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Analysis Of The Poem ' If I Were Paul '

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Intercession: an interposing or pleading on behalf of another person. In Mark Jarman 's poem, "If I Were Paul," the speaker displays many changes in tone and diction to illustrate the crux of his ideology. The first three stanzas are completely exalting in their nature. The speaker uses three distinct categories to do this: creation of a being, virtue of an idea, and discovery of an object, and each of the first stanzas are devoted to one of these topics. Each of these subsets are purposefully selected to create a tone of artistry and fascination in the beginning stanzas of the poem. Eventually, the speaker changes tone to display the hypocrisy in the modern church. To a superficial reader, the speaker is rebuking a congregation, but further analysis reveals the speaker is attempting to write as a contemporary Paul of Tarsus, pointing out inconsistencies in the modern Christian faith. The first stanza deals strictly with "how you were made." The speaker uses eloquent, articulate verbiage to express the imp1ressiveness of "how you were made." The speaker begins by asking the reader to consider the "loving geometry" and "passionate symmetry" with which he or she was created. This causes the reader to consider who or what created him or her, and being that the title refers to a biblical character, most would undoubtedly assume the creator to be God. The mention of God oftentimes is connoted with concepts pure, holy, and righteous. Moreover, this would lead a person of

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