An Analysis of “Bashert”

Madison Swiger

Braun Award for Excellence in Writing in General Education

Nominated

by Bethany Eicher, Instructor of English

Madison Swiger, of northern Michigan, is a first year at Saginaw Valley State University studying psychology and youth services. An active member in Program Board and Female Empowerment and Multicultural Education (F.E.M.E), and a health simulation actor for the Nursing Program, Madison continuously strives to connect with the diverse campus life and events surrounding social change. After graduating, Madison hopes to pursue a master’s in counseling.

This piece was written for Studies in World Literature (English 205) as the midterm. By analyzing this particular poem, Madison was able to use both an empathetic and logical approach in regard to bringing light to a significant event.

Writing from anecdotal experience, poet Irene Klepfisz shares the heartbreaking reality many braved during and after the Holocaust in her poem, “Bashert,” a Yiddish word meaning “inevitable” (Forché 391). Combining her own experiences and a dedication to her audience, “Bashert” appeals to one’s emotions. By using powerful imagery, repetition, and an authentic tone, Klepfisz personally connects with her audience, conveying her inevitable struggle with uniting the two continents of her life and voicing the harsh experiences for those who cannot speak and those who should be made aware.

The first two sections of “Bashert” are dedicated to specific audience members: those who died and those who survived. By reading these passages along with the background information in the poem, one can infer that the individuals to whom each section is dedicated are those who enduredtheHolocaust.Thesimplerepetitionofthe dedicationand “because”alludes totheconcept that the cause of death differed between individuals: “These words are dedicated to those who died […] because they felt they did not belong and wanted to die […] because a card was lost and a number was skipped […] because death is the final rest” (Klepfisz 391–92). Some experienced dehumanizing treatment and rejection whereas others merely accepted their inevitable death and whatever followed (392). The repetition is used with great emphasis, reminding the reader of the harshness of the Holocaust.

Thisis similar to the dedication to those who survived: “These words are dedicated to those who survived because they were lucky/ [ ] because they expected the worst and were always prepared/ [ ] because life is a gift and they were free to accept it” (Klepfisz 392–93). Again, the repetition emphasizes the individuality of the Holocaust. It is also evident that Klepfisz’s tone is honest and raw, acknowledging a variety of perspectives. The different reasons for “because” in both passages are delivered without animosity or opinion, simply creating a genuine dedication for all who suffered. Both passages also end with a reiteration of the dedication as if to say, “let us not forget these reasons and the individuals behind them ” This act of honor transitions wonderfully into Klepfisz’s life as she shares her timeline from Warsaw to turning thirty in America.

The next section, labeled “Poland, 1944: My Mother Is Walking Down a Road,” mainly focuses on Klepfisz’s mother, a terrified woman who wants what is best for her daughter. Klepfisz describes being left with an old peasant woman who was kind enough to play the role of her grandmother (393). Both Klepfisz and her mother are gravely ill, with a family friend calculating that Klepfisz “will not liveout the week ” Withtheir worries and thoughts elsewhere, both Klepfisz and her mother are unfazed by their conditions.

Throughout this section, there are several instances of repetition both involving the mother and Klepfisz: “My mother is walking down a road. Somewhere in Poland [ ] Another woman joins her” (Klepfisz 393–94). “I am over three years old, corn silk blond and blue eyed like any Polish child [ ] I have no consciousness of our danger, our separateness from the others” (394). The repetition of both individuals with a reference to the other shows a contrast in emotion and overall knowledge. The mother is fearful and in search of a permit in the midst of WWII (393). She is simply looking for tangible acceptance as a Jew as are other women whose husbands are either dead or off fighting whereas Klepfisz is an innocent toddler, unaware of the fear her mother holds, solely trusting the old peasant woman to care for her during her mother’s absence. Accompanying these recurrences is strong imagery of the road which the mother is traveling on and the physical state of the collective of women.

KlepfiszcontinuesbytalkingaboutattendingcollegeinChicago.Sherecallsherdedication to studying, often walking home at midnight absentmindedly. Imagery of an empty campus adds to her wistful tone: “The university seems an island ungrounded [ ] On some, all evidence of previous life removed except for occasional fringes of rubble that reveal vague outlines that hint at things that were” (Klepfisz 396). One can make the connection between the empty campus and Klepfisz’s life in Warsaw. After the Holocaust, there were only sparse markings of evidence of what once was.

Klepfisz also usually thought back about individuals who survived the Holocaust but fell victim to the overall trauma and pain: “I am totally preoccupied with another time, another place. Night after night, protected by the darkness, I think only of Elza who is dead” (396). Klepfisz recalls Elza’s rather fortunate life after reaching America. Yet, it wasn’t enough as Elza found no escape from her past. This particular tragedy shifts Klepfisz’s tone, creating a sense of questioning and frustration: “Everything that happened to us afterwards, to all of us, does none of it matter […] These questions haunt me. Yet I persist with a will I myself do not understand” (397–98). This claim emphasizes the blindness many voluntarily resorted to after the Holocaust. This reality invalidated survivors, isolating their experiences as survivors and explaining the increased frustration and why so many took their lives.

The last two sections of “Bashert” show Klepfisz struggling with uniting her two lives: her life in Warsaw and her life in America. She recalls turning thirty, marking a significant milestone as her father passed at that age. It is apparent that Klepfisz has an epiphany approaching her birthday. She gathers a desire to become a connection between the two lives: “I am almost equidistant from the twocontinents. I look back towards one,thenforwardtowardsthe other. There is a need in me to become transparent like water, to become the salt water which is their only connection” (400). The motive to become transparent reflects Klepfisz’s authentic tone as she affirms the reality of her life: the good and bad.

It is also evident that Klepfisz strove to share the stories of survivors and her own accounts, saying “Yes. It’s true. All true. I am scrupulously accurate […] Like these, my despised ancestors / I have become a keeper of accounts/ […] I am a keeper of accounts” (401–03). One can assume that Klepfisz is scolding her ancestors, those who claim to know of the hardships but do not, yet she has arealization of herown, changingher statement from “I have become akeeper of accounts” to “I am a keeper of accounts” (403). The repetition shows Klepfisz’s growth as an individual, ultimately helping her bridge the gap between countries as was inevitable all along.

The poem as a whole reflects greatly onto its title. “Bashert” alludes to the different paths Holocaust survivors faced, leading to many inevitable outcomes. Some, like Klepfisz, inevitably shared the stories of their past while others inevitably passed on, as it was too much to carry. The numerous examples of “inevitable” show the individuality of the Holocaust, connecting to the vast usage of repetition and honesty all throughout the poem. “Bashert” closes by creating a full-circle moment, repeating the title, composing a coincidental occurrence as if it were inevitable the poem would conclude that way.

Irene Klepfisz’s poem “Bashert” shares her beautiful journey as a Holocaust survivor, creating a new life in America while also honoring her experiences and lost companions from Warsaw, Poland. The consistent use of repetition, symbolic imagery, and an honest tone helps the reader better understand the background information and overall message of the poem. The construction of the poem also shows Klepfisz’s overall life, processing her past and present and therebyunitingthem.EachsectionaddsemphasistokeypointsinKlepfisz’slife,creatingajourney for the reader. Although Klepfisz’s story cannot speak for all impacted by the Holocaust, its dedication to those lost, dedication to those surviving, and dedication to authenticity keep the heartbreaking massacre of the past alive in modern literature, ultimately uniting the two continents, fulfilling Klepfisz’s mission.

Works Cited

Forché, Carolyn. Against Forgetting: Twentieth-Century Poetry of Witness. W.W. Norton & Company, 1993.

Klepfisz, Irene. “Bashert.” Against Forgetting: Twentieth-Century Poetry of Witness, edited by Carolyn Forché, W.W. Norton & Company, 1993, pp. 391

403.