The Butterfly - Pavel Friedmann
He was the last. Truly the last.
Such yellowness was bitter and blinding
Like the sun’s tear shattered on stone.
That was his true colour.
And how easily he climbed, and how high,
Certainly, climbing, he wanted
To kiss the last of my world.
I have been here seven weeks,
‘Ghettoized’
Who loved me have found me,
Daisies call to me,
And the branches also of the white chestnut in the yard.
But I haven’t seen a butterfly here.
That last one was the last one.
There are no butterflies, here, in the ghetto.
Pavel Friedmann, a young Jewish man from the Theresienstadt Ghetto wrote this poem during his time there. He was later deported to Auschwitz and died on 29 September 1944.
What do you think the tone of this poem is? please back it up with specific lines! and I don't get the theme of this poem.thanks!
The tone is mournful. You can hear the sorrow and longing in the lines:
"He was the last. Truly the last.
Such yellowness was bitter and blinding
Like the sun’s tear shattered on stone."
The theme is freedom, or rather, the lack of it. The butterflies are a symbol of freedom and beauty in literature(in my unprofessional opinion). The lack of butterflies is the lack of freedom and hope.
"That last one was the last one."
I think Pavel was talking more about glimspes of freedom than of butterflies. That last taste of freedom he had before the Ghetto was the last taste of freedom he would ever get. He knew that.
IDK MAN I am here for answers
You're welcome. I'm a word-nerd and write some poetry of my own, so I like tryign to figure out what other Poets were thinking when they wrote their works.
Thanks so much! :)
it was a long tim ago when the earth was green where you could see dinosaurs you've never seen.
How does the tone change from the first half to the last half of the poem?
The tone of this poem can be described as melancholic and despairing. This is evident through specific lines that convey a sense of sadness and loss.
For instance, when Friedmann says, "Such yellowness was bitter and blinding," he describes the color of the butterfly, which is symbolically linked to hope and freedom. However, the use of the words "bitter" and "blinding" suggests a bitter and painful reality, emphasizing the harshness of his situation.
Another line that supports the melancholic tone is, "That last one was the last one. There are no butterflies, here, in the ghetto." Here, he acknowledges the absence of beauty and hope in his surroundings. The repetition of the word "last" emphasizes the finality of his experience, as if this butterfly represented the last vestige of freedom and joy.
The theme of this poem can be interpreted as the loss of innocence, hope, and beauty in the face of extreme suffering and oppression. The butterfly, which symbolizes freedom and transformation, represents everything that has been taken away from Friedmann and others in the ghetto. The absence of butterflies symbolizes the absence of hope and the stifling reality of confinement and despair.
Overall, this poem serves as a poignant reflection on the realities of life in the Theresienstadt Ghetto and the profound emotional impact it had on the individuals trapped there.