Holocaust is an event of mass murder of approximately six million Jews. These two poems convey a message about the horrific effects of holocaust. These are two political, angry and fighting poems which aim to convey a message of abused people. These two poems also show how politics can be immoral, evil and mischievous.
Auden’s “refugee blues” laments the plight of the Jews expelled from Europe, some were killed and some arrested under the rule of Hitler. The poem is about two Jews assumed to be a couple. They are refugees in Germany and they are not welcomed at all to add I feel this couple is at the wrong place at the wrong time. The poem takes the form of a ‘blues’ which is a slow sad song which originates from slave songs. Through the poet’s diction, symbolism, imagery and repetition, the idea of abused human rights and the victim’s plight is evidently communicated. The poem concludes metaphorically with narrator telling his companion how he saw ten thousand soldiers looking for them to jail them or even worse to execute them. Each stanza intensifies their suffering.
Primo Levi’s poem “Shema” mourns lives of Jews in concentration camps during Nazi regime. The Jews were humiliated and a lot were executed. The poem takes the form of a traditional Jewish prayer which is considered the essence of the religion; the prayer is titled “Shema.” Each of the three stanzas serves a main purpose: the first stanza Levi states whom he is addressing, the second stanza he provides directions of judgement and the last he warns. I think the poet presents the poem in the religious manner so that we interpret his opinion from a religious perception. With the aid of numerous literal devices like symbolism, imagery, contradiction, metaphor and simil...
... middle of paper ...
...the camp.
Next Levi uses simile and I believe it is the most effective of them all, this is because it allows him to compare merely on one aspect “Eyes empty and womb cold As a frog in winter” here not only appearance is taken to consideration but also the inside being “womb cold” which means she has been rendered infertile. The simile “as a frog in winter” paints a picture of a woman alone in a dark, cold place with no sense of hope. I think he uses animal because the Jews were equals of animals.
Primo writes in simple past tense to illustrate that what is talking about has already happened. He also uses first person narration to interact with the readers and to make the poem dramatically. This is a unique poem it is a free verse this allows the writer to express himself.
These two poets are successful in conveying the suffering brought by mankind to harm mankind.
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
This poem is telling a story, perhaps of someone grieving over the loss of someone lose to them, with no happiness nor hope left to have. “Here you sit beside me, Our shadows have outgrown us. The lamp goes out, The joy already came, already went. Our heart will grieve, We’ll sit here melancholy, Like children greatly punished. Here you sit beside me, Our shadows have outgrown us” Earlier within the poem it states “The joy already came, already went” which is meaning there is no joy left as it was once there, just sadness and sorrow left behind. This poem shows that he, and other people he was with, went through a great amount of sadness and loss because the Holocaust took loved ones and family members away and he may have felt as if he didn't have hope left any chance of happiness.
Maxine Kumin uses connotation, tone, allusions and metaphors to reference the holocaust and Social Darwinist principle, while developing the theme of the poem. The theme the author is hinting at is that when killing,
“One merit of poetry few persons will deny: it says more and in fewer words than prose.” Said by Voltaire can describe the two poems, Seventeen by Andrew Hudgins and Traveling through the Dark by William Stafford. Both poems are written in a prose fashion but mean so much more than the written words. At a glance, the poems both seem to be about the tragic deaths of animals; however, the poems differ in their themes of growing up in Seventeen and the intermixing of technology with man and nature in Traveling through the Dark.
Both poems inspire their reader to look at their own life. In addition, they treat the reader to a full serving of historic literature that not only entertains, but also teaches valuable lesson in the form of morals and principles.
In the poem “Refugee Blue”, the narrator can be said to be comforting a loved one. The injustice they face are also anti- semitism. The narrator is showing how they are affected because of the injustice. They are homeless, “Yet there 's no place for us”(line 3) shows how there are all these people with a variety socioeconomic
“What do you expect? That’s war…” Elie Wiesel, young teenage boy sent to work in a concentration camp with his family near the end of WW2. Author of his own autobiography, Night recounting his struggles during that time. This book is about a boy named Elie Wiesel who was captured by the Nazi’s and was put into a concentration camp, and got disconnected from God, and was very close to his mom, dad, and family. Throughout Night Elie Wiesel addresses the topic of genocide through the use of imagery, simile, and personification.
The Holocaust was a tragic event in history which instilled fear and sorrow in so many. This time can be seen as one without order, because the law at the time said the actions taken were just (epigraph translation). A poet was able, however, to take such a chaotic time in history in the poem The Book of Yolek, and create a more personal attachment (for the reader) to the topic. The poet Anthony Hecht has taken the Holocaust (more specifically the moving of Jewish orphans to a concentration camp) and made it simple and nostalgic, taking a more calm approach to the subject ("5th August 1942: Warsaw Orphans Leave for Treblinka"). By using the form of a Sestina (very precise form difficult to properly do), along with the images, rhetorical use of grammar, and the tone portrayed throughout the piece, Anthony Hecht demonstrates a peaceful outlook can be given to the most chaotic moments in human life (Strand et al. 20). However, he also demonstrates the need for emotional attachment when referring to an occurrence (in history) of the past.
The Holocaust was the genocide of approximately six million people of innocent Jewish decent by the Nazi government. The Holocaust was a very tragic time in history due to the idealism that people were taken from their surroundings, persecuted and murdered due to the belief that German Nazi’s were superior to Jews. During the Holocaust, many people suffered both physically and mentally. Tragic events in people’s lives cause a change in their outlook on the world and their future. Due to the tragic events that had taken place being deceased in their lives, survivors often felt that death was a better option than freedom.
”We are the children of the holocaust. We are both Germans and Jews. We are the children of the victims. We are the children of the oppressors. We started out on opposite sides but the memory of the holocaust will join us forever. We shall never let the victims be forgotten, for if we do, we will forget that the perpetrator can be in all of us.” This poem expresses quite well the sensation that most individuals feel when they hear the word “Holocaust.” Although they may not have been there, or known someone who was, they may still feel an underlying sadness or anger due to the events that took place during World War II. I myself am neither a Jew nor have German decent, and I too become emotional at just the thought of such a devastating occurrence. It is in this sense that I will discuss how the Holocaust has affected not only the Jewish world, but other peoples as well.
Contemporary female poets are a very powerful group of female poets that with their poems shows major events and issues in society. Contemporary female poets usually all have an underlying theme of politics, women rights, life events, and sexuality. Contemporary means living or occurring at the same time and some contemporary female poets are, Adrienne Rich, Nikki Giovanni, and Gwendolyn Brooks. Adrienne Rich, Nikki Giovanni, and Gwendolyn Brooks were all writing in the late 1900s. The Women Rights movement and the Civil Rights movement were two events that occurred during the time of the late 1900s. These two movements was heavily incorporated in each Brooks’, Rich’s, and Giovanni’s life and influenced their writings. Each of these women put their personal feelings about political issues in their poems, which makes the theme of their work politics. The theme of these three women work is different aspects of politics, such as women empowerment and women rights, and racial pride. “Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers” by Adrienne Rich, “Nikki-Rosa” by Nikki Giovanni, and “The Mother” by Gwendolyn Brooks are the three poems that each represent the theme of politics regarding women rights and empowerment, and racial pride.
“So much has happened, it is just as if the whole world turned upside down” (Frank, 1). Many tragic events have happened in history that have then been documented which provided the perfect opportunity for a piece of literature to be written. Many pieces of literature such as Anne Frank: Diary of a Young Girl describe the horrific incidents that occurred during the time period of the Holocaust during World War 2. Not to mention, video clips including, The War: Near Execution, provide information on gruesome and heartbreaking things that went on during the Second World War. As one reads or watches one of the excerpts many emotions are felt due to the tone. Both pieces, Anne Frank: Diary of a Young Girl and The War : Near Execution, set a tone of oppression and hopelessness.
...ast each other well. Both poems use imagery, repetition, alliteration and rhyming and both have many biblical references and rhetorical questions. Although each poem is different in its structure, theme and the way it is written.
According to Webster's Dictionary, poetry is defined as "writing that formulates a concentrated imaginative awareness of experience in language chosen and arranged to create a specific emotional response through meaning, sound, and rhythm." While this is the technical definition of poetry many writers attempted to further describe what poetry is. There are many contradicting views and no one can agree what is the essence of poetry. Some poets think that poetry is the expression of emotions and rules do not matter, while other poets suggest the poetry is all about the rules and the rhythm that must be followed. The perfect mix to define poetry is somewhere in between.
Strangeways, Al. "'The Boot in the Face': The Problem of the Holocaust in the Poetry of