Analysis of Poems
Title & Author of First Poem: "A Poem of Death" by George Macbeth
Poetic Device 1: Symbolism
Example (quote lines, put line numbers in parentheses at end): "And once again the angel of Death came, / this time in the guise of a baker." (1-2)
Interpretation: The baker is the "Angel of Death", Dr. Josef Mengele, who was often called an Angel of Death. His "bread" is the people, and his "oven" is the crematorium.
Importance of device (this must be a paragraph): Mengele was the leader of the cruel human experiments at Auschwitz, and he was the one who sent most people to their death in the gas chambers or crematoriums. The baker in the poem was shown to be cruel, yet solemn.
Poetic Device 2: Allusion
Example (quote lines, put line numbers in parentheses at end): "you remind me of Janus" (14)
Interpretation: Janus was a Roman god who had two faces, one looking to the past, and one to the future. This implies that the baker is stuck between two transitioning worlds, or due to Janus' role as a god of doorways, could imply his role as the gatekeeper who chose who lived and who died.
Importance of device (this must be a paragraph): Janus, the Roman god, had two faces, one looking to the past and one to the future. He was often used to symbolize change, the growing up of young people, and the progression of one era to another. He was also a god of gateways, which could imply that Mengele was seen as a type of gatekeeper, who chose who lived and who died. Janus was the god of beginnings, and of endings, so this could also be used to show how Mengele ended lives, and began new, harsh, ones.
Title & Author of Second Poem: "Perhaps" by Rajzel Zychlinska
Poetic Device 1: Imagery
Example (quote lines, put line numbers in parentheses at end): "a cold stare of knives. / A chuckle manufactured and fake, / suddenly stirred the horror awake –" (8-10)
Interpretation: These lines help describe what sort of person Mengele is, and show him to be cruel and frightening.
Importance of device (this must be a paragraph): Mengele did many cruel experiments on people at the camps. He was often described with fear if the person had lived through his experiments, despite the better treatment they received under his care. Imagery helps create a feel for how people often felt about him.
Poetic Device 2: Repitition
Example (quote lines, put line numbers in parentheses at end): "Deutsch, Deutsch, Deutsch"-- (22)
Interpretation: The repitition of "Deutsch", which is "German" in the German language, emphasizes how important it was to be German during Nazi reign.
Importance of device (this must be a paragraph): Emphasizing the importance of being German, or more specifically, being "Ayran" is shown in this poem. During Nazi reign, one of their goals was to create a master race of Germans. Since this idea was repeated into the minds of the German people, it is also important in the poem.
Theme (common between two poems): ! Something about cruelty, or a lack of choice, or ignoring individuality
Thesis Statement (What lesson can be learned through the analysis of Holocaust poetry?): So what is important about how this all worked out? What did we learn about medical experimentation?
