Themes In Auden's Refugee Blues

How does the poet create themes of hopelessness and what effect does it have on the reader?

The poem Refugee Blues, describes the time during the Jew holocaust, where two refugees together lost all rights and freedom in their country. Throughout the poem, themes of hopelessness and isolation were conveyed throughout. The poet Auden does this by using various techniques and language devices. This has an effect on the readers as they start sympathizing for the two refugees in this poem. Auden uses contrast to emphasize how low the two German Jews are in power and how they are so unappreciated people that they are put in such low priority. ‘Some are living in mansions, some are living in holes.’ This is a clear contrast between rich and poor …show more content…
‘In the village churchyard there grows an old yew, every spring it blossoms anew.’ This contrasts the nature and the refugees and how the plants have even more hope than them as new yew blossoms but the refugees might not have such luck of a new start. ‘Saw a poodle in a jacket fastened with a pin.’ This shows how even a dog is more cared for than humans and are properly watched after. ‘Saw a door opened and a cat let in’. This again shows how even a cat is more welcomed than the two refugees. ‘Saw the fish swimming as if they were free’ This shows how fearful and trapped the two Jews are as they even think that fishes were even more free than they were as they were able to swim anywhere they want but the refugees were trapped with not even a place to …show more content…
‘Say this city has ten million souls.’ Even though this is a hyperbole, the city is still home to many others but yet the Jews were the ones wanted to be killed and they were the ones that have lost so much including their homes and now, they are the people who are wanted dead. ‘Thought I heard the rumbling in the sky’. This use of pathetic fallacy itself creates a threatening atmosphere and they face a serious threat and sounding like something bad that they wouldn’t want is about to happen. ‘It was Hitler over Europe, saying, “They must die”.’ This shows how powerful he is, it almost sounds as if whatever he wants is what he gets so the unlucky people won’t be able to hide forever, only temporarily. ‘Stood on a great plain in the falling snow.’ This gives us a vision of isolation, as it is a plain field and coldness. This could also represent danger as there is no one there, and the reason behind that is unknown and danger could possibly mean