Wednesday 25 April 2012

Refugee blues

As you read in the introduction, the poem was written half a year before the outbreak of World War II. However, the reader can pinpoint the three major protagonists whose paths will cross tragically in the course of the war.
Complete the following sentences:

The victims are the Jews, clearly.
The perpetrators are the Nazis with the followers of the ideology/movement.
The bystanders are the rest of Europe, rest of Germany specially

What particular factors led an individual to be defined as belonging to this or that group?
Jews were murdered because they wern't part of the "Aryan race", this was the "perfect" race, that was the one the Nazis wanted to mantain. To be killed by the Nazis you also could be a black person or an homosexual. There was nothing to do if you were part of a group that was discriminated by the Nazis.

Of the three groups, which was the largest? Is their any connection between your answer and the term ‘The Silent Majority’?
The largest of these groups were the civilians or bystanders. The connection with the term "The Silent Majority" is direct, as they were "The Silent Majority", because eventhough they knew exactly what was happening, they didn't do anything to prevent the genocide applied to the million Jews during Second World War.

What possible relationships could have developed between the victims and the bystanders?
The relationships between the bystanders and the victims was really important, many times it was a thing of life and death, as Jews could be helped by the bystanders by being hidden on some place gaven by the civilians, along with food, clothes and other things. On the other side, Jews were many times betrayed by the bystanders, as they told the Nazis they had contact with Jews or something similar, this was, Jews were just murdered because of the bystanders.

Auden presents different situations in which prohibitions against the victims multiply and effectively turn them into refugees. Identify and list some of these prohibitions. What does it mean to have these things taken away from you?
Jews wern't free people during the Holocaust, many privileges were taken away just because they were Jews, and they had nothing to do against this, because they were going to be pursued by the German army and by consecuence, they were going to be taken to concentration camps. They couldn't go to any other place.

State bureaucracies are crucial in the lives of ordinary citizens, not to mention threatened population groups like the homeless or people evicted from their homes. Identify the different functionaries or objects that represent bureaucracies for Auden.
People who lived in mansions, the yew, the consul, the committee, the speaker of the public meeting, the birds, the buildings, the fish, the soldiers.

In your opinion, who is a refugee? Can one become a refugee in one’s own home?
A refugee is somebody that doesn't have a place in his own country or surroundings, just like Jews during the Holocaust, society didn't accepted them, they were not free. Yes, you can be a refugee in your own home, just like Jews were pursued in their own places.

How can state bureaucracies help refugees or hinder efforts to help?
State bureaucracies can help in some ways refugees, by the creation of laws that can help refugees with work, food or important needs in order to survive. They also can help by integrating them on any way to the society, in the end, a sense of protection.

In your opinion, should governments today have the responsibility to take care of refugees in their country?
Alternatively, what is the role of society in absorbing refugees? Think of schools, sports clubs, the scout movement and other organizations in your country.
Absolutely yes, refugees can't be hidden by the government, they deserve a chance of a better life, refugees aren't good for any country in order to grow, in order to grow, countries need a free society with people working on a decent way, not with a miserable life.
The role of society can be determinant on absorbing refugees, as they may help on a very good way, but the big majority helps in nothing, nobody likes a place with refugees, but also nobody does anything to take them out of his miserable life and give them a new opportinity.

4 comments:

  1. Hi Matías!
    The only activity that you forgot to upload is chapter 2. I saw it in Jander's blog but you had to include it here, too.
    Good job with Fatelessness. I hope you post more often next period.
    6.5

    ReplyDelete
  2. Matias,
    Upload the ad analysis and your remediation as soon as possible.
    Miss Carla

    ReplyDelete
  3. Matias,
    Follow this example, please!
    http://english2013.blogspot.com/
    Miss Carla

    ReplyDelete