Lasker-Schuler was indeed an artist that wanted to break away from the norms of society in both her …show more content…
The first lines of the poem say “At home I have a blue piano/ but I cannot play a note”. This simple sentence brings up two essential questions. First, where is home? And second why can’t she play it? Research on Lasker-Schuler’s life is essential to answering these questions. Lasker-Schuler was born in Germany and lived there for much of her life, but because of the rise in power of the Nazi party, the Jewish artist fled to Switzerland. During her time in Zurich, she took a few trips to Israel and was greatly inspired each time, but on her last visit, World War II broke out and Swiss authorities forbade Lasker-Schuler to return to Switzerland (The National Library of Israel). One can infer that the “home” that Lasker-Schuler writes about was in Germany, a place that she knew she could never return. This distance between her current place of residence and her “home” is most likely why she could not “play a note”. The dream of returning “home” was never plausible in her mind. Lasker-Schuler then goes on to say “Sweet angels, I have eaten/ Such bitter bread. Push open/ The door of heaven.” Here the poet reveals just how miserable she truly was at the time this poem was written. Lasker-Schuler had a difficult life. She had to deal the harassment by members of the Nazi party, being displaced from her home, the death of her son, and much more. During her time in Jerusalem, Lasker-Schuler faced poverty, illness,