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  • Essay / Analysis of Carol Ann Duffy's Poem Shooting Stars

    Carol Ann Duffy's poem “Shooting Stars,” originally published in her first anthology “The World's Wife” in 1999, is a moving account of the treatment of Jewish prisoners of the Holocaust during World War II. . Although Duffy was not personally involved in the events she explores in “Shooting Stars,” she assumes a first-person narrative voice. The views she expresses in the poem are largely consistent with the dominant values, attitudes and beliefs of much of the Western world, after World War II, regarding the inhumane treatment of Jewish prisoners in the camps. Nazi concentration camp. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an Original Essay Odd word decisions are one of the strategies used to keep readers excited about the poem. The main example of this is the beginning of the first line of “After I stop talking, they break our fingers to get my wedding ring back.” This depicts one of the Jews pretending to be dead to ensure that she no longer needs to endure suffering. The Nazis break the fingers of this current Jewess in an attempt to get her hand on the ring. The word "rescue" essentially suggests that someone is saving something of significant value from destruction, which makes the Nazis seem like creatures, as they imagine that the alliance is more important to them than the life of the current individual. This is an effective opening line because it grabs the readers attention and they feel compassion towards the Jews. Therefore, at this point, the reader feels the need to continue reading. The use of alliteration words is another strategy Duffy uses to keep readers interested. Another instance of this is in the third stanza of "stars on all our brows, under the gaze of". Armed men. The delicate “b” sound represents Jews, while the cruel “g” sound represents Nazis. It is successful because it reflects the activities of the Nazis and the Jews. This convinces readers that Jews are delicately exploited people and that Nazis are barbaric oppressors. The readers' interest is then maintained and they must understand what happens to the Jews next. Metaphors are also a skill used in the poem. An instance of this is in the second stanza of “cry for the girls standing like statues, brave”. This alludes to the Jews standing and resisting before being slaughtered, and by calling them "statues" it suggests that they were noble in the last two minutes of their lives. In any case, it also suggests that they are petrified and cannot move as a result. This is a success because the reader feels compassion towards the Jews and hatred towards the Nazis. Subsequently, this allows the reader to connect. Another strategy used in "Falling Stars" is repetition of memory, remember those terrible days that make the world always bad. Duffy needs us to remember this horrible day and allows it through the repetition of the word “remember.” The use of a capital “R” is the beginning of “remember” also emphasizes this. Duffy needs individuals to prevent this from happening regularly. This is surprisingly viable in that the reader is deeply disheartened by the events of the poem and how the writer urgently attempts to prevent this from continuing later. This keeps the reader intrigued and makes them want to continue reading. The use of story.