Introduction to Pavel Friedman
Pavel Friedman (January 7, 1921 – September 29, 1944) was born in Prague. A Jewish Czechslovak poet, he was sent to the Theresienstadt concentration camp in what is today the Czech Republic. Arriving there on April 26, 1942, about five weeks later, on June 4, he wrote this poem, “The Butterfly” on a piece of thin copy paper. The poem was discovered after the camp was freed and donated to the Jewish Museum in Prague. It later inspired the Butterfly Project of the Holocaust Museum in Houston, where 1.5 million butterflies were created to represent the number of children who died in the Holocaust. On September 29, 1944 he was sent to Auschwitz, where he died.
Pavel Friedman (January 7, 1921 – September 29, 1944) was born in Prague. A Jewish Czechslovak poet, he was sent to the Theresienstadt concentration camp in what is today the Czech Republic. Arriving there on April 26, 1942, about five weeks later, on June 4, he wrote this poem, “The Butterfly” on a piece of thin copy paper. The poem was discovered after the camp was freed and donated to the Jewish Museum in Prague. It later inspired the Butterfly Project of the Holocaust Museum in Houston, where 1.5 million butterflies were created to represent the number of children who died in the Holocaust. On September 29, 1944 he was sent to Auschwitz, where he died.
SELECTED WORK:
"The Butterfly"
The last, the very last,
So richly, brightly, dazzlingly yellow.
Perhaps if the sun's tears would sing
Against a white stone. . . .
Such, such a yellow
Is carried lightly 'way up high.
It went away I'm sure because it wished to
Kiss the world good-bye.
For seven weeks I've lived in here,
Penned up inside this ghetto.
But I have found what I love here.
The dandelions call to me
And the white chestnut branches in the court.
Only I never saw another butterfly.
That butterfly was the last one.
Butterflies don't live in here, In the ghetto.
Pavel Friedman 4.6.1942
"The Butterfly"
The last, the very last,
So richly, brightly, dazzlingly yellow.
Perhaps if the sun's tears would sing
Against a white stone. . . .
Such, such a yellow
Is carried lightly 'way up high.
It went away I'm sure because it wished to
Kiss the world good-bye.
For seven weeks I've lived in here,
Penned up inside this ghetto.
But I have found what I love here.
The dandelions call to me
And the white chestnut branches in the court.
Only I never saw another butterfly.
That butterfly was the last one.
Butterflies don't live in here, In the ghetto.
Pavel Friedman 4.6.1942
Interpretation
Readers should begin by thinking about the title, “The Butterfly.” In this poem, the butterfly is a symbol of freedom and hope. The poem begins by pointing out that the butterfly is “the last, the very last,” setting up a despairing tone. This tone is reinforced by negative images in the poem such as “kiss the world goodbye” and “penned up.”
Readers should begin by thinking about the title, “The Butterfly.” In this poem, the butterfly is a symbol of freedom and hope. The poem begins by pointing out that the butterfly is “the last, the very last,” setting up a despairing tone. This tone is reinforced by negative images in the poem such as “kiss the world goodbye” and “penned up.”
“The Butterfly also uses a pair of colors, yellow and white throughout the poem to contrast life and death. Yellow is a bright and cheerful color attached to “the sun,” the butterfly, and “dandelions.” All of these items have freedom and are alive (The sun is personified with its tears). On the other hand, the white objects are lifeless. The juxtaposition of these colors and objects represent the struggle the speaker experiences.
Form
“The Butterfly” has four stanzas, but they are of differing lengths. There also isn’t a regular rhyme scheme. What is more important to notice about the structure of this poem then is the arrangement of the words and the use of punctuation. For example, at the end of the first stanza, there is an ellipsis; these trailing dots help to connect the first stanza with the second and allow for the juxtaposition of the white and yellow images discussed above. In the third stanza, it is important to look at the last line. Even though it is in the longest stanza, it starts a new, shorter sentence. The length of the sentence helps to emphasize its significance. Finally, the way lines are put together also matter. The last line in the poem is separated from the previous line, even though it continues the sentence. This separation leaves the reader thinking about “the ghetto” and points out that the freedom symbolized by the butterfly cannot exist there, ending the poem on a dark note.
“The Butterfly” has four stanzas, but they are of differing lengths. There also isn’t a regular rhyme scheme. What is more important to notice about the structure of this poem then is the arrangement of the words and the use of punctuation. For example, at the end of the first stanza, there is an ellipsis; these trailing dots help to connect the first stanza with the second and allow for the juxtaposition of the white and yellow images discussed above. In the third stanza, it is important to look at the last line. Even though it is in the longest stanza, it starts a new, shorter sentence. The length of the sentence helps to emphasize its significance. Finally, the way lines are put together also matter. The last line in the poem is separated from the previous line, even though it continues the sentence. This separation leaves the reader thinking about “the ghetto” and points out that the freedom symbolized by the butterfly cannot exist there, ending the poem on a dark note.