Concetti Chiave
- The poem by W. H. Auden explores the plight of Jews during World War II, highlighting themes of displacement and exclusion.
- The narrative vividly contrasts the lives of displaced people with animals, emphasizing the lack of belonging and acceptance for Jews.
- Imagery of a city with millions, yet no place for the narrator, underscores the sense of alienation and loss of homeland.
- The poem's structure consists of 12 stanzas with a consistent rhyme scheme, enhancing its rhythmic and thematic coherence.
- Repetition of phrases like "my dear" and the absence of metaphors or similes highlight the poem's straightforward and impactful style.
What is the introduction to the city?
Say this city has ten million souls, A
Some are living in mansions, some are living in holes: A
Yet there's no place for us, my dear, yet there's no place for us. B
Once we had a country and we thought it fair, C
Look in the atlas and you'll find it there: C
We cannot go there now, my dear, we cannot go there now. D
In the village churchyard there grows an old yew, E
Every spring it blossoms anew: E
Old passports can't do that, my dear, old passports can't do that. F
Consul's declaration
The consul banged the table and said, G
"If you've got no passport you're officially dead": G
But we are still alive, my dear, but we are still alive. H
Went to a committee; they offered me a chair; I
Asked me politely to return next year: I
But where shall we go to-day, my dear, but where shall we go to-day? J
Came to a public meeting; the speaker got up and said; K
"If we let them in, they will steal our daily bread": K
He was talking of you and me, my dear, he was talking of you and me. L
Thought I heard the thunder rumbling in the sky; M
It was Hitler over Europe, saying, "They must die": M
O we were in his mind, my dear, O we were in his mind. N
Animals and exclusion
Saw a poodle in a jacket fastened with a pin, O
Saw a door opened and a cat let in: O
But they weren't German Jews, my dear, but they weren't German Jews. P
Went down the harbour and stood upon the quay, Q
Saw the fish swimming as if they were free: Q
Only ten feet away, my dear, only ten feet away. R
Walked through a wood, saw the birds in the trees; S
They had no politicians and sang at their ease: S
They weren't the human race, my dear, they weren't the human race. T
Dream of a building
Dreamed I saw a building with a thousand floors, U
A thousand windows and a thousand doors: U
Not one of them was ours, my dear, not one of them was ours. V
Stood on a great plain in the falling snow; W
Ten thousand soldiers marched to and fro: W
Looking for you and me, my dear, looking for you and me. X
This poem, written by W. H. Auden in 1939, is about the condition of Jews in World War II.
Structure and style
The poem is made up by 36 lines which are grouped into 12 stanzas. Each one has 3 lines of regular length, they begin with a capital letter and they are all aligned. This poem has a regular rhyme scheme (aab – ccd – eef ggh – iij – kkl- mmn- oop – qqr – sst -uuv - wwx), no consonances, no assonances and alliterations. There are 6 run-on-lines (lines 1-4-7-22-25-31).
There are no metaphors, similes or personifications. In the third lines of each stanza the poet repeats the idea twice. He repeats “my dear” in the third line of each stanza, too.
Personal opinion
I don’t like it very much because it’s so distressing and crude. In my opinion you can make a comparison between this poem and the Felix Nussbaum’s painting “Self-portrait with Jewish Passport”.
Domande da interrogazione
- What is the central theme of W. H. Auden's poem?
- How is the poem structured in terms of stanzas and rhyme scheme?
- What literary devices are notably absent from the poem?
- How does the poet emphasize the recurring theme in each stanza?
- What personal opinion is expressed about the poem, and how is it compared to another work?
The poem addresses the plight of Jews during World War II, highlighting themes of displacement, exclusion, and the search for belonging.
The poem consists of 12 stanzas, each with 3 lines, and follows a regular rhyme scheme of aab – ccd – eef – ggh – iij – kkl – mmn – oop – qqr – sst – uuv – wwx.
The poem does not use metaphors, similes, or personifications, focusing instead on straightforward language and repetition.
The poet repeats the phrase "my dear" in the third line of each stanza, reinforcing the personal and emotional connection to the theme of exclusion.
The poem is described as distressing and crude, and it is compared to Felix Nussbaum's painting "Self-portrait with Jewish Passport" for its portrayal of Jewish suffering.
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