Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Anne Sexton's "After Auschwitz" is a searing and visceral response to the horrors of the Holocaust, capturing the profound anger and disillusionment that arise in the face of such unimaginable evil. The poem is both a lament and a condemnation, expressing a deep-seated rage at the capacity for human cruelty and the moral decay it signifies. Through stark, jarring imagery and a relentless tone, Sexton confronts the reader with the brutality of the Holocaust and the existential questions it raises about humanity itself.

The poem opens with the stark declaration of "Anger, / as black as a hook, / overtakes me." This immediate, overwhelming anger sets the tone for the rest of the poem, as the speaker grapples with the enormity of the atrocities committed during the Holocaust. The comparison of anger to a "hook" suggests something sharp, painful, and inescapable—a constant presence that digs into the speaker's consciousness. This anger is not just a fleeting emotion but a pervasive force that colors the speaker's perception of humanity.

The poem then moves into a grotesque image that captures the casual cruelty of the Nazis: "Each day, / each Nazi / took, at 8:00 A.M., a baby / and sautéed him for breakfast / in his frying pan." This horrific image is deliberately shocking, emphasizing the dehumanization and barbarity that defined the Holocaust. By presenting such a stark and surreal scenario, Sexton forces the reader to confront the depths of human depravity, making it clear that the acts committed by the Nazis were beyond comprehension, beyond the bounds of ordinary human experience.

As the poem progresses, Sexton personifies death as a detached, almost indifferent observer: "And death looks on with a casual eye / and picks at the dirt under his fingernail." This portrayal of death as nonchalant, even bored, underscores the sense of futility and despair that pervades the poem. The casualness with which death regards the atrocities being committed further highlights the enormity of the evil, suggesting that death itself has become desensitized to the horrors unfolding before it.

The speaker's anger then turns to a broader condemnation of humanity itself: "Man is evil, / I say aloud. / Man is a flower / that should be burnt, / I say aloud." Here, Sexton uses metaphors to express a complete loss of faith in humanity. The comparison of man to a flower that should be burnt suggests that, despite any potential for beauty or growth, humanity is fundamentally corrupt and deserving of destruction. The speaker continues with the metaphor of man as "a bird full of mud," emphasizing the filth and degradation that has tainted human existence.

The repetition of "I say aloud" throughout the poem serves to underscore the speaker's desperate need to vocalize this anger and despair, as if by saying it aloud, the truth of it might be fully realized or acknowledged. This repetition also conveys a sense of helplessness, as the speaker's words seem to echo into a void, with no response or resolution.

Sexton continues to deconstruct the notion of humanity with brutal imagery: "Man with his small pink toes, / with his miraculous fingers / is not a temple / but an outhouse, / I say aloud." The contrast between the "miraculous" aspects of the human body—its delicate, intricate parts—and the debasement of being compared to an "outhouse" reflects the speaker's utter disillusionment with the idea of human sanctity. The body, once seen as a temple, is now viewed as something dirty, degrading, and foul.

The poem's crescendo comes in the form of a litany of prohibitions: "Let man never again raise his teacup. / Let man never again write a book. / Let man never again put on his shoe. / Let man never again raise his eyes, / on a soft July night." These lines express a desire to strip humanity of all its small, daily acts of civilization and culture, as if these acts are now tainted by the evil of the Holocaust. The repetition of "never again" reinforces the finality and absolute nature of the speaker's condemnation.

The poem concludes with the speaker's desperate plea: "I say these things aloud. / I beg the Lord not to hear." This closing line reveals the speaker's inner conflict—the need to express this anger and condemnation, yet also a fear of its implications. The plea for the Lord "not to hear" suggests a hope, however faint, that these words are not the final truth, that perhaps there is some redeeming aspect of humanity left, though the speaker can no longer see it.

"After Auschwitz" is a powerful and haunting meditation on the aftermath of the Holocaust and the existential crisis it provokes. Anne Sexton uses stark, unsettling imagery and a tone of relentless anger to explore the depths of human evil and the devastating impact it has on our understanding of what it means to be human. The poem leaves the reader with a sense of profound unease, challenging us to confront the darkest aspects of our history and our nature.

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