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Date 5 /2,./7---z..,
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"Hitler's First Photograph"
by Wislawa Szymborska
And who's this little fellow in his itty-bitty robe? d ~"1 w~d.:JJ k)v.\- l,n,,;,
~ Y/1\ 0_,.l That's tiny baby Adolf, the Hitlers' little boy! - ~r
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~\-\-\...e. ( Will he grow up to be an LL.D.? (LL.D - Doctor of Law) v-- "" ,t Au, J< ~t, ') '~, •-t
~<~---¥\o (Or a tenor in Vienna's Opera House? r. ht ~are_~{ ':r--"-
\t_.. . Whose teensy hand is this, whose little ear and eye and nose? v-----'-- l'-""'-· .,__ .,.JJ., 5
Whose _!.ummy full of milk, we just don't know: ·,ro
n : c... \ , I ' - ~ o.. \ ':) ),
~ •s, doctor's, merchant's,.p r i ~ "' i,.,ov,, 1.U\-JA.t- ¼t- , h ~"rV'\ 1..,-c, )
\\~,~'{>-'\\ ~ ..~ Where will those tootsy-woots1es
v,., - -
finally wander? .J
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(}i~, To garden, to school, to an office, to a bride, - - - - <pDl,-r1CA "V'\
maybe to the Burgermeister's daughter? ..----(an executive in a town in Germany) 10
\j€1~ vn.s·,-hve Precious l i t t l ~ mommy's sunshine, honey bun, ~e--r-t1, ( ~ ~~~ ~bK of: lo...C.
. I.Oof~ ,
110
while he was being born a year ago, C l)..l<t ~ .,. _......; ✓
"' ~ t · there was no dearth of signs on the earth and in the sky: =:J , .
Ir. , spring sun, geraniums in windows, h"fpj ,lv\C-\~~ - tort>bu¼ j ' oJ Th1.~..::, -' ' " " ' 1 L.
' F'-f/Y _ the organ-grinder's music in the yard, 15
.j_•v~)ip? a lucl<y fo~'l.(l~r~RP~~ in rosy paper, \A·,") 'v-. ~'!,~
r' \'fi ~\4u.ithen ju~f before the labor his mother's fateful dream: ~ c vw\
\) t~ l a gave seen in dream means j~ul news, d,·c;h, ' f h-:!5 i°"fh,.;I ~ s
~ it is caught, a long-awaited guest will come. ....__.,
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Knock knock, who's there, it's Adolfs heartchen knocking. (German word for "little heart") 20
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'(( ~' ~;C>i., A little pacifier, diaper, rattle , bib,
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n.•'S' ~ l~i.r
our bouncing boy, thank God and knock on wood, is well,
looks just like his folks, like a kitten in a basket,
6;tb ht•~
like the tots in every other family album. "''' loob rcs htw-l f~~◄"'-' C,rj0oS 0 , c,v,,\
Shush, let's not start crying, sugar, A hd-f"'1 o....>/ }.; vY½.,, h ...eou.-+-, c~ 25 ~
the cameraWIII cl1cR: from under that black hooa. ( ~ v-,,l t-u ,f'-111... :i'w \-\ :-\-\,.e , c~, ":) )
The Klinger A~elier, Grabenstrasse, Braunen, (Klinger Atelier-Painting of Max Klinger's Artist's studio)
and Braunen 1s a small but worthy town, (Grabenstrasse - street in Austria)
cv,,~½[honest businesses, obliging neighbors, (Braunen - birthplace of Hitler in Austria-Hungary)
\Q~\ smell of yeast dough, of gray soap. 30
No one hears howling dogs, or fate's footsteps. re J;
c.,.\,,\ 4 Wn4 M.S ~ r { • , \ , .L
tn~') ( A history teacher loosens his collar --..J ' ~ ,r\C. - fc(c ,.) • I h, 1)....15).., 'r~
1,,,5 IY...t,i,(. and yawns over homework.
\Ji)(jr\j 5 0 ¼V- - ~~shnJv~ J1clMA-t1C v~nJl>~ ~ ~ ;>C::: h \ ':)~~
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As you annotate, consider the following:
Who is the speaker ? ~f;-u-- vr-. c.tt...l~ 1o ,..+ · spt-a- 1,t... 1'j o ... \:,,hA 1.C pf h-.. 11 ,tl'!,, ~
· \ · l l. , u.,u,I. ~ c;.y.rA.J.~r
Wh at ·~s th e SI·t uat1on,7 (\__ 1 L .. 1
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1~ ,/\~ _ ) ' t ( ~ w~
What Is the speaker s tone/attitude? v}<Nm e\)'{p\ !ov,~ h,<. ~t¼"~'''
1
What is the meaning/central purpose of the poem? <-l''iol':J ';fon,j ~ .:J, o\,..J n, ovukf\ "1N.. r. ~ ~ "-._.
How does the poet convey ideas in 1-4 (techniques)? kJH...., l'Y' .,-,-.__~-('5
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What tone (attitude toward her subject) does Szymborska expect readers ~o
h~ve? How do you know? .J.J.s~v<;t- c;.,1-\,,e ~ pfrt'1 t~·,c:> ~ be c~v,t.. 1-t,iie..r
1$ COIY) ()1 Or, l::J
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What effect do words like "angel," "sunshine," "honeybun" and "sug~r" have on l:.J .
the reader? Explain. --1-o ~ .J,<.,v.A,:s ;""'"Jl vi= 'If ,-t\~._rJ
·,+l-<> "'-1-«t.~ S"'viJ' f"'J.
k(Y\ kow o)'Yl.<_o~ so ~J?<.,ft v( ro ✓\J MV be,
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b< "" ,n - 11. · ,.., ""' •V.
What does line 31 mean? I~ ·s ~ tii's t- liY!e. wru..~ H i--\e...r '~ fv~ 1\ .,,...,.,.1..,. . .,.__ .t.A
1 ~,.~
'-1\d- ·,+-S"-o~ hovv ·,-\--- cfoesri 1h,nC<. fu ;A ~+-- morne~+ . .,
Why does the poem end with the image of a history teacher loosenin g h1~ collar
and yawning? What effect does this image have on you? ~.,.<-(.,l 0
w'l v-Y\.cJ r'(
.:.Le ~ ' .:r-v-
~iS--k cv; ,+-\SJ ff,'l"S tl.t._ ~ckr CL ~ e. of- o-- PP~ h.Q,v)<;:-0-( \ 'oeL..w'-12... ~ ~:1 "(1
Critic ~an Reid makes this observation: "Hitler's First Photogr aph" is one of V\.-t r,,f1!-"
the most chilling poetic inspections of the psychopathological phenome na
associated with its namesake and Nazism ever written. By describin g Hltler in his
first year of life from the perspective of his parents (any parents), Szymbor ska
jolts us out of our complacency around the question of how this could have
happened ... She prods us to consider whether the signs were there and, if they
were not, to ask what gives rise to such abominations and to recogniz e the need
to be vigilant.
Do you agree with Reid's assessment of tre poem? Why or why not? .
\ r"nti$¾ a:5~ .J ~J \- \ p\,5.,_1..«. (,vi f"Vl f¼_ N..-Lt5",;'+-¼ /-o bt \/ 15 1 lo.-lt-"wkl-7 ~ ''7..
At what point do cute, darling babies turri into stone-he artea'kille rs? Explain. S"'-o '7"-:::j
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What poini is Szym6orska making in this poe'fu? How has she made this point
clear? S--z.-vyf\ 6or7 f 6\ ., <- h--,~
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