Starting in 1937, new segregation laws were put in place in Nazi Germany to separate Jews from the 'Aryan' German population.
- Under Nazi rule, Jews in general were not allowed to become doctors and would be rejected by Aryan doctors when they needed medical attention.
- Jewish children were banned from regular schools.
- Jewish businesses were forced to collapse due to excessive financial pressure, a ban from signing work contracts for the German government, and the destruction of their storefronts and offices.
- Synagogues were set on fire.
- Jews were sent to the 4 remaining concentration camps (Dachau, Sachsenhausen, Buchenwald, and Lichtenburg) where they lived in inhumane conditions and often met their deaths.
Mirikitani's "Attack the Water" relates to Rukeyser's "Poem" because they both focus on what civilians experience during wartime. "Attack the Water" describes the struggle of Vietnamese people living during (and after) the Vietnam War, and of Japanese-Americans in the era of Japanese Labor camps. "Poem" reflects on the struggle of people living during both of the World Wars, trying to get by and to get through such a tragic time. Both of these poems show that even when people are not involved directly in a war, war can still have an immense impact on their lives.
Warriors are supposed to be strong therefore they do not cry