I Know a Man Essay Questions

What is the effect of the abbreviated words and substituted symbols in the poem?

The use of the “&” in place of "and" as well as the replacement of "said" and "your" with "sd" and "yr" are all examples of Creeley's manipulation of word length. He seems to make these distinct, and unusual, stylistic choices in an effort to convey a mood. The speaker is clearly troubled by his worries about the world. The short lines of the poem and the plainspoken quality of his diction give the impression that he is trying to get all of his thoughts out at once. By using these shortened forms of words, Creeley is able to support the immediacy of what the speaker is trying to say.

Why does Creeley choose to make the poem a conversation between two people?

Creeley chooses to make the poem a conversation between two people because it allows him to present contrasting points of view. The speaker is troubled by the state of the world around him. When the speaker voices this concern, his friend tells him he should just drive, before admonishing him for not driving more carefully. The poem works well as a dialogue because the friend's dismissal of the speaker's concerns actually responds, in an oblique way, to those very concerns. By making the friend a concrete-minded character, Creeley provides a subtle response to one of the issues the speaker observed, without having to critique his point of view overtly.