Across the world, it is commonly believed that one is given one life to live; the choice to take advantage of the universe’s worldly pleasures and nature’s beauty or to simply live life routinely is left in the hands of those who walk the earth. Hart Crane’s “The Bridge: The Brooklyn Bridge” speaks to those who may live their lives plainly, while also giving credit to God for creating an abundance of immaculate beauty across the Earth. Through further analysis of the poem using the SOAPSTone method, one may observe that the purpose of this poem is not only for the speaker to give credit where he or she believes credit is due, but to inform and warn others that life is short, and living life monotonously is wasteful.
The speaker begins with an apostrophe which directly addresses God and his ability to create the days of life, more specifically the “dawns” that “chill from his rippling rest.” The speaker is either a man or a woman who is observing the world from “across the harbor,” watching humankind spend their days moving hastily and boringly. He or she is able to observe and analyze those who are moving “out of some subway scuttle…speed[ing] to thy prophets,” suggesting that at one point he or she, too, lived life this way, and understands how wasteful it is. The shift from imagery of the world to criticism of those who walk it suggest that he or she is either a middle-aged or elderly individual who is reflecting on those who inhabit the physically world in a somewhat critical manner.
Mankind’s predictability is becoming increasingly easier to foretell- an idea that is suggested as the world reminds the speaker of “cinemas, panoramic sleights With multitudes towards some flashing scene.” The occasion takes place in present day life, for the speaker refers to the “traffic lights,” “subway scuttle,” and “caravan[s]” that result in the restlessness and repetitious nature of mankind. These habits are becoming so mundane that the speaker is growing increasingly more appreciative of God’s effect on the world, such as “thy cable” which “breathe the North Atlantic still.” The speaker continuously shifts from description of his or her observances to the slow, stillness of the bodies of water around him in every stanza, creating the idea that although he or she is aware of the beauties and “immaculate sigh of stars,” the fact that others are not is causing him or her stress.
Because he or she shifts focuses various times throughout the work, the audience could be seen as either those who inhabit the Earth, or God himself. Initially, the speaker directly addresses his creator, and continuously mentions his or her fascination when realizing that he or she is part of such a beautiful universe. Reference to the universe’s “condense eternity” and similes such as “as apparitioned as sails that cross some page of figures” show that he or she appreciates the beauties of life and understands just how fleeting and temporary they are. These references could suggest that the speaker’s audience is God himself, and he or she is intending to thank or honor him. Additionally, when the speaker refers to “thee, across the harbor, silver paced” it could also be true that the audience are those who live life “tilting there momently” and never truly taking in life’s beauty.
After understanding who the speaker is addressing as uses metaphors to compare the seagulls that “shed… white rings of tumult” that alter God’s sky and personification such as “speechless caravan” to indirectly criticize those who are not taking full advantage of life, it becomes clear that the purpose of the piece is to not only recognize the natural beauties of the world and give credit to “thee, vaulting the sea,” but to explain to those who walk “across the harbor” that life is merely a “swift Unfractionated idiom” and must be cherished, not thrown away. While the purpose may shift between stanzas as the speaker addresses world’s beauty versus the swiftness of those who walk on it, the overall message remains: one must spend their life gracefully and appreciatively.
The subject, as stated previously, shifts from those who inhabit Earth, and God, along with his prophets who show “reprieve and pardon” on those who walk through life without taking full advantage of it. When the speaker refers to the sights he observes in the physical world, he introduces them as slow, peaceful, and intense- an idea which he or she uses to contrast with the fast-paced society. He or she refers to “snow” which “submerges an iron year”- a sign that darkness and coldness solidify another year wastes among those who go through life with repetition.
Similar to the way the stanzas shift, the tone is also constantly shifting, which proves just how thrown off the speaker is by his observances. As he or she views life’s beauty, the tone appears to be calm, introspective, and appreciative, as if a spectator is commenting positively on a movie that is being played before him. The ‘movie’ analogy is used in this scene just before an apostrophe is used again. This device, however, now refers to “thee, across the harbor” who lives an ordinary, predictable life. When referring to humankind, the speaker’s tone is disappointed. He or she refers to the “City’s fiery parcels” as “undone,” meaning that humans’ speed has caused chaos and “toil.” While the work may seem as though it criticises the world’s inhabitants, it also shows a great esteem for the speaker’s Creator. The shame and disappointment he or she feels while life goes on, wasted, emphasizes just how meaningful life is to the speaker, and highlights the theme of the work: to live mundanely is entirely wasteful.
