Style variation within a poem
Below is a poem by the Jewish Canadian musician,
artist and poet, Leonard Cohen  .
The poem, 'All there is to Know about Adolph Eichmann' is ostensibly about
an infamous World War II Nazi who was the mastermind behind the movement
to put Jews in the concentration camps. It is estimated that Eichmann
sent 6 million Jews to their deaths. He was tried in Israel in 1961 for
crimes against the Jewish people, found guilty of all 15 criminal charges
against him, and hanged (You can view a ).
Task - All there is to know about Adolph Eichmann
Read the poem below carefully two or three times
and then answer the questions below it.
ALL THERE IS TO KNOW ABOUT ADOLPH EICHMANN
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EYES
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Medium
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HAIR
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Medium
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WEIGHT
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Medium
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HEIGHT
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Medium
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DISTINGUISHING FEATURES
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None
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NUMBER OF FINGERS
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Ten
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NUMBER OF TOES
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Ten
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INTELLIGENCE
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Medium
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What did you expect?
Talons?
Oversize Incisors?
Green saliva?
Madness?
(c) 1964, Leonard Cohen. All rights reserved.
1. First of all, discuss the poem with
your partner and write down your general understanding of what the poem
is about. Compare what you think with an independent discussion of the
poem.
2. The poem clearly divides into
two parts. What does the first part remind you of and what is it about
the graphology (the layout on the page) and the grammatical structure
which prompts that reminding?
3. What can you say about the second
part of the poem and how it relates to the first part?
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