UNIT 2
POETRY
‘First They Came’ by Martin Niemöller Use the internet or other non-fiction reference books to research the answers to the questions below.
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1 Find out the meaning of the following terms: communist, socialist and trade unionist.
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PRE-READING: READING
2 What groups of people were targeted by the Nazis and sent to concentration camps?
3 What happened to the property and possessions of the people that the Nazis came for?
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4 How many German citizens lost their lives during the Holocaust?
All about ‘First They Came’
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Martin Niemöller (1892–1984) was an important church leader in Germany during Nazi rule. He began to speak out against Hitler and the Nazis when he saw what was happening to his community. Niemöller spent the last seven years of Nazi rule in concentration camps and survived to tell his story upon his release. He is best remembered for his post-war confession, found in this piece of prose poetry.
‘First They Came’ by Martin Niemöller
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First they came for the Communists And I did not speak out Because I was not a Communist.
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Then they came for the Socialists And I did not speak out Because I was not a Socialist.
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Then they came for the trade unionists And I did not speak out Because I was not a trade unionist. Then they came for the Jews And I did not speak out Because I was not a Jew. Then they came for me And there was no one left To speak out for me.
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