Flowers of Evil

Wow, what a poem! It really is a 'smack to the face' to all of the readers. When I first read it, I thought to myself, why am I reading this? I need anybody to call me a 'hypocrite' or compare to me to all kinds of animals and negative things! But it's deeper than that...I can't be so egocentric about it because it's true the things that he is saying in the poem about human nature in general. Bouladaire is not only attacking the mainstream ideology of society at the time, but he is also attacking the way we relate to one another. And you know what? I agree. We (and I speaking very generally here, not anyone in particular) treat each other like garbage sometimes. We let norms and laws get in the way of getting to know people. I don't think that racism, discrimination, issues with gender and social class would exist if society didn't construct such systems so that people would not internalize it, and worse live by it.