Citation/Abstract

Holocaust poetry is a testimony to the power of language and the ability of the Holocaust poet to meet the challenge of forming a new reality from chaos. The poet through language has created tributes to the six million Jews murdered during World War II. This thesis explores a body of Holocaust poetry. There is an attempt to identify what separates Holocaust poetry from other poetry with special emphasis on the motifs that create the surreal landscape of the poetry. Also, there is an analysis of the poetry in the canon of twentieth-century literature with regard to modernism, the tragic vision, and social protest poetry. Exploring the world of Holocaust poetry assists the reader in articulating a response to the Holocaust with a new vision of the surreal landscape. Here, the surreal landscape is tested and the poet finds a voice in the midst of devastation. The surreal landscape is a testimony to the power of language and the poet's ability to find a form and shape to mirror the unspeakable.