A Man Said to the Universe by Stephen Crane is a short, but very true poem. In the poem a man says to the universe: “Sir I exist!” However the universe had no obligation to the man simply because he existed. The poem is so true in the world today. As adults people are taught to go and get the things they want and that nothing is going to be given to them, as if they were still children. The universe was here before anything existed and will remain after nothing exists. In this poem Crane’s choice of words is great and shows how cold the world can be sometimes. Crane does not use any imagery or other literary tools; he simply tells it how it is. As a person, you don’t matter to the universe. We are not here for the universe, the universe is here for us and after we die the universe will continue. There is nothing that says life is easy and I think Crane realized that life was not easy. He understood that eventually a person has to grow up and face the harsh realities of life.