Structure Of Levi's Poetry example essay topic

'Pain retold, is pain redoubled " What prompts someone to write about their suffering, and how do they convey a sense of their emotions to the reader? Primo Levi is a Holocaust war victim, a survivor from Auschwitz, who for years was plagued by guilt because he survived - a feeling that is passed on in Jewish tradition, which I understand being a fellow Jew. Jewish heritage is very important to all Jews; myself included, which is one reason why I can connect with the poet / author, his poems and his other works. Levi decided to write, rather than keep in, his feelings, and subsequently wrote both poetry, and a variety of prose, both fiction and autobiographical. The emotions in two of his poems, 'Shema' and 'The Survivor' are a melange of guilt, anger and sorrow. Levi feels guilt that he is living when so many he knew are dead, he is angry at how people are forgetting what happened less than 50 years ago, and also sad at what has passed.

These emotions are portrayed through various means in 'Shema', the two most effective being repetition of certain thought-provoking words, '... empty eyes... empty womb... ' '... cold heart... cold hand... ' '... hard heart and eyes... hard like a rock... '. These words give an impression of what Levi feels for his captors, while invoking numbness that makes it real. The harsh consonant sounds, 'creating cages for captivity' invoke feelings of timidness because of the harsh attack from the words, even after it has been translated from the native Italian.

Levi wrote other books, and in one (Survival In Auschwitz) it struck me how matter-of-fact ly he wrote down his observations. Although the subjects of his works are the horrors that he saw during his time in the Death-camps, Levi wrote it so people could learn what it was like, so Jews and non-Jews alike could witness the memoirs of a survivor. The description of the number tattooed on his arm, which functioned as an impromptu meal ticket, is registered as merely one more fact of life. '... We became used to showing our number promptly enough not to disorder the daily operation of food-distribution; weeks and months were needed to learn its sound in the German language.

' Levi documents the mundane life of the camp, a side that is not often seen, laying out his experiences with a reserved, atrocious 'every day'-ness. This straightforward attitude lets the idea of his pain and suffering sink in to the reader. Levi places a lot of emphasis on his titles and opening lines. The title 'Shema' is the name of the most important Jewish prayer. This prayer teaches us to remember always that we are followers of Gd and that we should not forget it. Literally, Shema means Hear, or Listen - it is a word that all throughout my history has inspired and healed.

Levi uses it convey the importance of his story. It is a powerful word that carries with it much importance and history. There are several other references to certain aspects in the Jewish faith, '... When you are in your house... when you go to bed and when you arise' which reinforce the Jewish ideal that the story should be retold and never lost. 'The Survivor' refers to the deeds that one must do to survive. 'Sometimes... the things you do to survive are worse than the survival itself' (Se Questo?

Un Uomo). In the first few lines Levi refers to The Ancient Mariner, a poem where the sailor is doomed to wander the world with the weight of his crimes around his neck. Levi sees this as a personification of himself- that he will forever walk the world knowing that he is alive, and the others not. This reference holds so much importance- the guilt of a previous person transposed into his native language portrays the outpouring of guilt that he feels, coupled with loneliness and the eternal weariness.

Another of Levi's books, 'The Periodic Table' is structured so that each of the 21 chapters refers to the elements of Mendeleyev's Periodic Table as starting points for autobiographical episodes. For example, my favourite, Argon the inert Gas reminds Levi much of his own family, with its tendency to stay on the sidelines and avoid any potentially explosive interactions. This springboard idea conveys to the reader a sense of structure, of order, that their lives could be mapped out in chapters and given headings and easily categorized into small pockets in mere seconds. This structure also brings out the mundane life of the camps- chapter of life follows chapter; when I read it I could appreciate the feelings of loneliness that Levi must have felt. Instead of describing events at length, Levi uses certain words that evoke imagery from the reader.

This is especially true of his poetry when words such as 'empty', 'cold', 'hard', 'unmoved', or 'dead'. Empty to me shows people who feel nothing; they have been near to death for so long that they wish in a twisted way that they were dead, and free from the torture of work. Cold, not only physically, but also mentally and emotionally- people were cold, empty, like a void with no feelings surfacing. They believed that they would die, they just didn't know when or how. They didn't care much anymore. Hard, to me describes their animalist ic life, the hard working conditions, tasks and taskmasters, the way they clung on to the last strands of life even though it was a hopeless struggle.

Unmoved, again brings memories of the people and how they did not feel the pain anymore, only a deep felt numbness. The word Dead is fairly self-explanatory; it brings images previously seen of bodies lying in roads, blood running off them. These powerful words all contribute to the true horrors of Camp life, which Levi wants us exposed to before we can start to understand the pain or sacrifice that he has seen and gone through. This also makes us understand his guilt; he does not know why he should have survived when his family and friends were 'slaughtered where they lay'.

The language in his poetry, especially 'Shema' is clearly sarcastic and strongly conveys the feeling that Levi is angry with us. The pronouns 'YOU who live secure / In YOUR warm houses " Lets the reader clearly understand Levi's anger and guilt. Levi puts the whole situation in a perspective that makes us not only sympathise with him, but also empathize. 'Consider that this has been... [You]' is an imperative- If we do not repeat 'these words' to our children, the consequences are disastrous. 'Your house may crumble', '... disease [will] render you powerless', and the worst yet, 'Your offspring will avert their faces from you.

' These harsh punishments show us just how much the experience meant to Levi-he believes we should hand down the story of affliction otherwise it will be lost. If it were forgotten then it would signify that the Holocaust was nothing, that it did not mean anything. In 'The Survivor' Levi tells of the 'submerged people', his companions from the past, who threaten him from the edges of his sleep with guilt. 'It's not my fault if I live and breathe' completely summarises the natural feelings of guilt, yet although Levi is alive, he is still controlled by his past. 'Eat, drink, sleep and put clothes on'- the order that had been drilled into him still remains. So do other visions of the past, for example the turnip.

Conditions were so harsh that people dreamed of something as tasteless as a turnip. For me, this really put the whole situation into perspective- it personalized the affair completely. Levi wasn't just a survivor, he was The Survivor, and this was his story. This sense of 'personal conveyance' makes the Holocaust more tangible, real, and serious to a more modern audience.

Phrases and certain words also inspire images and then emotions that are timeless- 'Who fights for a crust of bread', 'Who dies at a yes or no', 'Empty eyes and cold womb', the imagery created is of a brutally downtrodden being who has only hope to cling on to, to survive. This mental picture painted of the Death-Camps inspires a sense of sympathy and compassion for the dead, and the survivors. We can all relate to the Holocaust and what they have suffered, not only because of our imaginations, but also because of the cold, hard facts that tell us plainly than over 6 million Jews died. In 'Shema', the phrase 'As a frog in winter' refers to both the Nazi people and the camp inmates. The Nazi's perceptions of the people, that they are worthless, insignificant and unimportant - they paid as much attention to the Jews as frogs dying of cold in winter. Levi wants us to see and understand what he has gone through.

He wants us never to forget the horrors of Camp life, or the dreadful conditions. I think he believes that without being reminded, people will simply forget and this Holocaust could happen again. The 'frog' could also refer to hibernation- that the Jews hibernate and then in spring when they are freed they emerge again. Or it could be a reference to the Nazi revival that Levi mentions in his interviews, that although the people may be downtrodden now, they will rise up again and try to take over.

If you examine the structure of Levi's poetry, several poems share the 3-stanza format. In Shema especially, the first stanza, I believe, represents Levi's childhood; abrupt and short lived. The second, longer, more accusing stanza is his life in the Death Camps, long because of the stress both physically and mentally. The last paragraph represents his life now-it has been comparatively short, measured against his time in the Death Camps, but is still important and concluded Levi's 'life'. The three stanzas might also represent the three stages in life: birth, life and death. This would tie in with the fact that Levi is writing about his own life and others peoples' life, and death.

It is a pattern that he repeats in his other poetry- 'The Survivor' and also 'Faith'. Levi put so much of himself into his writing- the guilt he feels at surviving that Holocaust as well as his emotions- that he feels he must 'write it out of his system' for other people to read and understand, to gain knowledge from what he has been through. He wants the future generation to understand and never forget what really happened. It is not just through the retelling that we, the readers, gain an understanding of his past life, but it is through his word choice, his images, his structure and the occasional outside comments that he makes on life. 'It is not at all an idle matter trying to define what a human being is. ' History will never change, but the future will.

Heritage is an important part of history; it describes customs, life and traditions. The importance of heritage is linked with the importance of history. If we loose our heritage, we loose part of history. As a Jew and a person, I can identify with Levi's believe that it is vital for people to know where they have come from, and what their true background is. People cannot only be satisfied with their own heritage however, to be in true harmony with each other, we need to know each other's culture as well. Levi's work is an example of that heritage, of that history.

There is a need for people to learn and incorporate the past into the present and the future, to expand in knowledge. His works not only captivate and interest, but they convey a deeply personal sense of true experience that makes the stories special and real. From reading his works you not only understand the pain, guilt and anger, but also the need for repentance. Levi believes his repentance comes in telling and re-telling his story. His work serves as a reminder to everyone- not to let prejudice blind you against evil, to remind people of the great sorrow that happened, and not only does it educate and inform people, it also expresses feelings that should not be forgotten in case another Holocaust should happen. It serves as to inform people, or also remind them of what happened.

It is his catharsis, and our education. Truly, his work is Shema: Listen. Biography: Calling of Kindred IL SISTEMA PERIODIC, 1975 - The Periodic Tables QUESTO? UN UOMO, 1947 - If This is a Man / Survival in Auschwitz AD ORA INCE RTA- or- L'OSTERIA DI B REMA, collected poems Conversations with Primo Levi by Ferdinando Cam on (1989) Quote: Chinese proverb, 'The Wisdom of the Chinese Sages' published 1987.