Sound and Sense: 238: "Riddle" by William Heyen

From Belsen a crate of gold teeth,
from Dachau a mountain of shoes,
from Auschwitz a skin lampshade.
Who killed the Jews?

Not I, cries the typist,
not I, cries the engineer,
not I, cries Adolf Eichmann,
not I, cries Albert Speer.

My friend Fritz Nova lost his father –
a petty official had to choose.
My friend Lou Abrahms lost his brother.
Who killed the Jews?

David Nova swallowed gas,
Hyman Abrahms was beaten and starved.
Some men signed their papers,
and some stood guard,

and some herded them in,
and some dropped the pellets,
and some spread the ashes,
and some hosed the walls,

and some planted the wheat,
and some poured the steel,
and some cleared the rails,
and some raised the cattle.

Some smelled the smoke,
some just heard the news.
Were they Germans? Were they Nazis?
Were they human? Who killed the Jews?

The stars will remember the gold,
the sun will remember the shoes,
the moon will remember the skin.
But who killed the Jews?
The poem "Riddle" by William Heyen has a strong structure containing four lines in each stanza, and eight stanzas.  Each stanza ends with the same line, "Who killed the Jews?"  The main concept focus of the poem is to recognize who was in fault of the death of the millions of Jews in the Holocaust.  The author mentions Belsen, Dachau, and Auschwitz; major German Nazi concentration camps, mainly death camps.  Also, the author mentions key people possibly responsible for the deaths of the Jews.  Adolf Eichmann and Albert Speer were mentioned to not have aany part in teh genocide of the Jews.  Adolf Eichmann was the Nazi officaer that organized the anti-Jewish activities, especially in charge of the shipping of the Jews to concentration camps.  Albert Speer was Adolf Hitler's main architect and greatly improved the production of war materials.  The presence of their names symbolizes the author trying to place responsibilty on people for the murders.  The author uses peoples names that are insginificant because they are not well-known victims,  "My friend Frtiz Nova lost his father-/ a petty official had to choose./ My friend Lou Abrahms lost his brother./ Who killed the Jews?"  The use of perosnal names create a deeper meaning and making people realize that the Holocaust affected not only the victims that died, but their friends and family.  A single person was never placed with the responsibility of the Holocaust, "Not I, cries the typist,/ not I, cries the engineer,/ not I, cries Adolf Eichmann,/ not I, cries Albert Speer.".  The use of "not I" shows that the Holocaust was not executed on the actions of one person, it took the collective action of thousands of people.  This poem tells of the ways the millions of people suffered and died, "David Nove swallowed gas,/ Hyman Abrahms was beaten and starved,/ some men signed their papers,/ and some stood guard,"  Some Jews were gased, beaten, and starved to death.  However, some Jews were even used to stand guard while their fellow prisoners were murdered.  The Holocaust could have ended by the power of one person, however, they said nothing.  The German officers said nothing and did not protest the treatment of the Jews.  "Some smelled the smoke,/ some just heard the news."  That line signifies the utter ignorance people had, people who sat around and said and did nothing while the devastating genocide occurred.  "Riddle" by William Heyen, describes the horror that took place during the Holocuast, and the ignorance of people who knew what was taking place and said nothing.  It was not just Jewish people that were murdered, but mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, children.