Jerusalem

“Jerusalem” is written in free verse, a popular form of modern poetry. Free-verse poetry does not follow a prescribed rhyme scheme or meter; it is meant to mimic the irregular patterns of unplanned speech. Free-verse poems feel more natural, like a conversation the speaker is having with the reader. It can be more intimate and human, focusing on common people trying to live normal lives in the midst of war and turmoil. It unconsciously reinforces that the events they see on the news, in countries that might seem foreign, might be more similar to US culture than otherwise.

“Jerusalem” uses parallel structures to draw attention to certain lines. Parallel structure refers to lines of poetry that mimic one another. For example, the line “[h]air would never grow there” (Line 7) mimics the lines “[t]here’s a place in my brain / where hate won’t grow” (Lines 32-33). Without saying it directly, this parallel structure suggests the speaker is mimicking her father’s behavior and beliefs. He has a spot in his head where he was wounded, yet he forgives the friend who accidentally hurt him. Years later, his daughter learns to have a spot where hate will not grow, paralleling her father’s choice to forgive others and to regard the tender place as a reminder to be empathetic rather than seek vengeance.