In Germany they came first for the Communists,
and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Communist.
Then they came for the Jews,
and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Jew.
Then they came for the trade unionists,
and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a trade unionist.
Then they came for the Catholics,
and I didn't speak up because I was a Protestant.
Then they came for me,
and by that time no one was left to speak up.
* Hint: Compare Niemoller’s cautionary poem with Orwell’s allegorical story of the Manor Farm. How are their messages similar or different? How is the method of delivering those messages similar or different?
Answer: Orwell's allegorical novella is not a poem but rather an allegory that uses characters and events to represent something else to reveal a moral or theoretical message. Orwall was one who wanted all to remember the mistakes of the past and learn from history's blunders. Niemoller's cautionary poem states what disaster happened when he did not do what he should have done when he had the opportunity. When comparing the two, they both are transmitting a message to learned from past experiences. They both portray extreme unhappy events with meaningful endings. They both are cautionary tales about the abuse of power.
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