English Poem help
Hi, so I'm still pretty new to the English language/ history and I'm having trouble explaining the message of a poem. I know the basics of it, like the horrors of the holocaust described in the poem, but I need help getting in depth of it. So here's the question I'm stuck on: In a proper paragraph, explain the message of the poem, using the figurative language of the poem as support (thus showing how the use of poetic devices gets the message across).
Here's the poem that I found: http://apparentlynotderanged.blogspot.ca/2011/05/to-little-polish-boy-standing-with-his.html
Well.. I'll just copy paste it here lol
I.
I would like to be an artist
So I could make a painting of you
Little Polish Boy
Standing with your little hat on your head
The Star of David on your coat
Standing in the ghetto with your arms up
As many Nazi machine guns point at you
I would make a monument of you and the world
Who said nothing
I would like to be a composer
So I could write a concerto of you
Little Polish Boy
Standing with your little hat on your head
The Star of David on your coat
Standing in the ghetto with your arms up
As many Nazi machine guns point at you
I would write a concerto of you and the world
Who said nothing
II.
I am not an artist
But my mind has painted a painting of you
Ten Million Miles High is the painting
So the whole universe can see you now
Little Polish Boy
Standing with your little hat on your head
The Star of David on your coat
Standing in the ghetto with your arms up
As many Nazi machine guns pointed at you
And the world
Who said nothing
I'll make this painting so bright
That it will blind the eyes of the world
Who saw nothing
Ten Billion Miles High will be the monument
So the whole universe can remember you
Little Polish Boy
Standing with your little hat on your head
The Star of David on your coat
III.
Standing in the ghetto with your arms up
As many Nazi machine guns pointed at you
And the monument will tremble so the blind world
Now will know
What fear is in the darkness
The world
Who said nothing
I am not a composer
But I will write a composition
For five trillion trumpets
So it will blast the ear drums
Of this world
The worlds
Who heard nothing
I
am
Sorry
that
it was you
and
not me
3 Comments • Newest first
Thanks Celyfaye! . And thanks Burning for trying
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/extra/features/jan-june00/poetryboxdevicesexamples.html
Here are some poetic devices.
This poem seems to illustrate the world as a singular entity, an entity that is utterly blind and deaf to the plights of the Jewish people. We remember the numbers, the statistics, and the methods, but we will never truly understand the pain that each individual person felt in that moment. The poem brings to light a young Jewish boy, who would have otherwise been forgotten and lost in death, never to be remembered again. The poet continually brings up works of art, such as paintings and monuments. One must remember that paintings and monuments are things that both speak a message and endures the ravages of time. In preserving the young polish boy in huge monuments and paintings, the poet would be able to tell the entire world about this single young boy, and his fear, the "fear that [was] in the darkness" of ignorance and forgetfulness. The poet wants us to never forget about the victims of the holocaust, and remember the enormity of each of the victim's lives, down the the last little polish boy.
Hope this helps!
Analyzing poetry? Nope. I have no experience with that.
The best I can do is point out obvious literary elements. Imagery is heavily used and there's a motif that constantly reference back to the Little Polish Boy.