An Analysis Of W. H. Auden's Refugee Blues

How does W.H Auden use language and linguistic devices to convey the situation faced by the Jewish people in Refugee Blues?

Intro
W.H Auden was an Anglo-American poet who was a leading literary influencer in the 20th century. In the 1920s, he witnessed Hitler’s rise to power while living in Germany and wrote ‘Refugee Blues’ that laments the plight the German Jews had to experience in order to survive Hitler’s anti-semitic policy. He repeatedly emphasises how everyone has refused to help the German Jews through their calamity. In this poem, a range of language and linguistic devices are used to convey the situation faced by the Jewish people in ‘Refugee Blues’ 1st paragraph Auden used the form of Blues to write this poem following an AAB three line stanza structure; the first two which are

However, they were only supported for a temporary period, eventually they are abandoned to their own fate. This is ironic because this was the only time that the narrator was given an opportunity, but it was like they pretended to give him light, then snatched it away right when he gathers his confidence and spirit. Hereafter, the narrator and his partner are standing at the same helpless place again. Metaphor Auden repeatedly uses metaphors in ‘Refugee Blues’ to portray the mixed emotions the narrator’s mind. In stanza seven ‘thought I heard the thunder rumbling in the sky’, Auden uses this as a metaphor to refer to Hitler’s overpowering voice across Europe. Hitler not only has power over Germany, but has complete control over Europe now, which implies how hopeless the Jews are, they have to where to run away to. Hitler controlling Europe could also refer to the thunder in the sky, or even god, as he possesses the power to strike anything down from the