English Mock Exam Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

English Mock Exam - Term Paper Example Anyone can be arrested suddenly, and for no valid reason, at any time of the day or night. There can be no recourse to the law, or appeal for justice. The ‘knock on the door’ can happen at any time to anyone. In both the poems, all citizens are the helpless victims of state sponsored terrorism. The government is absolutely ruthless and does not tolerate any form of dissent. The background of both poems is an atmosphere of fear. Both First They Came and Not my Business share the common theme of the impossibility of isolating oneself from injustice. It can be said that the underlying message in both the poems is the brotherhood of man. Niemoller and Osundare emphasize that no man can live in isolation from his society. What affects one man will have its repercussions on all others. No one can live in a cocoon and remain untouched by the experiences of others. If injustice is left unchecked, it will inevitably engulf everyone. The poets are united in their call for every ma n to speak out against injustice. Both poems urge every individual to give voice to the demand for justice and protest against wrong: even if one is not personally affected. The writers call for everyone to overcome their fear and have the courage to stand up and be counted for their convictions. If we remain passive spectators to wrongdoing, we will definitely be the next victims. The themes of the poems can be said to be almost identical. Niemoller writes from his personal experience as a protestor against Nazi rule in Hitler’s Germany, and his active opposition to state control of the church. He has actually lived the lines of his poem, having been arrested and sent to the notorious concentration camps, where he has spent seven years. The line, â€Å"Then they came for me,† is based on his real life experience. It is a true account, which was written after the fall of Nazism and his release from the camps. His poem is biographical. However, although Osundare has not been subjected to such actual arrest and imprisonment, his empathy for his countrymen makes his poem as vivid and intimate as First They Came. Osundare’s poetry is so personal, that it remains as true-to-life and genuine as Niemoller’s. Both the poems reflect their own culture. Niemoller, as a Protestant clergyman in Nazi Germany, bases his list of the various kinds of people on religion: Communists, Jews, Catholics and Socialists. This is in accordance with the anti-religious sentiments which Hitler established as part of his Nazi ideology and also with Niemoller’s strong religious identity as a churchman. Niemoller focuses on religious belief in his poem and conveys the message that one should stand up for everyone’s right to practice their own faith. On the other hand, Osundare’s poem reflects the realities of Africa, where the scarcity of resources is a fact of everyday life. Hunger is a very real threat which hangs over every person. In accor dance with this fact, he focuses on food. Osundare asserts that one should speak out in defense of others, even at the cost of losing one’s daily food: represented in his poem by the humble yam. It is clear that Not my Business is based in a country where poverty is widespread. The names used by Osundare, and the mention of yam as a staple food, also speak of Africa. The writers use similar forms in their poems. First They Came and Not my Business both have short stanzas and are not lengthy. However, Osundare’s indentation of the repetitive lines forms a kind of chorus, while