In Lamentations' first poem, the reporter (or narrator) is a distant accuser. He emotionlessly reports upon the heart-wrenching aftermath of a city torn apart by war while repeatedly observing how "there is no one to comfort" Daughter Zion (1:2a, 9b, and 17a), the female personification of Jerusalem.
Yet he offers her no comfort himself.
This is because the reporter believes Daughter Zion has brought this upon herself. As he sees it, the "fact" of the story is that she has betrayed her marriage to God by taking many lovers (1:2b and 8-9a). Therefore, he views her tragedy as the consequences of God decreeing the destruction of Jerusalem (17b) as punishment for her "many sins" (1:5b).
His Deuteronomy-influenced religious stance makes it even more surprising when he suddenly moves from being Daughter Zion's accuser and becomes her ally in Lamentations' second poem.
