What type of poem is refugee blues

The poem was written in , though the poem has taken in a timeless accurate description of the situation of refugees all over the world, it describes about refugees, who were seeking asylum in nearby countries and what they actually face is the main theme of the poem.

The refugee problem is a complex one. They face many problems, not simply the threat of refoulement forcible return of refugees but arbitrary detention, lack of due process, degrading treatment, xenophobia etc.

In the last decade, refugees who have been forcibly returned to their countries have been killed, tortured, arbitrarily detained, or forced to live in conditions of extreme insecurity. The situation of many of them is excruciating, as they are often forced to remain within combat zones, are undernourished and have no access to clean water or medical supplies.

The problems of refugees do not end when they finally cross borders and go through the first phase of seeking asylum, they may be confronted by numerous restrictions and obstacles.

The universal declaration of human rights allows people to stand up for what they believe in no matter the repercussion. Safeguarding human rights in countries of origin is therefore critical both for the prevention and for the solution of refugee problems. This concept of human rights is not new. Many states and communities have been established on the basis that individual members have certain inherent rights which must be respected by those governing.

But the growing number of refugees in the world is apparent proof of the failure of the system of international human rights protection. Some examples such as attacks on Palestinian refugees in Lebanese camps, Rohingya crisis, attacks on the Thai-Cambodian border and so on.

Through this poem, Auden emphasizes the plight of refugees by including the juxtaposition of opposite ideas in almost every stanza. The poet juxtaposes symbols of society, nationality, identity and freedom by highlighting their displacement. People do not welcome refugees into their homes, or offer them what they want or need, but they look after the dogs and cats they can come and go as it pleases.

Animals have no problem in welcoming other species but the human are different they look at their own species as aliens. Human beings are governed by pieces of paper know as passports as proof of existence. The sense of being denied basic human rights, being sought out and persecuted is apparent throughout the poem as one by one all the doors to a better future are shut. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam.

Learn how your comment data is processed. Enter your email Address. Table of Contents Context What are blues? Answer the following questions in a paragraph: IV. Answer the following questions in about words:. Literature Poetry Lit Terms Shakescleare. Download this LitChart! Question about this poem? Ask us.

Where this theme appears in the poem: Lines Cite This Page. Refugee Blues Full Text. Lines It gathers to a greatness, like the ooze of oil Crushed. Everything you need for every book you read. Image bottom : Photo of W. Auden, , by TorontoPeter, via Wikimedia Commons. Agreed, an Auden poem that deserves to be better known and perhaps sung. I sing it, but only privately as alas current copyright laws prevent work for the 30s and 40s from being freely used.

Though somewhat re-worded, this version was sung by Procol Harum:. Enter your email address to subscribe to this site and receive notifications of new posts by email. Email Address. Interesting Literature is a participant in the Amazon EU Associates Programme, an affiliate advertising programme designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by linking to Amazon.

In Auden's poem, Refugee Blues , evokes pathos for the plight of the refugees by highlighting different problems in each stanza. The German Jews havew been barred from their country, they are discriminated against in the countries where they have What is the poem Refugee Blues about?

Auden, is a blues poem describing the experiences and struggles of a German-Jewish refugee from Nazism. Refugee Blues study guide contains a biography of W. Auden, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis. Refugee Blues essays are academic essays for citation.