Structure in Crank

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Crank by Ellen Hopkins is a novel filled with strong messages about the problem of drug abuse. I think she does this in an extremely effective way with her use of literary styles. Every "chapter" and story is written like a poem in verse allowing it to flow in an "easy to read" fashion. Furthermore, the majority of these poems are structured in a away in which there two messages being told, often they relate one another and sometimes they don't. In addition to this, those double-meaning poems are often shaped on the page in the form of an image that reflects the essence of that poem, for example, a house or a cross.
The complexity of this writing goes such a long way for reaching a broad audience. Even reluctant readers will be interested in this novel due to the intriguing designs in which the words are strategically placed on the page. In addition, having the novel written in verse makes the read go much faster giving the reader a higher sense of accomplishment as they advance throughout the 537 pages of the novel. Lastly, structuring the novel so that many of the poems are telling two different stories helps to fully capture the essence of the narrator's emotion. Often, while reading the broader (or "main") poem in each section you get a diluted water-down taste of Kristina's emotion but then when you look at the side message written within the broader context, you get a a more cut-and-dry version of what is going on and often it is very heart wrenching. All of these thing contribute to Hopkins' craft that I feel effectively addresses the drug problem in our culture. 

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