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The Trains Heyen Summary

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William Heyen writes the poem, "The Trains." to recall German concentration camp, Treblinka, and its role in the extermination of Jewish men, women, and children during World War II. Heyen gives a circuitous synopsis of the camp’s purpose by describing the authority of the Germans to collect the personal effects of Jewish prisoners prior to their execution and redistributed to Germany via the same trains that likely brought the prisoners to their demise. Heyen utilizes synecdoche in this poem by assigning Treblinka the role of the Jewish holocaust, giving blame to the camp and its commandant, yet the German High Command was the overall responsible party in their deaths. The poem highlights the objectification of the prisoner’s possessions and,
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