Term paper on "The Day Zimmer Lost Religion" By Paul Zimmer
Religion term papers
In "The Day Zimmer Lost Religion" by Paul Zimmer the poet reflects how in losing religion he has found faith in Christ. He recounts how religion taught him to fear Christ as a young boy which influenced him to challenge religion and eventually find faith in Christ. As a child, he expected to be punished, but the punishment never comes and now as a man he realizes he is ready to accept Christ as he has found faith in Christ and in return his religion.
In the first stanza the poet describes the beginning of his rebellion towards religion and his faith as he recalls "The first Sunday I missed mass on purpose” (1). The poet felt guilty about missing mass for the first time and "waited all day for Christ to climb down / Like a wiry flyweight from the cross and / Club me on my irreverent teeth…” (2-4). “Wiry flyweight” is a simile used to describe the speed and agility that he expected to be struck. The poets uses another simile (like a red-hot thurible) to describe his punishment as he expects Christ “to wade into / My blasphemous gut and drop me like a / Red hot thurible…" (4-6). The outcome of his sacrilege is clear as he anticipated the devil “…roaring in / Reserved seats until he got the hiccups” (6-7). He believed the devil to be eagerly waiting the outcome to claim his soul.
The second stanza is a remembrance of religion during his childhood as he remembers "It was a long cold way from the old days" (8). As an adult he has now come "A long way from the dirty wind that blew / The soot like venial sins across the schoolyard" (11-12). Here I believe he is using a metaphor (dirty wind) to illustrate the evils in life that he describes using a simile (like venial sins). The evils being the religion as it was taught to him. During his childhood, "God reigned as a threatening, / One-eyed triangle high in the fleecy sky" (13-14). Again, a metaphor (one-eyed triangle) is used to describe the fear he had as a child in the reign of the Holy Trinity as the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
The last stanza of the poem repeats that he "waited all day for Christ to climb down / Like a playground bully, the cuts and mice / Upon his face agleam, and pound me / Till me irreligious tongue hung out" (16-19). The poet seems to believe that Christ is obligated to punish him for his irreverence. He compares his faith in Christ to that of a playground bully, as he believed that his religion as a child was not by choice, but by force. The last two lines, "But of course He never came, knowing that / I was grown up and ready for Him now" (20-21), indicate that the Christ of his childhood religion did not come, but now as an adult he has lost his boyhood religion and has found faith in Christ. This poem could reasonably be entitled “The day Zimmer Lost Religion and Found Christ.” Zimmer believed in God and Christ; it was the bureaucracy of religion that he did not believe or accept.
Word Count: 543
Temptation Essay Term Paper
Prayer In Schools Essay Term Paper
Religion In Ancient Greece Essay Term Paper
Latest Posts...
Here you can easily hire a private writer in as early as 5 minutes.
With 200+ writers available 24/7, we can help with any written assignment (from simple essays to dissertations).Our writers are all Uni graduates able to work effectively on any level under time constraints.
Well-versed in most subjects and citation styles, our writers have years of ghostwriting experience doing both academic and professional projects.
Placing an order is a snap. You enter your details and deadline and get a personal writer who works with you on a one-to-one personal level until you are happy with the finished product.Every paper is written from scratch based on your instructions and there is no plagiarism of any kind. Plus, we guarantee free unlimited revisions.
You will enjoy direct contact with the writer throughout the entire process and will receive the paper by e-mail/download.
All content will be 100% original and there will be no plagiarism. Any outside info will be properly cited.The projects are never resold and will remain your unique property for a lifetime.
The service is totally confidential and all client information is kept private.
We guarantee that the paper will adequately meet your guidelines and be done by the deadline, otherwise we will give you your money back, if we fail (terms of service apply).
- 10+ years of experience in paper writing
- Any assignment on any level. Any deadline!
- Open 24/7 Your essay will be done on time!
- 200+ essay writers. Live Chat. Great support
- No Plagiarism. Satisfaction. Confidentiality.
