Chorus of The Rescued

Imagery is used in Poetry to give a mental picture of what the poet desires to pass across to his or her readers. The writer of the “Chorus of the Rescued” is a survivor of the Holocaust. She escaped death by a whisker and uses her literary work to enlighten readers about her experience and her hope for a better future not only for the Jews; but for all who undergo suffering. Imagery engages the five senses of human beings namely touch, sight, hearing, speech, and taste.

Chorus of the Rescued is in itself imagery. The word “chorus” is often used to refer to the refrain of a song. The writer uses it to indicate how jubilant the survivors were. They could not believe that they had been rescued from death! It is out of excitement, disbelief, and relief that the “rescued” have a song.

Examples of imagery in the Chorus of the Rescued

An example of imagery in the poem is as quoted below

“We, the rescued,

The nooses would for our necks still dangle” (Lines 6-7).

Through these lines, the poet gives the reader a mental picture of how the Jews were killed by using nooses. She goes ahead to describe how the necks hang down as they were mercilessly massacred. It is also a sad moment for the reader to realize that the process of killing the Jews was terrible.

            The poet also uses imagery to describe how they suffered a lot of blood loss during the holocaust. You read the description and you can clearly see how so much of their blood dripping until it fills the glasses;

“...Hourglasses still fill with out dripping blood” (Line 9)

Imagery in this case is significant as it ensures that the reader understands the feelings of the survivors of the Holocaust

            The writer also takes time to describe their fear for their lives and an uncertain future. The survivors also lost their self-esteem; turning into timid people:

We, the rescued,

The worms of fear still feed on us.

Our constellation is buried in dust (Lines 10-12).

The poet also speaks metaphorically to her readers with an appeal that they would help them to resume their normal lives. They pray that they will be treated gently and patiently since they will need time to adjust to their former lives;

We, the rescued,

Beg you:

Show us your sun…. but gradually.

Lead us from star to star, step by step.

Be gentle when you teach us to live again.

Conclusion

The imagery in the poem Chorus of the Rescued has played an excellent role of describing the experiences of the Jews during the Holocaust. It has also vividly portrayed their feelings of despair, fear, helplessness, and timidity as they faced the gallows of death. The reader is easily moved by their suffering and hopes that no human being can ever go through such an experience. The poem also uses imagery to indicate the excitement of the survivors who were rescued from being annihilated. They were so grateful that someone had mercy on them and found them worthy of living. They desire that they be assisted in adjusting their lives back to normalcy.