Poetry explication of charles simic’s butcher shop essay

Poetry Explication of Charlie’s Cell’s “ Butcher Shop” When people think of poetry, their brain signals metaphors, similes, rhyme schemes, and hidden concepts wrapped around the poet’s figurative language. This allows the reader to think perspicuously. One thing that stood out in Charles Comic’s “ Butcher Shop” was his usage of similes, imagery, and shift of pronouns.

Stanzas one and three exemplify the general theme of darkness, while stanza two creates a gruesome Image; finally, the last stanza alters In the usage of pronouns, Written in free verse form, his four, four line stanzas are introduced by an average, simple title which hold explicative meanings throughout the poem.

It is exemplified in lines three and four that “ there is a single light in the store / Like the light in which the convict digs his tunnel” (4). Simply, this simile remains unknown to us since it Is unclear who wishes to evade and from what or whom.

However, these lines from the first stanza allow the reader to furthermore acknowledge a sense of captivity and a yearning for freedom. In the second stanza, lines six, seven, and eight illustrate blood, as it is “ smeared into a map” (6); metaphorically the map signifies that the world is a site of violence. The profuse use of blood in this stanza expresses the idea that violence is a part of every given civilization.

Simi describes this blood as “ great” and big, paralleling it to great continents and bodies of water which one will find on a map.

Consequently, an Image of an apron saturated In blood Is engraved Into the readers mind, which clues them too great deal of violence. The first line in the third stanza states, “ There are knives that glitter like altars”(9). This simile has opposing views being that knives create a cruel image whereas glistening altars make one think of holiness. Violence is highlighted several times, exaggerating the knives to glow in a dark church, shedding a light on brutality.

The next lines use “ they,” a pronoun referring to a person of unspecified sex.

The poem says, “ The cripple and the Imbecile / to be healed” (1 1, 12). Whoever “ they” are, Intend to bring pain, suffering, and possibly even death upon the two. This simile draws upon the theme of darkness and the constant peril of violence. Similar to prior stanzas, Simi uses certain objects to exemplify his meanings.

The final object “ a wooden block,” is suggestive of torture in which “ bones are Rosen” (13). In the last stanza, the speaker shifts from using the third person pronoun to the first person. Where I am fed / where deep In the night I hear a voice” (15, 16). The usage of “ l” was unexpected for a poem that contains so much mystery. This poem proclaims, however, that the butchers shop’s bloody emblem of violence provides for and sustains the narrator.

Lastly, the speaker hears a voice, but from what or whom it is from is uncertain.