How we cite our quotes: stanza, line
Quote #1
With my gipsy ancestress and my weird luck
And my Taroc pack and my Taroc pack
I may be a bit of a Jew. (lines 37-40)
These lines align gypsies with Jews – groups that were both persecuted during the Holocaust. In this poem, gypsies and Jewish people are aligned with the female speaker, and German Nazis are aligned with her father and husband. Thus, women are portrayed as victims and men are portrayed as persecutors.
Quote #2
Every woman adores a Fascist, (line 48)
Here, the idea that women are the victims of fascist, Nazi men, is twisted – women seem to be presented as willing victims, loving their persecutors. This quote may be sarcastic, but it raises the question of how much of women's victimization is their fault. Women, this quote implies, like to be overpowered.