Select any 2 poems about the Holocaust. You can select from the following list of poets/poems or conduct additional research on Holocaust poetry. Make sure to get approval from your instructor if you are selecting something not on the list. Click on the link to see the list:
- Bronislawa Wajs: Tears of Blood
- Primo Levi: Buna
- Chaim Nachman Bialik: After My Death; On the Slaughter
- Martin Niemöller: First They Came for the Jews
- Mary Elizabeth Frye: Do not stand at my grave and weep
- Carl Sandburg: Grass
- Miklós Radnóti: Postcard 1; Postcard 2; Postcard 3; Postcard 4
- Bertolt Brecht: The Burning of the Books; Parting; The Mask of Evil
- Ber Horvitz: Der Himmel [The Heavens]
- Yala Korwin: Passover Night 1942; The Little Boy with His Hands Up
- Michael R. Burch: Something
- Paul Celan: Death Fugue; O, Little Root of a Dream
Write an analysis of each poem, including the following information:
- Explain the background on the author, especially in relation to the Holocaust.
- Explain the content of the poem – what story or message is it trying to tell?
- How does the poem relate to the bigger picture of the Holocaust?
- How effective is the poem in relating the Holocaust to readers?
Sample Solution
