Week 24 Project
Name _________________________
Essential Question:
How bad was World War II?
Enduring Understanding: World War II was the worst event in world history.
The number of deaths, the world wide destruction, and the aftermath were devastating.
From the Holocaust to the atomic bomb World War II opened the door to hence before
unconceivable horrors.
After 9/11 Dennis Johnson said, “Reading the descriptions, seeing the pictures—
all it did was breed questions and spiritual angst, and add to the grief. Not that reading
those descriptions and knowing what happened fully isn't important, but clearly, the
sudden surfeit (flood) of poetry meant people felt there was something lacking in all
that prose, something going uncovered.” Your project is to analyze a rap song called
“Never Again” by Remedy and then to write a poem/rap about the Holocaust, the
Japanese Internment, or the suffering of a family due to the war. After you have filled in
the answers to the techniques questions, Identify at least 4 of those techniques in your
rap.
You must turn in this grading rubric or there will be a 3 point deduction from your
grade.
Grading Rubric
Final Grade ______________/ 20
0
□ Did not create an
appropriate poem/rap that
shows effort and is
directed to a specific
group that suffered during
World War II.
5
□Created a somewhat
appropriate poem/rap that
shows effort and is directed
to a specific group that
suffered during World War
II.
10
□ Created an appropriate
poem/rap that shows effort
and is directed to a specific
group that suffered during
World War II.
0
□ Did not identify poetic
techniques in either
“Never Again” or in the
poem/rap created.
5
□Properly identified
poetic techniques in either
“Never Again” or in the
poem/rap created.
10
□ Properly identified poetic
techniques in both “Never
Again” and in the poem/rap
created.
Never Again by Remedy
[Intro: Announcer] "Baruch atah adonai, eloheinu melech ha'olam, boraih poree
hagoffin..."
(which is Hebrew for: "This is a Blessing over the fruit of the vine, said before every
meal; it's giving god thanks for giving us fruits to make wines with. Also the 'Chamotzi'
the blessing for the grains of the earth, giving thanks for grains to make bread.")
[Intro: Remedy]
Feel this To all those races, colors, and creeds, every man bleeds for the
Countless victims and all their families of The murdered, tortured and slaved, raped,
robbed and Persecuted Never Again! To the men, women, and children. Who Died and
struggled to live, never to be forgotten.
"Vroo binev en acem yub" (which is Hebrew for: "forever in pain")
[Song in Middle: 'Hatikvah' (which is "Israel's National Anthem")
[Verse 1: Remedy]
Yo my own blood Dragged through the mud Perished in my heart still cherished and
loved Stripped of our pride, everything we lived for Families cried There is nowhere to
run to, nowhere to hide Tossed to the side Access denied 6 million died for what?
Yo a man shot dead in his back Helpless women and children on the constant attack
For no reason Till the next season And we still bleeding Yo it’s freezing And men burn
in hell, some for squeezing No hope for a remedy, nothing to believe Moving targets who
walk with the star in their sleeve Forever marked with a number, tattooed to your body
Late night, eyes closed, clutched to my shotty Having visions, flashes of death camps and
prisons no provisions Deceived by the devils decisions Forced into a slave Death before
dishonor for those men who were brave Shot and sent to their grave Can't I awaken, it’s
too late Everything is been taken I’m shaken, family, history, the making
[Chorus: Remedy]
Never again shall we march like sheep to the slaughter Never again shall we sit and take
orders Stripped of our culture Robbed of our name (never again) Raped of our freedom
and thrown into the flames (never again) Forced from our families, taken from our homes
Moved from our God then burned of our bones Never again, never again Shall we march
like sheep to the slaughter (never again) Leave our sons and daughters Stripped of our
culture Robbed of our name (never again) Raped of our freedom and thrown into the
flames (never again) Forced from our families, taken from our homes Moved from our
God and everything we own (never again)
[Verse 2: Remedy]
Some fled through the rumors of wars But most left were dead, few escaped to the shores
With just 1 loaf of bread Banished, hold in for questioning And vanished Never to be
seen again I can’t express the pain That was felt in the train To Auschwitz, tears poured
down like rain Naked face to face With the master race Hatred blood of David My heart
belongs to God and stay sacred Rabbi’s and priests Disabled individuals The poor, the
scholars all labeled common criminals Mass extermination Total annihilation Shipped
into the ghetto and prepared for liquidation Tortured and starved Innocent experiments
Stripped down and carved up or gassed to death The last hour, I smelled the flowers
Flashbacks of family then sent to the showers Powerless undressed Women with babies
clumped tight to their chest Crying Who would’ve guessed dying Another life lost Count
the cost Another body gas burned and tossed in the holocaust (never again)
[Chorus: Remedy]
Never again shall we march like sheep to the slaughter Never again leave our sons and
daughter Stripped of our culture Robbed of our name (never again) Raped of our freedom
and thrown into the flames (never again) Forced from our families, taken from our homes
(never again) Moved from own God and everything we owned Never again, never again
Shall we march like sheep to the slaughter (never again) Shall we sit and take orders
Stripped of our culture Robbed of our name (never again) Raped of our freedom and
thrown into the flames (never again) Forced from our families, taken from our homes
(never again) Moved from our God and burned of our bones (never again) (never again)
NEVER AGAIN NEVER AGAIN The final solution Is now retribution Remedy, WuTang
[Announcer] new Hebrew: (This is a prayer called: 'Sh'me', and is the base prayer for the
Jewish Religion):
"Sh'me yisrael, adonai eloheinu, adonai echad"
(which is Hebrew for: "Hear o Israel, the lord is our god, the lord is one")
Hebrew: "Baruch shame kevote ma-chluto leolum va'ed"
(which is Hebrew for: "Blessed is gods glorious kingdom, forever and ever")
[Gun Shot]
As you listen to Remedy’s song “Never Again,” make connections to what you have
learned during our World War II chapter. For example, maybe a word or phrase in the
song resonates with a Holocaust movie you watched with your family or something
we’ve talked about in class.
Word or phrase from song
The word/phrase reminded me of
Word or phrase from song
The word/phrase reminded me of
Word or phrase from song
The word/phrase reminded me of
As you listen to Remedy’s song “Never Again,” find examples of the following poetic
techniques: alliteration, assonance, metaphor, repetition, rhyme, and simile. You will be
using these techniques when you write your own rap/poem about the Holocaust.
Alliteration
Example from the song
repetition of an initial sound in two or more
words of a phrase (e.g., Billy builds big
houses with beige bricks.)
Assonance
Example from the song
partial rhyme created by a shared vowel
sound (e.g., The napping cat had many bad
habits.)
Metaphor
Example from the song
a figure of speech in which one thing is
spoken of as if it were another (e.g., Your
sister is a pig! That’s her fourth
hamburger!)
Repetition
Example from the song
use of a word or phrase to create rhythm or
add emphasis (e.g., Are you joking? Are
you serious? Are you telling me the truth?)
Rhyme
Example from the song
correspondence in the sounds of two or
more lines (especially final sounds) (e.g.,
Sitting by the sea I thought about you and
me.)
Simile
Example from the song
comparison of one thing with another, using
as or like (e.g., She’ll probably win
tomorrow’s race. She runs like a gazelle.)
Now write your poem/rap using the above techniques and topics related to the suffering
of World War II. There is no length requirement, but it should be long enough to convey
the full meaning for this project and include at least 4 of the poetic techniques listed
above. Please circle and label each technique in your poem/rap.