Tags
Before you get to reading the actual Sonnets I wrote, I just wanted to answer a question that some of you may be asking. “What do Sonnets and the Jewish community have in common?” The answer is really nothing, but that’s because Sonnets are simply a medium that can be used to express a thought or an idea. Sonnets are well known for expressing love and desire for someone romantically, however, Sonnets have been used to convey a wide range of topics since they were popularized. One example would be Sonnets written about protecting the environment during England’s first Industrial Revolution. So with that out of the way, I hope you enjoy both my Sonnets and my reasonings behind them!
- An Onlookers Thoughts:
(Shakespearean Style)
The news had shown a familiar face,
Another Synagogue under attack,
As if their culture had been out of place,
These killers act like their getting payback.
But what could the Jews have possibly done,
To deserve so much hate, is this their fate,
All for following their own religion,
No man should carry this ludicrous weight.
A peaceful religion that does no wrong,
Is the target of many whom think poor,
Of a group who now sings a sadder song,
Yet these battles wage on, and all are sore.
Though the victims of yesterday are gone,
Our memories of them will carry on.
Explanation:
This poem for me was inspired by my Holocaust class that I was also taking this semester. Every week we would look for an article that dealt with an anti-Semitic event from that week. When that class started I kinda thought that was unreasonable. It only took one google search to find out that was far from the truth. so this is why I started the Sonnet out with the line “So the news had shown a familiar face” because antisemitism is constantly recurring in the modern world. The 2nd line was actually referring to the attack at the Poway Synagogue in California last week. The rest of the Sonnet is pretty straightforward. Also, a quick note, Shakespearean style refers to the rhyme scheme. So for this type the rhyme scheme goes A,B,A,B.C,D,C,D.E,F,E,F.G,G. Just incase any of y ‘all were curious what that meant 😀
2. The Millions Forgotten
(Petrarchan Style)
A past that we all fail to share,
Is doomed to be wholly lost,
Millions had to pay the cost,
Just for us to fail to care?
All they did was say a prayer,
But their stories have been tossed,
Who knows of the Holocaust?
How is any of this fair?
Survivors have much to say,
But death has stolen many,
Time will take their words away,
So lets cherish the lively.
To be preserved is their aim,
So let us speak of their fame.
The other Sonnet I wrote is less about anti-Semitism, and more about remembering the Holocaust. This has been the topic for most of my projects in this class so far because of how many people simply aren’t learning about this stuff. It also focuses on how most of the remaining Holocaust survivors will sadly not be around for much longer. They are past their 70’s and there will come a time when none of them are left. I feel very deeply about making sure these survivors get the respect and credit that they deserve, considering how anti-Semitic groups have been on the rise over the past couple of years. These survivors and Jews in general have done nothing wrong to earn such hate from the alt right or any other radical groups. And also, incase anyone’s curious, a Petrarchan rhyme scheme is simply A,B,B,A,A,B,B,A,C,D,C,D,E,E.
I hope this post has been entertaining for anyone who actually made it this far! Sonnets can be used to convey essentially any topic, and they are not too complicated, so I’d recommend learning more if the format seemed appealing to you! To end I’d also like to say, please learn more about the Holocaust and anti-Semitism if you haven’t already. One google search really is all it takes to have your eyes opened to all the prejudices they have to deal with on a global scale.
