Week 7: Disconnection Explored In Post- Holocaust Jewish Literature

Disconnection Explored in Post-Holocaust Jewish Literature

This week's readings all shared disconnection as a common theme; the short stories we read this week had characters that turned to substances to disconnect and cope with the unhappy and unbearable situations they found themselves in. Moreover, the poetry included in this week's readings also highlighted how racial tensions and the holocaust disconnected people. But in exploring disconnection as a theme in literature this week, we can also see that poetry, art, and literature can serve as an escape or way to cope for many creatives. 

This Way for the Gas Ladies and Gentlemen by Tadeusz Borowski is the story of how a man survives at a concentration camp by unloading people off of the boxcar at the train stop. The man describes having to clean the boxcar of dead infants that did not survive the inhumane train trip to the concentration camp. He also describes knowing that the healthy Jews who came out of the trip alive would only be sent to the working camps to do hard physical labor until they died. In contrast, the others who could not work: children, pregnant women, the disabled, and the elderly would be sent to the gas chambers upon arrival. After seeing such horrible things, the man becomes angry and turns to drink vodka until becoming numb. To survive and cope with the daily horrors he sees, the man needs to disconnect emotionally, and he turns to drink as a way to cope.

"The Daydreams of a Drunken Woman" by Clarice Lispector is the story of a woman who married a man she does not love to rise out of poverty. In the story, the woman describes spending her days in bed in a drunken stupor. The woman has no desire to tend to anyone or anything in her life; she is unhappy and uses drinking to escape and disconnect from her feelings about her life and who she wishes she could be. 

The poetry of Paul Celan shares his experiences of the Holocaust. In his poem, DeathFugue, Celan uses metaphors to describe life in a concentration camp while also highlighting how prisoners are disconnected from family and loved ones while being surrounded by death. 

Finally, in his poem Jerusalem,  Yehuda Amichai speaks of how the war disconnected Israel and Palestine. In his poetry, Amichai highlights how despite the disconnections and walls that divide the two nations, they have more in common as one human race. 

Teaching 

Class Discussion

Some of the literature we read this week shared details of real events in history; this week, we read poetry on events at concentration camps. In the past, some have called poetry written on the holocaust 'barbaric," but I am interested in hearing your thoughts on the poetry we read this week? Why do you think someone would write poetry on experiences that took place in concentration camps? 

After some discussion, read this poetry description to the class and open discussion on how poetry and art can often serve as a form of escape or release for creative people. When we learn more about Paul Celan's life, we can see that maybe his poetry was some sort of release or expression of the things he lived through. Paul Celan worked at a labor camp for eighteen months, and his mother was shot and killed at a concentration camp when she could no longer work. There is a connection between Celan's poetry to his reality. Do you think Celan's poetry was more about release than it was about telling what happened during the Holocaust? 

Connecting to the Literature

If possible, take students to a local Holocaust Museum. Here in Florida, we visited Florida Holocaust Museum.  There is currently an art exhibition that displays female artists' artwork made in response to the Holocaust. You can read more about that here. 

Pop Culture Connection

Watch the movie The Book Thief and discuss how the characters experienced disconnection due to the Nazis take over and the Holocaust. This movie also shares the theme of disconnection because it focuses on how the Holocaust disconnected people, but it also shares how literature can serve as an escape, and unexpectedly be connective. 

Activity

Have your students write a short poem or story about a time they experienced disconnection. Ask them to include details on how they experienced it and how it felt. 

References:

Amichai, Yehuda. "Five Poems For Jerusalem." Israel Forever Foundation. N.p., 1987. Web. 15 Aug. 2021.

BOROWSKI, TADEUSZ. "This Way For The Gas, Ladies, And Gentlemen." N.p., 2021. Web. 15 Aug. 2021.

"Clarice Lispector | Jewish Women's Archive." Jewish Women's Archive. N.p., 2021. Web. 15 Aug. 2021.

"Death Fugue By Paul Celan - Poems | Academy Of American Poets." Poets.org. N.p., 2021. Web. 15 Aug. 2021.

"Her Response: Women Artists From The Permanent Collection - The Florida Holocaust Museum." The Florida Holocaust Museum. N.p., 2021. Web. 15 Aug. 2021.

"Homepage - The Florida Holocaust Museum." The Florida Holocaust Museum. N.p., 2021. Web. 15 Aug. 2021.

"Paul Celan | Poetry Foundation." Poetry Foundation. N.p., 2021. Web. 15 Aug. 2021.

"Poetry.Org - What Is Poetry." Poetry.org. N.p., 2021. Web. 15 Aug. 2021.