Question

Summary of the riddle of poem

Answer 1

William Heyen’s poem “Riddle” is very powerful in its subject matter and structure. Every stanza has four lines based on the repeated question, “Who killed the Jews?” (4). The poem’s overwhelming punch comes from its use of allusion stemming from Heyen’s descriptions of individuals of the Holocaust, like Adolf Eichmann, a Nazi official who helped organize the shipping of Jews to concentration camps, and Albert Speer, who improved the production of war materials for Germany. To me personally, the references to specific people who are not famous gave the poem a deeper and more solemn tone, “My friend Fritz Nova lost his father –/ a pretty official had to choose/ My friend Lou Abrahms lost his brother/ Who killed the Jews?” (9-12). This stanza shows how the Holocaust not only affected those who were in the camps, but also the friends and families of those people, like the speaker. The repetition of “Who killed the Jews?”, “and some”, and “Not I” are extremely effective. It describes these people as individuals (and some) who are not willing to take responsibility for this mass murder (not I). However, this poem shows how even those who did not directly participate were also guilty of this genocide – because they did nothing, even when “Some smelled the smoke,” (24).
I have a great respect for Heyen’s “Riddle” because it clearly and effectively describes the horrors of the Holocaust and how people are unwilling to take responsibility for this genocide of not just Jews, but fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, sons, and daughters – of people. The last stanza is very powerful in how even the universe (stars, sun, and moon) will remember the Holocaust because this tragedy was so immense and demands witness. The speaker is right in his/her answer to who killed the Jews; in how the common person of this time had the potential to make a difference for these innocent people, but no one wants to admit it.

Answer 2

Answer:

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Explanation:

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