"I think of Chaplin": Poetry and the Tramp in Cold War America.

This article examines how Charlie Chaplin's political persecution during the McCarthy era, culminating in his 1952 exile from the United States, inspired a body of poetry on the American Left that expressed solidarity and resistance. Through case studies of radical poets Bob Kaufman, Edwin Rolfe, and Louis Zukofsky, the essay explores how Chaplin's longstanding connections with left-wing literary circles shaped both his political consciousness and the poetic responses to his plight. These poets used Chaplin as a symbol to mourn the decline of the domestic Communist Left while maintaining its aesthetic and political ideals, often drawing on Chaplin's filmic work to complicate prevailing narratives about his politics. The article highlights the reciprocal relationship between Chaplin and leftist poets, suggesting that poetry's capacity to oppose Chaplin's McCarthy-era struggles stems from their role in fostering his radical identity.