Ballad by the Jewish whore Marie Sanders

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The ballad of the Jewish whore Marie Sanders is a poem by Bertolt Brecht . It deals with the effects of the Nuremberg Laws using the example of the young woman Marie Sanders. The poem was written between September and October 1935 and was first published in 1937.

Emergence

Bertolt Brecht wrote the original version of the ballad in Svendborg between September and October 1935 while he was in exile in Denmark. The original title was Marie Sander, your lover . The poem was first published in 1937 in the Moscow magazine Das Wort .

content

The poem tells that a law was introduced in Nuremberg. Many German women were sad because this law forbade them to have contact with Jewish men.

Then comes the chorus that describes what is happening in the suburbs: The meat is getting more expensive, you can hear drums. This is followed by a guess that if they were going to do something, it would be the same night.

In the second stanza Marie Sanders, the main character, is introduced. The point is that her husband has hair that is too black, which is supposed to represent a Jew. She is recommended to behave differently towards him than before.

The refrain repeats itself.

The third verse begins with Marie Sanders asking her mother for the key. She doesn't believe everything is as bad as people say.

The last verse takes place at nine o'clock one morning. She describes Marie Sanders being publicly humiliated on the street. She wears a shield around her neck and her hair has been shaved off. She reacts coldly to people's hoots.

The chorus is slightly changed in this verse. In the suburbs a person named Strider speaks. Then comes a comment that says that if people listened, they would know what was happening.

shape

The poem is a ballad .

The four stanzas each consist of a narrative part and a refrain. The narrative parts usually have three or four lines, but there is an exception in the last stanza and the narrative part has six lines. The narrative parts are written in prose and distanced.

The four-line chorus is always the same, but is slightly changed in the last verse. It is written poetically and emotionally in the rhyme scheme abab , which sets it apart from the stanzas. 

interpretation

The title Ballade by the Jewish whore Marie Sanders has a very disparaging effect on the main character Marie Sanders. She is portrayed as a whore in the title and her role as a victim of NS is portrayed later.

In the first stanza, which addresses the Nuremberg Laws , a "wrong man" is also mentioned. This means the Jews, but the expression "wrong man" is ironic, since there is no wrong or right man.

This is followed by the refrain, which indicates the economic crisis and the associated poverty and price increases. The drums embody the feeling of power exercised by the National Socialists. The last two lines show a certain fear of violence among the population.

The introduction of the main character, Marie Sanders, in the second stanza is very superficial, as her lover has "hair that is too black". Here you can see the superficial definition of the Jews at that time.

The refrain repeats itself.

When Marie Sanders asks her mother for the key, it becomes clear that she is not aware of the politically tense situation. It seems naive that she doesn't want to see the change. She even argues against it that “the moon looks the same”, which means that there was no visible change for her.

The refrain repeats itself.

The last stanza deals with the public humiliation of Marie Sanders. Her "cold look" is interesting. This look seems very rebellious because it shows no fear. She became a victim of a law, according to the law she is guilty. However, since the law is extremely inhuman from today's point of view, it is not considered to be guilty by the reader.

The chorus is slightly changed in this verse. The string can be interpreted in two ways. On the one hand, it could represent Hitler, since Bertolt Brecht often referred to him as a "house painter" in other works. But it could also be Julius Streicher , who had also incited against Jews. Since these people were both anti-Semites , it doesn't make much difference who really was meant by that. The last two lines can be interpreted as a reproach. They show the ignorance of the society of that time. Brecht wanted to shake them up and make them aware of what the National Socialists really did to society.

effect

The poem was first published in the Moscow magazine Das Wort around 1937. It was also included in the poetry collection Svendborger Gedichte , which was published around 1939. In 1949 the ballad was republished in the book Calendar Stories.

The poem was set to music earlier, by Hanns Eisler , as early as 1935.

literature

  • Denise Kratzmeier, Bertolt Brecht calendar stories, text and commentary , Suhrkamp BasisBibliothek, Berlin 2013,  ISBN 978-3-518-18931-3
  • Hasselbach Ingrid and Karlheinz, Bertolt Brecht, Calendar Stories: Interpretation , Oldenbourg, Munich 1990, ISBN 3-486-88631-2

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c Denise scratch Meier: Bertolt Brecht Kalendergeschichten, text and commentary . 1st edition. Suhrkamp BasisBibliothek, Berlin 2013, ISBN 978-3-518-18931-3 , p. 180 .
  2. ↑ Norbert Tholen: Brecht: Ballad of the Jew whore Marie Sanders - analysis. Retrieved March 20, 2016 .