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Summary Of Song Of A Citizen

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The purpose of this assignment was to reflect on the poem Song of a Citizen using critical analysis to understand the complete meaning of what Milosz has written within the text. The poem Song of a Citizen is an illuminating reflection on the abominable conditions of the Jewish people and the suffering they have endured wrapped into a piece on how a prisoner is separated from the natural world, connected by Milosz’s incredible writing ability.

The poem Song of a Citizen is an open book that allows the reader a deep view into the inner character of its speaker. Firstly, we see many of the speaker’s views reflected in the poem’s numerous verses. For example, in verse 9, he says that “ it is better to be a live dog than a dead lion”, which shows how he has felt and acted in this perilous situation. This could even be taken so far as to say that, because of the horrors he faced during the war, the speaker feels that it is better to be living than even to die a courageous death. Additionally, another revealing verse was from 20-25, which symbolized his continuing relationship with the world. He mentions a “copper-leaved garden”, which can be seen as a parallel to fall or winter trees, as well as a “heart of metal”, which could describe the heart of manufacturing combined with nature. This shows the speaker’s character as we see how he connects nature to freedom and beauty, running a parallel to countless prisoners and captives(including the Jews) who were separated from nature

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