Question

as you read, take notes on the author’s use of repetition.
first they came for the socialists, and i did not speak out — because i was not a socialist.
then they came for the trade unionists, and i did not speak out — because i was not a trade unionist.
then they came for the jews, and i did not speak out — because i was not a jew.
then they came for me — and there was no one left to speak for me.
“first they came...” by martin niemöller. copyright © 1950 by martin niemöller. for nonprofit educational use only.
unless otherwise noted, the content is licensed under the cc by - nc - sa 4.0 license.
suppression of warsaw ghetto uprising by unknown is in the public domain.

1. which of the following best describes the message of the poem?

a. fear can cause people to stop caring about others or their suffering.
b. people should define themselves by their similarities, not by their differences.
c. staying silent while witnessing a crime is the same thing as committing the crime.
d. people should speak out when they see injustice, or they may risk experiencing it themselves.

Explanation:

The poem describes the speaker staying silent as groups are targeted one by one, until there is no one left to speak for them when they are targeted. This directly illustrates the consequence of failing to speak out against injustice. Option A focuses on fear and lack of care, which is not the core message. Option B is about self-definition by similarities, which is unrelated. Option C equates silence to committing the crime, which is not the poem's main point; the poem emphasizes the personal consequence of silence. Option D matches the poem's narrative of inaction leading to harm befalling the speaker.

Answer:

D. People should speak out when they see injustice, or they may risk experiencing it themselves.