First They Came For, By Eve Bunting And Terrible Things: Allegory Of

In the poem,”First they Came for,” by Martin Niemoller, the author used several literary elements to support the text structure, which was plot and conflict. Similarly, in the short story, ”Terrible Things: Allegory of the Holocaust,” by Eve Bunting, the author also used several literary elements to support the text structure which was plot and conflict. Not only do these texts share the same text structure, they also share a common theme of standing up against injustice even if you are not affected by it. Another way that these texts are similar is the topic of the content, which is the Holocaust. The Holocaust was the mass killing of people who were Jewish, Homosexual, disabled or Gypsie by the Nazis, throughout Europe during the 1930-40

era. Some people who were not affected thought that they were safe from the Nazis and did not speak up against them. However, others took fugitives into their homes and hid them from the Nazis, risking their own lives. Additionally, Martin Niemoller, the author of the poem, was a Lutheran priest who did not speak up when the Nazis took people away, but then expected others to speak up for him when the Nazis came for him. One of the literary elements that Eve Bunting uses in “Terrible Things…” to illustrate the theme is conflict. The conflict in “Terrible Things…” is that the Terrible Things keep coming to the clearing and taking animals and no one is standing up for them. In the rising action, the Terrible Things come for animals with feathers, tails, and anything that swims. After a group of animals is taken, Big Rabbit makes an excuse why it was okay for the Terrible Things to take the animals and stood up for the Terrible Things, instead of the other animals. This example links to the theme because, Big Rabbit did not stand up for the other animals when they are in the face of injustice. Coincidentally, Martin Niemoller uses conflict as a way to convey the theme to the reader in the poem “ First They Came For…” In the beginning, the Nazis came for the Socialists, and Niemoller did not speak up. Then, when the Nazis came for the Trade Unionists, once again, Niemoller did not speak up. This pattern continues throughout the rising action. The author’s actions in the beginning of the poem linked to the theme because Niemoller did not stand up for the Trade Unionists and Socialists when they experienced injustice.