JR#8 - Reactions to Holocaust Poetry of Extremity

After returning from Winter Break, we have turned away from the soldiering, boot-stomping, gun-tooting, bomb-dropping side of warfare and have begun to discuss the atrocious and long-lasting effect of WWII upon the innocent victims of the war. Namely, we have begun to investigate poetry of extremity, as it is termed by Caroline Forché in her landmark anthology entitled Against Forgetting. Importantly, the vast majority of the poetry, if not all, in her anthology is found poetry. This is a key component in the literary, cultural, and historical value of the selected poets' work. The simple fact that their work was not formally published, that their work was discovered, and by accident most often, positions their poetic endeavors as surviving relics of the Holocaust. They are artifacts in the truest sense of the word. As Forché notes, "Regardless of 'subject matter' these poems bear the trace of extremity within them, and they are, as such, evidence of what occurred" (30).

Found poetry is a key aspect of postmodern theory and philosophy. As we've discussed in class this past week and a half, these poems are wrought with poignant tales of survival, longing, and hope. These motifs become juxtaposed by death, forgetting, and the loss of hope. Indeed, these works, as Forché reminds us, have been found, compiled, and published as a direct means of not forgetting! 

In an ACE'd paragraph of at least 7-10 sentences, select two poets which we have read so far in this unit. Then, select two poems from these poets to analyze for their literal and figurative meaning. Consider the following questions as you compose your response:

• How do these works illustrate the motif of extremity? 
• What do they express and how do they express it? 
• How does the form of your chosen works serve to accentuate the content and the thematics of the poems? 
• And, finally, how do these poems bear witness to the atrocities of WWII and to the humanity which so many individuals sought to erase, and yet failed to do so?

Your responses are due, posted below as a comment, by classtime tomorrow. Thanks all!