Question

"The Sea" by Stephen Crane To the maiden The sea was blue meadow, Alive with little froth-people Singing. To the sailor, wrecked, The sea was dead grey walls Superlative in vacancy, Upon which nevertheless at fateful time Was written The grim hatred of nature. Source: Crane, Stephen. “The Sea.” War Is Kind. Project Gutenberg, Feb. 2006. Web. 12 May 2011. Which statement expresses the theme of this poem best? Who we are determines how we view the world. The sea is harsh and cruel with its hatred toward humans. The maiden doesn’t understand the sea. Love can bring very different people together.

Answer 1

The first answer seems to fit the question best, "Who we are determines how we view the world". The maiden doesn't see the bad side of nature as the sailor does because her line of work doesn't require her to and vice versa, the sailor mostly sees the bad side because that's what his work requires.

Answer 2

The statement that best expresses the theme is: who we are determines how we view the world.

At the beginning of the poem the sea is described according to how the maiden sees it. She considers it beautiful like a meadow with people singing. To the sailor, on the other hand, the sea embodies evil because he has witnessed hard situations and he has probably seen people die because of the tides and the sea "hatred". Depending on the characters' life experiences, they see the sea as a natural beautiful thing or as a source of pain.