Directions: Read and analyze the poem below. Then answer the accompanying questions in 1–3 sentences. Source: “For Yom Ha’Shoah 1 ” by Sonia Schreiber Weitz. Sonia Weitz was born in Krakow, Poland. At age 11, she and her family were forced into ghettos by the Nazis. She and her sister were the only members of her family to survive the ghettos and concentration camps during the Holocast. At an early age, she turned to poetry to cope with her emotions. Years after the Holocaust, she wrote this poem: Come, take this giant leap with me into the other world . . . the other place where language fails and imagery defies, denies man’s consciousness . . . and dies upon the altar of insanity. Come, take this giant leap with me into the other world . . . the other place and trace the eclipse of humanity . . . where children burned while mankind stood by and the universe has yet to learn why . . . has yet to learn why. 1. What is the message of this poem? 2. Which lines seem most significant to you? 3. What questions do you have after reading this poem?
1. The message of this poem is the exploration of the otherworldly experience of the Holocaust and the failure of language and imagery to capture the immense suffering and tragedy.
2. The most significant lines in the poem are "where children burned while mankind stood by and the universe has yet to learn why" as it highlights the horrifying atrocities committed during the Holocaust and the unanswered question of why it happened.
3. After reading this poem, one may have questions about the role of humanity in allowing such atrocities to occur, the limits of language and imagery in capturing trauma, and the lasting impact of the Holocaust on survivors like the poet.