Interpretation of Imagery in Poetry

Image: fire, burning ship, Jesus, war, bravery, loyalty

In her poem “Casabianca,” Felicia Hermans exploits the imagery of Jesus Christ to praise the bravery and loyalty of a young boy on a battleship. According to the Bible, several days before his death, Jesus called out to his Father, asking for strength because he was afraid of death itself. Regardless, Jesus took on his Father’s command and sacrificed himself to save mankind from sins. Similarly, starting with the fourth stanza, we can see the fear and doubt in the young boy as he kept on asking his father whether or not he should run away from the fire. However, due to the fact that his father was the captain of the ship and died, the boy must take on the responsibility to stay with the ship until the end. Similar to Jesus, who was born and crucified to save mankind from sins, which represents by the raging fire, the young boy was born with the heroic blood and the fate to rule the storming flames. .
In another context, fire symbolizes death and rebirth, like a phoenix sprang forth from its pyre after consumed by the flames. Likewise, Jesus sacrificed himself to take away sins of the world and to give mankind a new beginning. With the imagery of raging flames and storming shots, Hermans gives us the end of a young boy’s life and the birth of a feared, yet courageous and loyal young boy in our heart. From the 8th line of the poem, “a proud, though childlike form,” Hermans tells us that this young boy is still growing in a protective family where he has never experienced fear. However, he now has to face the most difficult duty as a young boy, to choose between life and death.

Toward the end of the poem, Hermans further embraces the young boy’s courage with the image of a burning flag, which represents the united strength of a country. After the flag was burnt, the imagery of the boy fades away, leaving behind a remembrance of his bravery.