Washington Crossing The Delaware Essay

During the American Revolution, Washington and his men were experiencing a series of defeat. In order to bring about great pride and patriotism of an American, they sought to plan a sneak attack on the opposite force. On December 25, Washington and 5,400 troops began crossing the Delaware River to the Hessian stronghold. At this point in time, the Hessians were celebrating Christmas; this was a perfect time for an attack. When Washington and his men arrived, they started attacking the unsuspected Hessians; nearly 1,000 Hessians were captured. Even though the attack was not significant, it raised American spirit. In 1851, Emanuel Leutze created the image of Washington Crossing the Delaware; the painting was later destroyed, but restored by another artist. The mood of the painting can be described as intense and patriotic. Later, a poem called “Washington Crossing the Delaware” was written by David Shulman. The mood of the poem

In the painting, Leutze uses color representation to depict the mood as hardship leading into victory. In the background of the painting, the viewer can see the clouds departing to allow the sun to shine. The use of bright colors in front of Washington and his men creates the feeling that there is hope. The use of dark colors behind Washington and his men creates the feeling that they are running away from defeat. On the other hand, color can’t be used as representation in the poem unless it’s stated in the poem; in this case, color is not mentioned except for the description of the men’s clothes. In the poem, only diction can be used to represent moods and images for the reader. The following are statement from the poem is used to create to create an image for the reader: “Strong tide was washing hero clean.” Although this statement reveals the setting, it also expresses how the water is washing the men of their wrongdoing and revealing