Wislawa Szymborska was a Polish poet, essayist, and translator. She was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1996. “Dramatic Irony in Hitler’s First Photograph” is a poem about the famous photograph of Adolf Hitler taken in 1913. The poem uses dramatic irony to explore the idea that we can never truly know someone, even if we think we do.
The first stanza of the poem begins with the speaker describing the photograph: “A young man poses unsmiling for the camera.” The speaker then goes on to say that this man is “none other than Adolf Hitler.” The use of dramatic irony is evident here, as the reader knows who Hitler is, but the speaker does not. The speaker continues to describe Hitler in the second stanza, saying that he is “a little over twenty years old” and “already has a mustache.” Again, the use of dramatic irony allows the reader to see Hitler in a different light than the speaker does.
It is not until the third stanza that the speaker begins to question who Hitler really is. The speaker asks, “Who are you, really?” and “What do you want?” These are questions that we can never truly answer, even if we think we know someone. The poem ends with the speaker saying that she will never know the answers to these questions, but she can still look at Hitler’s photograph and wonder.
The use of dramatic irony in this poem allows the reader to see Hitler in a different light than the speaker does. The speaker is unaware of who Hitler really is, but the reader knows. This creates a sense of distance between the speaker and Hitler, which allows the reader to question the idea that we can ever truly know someone.
This poem by Wisława Szymborska is written in third person omniscient point of view, and it literal speaks about how Hitler was just a normal child that had not become anything yet. Even though his future might not be the greatest, Szymborska still portrays him as an average kid.
The title of the poem, “Dramatic Irony in Hitler’s First Photograph,” is self-explanatory. The entire poem is based on the idea of dramatic irony, where the reader knows something that the character does not. In this case, the reader knows about Hitler’s future, while Hitler himself is unaware.
The poem is written in simple language and employs childlike rhyme scheme, which makes it all the more ironic. The tone is light and playful, which contrasts with the dark reality of what Hitler will eventually become.
In the end, Szymborska leaves us with a powerful reminder that everyone has potential for good or evil, and that it’s impossible to know what the future holds. Hitler’s first photograph is a reminder that we should never take anything for granted.
The phrase, “Hitler’s first photograph,” refers to how little Hitler looked like a child and nothing more. This is clear from her childish language throughout the poem. Szymborska writes about how no one would have guessed what would happen to Hitler as a baby. This ties into the universality concept in that when a person is born, they haven’t established their own individual identity that others may know.
Wislawa Szymborska was a Polish poet, essayist, translator and recipient of the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1996. Wislawa Szymborska wrote many poems that were published in several volumes from 1952 onwards. Hitler’s first photograph is one poem from her collection which is based on irony.
The structure of the poem is simple as it only consists of three stanzas. The first stanza introduces the subject matter which is Hitler’s first photograph. The second stanza gives background information about Hitler such as his name and where he was born. The last stanza is the punchline of the poem which leaves the reader thinking about what could have been if Hitler had not turned out to be a dictator.
The poem starts off with a description of the photograph which is the subject matter. The speaker says that the photograph is “black and white/and somewhat faded”. This could be seen as a metaphor for how Hitler’s legacy has been tarnished by his actions. The speaker then goes on to say that Hitler looks like “an ordinary baby” in the photograph. This is significant because it shows how no one could have predicted what would happen when he grew up.
The second stanza gives background information about Hitler such as his name and where he was born. The speaker says that Hitler’s “name was Adolf” and that he was born in “Austria in 1889”. This is significant because it shows that Hitler was a human just like everyone else.
The last stanza is the punchline of the poem which leaves the reader thinking about what could have been if Hitler had not turned out to be a dictator. The speaker says that if Hitler had not become a dictator, “the world would be different today”. This is significant because it shows how one person can make a difference in the world.
In this poem, Szymborska points out that no one could have imagined what Hitler’s future would hold when he was a newborn. This is relevant to the concept of universality in that a baby has yet to establish an individual identity that may be known by others. Every person is left guessing as to what will become of the youngster, and the worst-case scenario is never considered.
Hitler’s first photograph is an example of dramatic irony because it is a photo of Hitler as a baby, and at the time it was taken, no one could have predicted that he would grow up to be one of the most evil dictators in history. This poem highlights the idea that anyone has the potential for greatness or for destruction, and that we can never really know what someone will become.
In conclusion, Wislawa Szymborska’s poem “Hitler’s first photograph” is a satirical poem which uses dramatic irony to make a point about how no one could have predicted what would happen when Hitler grew up. The poem is also significant because it shows how one person can make a difference in the world.