Eva Pickova, “Fear”
Introduction to Eva Picková
Eva Picková (May 15, 1929 - December 18, 1943) was born in the current Czech Republic and deported to Terezín, a Nazi concentration camp, on April 16, 1942. Like Pavel Friedman, she died in Auschwitz on December 18, 1943. Her poem was discovered in Terezín after the camp was liberated.
Eva Picková (May 15, 1929 - December 18, 1943) was born in the current Czech Republic and deported to Terezín, a Nazi concentration camp, on April 16, 1942. Like Pavel Friedman, she died in Auschwitz on December 18, 1943. Her poem was discovered in Terezín after the camp was liberated.
"Fear" - by 14-Year-old Eva Pickova - Holocaust Victim
Today the ghetto knows a different fear, Close in its grip, Death wields an icy scythe. An evil sickness spreads a terror in its wake, The victims of its shadow weep and writhe. Today a father's heartbeat tells his fright And mothers bend their heads into their hands. Now children choke and die with typhus here, A bitter tax is taken from their bands. My heart still beats inside my breast While friends depart for other worlds. Perhaps it's better — who can say? — Than watching this, to die today? No, no, my God, we want to live! Not watch our numbers melt away. We want to have a better world, We want to work — we must not die! |
Interpretation
The first two stanzas of “Fear” are dark and foreboding. The image of “Death wield[ing] an icy scythe” creates a frightening tone that supports the title. A scythe is a tool used for the harvest, so in a sense, personified “Death” is harvesting the Jewish people of the ghetto. The harsh-sounding word choice at the end of the first stanza with “weep and writhe” leaves readers afraid. The second stanza continues this feeling of fear by a series of images describing a family, the “father’s heartbeat,” “mothers bend[ing] their heads into their hands,” and “children chok[ing] and d[ying].”
The first two stanzas of “Fear” are dark and foreboding. The image of “Death wield[ing] an icy scythe” creates a frightening tone that supports the title. A scythe is a tool used for the harvest, so in a sense, personified “Death” is harvesting the Jewish people of the ghetto. The harsh-sounding word choice at the end of the first stanza with “weep and writhe” leaves readers afraid. The second stanza continues this feeling of fear by a series of images describing a family, the “father’s heartbeat,” “mothers bend[ing] their heads into their hands,” and “children chok[ing] and d[ying].”
While the images of fear do not disappear in the third stanza, there is a shift, as the speaker watches her friends leaving and wonders if it might be better “to die today.” The question allows the speaker to stay strong and begin the fourth stanza with determination. Repeating “[n]o, no,” reinforces the speaker’s desire to live.
The themes in “Fear” match the fear brought by the Nazi soldiers in Number the Stars, and the speaker in “Fear” shows as much determination as Annemarie to overcome a terrifying situation.
Form
“Fear” has a regular four-line, four stanza structure. While there is not a regular rhyme scheme, there are several pairs of rhyming lines. This irregular rhyme scheme helps to mirror the emotion in the title, while the pairs of rhymes emphasize the determination of the speaker.
“Fear” has a regular four-line, four stanza structure. While there is not a regular rhyme scheme, there are several pairs of rhyming lines. This irregular rhyme scheme helps to mirror the emotion in the title, while the pairs of rhymes emphasize the determination of the speaker.