of the poem, Warren uses the words “Only in Creve Coeur” and the speaker expresses shame in the city. Perhaps he or she had a bad experience when visiting or even reading about Creve Coeur, Missouri. This is why the speaker portrays the poem in such a mysterious way. It leaves the audience guessing what is so wrong with the city and why the speaker feels this way.
Some may argue that the photographer is heartless and selfish as he stands around trying to retrieve a picture worthy enough to get an award. Others would disagree and say the poem is not about the selfishness of the photographer, but it is important to fully feel the vibe of the poem and try to actually visualize being there while reading it. If I put myself in the photographer’s position, and I was asked to help out in any way, then I would. However, in this poem, it seems as though Warren likes to move at a fast pace and so I would just be there to do my job and let the fireman do his. “Strong man, you know how it’s done, you’ve done it again and again sucking the spirit back to us from its lair of smoke” (Warren, 20-23). Warren believes that in life, getting in the way can cause more harm than good, especially if you do not have the experience like most firefighters do.
Warren uses saddened and negative diction which leads to heartbreaking emotions to the reader. She brings about a negative connotation with words such as unconsolable, quarrel and misbehave with show us how this is unrest inside her life. Warren’s poem is one of death, which symbolizes the unconscious baby taken from a burning house. Perhaps the speaker encountered deaths in his or her life that will really impact his or her future. “Over the rag of body held like impossible laundry pulled too soon from the line, too pale, too sodden with smoke to flail” (Warren, 5-8) sets the beginning of the negative tone in the poem. We know right then and there that the little girl could possibly not make it out alive. Also, the short sentences in the poem indicate that there is not much time left for the child to live. Each sentence is simple and to the point.
After researching Creve Coeur, Missouri, I found it ironic that Warren uses “Creve Coeur” which is derived from the “French word “Crevecoeur”, meaning heart-broken” (Abeln). I believe that the word heart-broken is the best meaning for the title to fit this poem. I feel as though the speaker feels broken-hearted. “Tell us that she will stand again, quarrel and misbehave. He is trying to make her breathe” (Warren, 18-20). As I read through the last lines, my heart breaks as well for the little girl who had but only a short life on earth. The actual meaning behind the title really sets the negative tone for the entire poem.
I wanted to read another poem to see if I can relate that poem to the speaker’s life as well. I read a couple of Warren’s most recent collection of poems in “Ghost a Red Hat” and they contemplate wreckage and sorrow in daily life and world events. I feel as if this poem, to a large extent, relates to “In Creve Coeur, Missouri” because they both represent a conscious effort to internalize and articulate the pain experienced by other people, both real and imagined.
I wanted to read another poem to see if I can relate that poem to the speaker’s life as well. I read a couple of Warren’s most recent collection of poems in “Ghost a Red Hat” and they contemplate wreckage and sorrow in daily life and world events. I feel as if this poem, to a large extent, relates to “In Creve Coeur, Missouri” because they both represent a conscious effort to internalize and articulate the pain experienced by other people, both real and imagined.
I think that Warren is trying to get across to the audience that sometimes we take for granted the people who risk their lives to save ours, whether it’s a fireman, or someone fighting for our country. Maybe the speaker came across an experience at one point in his or her life where working hard for something that was not praised just like the firefighter. He or she just might have not felt good enough for someone. The fireman immediately ran to the scene without question to attempt to save the little girl, but all the photographer did was snap shots and he was the one who was given a prize at the end. No one thought to praise the fireman whether he saved the little girl or not. “The snapshot won a prize though it couldn’t revive her” (Warren, 25-26). The child may not have made it at the end, but some things are beyond our control. It is the fact that the fireman knew he could risk his own life trying to save hers, but he did it anyway.
