The Holocaust Poetry

Holocaust
by Barbara Sonek

We played, we laughed
we were loved.
We were ripped from the arms of our
parents and thrown into the fire.
We were nothing more than children.
We had a future. We were going to be lawyers, rabbis, wives, teachers, mothers. We had dreams, then we had no hope. We were taken away in the dead of night like cattle in cars, no air to breathe smothering, crying, starving, dying. Separated from the world to be no more. From the ashes, hear our plea. This atrocity to mankind can not happen again. Remember us, for we were the children whose dreams and lives were stolen away.

1. The initial reaction to this poem is pretty sad because it is from a ghost's point of view

2. The word 'we' used in this poem are relating to the Jewish children who were captured and killed by Germans. Also using inclusive language meaning more to the reader. Also, this is used in first person talking about each other, it also uses repetition.

3. The verbs are: Played, laughed, loved. These are the children's lives before they were taken away from the camp

4. The verbs are ripped and thrown. The verbs are more horrible and crude than the first one and it gives a negative feel.

5. It was meant to signify the future careers and jobs and what they think they would have in the future life but the Germans killed them when they were young.

6. The simile that was used in the poem was "We were taken away in the night like cattle in cars." It's effect was that they were taken away and stowed in vans driving to the concentration camp. They were also treated like animals. There are also alliterations there

 7. The poet has represented herself as one of the Jewish kids who were slaughtered in POW camps and dreams stolen. She also gives us a first person view. She also said in the poem "remember us" as it is telling us that to remember her and the dead Jewish kids.

8. If I would, then I would talk about our present saying that there is no war, there is no slaughter, the Germans are peaceful, the Jews are safe. This poem has motivated us to stop anything that can cost someone's life.