Seven Poems,Seven Paintings

A Lesson on Interpreting the

Holocaust Through Various Media

Learning Objectives

Analyze poems and paintings by exploring the connections between literary and artistic interpretationProbe the question of Jewish identity after the HolocaustDiscuss universal lessons to be learned from the HolocaustDelve deeper into the study of the Holocaust through poetry and art

Poet Poem Subject

Primo Levi ShemaThe importance of telling future generations

Hayim Gouri Heritage Jewish identity

Paul Celan Psalm God and man

Pavel Friedman The Butterfly A ghetto poem

Wisława Szymborska Could Have Fate and empathy

Dan Pagis Written in Pencil in the Sealed Railway-Car

Multiple themes

Martin Niemöller First They Came for the Jews

Bystanders

The painting is filled with three images, two victims in the background and the generation after the Holocaust in the foreground. The future generations to whom the Holocaust has to be conveyed are not represented in the picture. The following points could be addressed: Note the format of the poem. It has three sections with the ‘Holocaust’ description wedged between the comfort of a post-war description in the first verse and the severe admonition of the last verseFocus on: The quality victims’ eyes; the difference in how they are dressed;

Discuss-• Is persecution built into the human condition?• Is ethnic violence endemic?• Does the ‘globe’ represent a permanent weight to be borne by the majority of mankind?• Is the painting an optimistic, pessimistic or realistic portrayal of Gouri’s main message?• What is the artist portraying in the body-language of the victim?

Points for discussion:The relative place of the rose and its guardian thornsThe shape of the rose – does it reflect the ambiguity of Celan’s “no one’s rose.”

Consider the division of the painting created by the location of the rose in the corner and the thorns lying diagonally across the center.

The young poet’s focus on the butterfly could be addressed in terms of its symbolic power in the context of life in the closed ghetto.The artist’s portrayal of this poem is very color-oriented. The contrast of dark and bright parallels the flights of optimism and pessimism in the poem.The following points could be discussed:

The relative size of the butterflyThe position of the butterfly at the edge of the page

The artwork linked to this poem invokes ‘The Other’ or the bystander in a graphic portrayal and begs to be discussed in terms of empathy and other emotions.Additional points to be noted:

The intensity of the eye-contactThe physical contact through an extended hand

The sharing of suffering

The framework of the poem is the first universal family on earth and the heart of the poem is the request of the mother to convey a message to her one son that is left unformulated.

Several themes emerge from the short lines of the poem; the case of the first murder in the history of mankind, the need to leave testimony, the place and role of mothers in the two tragedies of the first family and the Holocaust itself.Pagis also creates a linear connection of man’s evil potential from the first murder to the multiple murder of the Holocaust by linking the story of Cain and Abel to the Holocaust through the title of the poem, which is in fact the only place where the Holocaust is alluded to.

Consider if any one theme of the poem (see no. 2 above) was uppermost in the artist’s mind or perhaps they see expression of more than one theme in her painting.

The artwork linked to this poem raises the question which “family” is being portrayed, Eve and Abel from the Bible or perhaps the mother and child in the Holocaust context.

Historically, selected groups were not persecuted in the order presented in the poem. The weight of the war against Jews carried special moral significance for some clergymen and this is reflected in the order of the groups Niemöller presents. The painting linked to this poem invokes a timeless depiction of persecution. The vague nature of violence and the dread of the threat are present in the painting. It is important to note that the focus of the painter gives prominence to the perpetrators and the viewer could feel himself as a potential victim. This angle is invaluable for creating an appreciation of the underdog.