As I hope you remember from 10th grade, Europe has been home to some of the finest poets the world has ever known.  Because I like to touch on a little poetry as we “travel the world” in each unit, I’d like you to spend today digging into some quality European poetry.  A while back, I came across this really great resource on Poetry Foundation that lists some highly regarded poetry that is inspired by World War II, which I thought would connect well to our focus on the historical backdrop of The Book Thief.

Please follow these directions to complete this post:

1.) Choose a poem from this list, and copy and paste all (or an excerpt, if it’s quite lengthy) of the text of the poem into your blog post.  The Poetry Foundation website often does not allow you to copy and paste, so you may have to get the text from a different source after you choose your poem.

2.) Write an extensive review and analysis of the poem (3+ paragraphs).  You may comment on what you personally think of the poem, but you should focus more on analyzing the different techniques the poet uses (e.g., figurative language, diction, tone, structure) and how these techniques contribute to the poem’s themes.  Ultimately, I want you to consider how this poem communicates bigger/more profound insights related to this historical period and the greater “human experience.” This is perfect practice as you are (hopefully) thinking about the themes associated with Death as The Book Thief’s narrator, looking towards your final essay!