Charles Simic Analysis

Charles Simic Few survivors of the monumental World War 2 have survived to pass on their tales, and even fewer of these share their experiences through poetry. Charles Simic is a rare gem in the poet community, whose work is reflected by the span of countries, time periods and life lessons he has experienced. A figurehead of the surrealist movement in poetry, Charles Simic has established a firm reputation for his poetry in the United States. Born on May 9, 1938 in Belgrade, Yugoslavia, Simic was introduced to an increasingly war-torn Europe (“Poet: Charles Simic”). Simic’s childhood was rough, as he endured many hardships during the war, and.he would later recognize this period’s influence on him with Hitler and Stalin being his “travel …show more content…
This particular poem strongly stresses death, including imagery about the flies hovering above a dead lamb’s mouth, and a bare winter tree seeming to reach out for its lost leaves (Appendix A). In this, it is likely that Simic is creating a metaphor for something in himself that had died during his lifetime in Belgrade, perhaps the innocence as symbolized by the lamb, or maybe the beauty as described by the bare tree. Another aspect to this poem is its implications to Simic’s experiences in Yugoslavia during World War 2. One line of the poem states that, “Like the last heroic soldier / Of a defeated army, you’ll stay at your post...” (Appendix A 11-12). In recognizing that Simic was at one point a war refugee, the soldier he refers to here could be an indirect reference to his younger self. Perhaps he believes he had lived in Yugoslavia in order to see the defeat of one particular side. Perhaps it is a reference to his stubbornness or unwillingness to accept that the war has …show more content…
This poem is reminiscent of “Against Winter” in that the reader must look closer to develop an understanding on what he poem is actually describing. For example, by noting the repetition of the lines “I’m your humble scribe,” one possible interpretation of the poem is that it describes Simic’s role as a poet and an author (Appendix C). This poem, unlike the first two, is confined to 3 to 5 words in each line, which, while detracting from the length, contributes to emphasizing particular areas in the writing. For example, the length of the lines “Dark-morning glooms, / Summer ecstasies” allows the reader to focus less on the description of each phrase and more on the contrast Simic draws between the dark and the