Poem no. 8 of Matric Poetry Set. Line-by-line summary and analysis of "Refugee Blues" by W H Auden. Containing a particular focus on background context, double meanings, symbolism, metaphors, and social commentary. Hopefully, making it a more understandable and clearer analysis of the poem.
‘Refugee Blues’
By W H Auden
Structure:
- Original Poem (12 Stanzas)
- We only cover 9 Stanzas (3 lines each)
- 1ST line → tells a story
- 2nd / 3rd line → repeated, carries the theme of the poem.
Type of Poem: Ballad (because it’s has a tragic story, regular rhyme scheme,
repetition.)
Theme: exclusion, ostracization, displacement, condemning society,
xenophobia, racism etc.
*Written in 1983, before end of WWII, when United Nations and human rights
were declared universal.
Tone: sad, hopeless, fearful of suffering, exhaustion, rejection, mourning.
About: a pair of refugees fleeing from their country but had nowhere to go. It
is speculated they were Jewish Germans fleeing Adolf Hitler.
Narration: (1st Person)
- The speaker is one of a pair of refugees.
- He is contemplating their fate after leaving Germany
Important Poetic Elements/Figures of Speech:
Diction The choice and use of words and phrases in
speech or writing. Specific diction = specific
reaction.
Metaphor A direct comparison between two things
without like or as.
Irony The use of language that normally signifies
the opposite of its usually meaning, typically
for humorous or emphatic effect.
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, Title:
‘Refugee Blues’
“Refugee” – is only used in the title as it is quite dehumanizing and has
negative connotations.
“Blues” – x2 meaning
a) Sad story of refugees (melancholic feeling)
b) Type of music (song/ballad – like this poem)
Stanza One: Present situation in New country
Say this city has ten million souls,
Some are living in mansions, some are living in holes:
Yet there’s no place for us, my dear, yet there’s no place for us.
“souls” – emphasises the importance of city people vs refugees (who experience long-
term exclusion)
“mansions” + “holes” – emphasises, that despite social class there is a place for all city
people.
“yet” – shows a shift, change or expectance.
“no place for us” – hurts the speaker, emphasises socialite divide
“my dear” – suggest any relationship with the other refugee. Romantic / Child-Parent etc.
“Us” – referring to themselves and refugees in general.
Stanza Two: Old Country pt.1
Before seeking asylum. Indicates they once had a home.
Once we had a country and we thought it fair,
Look in the atlas and you’ll find it there:
We cannot go there now, my dear, we cannot go there now.
“fair”
a) Justice (highlights his unfair experience)
b) Pretty (perfect country)
2|Page Created by Jaimie Morgan
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