The Mother
When your mother has grown older,
When her dear, faithful eyes
no longer see life as they once did,
When her feet, grown tired,
No longer want to carry her as she walks –
Then lend her your arm in support,
Escort her with happy pleasure.
The hour will come when, weeping, you
Must accompany her on her final walk.
And if she asks you something,
Then give her an answer.
And if she asks again, then speak!
And if she asks yet again, respond to her,
Not impatiently, but with gentle calm.
And if she cannot understand you properly
Explain all to her happily.
The hour will come, the bitter hour,
When her mouth asks for nothing more.
Adolf Hitler, 1923.
Klara Hitler was the mother of German politician and leader of the Nazi Party, Adolf Hitler.
When I started reading this poem I was moved by the words because they are so loving and respectful. The message behind them seems so considerate. But I froze when I saw the author's name. I am German so I learned about the Nazi era from an early age and I know a lot about it. What I cannot wrap my head around is how Hitler could write poetry like that and murder millions of people 20 years later. In my opinion the study matter in class has to be about historic relationships and also the psychology of mass murderers like Hitler. It is so important to understand psychological warning signals of potential killers to prevent stuff like that from happening ever again.