I am the man that has seen affliction by the rod of his wrath.
Most of the current scholars follow the notion that "the man" is, "A typical sufferer who represented many in the nation,"[2] "An individual, but not an historical figure, but anyone who has suffered greatly, ... Everyman ... who may feel that God is against him,"[3] "One who is playing the role of Jeremiah in the poem,"[4] "O man, (he is) the very image of thyself,"[5] "An individual whose fate is bound up with that of the nation (i.e., as kind of personification of Israel),"[6] "A representative sufferer, and eyewitness, and a type of Christ."[7]  etc.  However, not all current scholars agree in this.  Ross Price wrote (in 1962) that, "Here Jeremiah bares his heart to the reader as he often does in his prophecy."[8]  Also Hillers, while not accepting it, admitted that, "The tradition that Jeremiah is the author of Lamentations provides a ready-made answer to the questions of the chapter."[9]  Also, Theophile J. Meek noted that, "The author seems to have the experiences of Jeremiah in mind."[10] Thus, even those who are unwilling to accept Jeremiah as the author, nevertheless admit that it is indeed Jeremiah whose person and experiences dominate the chapter.  In fact, no other theory is acceptable.  Take the "Personification" idea, for example.  How could God's wife (Israel) be personified by a male character in a chapter where the masculine pronouns dominate it?  "The claim that in this chapter the personified nation is speaking is altogether improbable; and in some passages, absolutely impossible."[11]