Through this project, I learned a great deal about Stephen Crane. My previous knowledge was only that he had written The Red Badge of Courage and The Open Boat. I learned that he was a gentle man, but he was intrigued by war and violence. He came from a strong Christian home, but he turned away from the religion he had been taught. Stephen Crane wrote of the events he had experienced and observed. He spent a great deal of time in brothels and in the bowery of New York. Therefore, he knew the day-to-day struggles of the impoverished population of New York. I learned that he was a war correspondent but had written The Red Badge of Courage before he even went to the battlefield. In his writing he pulled emotions and feelings he felt while on the football field.
Stephen Crane was a complicated man. He identified with the poor and even spent the majority of his time living in poverty, but he came from a family who were well-educated and financially stable. Crane gave his money freely to friends and those who were in need. It was because of his generous nature that he died greatly in debt. His health was failing and instead of taking time to recover, he chose to continue to push forward with his writing to cure his debt.
As a literary student, this project helped me to identify how authors bring their real world experience to a story and create a medium that touches other's lives. Crane used tone and mood along with vivid descriptions to help the reader feel what the characters were experiencing. Even without first-hand knowledge of battle, he drew from his time on the football field to create a feeling of fear, excitement, and loyalty.
This project was challenging. Writing essays is easy, incorporating information into a website and still conveying the full meaning is difficult. I learned that going forward, if a website is required, I will need to factor in time for unforeseen technological issues. My attempt to include a slide show on the timeline, did not work out. I did however use problem-solving skills in a crunch and produce a quality page even if it wasn't what I had fully intended. Just Like the crane at the top of the page is flying forward so I will go forward with new knowledge and skills.
