“The Open Boat” (1897) by Stephen Crane
Analyzed by Holly Logsdon
Reading and Inventing
Before I started writing my essay, I carefully read and annotated “The Open Boat.” I looked for literary devices, poetic language, and possible story themes. You may be tempted to skip this step, but it really helps to develop a sense of the story’s deeper meaning and how the the author uses literary elements to communicate that message. As an example of close reading, below is an assortment of annotated pages.