Refugee Blues’ by Auden and ‘The Last Night’ Essay

In both texts, a key concept is implemented: ‘Despair.’ Despair is presented in both poems through the oppression of the Jewish People; in both poems they manage to create a feeling of alienation in conjunction with isolation through manipulating their imagery and tone. ‘Refugee Blues’ is rooted in the 1930†²s pre-second world war, when the Jewish communities were being punished for countless mistakes they had not even made. If we break down the title of both texts we can already begin to interpret the different tones, as well as emotions that will be in the pieces. ‘Refugee’ comes from the word refuge, which means safety, safety for the people who have been forced to leave their country in order to escape war, persecution, or natural†¦show more content†¦We see that initially the children Andre and Jacob are almost unaware of their situation and that Andre depends upon Jacob, â€Å"Jacob’s limbs were intertwined with his f or warmth,† and that maybe Jacob is a bit older and bear’s responsibility for his brother. The Structure of ’Refugee Blues’ is simple, a rhyming couplet and a single line in each stanza. The simplicity of the poems structure helps create an easy method to portray the political image. At the end of every stanza, there is repetition of a key phrase that relates back to the rhyming couplet previously for example, ‘A thousand windows and a thousand doors,’ ‘Not one of them was ours, my dear, not one of them was ours.’ This really emphasises the feeling of devastation and travesty consequently keeping it linger in your mind to really feel the betrayal they felt. On the other hand, ‘The Last Night’s’ structure starts slowly, and explains the setting and position the Jews are in. As it begins to get ever closer to the end, it becomes more tense and frantic up to the departure of the Jews to the concentration camp; it leaves usShow MoreRelatedComparing The Last Night By Sebastian Faulks And Refugee Blues 1617 Words    |  7 PagesSebastian Faulks and WH Auden present the suffering of the Jews The texts ‘The Last Night’ by Sebastian Faulks and ‘Refugee Blues’ by W.H. Auden are similar in a sense that they both describes the suffering and alienation of the Jews at the time of World War Two. However, they are not identical as ‘The Last Night’ is an extract from Sebastian Faulk’s book describing the suffering of the French Jew s journey before they were deported to a concentration camp whereas ‘Refugee Blues’ is a poem about theRead MoreCompare and Contrast Auden’s and Faulks’ Use of Detail Establish a Feeling of Alienation in ‘Refugee Blues’ and ‘the Last Night’1043 Words   |  5 PagesFaulks’ use of detail establish a feeling of alienation in ‘Refugee Blues’ and ‘The Last Night’ Both Sebastian Faulks and W. H. Auden write about the tales of Jewish refugees living in the time of holocaust during WW2 in their two pieces, ‘The Last Night’ and ‘Refugee Blues’. By using literary techniques such as imagery and tone both writers, Auden and Gray create a sense of alienation for the characters portrayed in their writing. Both Auden and Gray create a sincere illusion of reality to promoteRead MoreCompare and Contrast Auden’s and Faulks’ Use of Detail Establish a Feeling of Alienation in ‘Refugee Blues’ and ‘the Last Night’1049 Words   |  5 PagesFaulks’ use of detail establish a feeling of alienation in ‘Refugee Blues’ and ‘The Last Night’ Both Sebastian Faulks and W. H. Auden write about the tales of Jewish refugees living in the time of holocaust during WW2 in their two pieces, ‘The Last Night’ and ‘Refugee Blues’. By using literary techniques such as imagery and tone both writers, Auden and Gray create a sense of alienation for the characters portrayed in their writing. Both Auden and Gray create a sincere illusion of reality to promoteRead MoreAn Unknown Girl Analysis1379 Words   |  6 Pagesshe has achieved a new identity, with the henna running in her veins. She desperately tries to hold on to the intricate lines of henna unwilling to let go and she thinks that despite the fact that when she removes the dried henna from her palm that night and even when the design fades away in a week, she will still remember the experience, the feeling of belonging, and long for it in her dreams. This poem is written in free verse but makes use of many other literary techniques to further emphasize