"Poem"
"Poem" Analysis
This five verse rather peculiar poem is short but speaks volumes. Hemingway yet again delivers his poem in a super blunt form. His tone is blunt yet sadistic, as one may sound after the loss of a close friend. The length of the poem contributes to multiple effects. In a way, the five verse setup helps to emphasize the fact that death can happen to anyone in the blink of an eye. It also gives the effect of mourning. Nobody wants to talk about the death of a close friend. So Hemingway creatively uses few words to write this poem, really making us think about it and letting it sink in. He also emphasizes how blunt death can be also, "On a sunny day." Even on a sunny day, the best of days, anything can happen to anyone.
"He was killed in Picardy", Hemingway is very blunt in this poem yet specific about the location of his friend's death. Picardy is a historical region of northern France. I believe he did this because he wants his friend to be honored. If you look into it, Picardy was host to World War I battles from September 1914 to August 1918. It's known that Hemingway served so his best friend was most likely also in the military and he probably died in battle.
This poem serves two purposes. To the reader, it reminds us that death can happen to anyone, anytime, anywhere. And I believe, Hemingway also wrote this to honor his fallen friend.
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