An Analysis Of Ace Crusher By Dalton Derksen

In his poem “Ace Crusher”, Dalton Derksen explores the idea that in order to overcome restraints in our technology-based world, people must push themselves to encounter what is intimidating and feared in order to become stronger. In today’s world, the lives of youth and young adults revolve mainly around technology. Due to the accessibility and ease of technology in today’s world, people tend to abstain from experiencing new things and branching out into anything that scares them, as hiding behind screens promotes socializing with what is familiar. Derksen illustrates and mocks the idea of the pain and fear surrounding trying new things in our advanced world in this poem. He ridicules the fear surrounding new experiences by using symbolism,

The name of the poem, “Ace Crusher”, refers to a move in wrestling, where the opponent is grabbed by the neck, the performer falls to the floor, which forces the opponent to fall to the ground as well. This move can be related back to today’s generation and their involvement with technology: the attacker comes from behind, unpredictable to the victim, and takes them down. The same thing is happening with technology in the world today: people hide behind their phones and refuse to do anything that scares them, fearing that if they explore the unknown, they will be taken down by something unfamiliar. Derksen uses this image to address that pain does not come from avoiding the unknown—it stems from hiding behind technology and sheltering yourself from the world. He is trying to say that hiding from the unknown is worse than facing it. When something is seen coming, it is less likely to scare you than a surprise would. Derksen also uses “Ace Crusher” as the title in order to convey a visual for the reader that symbolizes pain. He goes on to discuss “the possibility / that a guillotine / may drop the head off yr body” (4-6), a very literally painful thing to imagine, as something that would occur when you try something new. This shows the feelings that people usually feel when they are frightened to embrace a new