Carol Ann Duffy’s ‘Shooting Stars’ poem originally published by her first collection “The World’s Wife”, in 1999, is a powerful account of how the Holocaust treated Jewish prisoners. Duffy did not take part in the events explored in ‘Shooting Stars,’ but she uses a first-person narrative voice. She expresses views that are consistent with the mainstream attitudes and values of many Westerners post WWII in regards to the inhumane treatment given to Jewish prisoners in Nazi Concentration Camps.
To keep readers engaged, it is important to make use of unusual word choices. This is most evident in the opening lines of ‘after i no longer speak they break my fingers to salvage ring of mine’. This shows one of them claiming she is dead in order to spare her from suffering. Nazis are breaking the fingers of the current Jew in order to get her to give up the ring. Salvage is a word that is used to describe someone saving something important from destruction. This makes Nazis seem like monsters, because they think the wedding ring will be more valuable to them than their current life. This opening line is very effective because it makes the reader feel empathy for the Jews. This is why the reader wants to continue. Duffy uses alliteration to engage the reader. The third stanza has’stars above all of our heads, under the gaze. Men with Guns’. The soft ‘b” sound is used to represent the Jews and the brutal ‘g”, the Nazis. It is effective because it reflects both Nazis and Jews. This grabs the reader because the Nazis oppress the Jews and the Jews exploit the Jews. It keeps the reader interested as they want to know what is going to happen next.
Metaphors can also be used in a poem. The second stanza’mourn for daughters upright, as statues of bravery’ is a good example. It refers to Jews who stand and hold up their arms before being shot. They are referred to as’statues,’ which suggests they were noble for the last couple of moments of their life. It is also implied that the Jews are scared and can’t even move. This is effective as it makes the reader feel empathy for the Jews while also feeling hatred for Nazis. This then connects the reader.
A repetition of the words remember, remember those appalling days that made the world forever worse’ is also used in “Shooting stars”. Duffy wants to remind us of this horrible day. He does so by using the word’remember.’ This is further emphasised by the use of capital “R” to begin’remember. Duffy wants to stop it from happening every time. This is an incredibly effective way to make the reader feel deeply discouraged by the events described in the poem. This is a great way to keep the reader interested and make them want to continue reading.
The poem ‘How Would You Prepare To Die’ also uses the second person narrative. The reader is meant to be included in the poem. This person asks us a question, making the reader feel as if they were really there. It’s plausible, as the poem asks readers how they will prepare to die. The poem is engaging the reader, which keeps their attention.
This poem is a great example of how to engage and keep readers interested. The second person narrative was particularly effective in achieving this goal, because it brought the reader into the story and forced him to accept the truth.
