Holocaust Poems
Family Album-Images of war and peace
Written by: Amos Neufeld
“The gas and sealed cattle-cars are still two years away”
foreshadowing/extra info
“While tomorrow winds it arms and twists tighter round their necks”
foreshadowing
“Black boots”
nazi soldiers
“Smoke floats”
burning bodies
“Summer camp”
concentration camp
“Precipice”
edge
“Final page”
the last photo in their family album
Family Album- Questions
When was the photo mentioned in this poem taken?
1934
Why does the author leave one line unfinished?
To show the unknow that the people of that time faced
What does the speaker mean by “final page”
Means that it is their end. The final page in their family album
Define “thematic statement”
the universal truth of a poem
What is the theme of family album
That change in society can take place without notice and take people by surprise
Saving the Children
Written by: Frieda Singer
What is free verse?
a type of poem that doesn’t have a rhyme scheme or punctuation.
What have the nazis taken away from the girl in the poem?
her parents, shoes, hair, gender and childhood.
Why does the poem use the expression “work makes one free”?
because of the sign at the entrance of Auschwitz and the irony that no one is free.
What is the significance of “left” and “right” in the poem?
left= death right=live
What promise did the girl in the poem make? to keep the next generation of children alive
How is staying alive a form of resistance? because the nazis tried to exterminate them- staying alive is like rebelling
What does the lack of structure in this poem do to the experience of reading it?
she never got to stop and experience her childhood/grow up. Concentration camps had no structure and rules. Symbolizes the unknown
Dulce Et Decorum Est
Written by: Wilfred Owen
What does “Five-Nines” mean?
bomb shell casing
What does “lime” mean?
chemicals
Define the line “i saw him drowning”
bloodfilling lungs, suffocating on gas. A guy was caught without his helmet/gas mask on.
Who was Wilfred Owen?
he was killed in France on November 4th, 1918. He was 25 years old
What are 2 similes in the poem “Dulce Et Decorum Est”?
Bent like old beggers and Coughing like hags.
What is the tone of the poem?
regretful
What adjective is used in line 10 of the poem? Clumsy helmets
What is the poet describing in stanza three? Describing his nightmares due to his PTSD.
What impact does using the word “flung” have on the poem?
Shows that people were treated carelessly
What is the poets message?
Those who have seen what happens in war would not speak of it ever again. Also that it is NOT sweet and fitting to die for your country, saying that just brainwashes kids.