Poem Analysis | Zimmer in Grade School by Paul Zimmer

In grade school I wondered

Why I had been born

To wrestle in the ashy puddles

With my square nose

Streaming mucus and blood,

My knuckles puffed from combat

And the old nun's ruler.

I feared everything: God,

Learning, and my schoolmates.

I could not count, spell, or read.

My report card proclaimed

These scarlet failures.

My parents wrung their loving hands.

My guardian angel wept constantly.

But I could never hide anything.

If I peed my pants in class

The puddle was always quickly evident.

My worst mistakes were at

The blackboard for Jesus and all

The saints to see.

   Even now,

When I hide behind an elaborate mask,

It is always known that I am Zimmer,

The one who does the messy papers

And fractures all his crayons,

Who spits upon the radiators

And sits all day in shame

Outside the office of the principal.

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Zimmer in Grade School is a poem created by Paul Zimmer in 1983. The poem contains two long stanzas with 14 lines in each. The speaker of this poem is Zimmer himself that tells us about his life when he was young in school. As we can read in lines 22-23 "When I hide behind an elaborate mask,/It is always known that I am Zimmer,". The tittle "Zimmer in Grade School" also supported the fact that it is him in this poem, as in the first line "In grade school I wondered", the word "I" give us first person view which can also mean the speaker is the writer or the poet itself.

The setting of time in this poem is in the past, as we can read in the first line "In grade school I wondered", It is indicated that the setting of time in this poem is in the past time, because it uses past participle verb. The first line indicated that it was in the speaker's younger year, which is in his school year. Meanwhile, the setting of place, it takes place in his school, as we can read in line 9 "Learning, and my schoolmates." and also in line 16 "If I peed my pants in class"  indicated that it takes place in school or in his classroom. Also mentioned in line 3, "To wrestle in the ashy puddles", "the ashy puddles" can be mean that the speaker was in a field. He also tells us "Outside the office of the principal." {line 28}.

The speaker has some relationship with some people, the distance between him, the teacher and his parents, as in lines 24-28, "...and fractures all his crayons/who spits upon the radiators/ and sits all day in shame..." he tries to get attention to the teacher and his parents.

Sometimes he fights with the other students, he says "my knuckles puffed from combat." {line 6} the speaker tells about the inconvenience in his life at school. "I feared everything: God,"{line 8} he is fear of God, learning and his schoolmates, "Learning, and my schoolmates."{line 9}.

The speaker says, "when I hide behind an elaborate mask." {line 22} can be mean that he is a scared boy hiding behind the truth, but never succeeds, everyone still knows it is him, as in line 23, "it is always known that I am Zimmer" shows how other people know him with all the mischief and bad things about him.

This poem is about his experience as a grade school student. The poem illustrates a dark and ominous picture in which the speaker appears to be a bully who has insecurities and failures. Zimmer inscribes an image of a grade school bully whose days were torn by puffed knuckles from a nun's ruler and fighting, and it is exacerbated with a seat outside the school principal's office. "And sits all day in shame/Outside the office of the principal"{lines 27-28}.

It is sad when he gets bullying in school, bullying is a major problem in our society that occurs beyond grade school. Zimmer may not have enough time spent with his parents; a reason for him to feel slightly humiliated. but actually, he knows how not to bully people, that's why he focuses on himself more rather than wasting his time for others.