(a) an array of supplies, pencils, crayons, notebooks, erasers, and more, was required for the
first day of class.
(b) an array of supplies, pencils, crayons, notebooks, erasers, and more, were required for the first day of class.

How does crane's depiction of the way information was spread in the nineteenth century affect the novel? crane seeks to use the novel as a way to criticize the journalists of the time for how they glorified war as a means of union propaganda. by depicting the extent to which newspapers were circulated, crane seeks to expose the lack of unbiased reporting at the time. by giving newspapers a major role in the novel, crane seeks to make a connection between the increasing role of the military in national affairs and the decline of farming. crane captures the power of journalistic reports at a time when it was the primary means of transmitting information to a broad audience by showing its influence on henry.