Area of study: Exploring the Holocaust
Grades 7-10
The age range of the students in the class generally average between 14 to 17 years
old, however their reading age is usually very low, averaging between 7 and 8 years
old. Many students are illiterate, thus the work has to be interesting enough to engage
teenagers, appealing to their different learning styles, with a low literacy level focus to
facilitate the ability of the students. Generally these types of students would be
accommodated in the special needs facility in High Schools or attend Special Learning
Units that provide alternative forms of education, generally following the NSW Life
Skills Outcomes Syllabus.
Contents of whole study area:
Didactive objectives
NSW Board of Study Life Skill Outcomes
*Introduction and teacher’s information
Brainstorm activity
Rap Yezterdae (see CD)
Activity: Suggested focus for Yezterdae Rap
Shoah film footage and Rap Never Again (see CD)
Activity: Choosing historical evidence from clips
Lyrics of Rap Never Again (see CD power point)
Lyrics of Rap for students
Questions and suggested responses from Lyrics of Rap Never Again
Activity: Holocaust Information booklet, Holocaust Work booklet (see CD)
Low Literacy level Holocaust Information booklet, Holocaust work booklet (see CD)
Activity: Information booklet and work booklet on Hitler (see CD)
Song Broken (Schindler) see CD
Response questions for Song Broken
Activity: Things they would do or say cards (see CD)
Activity: Power Point Not My Business (see CD)
Content list of Power point
Copy of Poem Not My Business
Questions and answers provided for poem Not My Business
Notes for teachers on poem
Blank copy of student’s poetry work sheet
Information on poet Niyi Osundare
Conclusion
*Teacher information is provided when necessary throughout document
Didactive Objectives of whole study area:
•
Learn about the Holocaust and its historical background
•
To gain an insight into the suffering of the Jews, their dehumanization and ultimate betrayal
•
To have the opportunity to raise questions and raise awareness
•
Learn about key figures and political situations
•
To develop empathy and compassion, sensitizing students to matters of emotional intelligence
•
Examine primary and secondary resources: photographs and testimonies
•
To understand the wider implications of racism and how racial attitudes are so destructive
•
To examine the Holocaust in comparison with other world atrocities and dictatorships
NSW Board of Studies History Life skills. Outcomes for this activity:
History
LS.4
LS.5
LS.7
LS.10
LS.11
LS.12
LS.1
LS.2
explores the concepts of time and chronology
explores personal connections to history
investigates how people lived in various societies over time
explores significant developments in world social and cultural
history
investigates the importance of significant people, events and
issues in world history
recognises different perspectives about events and issues
uses a variety of strategies to locate and select information
uses a variety of strategies to organise and communicate
information
NSW Board of Studies Literacy Life skills. Objectives for this activity:
responds to auditory cues in a range of contexts
listens for a variety of purposes in a range of contexts
uses technology and aids to communicate with a range of audiences
uses spoken language to interact with a range of audiences
recognises visual texts in a range of contexts
uses visual texts in a range of contexts
reads and responds to short written texts
writes short texts for everyday purposes
composes increasingly complex written texts
views and responds to a range of visual texts, media and multimedia
communicates for a variety of purposes
communicates in a range of contexts
communicates with a range of audiences
draws on background and experiences to respond to texts in ways that are
imaginative, interpretive or critical
LS.16 explores social and cultural issues through texts
LS.17 uses individual and collaborative skills in the learning process.
LS.1
LS.2
LS.3
LS.4
LS.5
LS.6
LS.7
LS.9
LS.10
LS.11
LS.12
LS.13
LS.14
LS.15
≈
Activity: Brainstorming and examination of Rap music in
relation to the Holocaust
Grades 7-10
Contents:
Didactive objectives
*Introduction and teacher’s information
Brainstorm activity
Rap Yezterdae (see CD)
Activity: Suggested focus for Yezterdae Rap
Shoah film footage and Rap Never Again (see CD)
Activity: Choosing historical evidence from clips
Lyrics of Rap Never Again (see CD power point)
Lyrics of Rap for students
*Teacher information is provided when necessary throughout document
Didactive Objectives:
•
Learn about the Holocaust and its historical background
•
To gain an insight into the suffering of the Jews, their dehumanization and ultimate betrayal
•
To have the opportunity to raise questions and raise awareness
•
Learn about key figures and political situations
•
To develop empathy and compassion, sensitizing students to matters of emotional intelligence
•
Examine primary and secondary resources: photographs and testimonies
•
To understand the wider implications of racism and how racial attitudes are so destructive
Introduction
*To teach the Holocaust as an isolated subject without preparing students emotionally
before hand is a mistake. This is the reason for the long journey we have taken before
coming to this point. Students need to be well prepared before they come to this area of
study so that they will treat with respect the material that they are about to witness and
engage with. As a teacher, working with young offenders in jail, it is even more
paramount that the students were exposed to the reality, history and consequences of
racism and the persecution of others before they study the Holocaust. Many of these
students lack the ability to empathize and would not be respectful of the material without
having gone through the processes of breaking down these issues and making those
personal connections themselves. It was important to help my students see how
persecution can start with seemingly innocent words: “You’re a Brown eye” as in the
Class Divided video and lead on to greater atrocities such as the breeding out the
‘Black’ in Aboriginal community.
To begin the study it should be noted that students would have already heard about the
Holocaust through references made during previous activities. The Eugenics posters,
the film ‘Freedom Writers’, Mailgram’s experiment and ‘A Class Divided’ video clips,
have all made references to the Holocaust in the teaching of these materials. Hopefully
they would have gained a deeper insight and appreciation of Jews and Judaism from
meeting the Rabbis and learning about the suffering of the Israelites in The Old
Testament and the reasons for celebrating Passover. As starting point it is always
useful to assess what the students know about a subject beforehand and therefore a
‘Brainstorm’ activity is valuable.
Activity: Students to ‘Brainstorm” what they know about the
Holocaust.
*The teacher writes the word ‘Holocaust’ on the white board and asks students to give
any ideas they have about this subject, the teacher writes down all their ideas. Some
key questions are suggested below and it is always an interesting exercise to do this
activity at the end of the project to compare student’s answers.
When did it happen?
Who were the people involved?
What happened?
Who was responsible?
What was it?
it happen?
THE
HOLOCAUST
How did it begin?
Where did
How did it end?
Why did this happen?
What was done about it?
Activity: Students watch and listen to You Tube clips about the
Holocaust
*Teenage students enjoy popular music and there have been several Rap music videos
created about the Holocaust. This is a great way to introduce the subject and the
following Rap music clips provide an excellent stimulus for discussion. Real film footage
is sometimes quite confronting and the images are very graphic so it is a good idea to
warn students beforehand.
The Rap Yezterdae (see CD) –
*After viewing the Rap the teacher can ask students to focus on certain points for
discussion:
•
60,000 Jews taken every day…
•
‘We were kicked pushed and numbered’;
•
The woman who was told that her father was in the smoke rising from the
chimney.
The students can be asked to comment on the images, the real footage and the film
clips from Schindler’s List - when Oscar Schindler says “I didn’t do enough”. The
‘Eugenics’doctor, the piles of bodies, the shootings, the trains, the children being
separated from parents, the dead body being dragged by a steel clamp, the fear on the
faces, the Hitler regime, the Nazi emblem, the Star of David, the reference to ‘mobile
killing squads.
Shoah film footage and Rap Never Again (see CD)*For points of discussion the students can be asked to focus on the text which is
highlighted in the clip and the images associated with the words. This video was shot
with a hand held camera on a visit to Auschwitz after liberation. The ruins of Auschwitz
evidence of the atrocities that took place There are images of real film footage showing
people entering the gas chambers, people naked and malnourished, bodies in pits,
images of Zyklon B gas cylinders, the gas chambers and crematorium. There are
photographs of many people, lists of names, dates and entries into Auschwitz.
Activity: The students can be asked to choose three pieces of
historical evidence from these clips and evaluate how they contribute
to telling the story of the Shoah
Activity: Lyrics of Rap Never Again (see CD)
*The teacher can use this clip, which just shows the words of the rap to focus on certain
phrases for discussion and to get the students to communicate their understanding of
the Holocaust. The teacher can also provide each student with their own copy (below)
NEVER AGAIN
FEEL THIS
TO ALL THOSE RACES COLOURS AND CREEDS
EVERY MAN BLEEDS
FOR THE COUNTLESS VICTIMS
AND ALL THEIR FAMILIES
OF THE MURDERED
TORTURED AND SLAVED
RAPED ROBBED AND PERSECUTED
NEVER AGAIN
TO THE MEN WOMEN AND CHILDREN WHO DIED IN THEIR STRUGGLE
TO LIVE,
NEVER TO BE FORGOTTEN
YO MY OWN BLOOD
DRAGGED THROUGH THE MUD
PERISHED IN MY HEART
STILL CHERISHED AND LOVED
STRIPPED OF OUR PRIDE
EVERYTHING WE LIVED FOR
FAMILIES CRIED
THERE’S NO WHERE TO RUN TO
THERE’S NO WHERE TO HIDE
TOSSED TO THE SIDE
ACCESS DENIED
6 MILLION DIED FOR WHAT?
YO A MANSHOT DEAD IN HIS BACK
HELPLESS WOMEN AND CHILDREN
ON THE CONSTANT ATTACK
FOR NO REASON
TILL THE NEXT SEASON
AND WE STILL BLEEDING
YO IT’S FREEZING
AND MEN BURN IN HELL
SOME FOR SQUEEZING
NO HOPE FOR A REMEDY
NOTHING TO BELIEVE
MOVING TARGETS WHO WALK
WITH THE STAR IN THEIR SLEEVE
FOREVER MARKED WITH A NUMBER
TATTOOED TO YOUR BODY
LATE NIGHT EYES CLOSED
CLUTCHED TO MY SHOTTY
HAVING VISIONS FLASHES
OF DEATH CAMPS AND PRISONS
NO PROVISION
DECEIVED BY THE DEVILS
DECISIONS
FORCED INTO A SLAVE
DEATH BEFORE DISHONOR
FOR THOSE MEN WHO WERE BRAVE
SHOT AND SENT TO THEIR GRAVE
CAN’T AWAKEN IT’S TOO LATE
EVERYTHING’S BEEN TAKEN
I’M SHAKEN
FAMILY
HISTORY THE MAKING
NEVER AGAIN SHALL WE MARCH
LIKE SHEEP TO THE SLAUGHTER
NEVER AGAIN SHALL WE SIT AND TAKE ORDERS
STRIPPED OF OUR CULTURE
ROBBED OF OUR CULTURE
(NEVER AGAIN)
RAPED OF OUR FREEDOM AND
THROWN INTO THE FLAMES
(NEVER AGAIN)
FORCED FROM OUR FAMILIES
TAKEN FROM OUR HOMES
MOVED FROM OUR GOD
THEN BURNED OF OUR BONES
NEVER AGAIN NEVER AGAIN
SHALL WE MARCH LIKE SHEEP
TO THE SLAUGHTER
NEVER AGAIN
LEAVE OUR SONS AND DAUGHTERS
STRIPPED OF OUR CULTURE
ROBBED OF OUR NAME
NEVER AGAIN
RAPED OF OUR FREEDOM
AND THROWN INTO THE FLAMES
(NEVER AGAIN)
FORCED FROM OUR FAMILIES
TAKEN FROM OUR HOMES
MOVED FROM OUR GOD
AND EVERYTHING WE OWN
NEVER AGAIN
SOME FLED THROUGH THE RUMOURS
OF WARS
BUT MOST LEFT WERE DEAD
FEW ESCAPED TO THE SHORES
WITH JUST 1 LOAF OF BREAD
BANISHED HOLD IN FOR QUESTIONING
AND VANISHED
NEVER TO BE SEEN AGAIN
I CAN’T EXPRESS THE PAIN
THAT WAS FELT ON THE TRAINS
TO AUSCHWITS
TEARS POURED DOWN LIKE RAIN
NAKED FACE TO FACE
WITH THE MASTER RACE
HATRED BLOOD OF DAVID
MY HEART BELONGS TO GOD
AND STAY SACRED
RABBI’S AND PRIESTS
DISABLED INDIVIDUALS
THE POOR THE SCHOLARS
ALL LABELLED COMMON CRIMINALS
MASS EXTERMINATION
TOTAL ANNIHILATION
STRIPPED INTO THE GHETTO AND
PREPARED FOR LIQUIDATION
TORTURED AND STARVED
INNOCENT EXPERIMENTS
STRIPPED DOWN AND CARVED UP
OR GASSED TO DEATH
THE LAST HOUR
I SMELLED THE FLOWERS
FLASHBACKS OF FAMILY
THEN SENT TO THE SHOWERS
POWERLESS UNDRESSED
WOMEN WITH BABIES
CLUMPED TIGHT TO THEIR CHEST
CRYING
WHO WOULD’VE GUESSED DYING
ANOTHER LIFE LOST
COUNT THE COST
ANOTHER BODY GAS BURNED AND
TOSSED IN THE HOLOCAUST
NEVER AGAIN
SHALL WE MARCH LIKE SHEEP
NEVER AGAIN
LEAVE OUR SONS AND DAUGHTERS
STRIPPED OF OUR CULTURE
ROBBED OF OUR NAME
NEVER AGAIN
RAPED OF OUR FREEDOM AND
THROWN INTO THE FLAMES
NEVER AGAIN
FORCED FROM OUR FAMILIES
TAKEN FROM OUR HOMES
MOVED FROM OUR GOD
AND EVERYTHING WE OWN
NEVER AGAIN
NEVER AGAIN SHALL WE MARCH
LIKE SHEEP TO THE SLAUGHTER
NEVER AGAIN SHALL WE SIT
AND TAKE ORDERS
STRIPPED OF OUR CULTURE
ROBBED OF OUR NAME
NEVER AGAIN
RAPED OF OUR FREEDOM
AND THROWN INTO THE FLAMES
NEVER AGAIN
FORCED FROM OUR FAMILIES
TAKEN FROM OUR HOMES
MOVED FROM OUR GOD THEN
BURNED OF OUR BONES
NEVER AGAIN
NEVER AGAIN
THE FINAL SOLUTION
IS NOW RETRIBUTION
REMEDY
WU-TANG
Suggested questions and answers
Why does the author say ‘Every man bleeds’?- To say that we are all human beings, we are
the same as the Jew, he is me.
What is he referring to when he mentions ‘star on our sleeve’? -The Star of David worn
by Jews in Nazi Germany
Why are the Jews ‘Sheep to the slaughter’?- A Biblical reference to sacrificial Lamb given to
God as a sign of devotion in Jewish tradition, sheep are symbols of innocence, innocent Jews are
slaughtered by the Nazis
What does he mean by saying, ‘moved from our God? - Reference to Nazi abolition of
Jewish Synagogues, raises the question: Where was God in the Holocaust?
What does he mean by saying, ‘Robbed of our name’? Reference to dehumanization
when Nazis branded the Jews with a number and they lost their identity
What do these terms mean? Extermination, annihilation (students can use a dictionary)
When he says ‘Feel This’ what does he mean? That we must feel the pain of it because it is
our pain, it is the pain of all humanity.
Activity: Holocaust booklets and information on Hitler. The
song ‘Broken’ and ‘Things they would do and say’ cards.
Grades 7-10
Duration 4 hours
Contents:
Activity: Holocaust Information booklet, Holocaust Work booklet (see CD)
Low Literacy level Holocaust Information booklet, Holocaust work booklet (see CD)
Activity: Information booklet and work booklet on Hitler (see CD)
Song Broken (Shindler) see CD
Response questions for Song Broken
Activity: Things they would do or say cards (seeCD)
*Teacher information is provided when necessary throughout document
Didactive Objectives of whole study area:
•
Learn about the Holocaust and its historical background
•
To gain an insight into the suffering of the Jews, their dehumanization and ultimate betrayal
•
To have the opportunity to raise questions and raise awareness
•
Learn about key figures and political situations
•
To develop empathy and compassion, sensitizing students to matters of emotional intelligence
•
Examine primary and secondary resources: photographs and testimonies
•
To understand the wider implications of racism and how racial attitudes are so destructive
Introduction:
*Teacher reads aloud the Holocaust Information booklet to the students,
elaborating on the historical perspective, discussing text and pictures.
(For Holocaust Information booklet and Holocaust work booklet, see CD)
*Each student is given a copy of the information booklet and Holocaust work booklet. It
is important to warn students about the graphic images beforehand. For students with
very low literacy levels, an easier Holocaust unit has been designed: (see Low
Literacy Holocaust Information booklet and work booklet on CD)
The work booklets contain varied language activities: cloze procedure, true/false, word
searches, comprehension activities, and map activities ( suitable for students who find it
difficult to concentrate for longer periods). Please note that these booklets are designed
for special needs students and the Holocaust information has been adapted for such
students so the information has been simplified.
*Students can extend their knowledge by completing the information booklet and
work booklet on Hitler (see CD) It is important to do the Holocaust booklets before the
students learn about Hitler, as students should know about what he did rather than who
he was.
Song Broken (Schindler) see CD
*This is a beautiful song and the lyrics are a suitable backdrop to the images taken from
the film Schindler’s List. Again this clip is useful for discussion points and forms a good
introduction to the film Schindler’s List. The teacher can focus the student’s attention to
the red writing on the clip and the references made. There is an interesting image of a
candle, students could discuss its symbolism and meaning in Judaism. Why is the
candle burning out? What does the candle represent?
Things they would do or say cards (see CD)
Title cards and statement cards for students to match
*It is important to note that some of the statements are upsetting and cruel but the
intension is for students to empathize with the characters and to realize that sadly some
of these things may have been said and done at the time of the Holocaust. It is one of
the most effective activities in getting the students to becoming emotionally sensitized to
the plight of others.
Students work in pairs and are given cards with the names and titles of
people such as:
Teacher
Nazi Soldier
Mother
Jewish man
Child
*The statement cards (things they would do and say) are placed in a pile for the
students to sort out, matching the correct statement to the correct person for example:
Mother
-
Hold my hand and do not be afraid, it is only a shower.
CARDS (below)
To judge another person just because of their colour, their religion or
culture means that you are racist.
Racism is based on fear.
Who said that we should judge men by the content of their heart and
not by the colour of their skin?
We can make a difference, one man can make a difference. Nelson
Mandela was only one man. You are one man and you can choose to
do the right thing.
If you are a racist you are walking around with your eyes shut and
your heart closed. You allow fear to rule you.
My orders are to exterminate these Gypsies.
Line up! Men in that row, women and children in this row.
Collect their rings, their shoes and after you have shaved them put
their hair in a pile just here.
Zyclon B cyanide is placed here.
Get to work or you will be shot.
Our orders are to shoot all women and children.
Why are you not wearing your yellow star?
You are branded with a number because you are not even human, you
are lower than vermin.
Which child of yours do you choose to live and which one must die?
Choose now or both will die.
I am cold and hungry, I am so tired of living amongst all this death.
Why must we shave our heads?
I have worked hard all my life, why is this happening to me?
Where are my wife and children being taken to?
I used to be your doctor, why are you doing this to me? I saved your
brothers life.
Do I not bleed like you bleed?
Do I not hurt like you hurt?
Am I not a human being like you?
To share this last piece of bread with you when I am starving makes
me feel like a human being, doing this will keep me feeling that I am
not an animal, I am not a rat like they say I am.
Hold my hand and do not be afraid, it is only a shower.
It will be alright, go with all the other children and hold you brothers
hand, do not be afraid my little one.
Take me instead, do not take my son.
Why is this man being nasty to us you ask? Well I think he just wants
to be like his friends and has not the courage to do the right thing.
Why do they hate us Mamma?
I don’t want to waste another bullet on those Jews, just gas them!
We will build Death Camps in Poland; start there and take over the
whole world!
Gas them! Burn them!
They are vermin, greedy rats that need to be destroyed!
They must not be allowed to contaminate our race.
We are pure Aryan, the greatest people on Earth!
No mass meetings allowed, and make sure we stop reports being
printed that do not support our beliefs.
Invade Poland, France, Russia and Britain. This is the beginning of a
new world order!
You dare to question me and my authority?
Activity: Examination of poetry and images in relation to the
Holocaust and other world atrocities.
Grades 7-10
Duration 2- 3 hours
Contents:
Activity: Power Point Not My Business (seeCD)
Content list of Power point
Copy of Poem Not My Business
Questions and answers provided for poem Not My Business
Notes for teachers on poem
Blank copy of student’s poetry work sheet
Information on poet Niyi Osundare
Didactive Objectives:
•
To have the opportunity to raise questions and raise awareness
•
Learn about key figures and political situations
•
To develop empathy and compassion, sensitizing students to matters of emotional intelligence
•
Examine primary and secondary resources
•
To understand the wider implications of racism and how racial attitudes are so destructive
•
To examine the Holocaust in comparison with other world atrocities and dictatorships
Power Point (see CD)
Contents of power point:
•
Poem: Not my Business by Niyi Osundare,
•
Images of dictatorship and atrocities in Africa- comparisons made with
images of the Holocaust
•
Poem : First They Came For The Jews by Pastor Martin Niemoller
•
Dictatorships and atrocities world wide
Introduction
*Before the power point is shown to the students it is a good idea to warn them that the
images are very graphic but are quite relevant to the text and study of the Holocaust.
The teacher reads the poems and text then discusses the powerful power point for a
general feedback from students. Questions raised in the poetry work sheet can be use
as a guide for discussion points before closer study of the poetry begins.
Activty: Study of the Poem: Not My Business by Niyi Osundare
Copy of poem: Each student can be given their own copy for study of poem.
Not My Business
They picked Akanni up one morning
Beat him soft like clay
And stuffed him down the belly
Of a waiting jeep.
5
What business of mine is it
So long they don't take the yam
From my savouring mouth?
They came one night
Booted the whole house awake
10 And dragged Danladi out,
Then off to a lengthy absence.
What business of mine is it
So long they don't take the yam
From my savouring mouth?
Chinwe went to work one day
Only to find her job was gone:
No query, no warning, no probe Just one neat sack for a stainless record.
What business of mine is it
20
So long they don't take the yam
From my savouring mouth?
15
And then one evening
As I sat down to eat my yam
A knock on the door froze my hungry hand.
25 The jeep was waiting on my bewildered lawn
Waiting, waiting in its usual silence.
Read the poem and answer the following questions:
(Possible answers have been given)
1. What do you think this poem is about?
It is about the sudden disappearance of two men and a woman who has lost her job for no
reason. It is about the unpredictable, unlawful and frightening situation in a country that seems
to have little regard for justice or value for life. People seem ‘disposable’
2. What country or type of country do you think this poem
is set in and why?
The reference to ‘yam’ suggests Africa and the violence depicted in the poem also suggests a
country that has political unrest. The names of the victims, Akanni, Danladi and Chinwe are
unusual and also suggest Africa
3. Who do you think ‘they’ were?
‘They’ are the people who make decisions, who are in control and those that commit the atrocity
in the poem.
4. What sort of people do ‘they’ appear to be?
‘They’ appear to be unreasonable, unlawful, violent individuals who terrify and subject their
victims to unimaginable horror.
5. What words give you this impression?
‘Beat him soft like clay…..stuffed him down the belly of a waiting jeep’
‘Booted the whole house awake …. dragged Danladi out,
Then off to a lengthy absence.’
6. What sort of people are Akanni, Danladi and Chinwe?
Ordinary, common type of people, just like the author who want to mind their own business and
get on with their own lives.
7. What do you think happened to them?
‘We are not told what happened to Akanni and Danladi which leads the reader to assume the
worst, possibly torture and death.
8. How is the violence of Akanni’s arrest shown in the
poem?
The words ‘beaten soft like clay suggest an ugly pounding of the flesh, clay does not cry out and
after a while Akanni would be unresponsive like clay to the beating, unconscious, almost dead.
9. How is the jeep described?
‘Waiting, waiting in its usual silence’. The jeep is like an animal waiting before it is ready to
devour its prey.
10. Why does the poet say ‘belly’ of the jeep? (This is a poetic
devise called personification)
The personification of the jeep, suggesting that the jeep has a belly, gives the reader the image
that it is alive and is going to eat Akanni.
11. How is Danladi’s arrest made to sound violent and
sinister?
It is the night time, in darkness, when things are hidden. Everyone is asleep and the house is
‘booted’ awake violently by the perpetrators. All his family are there to see him being dragged
away.
12. What words in the arrest of Danladi show aggression
and cruelty?
The words: Booted and dragged suggest aggression and cruelty
13. ‘a lengthy absence’ What do you think this is
referring to?
The ‘lengthy absence’ suggests that he has been taken away for a very long time.
14. What happens to Chinwe?
Chinwe is sacked from her job, no reasons are given to her, no warnings or meetings
beforehand. ‘Just one neat sack’ suggests that it is a mechanical, organised process without
any possibility for appeal.
15. How does the poet make this seem unjust?
Chinwe has a ‘stainless record’, she did nothing wrong to deserve this treatment
16.
What business of mine is it
So long they don’t take the yam
From my savouring mouth?
Why are these lines repeated at the end of the first three
stanzas?
The author repeats the phrases to reinforce his stance that he does not care about anyone else
because he is too concerned with trying to put food on his table, he cannot afford to become
involved in other people’s business or he will starve. The situation for him is life or death. The
author could also be commenting on the apathy and lack of action that exists with people in
general about many situations that exist concerning current world atrocities.
17. What do these repeated lines tell you about the
character of the narrator?
It suggests that the character of the narrator is selfish and greedy but there is a deeper crisis
going on here and it is a matter of survival for him. If he was a rich and powerful man, then his
attitude would be disgraceful but he is not wealthy or powerful, he is in a desperate situation
himself.
18. Does the poet agree with his attitude? Explain your
answer fully.
The poet is impartial and presents the situation as it is. The author hears the knock on the door,
they have come for him. This is not a justification by the poet for his lack of action but a powerful
message to the reader about the injustices and horrors that occur in such countries. We are in a
position to help these people. We do have the power and the wealth to do something and take
action but we choose to think that: ‘it is not my business’ as long as we are comfortable, we are
alright. But are we? For how long? Could this ever happen to us? …..It happened to the Jew
Notes for Teachers for poem Not My Business (internet
search)
by Liz Allen
NOT MY BUSINESS
by Niyi Osundare
Hailing from Nigeria, Osundare finds an outlet in his poem 'Not my Business' to express his
views of the actions taken by repressive regimes such as the one that exists in his own country.
The first three stanzas of this four-stanza poem are identical in structure. The first four lines of
each describe how acquaintances of the narrator disappeared in either brutal or mysterious
circumstances. In the first stanza, Akanni is beaten and pushed inside a jeep; Osundare uses
personification to create this image, describing how the victim was 'stuffed ... down the belly' of
the jeep. The final three lines of this stanza, which are completely identical to those of the
following two stanzas, convey the reaction of the narrator to this sudden, shocking event. Using
the metaphor 'So long they don't take the yam / From my savouring mouth?' he considers that it
is none of his business. As long as it doesn't affect him directly, why should he care?
The second stanza recounts how 'they' took Danladi away 'to a lengthy absence'. He was taken
during the night: not just taken, but dragged out in an episode that woke everyone in the house.
Osundare uses the word 'booted' to convey the aggression here. Stanza three is somewhat less
violent but equally chilling, showing that women were not spared from similar treatment.
Chinwe was sacked from her job without any explanation or warning. The second and third
stanzas are concluded in the same way as the first: the narrator is still adamant that he doesn't
have to bother about such events, as long as 'they' leave him alone.
The fourth and final stanza, however, is in stark contrast to the first three. The narrator is sitting
down to eat his yam when a knock comes on the door. He describes his reaction in no uncertain
terms: 'A knock on the door froze my hungry hand.' The jeep is waiting for him this time, and he
again uses personification to project his feelings onto his lawn, describing it as 'bewildered'. The
ominous tone of the final line describing the jeep 'Waiting, waiting in its usual silence' is perhaps
even more chilling than the contrasting account of the brutality of the events of the first two
stanzas.
The fact the Osundare uses first names to recount what happened to Akanni, Danladi and Chinwe
shows that these were either members of his family, housemates or close friends. It is striking
that the events took place at different times of day: morning in the first stanza, night in the
second, no specified time but presumably morning in the third, and evening in the fourth. This
makes us feel that these people would always have to be on the alert and could be arrested or
lose their job at any moment. Yet, seeing what happened to those close to him and knowing that
it could happen at any time, the narrator did not initially seem to think that he was in any danger.
The irony of course is in the title, 'Not my Business', since the jeep eventually came for the
narrator himself.
Osundare here conveys the idea that people can disappear or lose their jobs for no apparent
reason in places such as Nigeria. He expresses his concern that people may not care that this is
happening, as long as they can carry on with their own lives as normal. Yet it can happen to
anyone. Observers of such a situation need to care about such injustice and take action to prevent
oppression.
Blank work sheet for students:
The Poem:
Not My Business
by Niyi Osundare
Read the poem
1. What do you think this poem is about?
______________________________________________
____________________________________
2. What country or type of country do you think this poem
is set in and why?
______________________________________________
____________________________________
3.Who do you think ‘they’ were?
______________________________________________
____________________________________
4.What sort of people do ‘they’ appear to be?
______________________________________________
____________________________________
5.What words give you this impression?
______________________________________________
____________________________________
6. What sort of people are Akanni, Danladi and Chinwe?
______________________________________________
____________________________________
7. What do you think happened to them?
______________________________________________
____________________________________
8.How is the violence of Akanni’s arrest shown in the
poem?
______________________________________________
____________________________________
9.How is the jeep described?
______________________________________________
____________________________________
10. Why does the poet say ‘belly’ of the jeep ? (This is a poetic
devise called personification)
______________________________________________
____________________________________
11. How is Danladi’s arrest made to sound violent and
sinister?
______________________________________________
____________________________________
12. What words in the arrest of Danladi show aggression
and cruelty?
______________________________________________
____________________________________
13. ‘a lengthy absence’ What do you think this is
referring to?
______________________________________________
____________________________________
14.What happens to Chinwe?
______________________________________________
____________________________________
15. How does the poet make this seem unjust?
______________________________________________
____________________________________
16.
What business of mine is it
So long they don’t take the yam
From my savouring mouth?
Why are these lines repeated
at the end of the first three stanzas?
______________________________________________
____________________________________
17. What do these repeated lines tell you about the
character of the narrator?
______________________________________________
______________________________________________
_______________________________
18. Does the poet agree with his attitude? Explain your
answer fully.
INFORMATION ABOUT THE POET Niyi
Not My Business
Niyi Osundare
Osundare
The Poet
• Niyi Osundare, who was born in Nigeria in
1947 and is currently a professor of English
literature at the university of New Orleans, is
considered the greatest living Nigerian poet.
Most of his books are published in Nigeria.
• This poem comes from a collection called
‘Songs of the Seasons’. He describes Nigeria
as a country where every significant event is
celebrated in ‘song, drum and dance’.
• The Nigerian government has a reputation for
harsh and unjust treatment of its opponents.
‘The Yoruba believe that a Word is extremely useful but also
extremely risky,’ Osundare continues. ‘You have to think before
you speak. The moment you utter a Word is like breaking an
egg. You can’t put the pieces of an egg back together again.’ It is
a sentiment the Nigerian government under the dictatorship of
general Abacha wholeheartedly agreed with. In the Abacha
years, writing poetry was considered a dangerous activity, as
Osundare found out himself. ‘With the kind of poetry I write, I
can never be the dictator’s friend. So I got a knock on the door
at two in the morning a couple of times.’ Osundare has written
on the execution, in 1995, of the writer Ken Saro-Wiwa, and the
unlawful imprisonment of journalists. Subsequently he was
visited by security agents and asked to elucidate his phrases. ‘By
that time I realized that the Nigerian security apparatus had
become quite ‘sophisticated’, quite ‘literate’ indeed! A couple of
my students at the university of Ibadan had become informers;
a few even came to my class wired. And when I was reading
abroad, someone trailed me from city to city. At home, my
letters were frequently being intercepted.
* The teacher can show the power point again and then ask the students to compare
‘Not My Business, with the poem’, ‘First They Came For The Jews’ by Pastor Martin
Neimoller. The two poems deal with the issue of apathy and being inactive when there
is injustice.
Conclusion
“When will it be your business?” This is the question at the end of the power point
presentation and it will be a good point to finish on for this project….. for now.
It is a symbol for the many questions left yet unanswered; that we must all try to
answer. This educational baton must be passed on to future generations for them to
help us find the answers to these questions. The work is yet to be finished, it will
continue to develop and grow. This question and many such questions will try to be
addressed by many teachers and their students………… Good Luck