‘We lived happily during the war’ by Ilya Kamnisky

Question 1

What is this poem about?

Answer 1

-Reflection of how wealthy and comfortable people react or fail to react about what is happening in the world around them.
-How they are aware of what is going on ‘(“they bombed other people’s houses”) but they don’t act about it.
-It shows how the rich people are too comfortable living their own lives and comforts that they are not worried about what is going on around them to be affected on whats going on around them (“I was in my bed,” “watched the sun”).

Question 2

Themes of ‘we lived happily during the war’

Answer 2

Ignorance, Inner conflict, moral responsibility and guilt (inner conflict), emotions, physical conflict.

Question 3

key quotes

‘And when they bombed other people’s houses, we/ protested
but not enough,’

Answer 3

passive compliance - the people say they care but do really do anything to stop the war. The verb ‘bombed’ shows the violence and tragedy of the war which was ignored

Question 4

key quotes

‘invisible house by invisible house by invisible house.’

Answer 4

-hundreds of people are there physically but invisible in terms of their attempts to actually protest. Therefore, they are simply ‘invisible’.

Question 5

‘our great country of money,

Answer 5

-People were too concerned by making money and material possessions to stop their jobs and actually spend time to do something against the war.

Question 6

‘ we (forgive us) lived happily during the war.’

Answer 6

-An apology but seems half-hearted and throw-away, again emphasising that they don’t really care that much.