Amichai bears witness to the Israeli and Palestine conflicts through different lenses. In the poem “An Arab Shepherd Is Searching For His Goat On Mount Zion” we see an Arab man and a Jewish searching for things that are dear to them. This poem displayed a common ground even in times of high tension. The poem “Try to Remember Some Details” takes a darker turn because it discusses the violent end of the Israeli-Palestine conflict. This point of view is of someone who has lost someone due to this violence because it advises the reader to remember details about their loved ones because anything could happen.
2 thoughts on “How does the poet bear witness to tragedy or more difficult aspects of human life? E.g. in Amichai’s case, the most obvious example is the Israeli-Palestinian conflict; in Walcott’s, it’s the long aftermath of imperialism, colonialism, and racism on the Caribbean.”
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I agree with you on how “An Arab Shepard Searching Is Searching For His Goat on Mount Zion” depicts the high tension that existed between the Israeli and Palestinians. In showing a common ground among them I think that, to an extent, Amichai feels as though it is possible for them to reach some sort of agreement. For his other poem, “Try to Remember Some Details,” his writing comes off as if he himself personally experienced the death of a loved one as a result of the Isreali-Palestinian conflict. The poem is a warning, in a way, of how easy it can be to lose someone and how along with remembering details about them, what makes them unique is what should especially be remembered.
When you discuss the message Amichai sends to the reader (to remember details about your loved ones because anything can happen) the question of “is this conflict worth it” comes up. There is still conflict between the Israelis and Palestinians today. How do you think the world would be if Amichai got the peace he seems to want? What do you think the world would be like if war did not exist?