"In Creve Coeur, Missouri""

Discussing several literary topics presented in "In Creve Coeur, Missouri" helps the reader understand the poem in more depth. Several of these topics include:

1. Gender: The speaker sounds like a women because a sad and passionate tone is set in the poem. The speaker is greatly upset with the baby dying and women tend to show their emotions more than males.

2. Conflicts: The speaker is upset that the photographer used the picture from the fire while knowing the baby did not survive that accident. They also could not believe the picture would receive such fame knowing its outcome.

3. The Body: The author uses discriptive words that help the reader visualize the characters actions. By describing the firefighters body as a "huge, dark, crumpled embrace" and having a "professional chest" allows the reader to understand the struggle he went through to keep the child alive.

4. The Role of Everyday Life: Firefighters rescues lives everyday but it is not always successful. When it does result badly, as it does in "In Creve Coeur, Missouri," readers realize the struggle professionals experience in their heroic jobs. The town in the poem is greatly affected by this lose because it is so disappointing.