REFUGEE BLUES SUMMARY

"Refugee Blues" Poem

For a complete text of Refugee Blues, visit click here

W.H Auden

• Wystan Hugh Auden was born in 1907 in England and settled in the United States and died in Austria.  
• He was England born poet and man of letters. 
• During the time of his graduation, he was greatly influenced by the leading modernist poet TS Eliot. 
• The publication of his first collection of poetry, Poems leads to the emergence of a new movement in the field of poetry, called Auden Generation. 
• Auden generation is the group of British and Irish writers active in the 1930s. Therefore they are also known as the poet of the thirties. 
• The other members of the group were Stephen Spender, Louis MacNeice, and C Day lewis. 
• He was also influenced by Marxist ideals as well and therefore he joined in Spanish civil war in 1937. 
• Afterward, Auden left England and settled in the United States where he published the majority of his works with Christopher Isherwood.
• Though frequently he changed his political stand, he has a great concern for the rights of the various marginalized individuals and groups.

HIS MAJOR POEMS.

• "Spain".
• "In Memory of WB Yeats".
• "Musee Des Beaux-arts".
• "The unknown citizen".
• "Newyear Letter".
•  "The Shield of Achilles".

AWARDS AND HONORS

• National Book Award- 1956
• Pulitzer Prize For Poetry- 1948.
• Bollingen Prize- 1954

AN INTRODUCTION TO REFUGEE BLUES.

Blues are the types of songs that express sadness and misery. Refugee Blues is a poem that expresses the sadness of the refugees from the late 1930s in Germany. In those days Jews in Germany has two choices either to remain in Germany by facing all atrocities by Hitler or become a refugee in another country. In this poem, Auden highlights the plight of Jews who left their homeland.

The poem is considered one of the important responses to the violation of human rights and brutality against Jews in Germany. This poem has contemporary significance as well. Recently many communities and groups are exempted from their countries because of many reasons. Such groups also face the same problems and difficulties just like Jews in Germany. 

Refugee Blues line by line Critical Analysis.

In the poem poet or speaker addresses his beloved by saying that there are 10 million people living in the city. Some of them are living in houses like mansions some of them are living in slum areas. But there is no place for them. In this stanza, the poet expresses his dissatisfaction with European countries who showed an indifferent attitude toward Jews during the time of the second world war. Most of the countries were reluctant to receive and protect Jews from the attack of Hitler

In the second stanza, again the poet says that there was a time when they had their own country and it is still there in the atlas, but there is no place for them. They cannot go there. Because they were excommunicated from Germany by Hitler. 

In the third stanza, he compares culture and nature, and the trees and passport. There is a number of trees and shrubs in the village courtyard. Each and every spring season those trees and shrubs get renewed with new leaves and flowers. here poet says that he and his beloved can't renew their passport. It hasn't value anymore.

In the fourth stanza, he reveals his experience with a government official who has the responsibility for the welfare of the other nations' citizens. When he visited the office, the official said that "if you have got no passport you're officially dead" Now the poet and his beloved don't have any identity and they are almost equal to dead. They don't have a nation to say as their own. They felt insecure in front of the world. This poem expresses the helpless situation of the refugees throughout the world. 

In the fifth stanza, the poet reveals another experience with a committee who looks after the benefits of the people. When he approached the committee they offered him a chair and asked him to return next year. The committee did not offer any help to them. They did not have any place to go during the day. They don't have any secure and safe place to sleep. In the last line of the fifth stanza the poet expresses the feeling of insecurity at its extreme level, "but where shall we go today, my dear, but where shall we go today?"

In the sixth stanza, the poet expresses his experience in a public meeting with his beloved. When he visited the meeting the speaker was saying that refugees are dangerous to their country and people, and they steal their daily bread. Most countries consider refugees as strangers and look at them with suspicious eyes. In this stanza also poet expresses their insecurity in their exile country. 

In the seventh stanza, the poet says that he could hear a thunder rumbling sound in the sky. That was the voice of Hitler. Hitler was saying that "They must die": O we were in his mind, my dear, O we were in his mind". According to approximate calculation around six million Jews were systematically murdered in Europe between 1939 and 1945. This situation brings insecure feelings to the mind of the poet. This insecure feeling he shares with his beloved through the lines.

In the eighth stanza, the poet says that he saw a poodle, a dog of a breed with a curly coat, and a cat. The door of the house was opened for both dog and cat. Through this stanza, the poet says that all animals are welcomed and treated very well in all countries in Europe. But Jews are not welcomed. Europeans are conscious of the comforts of their animals. But they are not conscious of the security of Jews.

In the ninth stanza, the poet tells about his other experience in a harbor. When he stood upon the quay, he saw many fishes swimming in the water without any restriction and they are free to move wherever they want. here once again he compares their situation with fish. fish in the water can swim without restriction but Jews are not free just like fish. He also wanted to get freedom like fish. 

In the tenth stanza, the poet talks about birds. There were a number of birds in the forest. They did not have any group, class, creed, or race. There is no domination of one superior race domination over the others. All are treated equally. But in Germany Jews were considered an inferior race and they were excommunicated by the superior race of Adolf Hitler.

In the eleventh stanza poet talks about a dream that he had on the last day. He saw a building with a thousand floors and doors. But non of them are theirs. Through this stanza, the poet says that there are many big houses and apartments in the city. But any one of them allotted to the poet and his beloved. They don't have a shelter on their own to spend their life. 

In the last stanza of the poem, both poet and beloved are standing on the plain place without any shelter. Heavy snowfall takes place and they have nowhere to hide. They are going to die in heavy snowfall. Apart from that, there are thousands of soldiers searching for them and they will be caught and slaughtered by the soldiers very soon.

Conclusion

This is one of the poems that express strong discontentment against discrimination or atrocities against Jews during the time of the second world war. In this W.H Auden expresses his unhappiness to many European countries who ignored the cruelties of Hitler. W. H Auden also says that many European countries are not ready to even receive and give shelter to Jews. All are considered Jews as strangers and harmful. They were isolated and desolated in Europe. 

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