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. What is your initial reaction to this poem?  My Initial reaction to this poem is sadness because they are ripped from their parents and killed.
2. How does the author use 'we' in this poem?  The Author uses 'We' as a binding of all the Jewish Children
3. What are the verbs used in the first sentence? Played, Laughed, Loved,
4. What are the verbs used in the second sentence? How do they contrast with those used in the first sentence? Ripped, thrown. It contrasts because the 1st sentance is all good and huggy kissey while the next is violent and not nice.
5. What effect does the listing of 'lawyers, rabbis, wives, teachers, mothers'? What is it meant to signify? It signifies that the children could have had normal lives and had normal jobs but becuase of the hollocaust they cannot have normal lives
6. What simile is used in the poem and what effect does it have? The simile is 'We were taken away in the dead of night like cattle in cars' which represents that the children had suffering even when they were sent to the Concerntration camps they were mistreated and abused.
7. How has the poet represented herself in the last sentence? Remember us, for we were the children whose dreams and lives were stolen away. THe Last sentance shows that she was one of the children becuase she says 'Remember us' which is a heavilly including statemeant meaning she was one of them
8. If you could communicate to this person, a victim of the Holocaust, what would you want to say? What do you feel that you must do in your life as a response to this poem? I don't think I could say anything becuase I have no clue on what she went on. I don't think I would do anything as a response to this poem