Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Marge Piercy’s "The Housing Project at Drancy" is a haunting and evocative poem that explores the painful history of the Drancy internment camp, juxtaposed with its present-day existence as a housing project. Through stark imagery and poignant reflections, Piercy delves into the themes of memory, denial, and the lingering effects of historical trauma.

The poem begins with a disorienting journey: "Trains without signs flee through Paris. / Wrong trains. The wrong station." This sense of confusion and misdirection sets the tone for the exploration of Drancy, a place that once served as a transit camp for Jews during the Holocaust. The reference to the world as a "microwave oven, burning from within" suggests a hidden, pervasive destruction, alluding to the internalized and often unspoken trauma of such historical events.

Piercy’s description of Drancy—"Drancy looks like Inkster, / Gary, the farther reaches of Newark"—compares it to various American industrial cities known for their decay and neglect. This comparison underscores the transformation of the camp into an ordinary, albeit dilapidated, residential area, masking its dark past. The indifferent responses from the locals, "C’est pas notre affaire. We don’t deal with that," reflect a collective denial or ignorance of the camp's history.

The imagery of the five buses "limp[ing] in five directions / into the hot plain drugged with exhaust" conveys a sense of aimlessness and desolation. The repeated denial from those who "ever heard of the camp" and their turning away signify a societal reluctance to confront or acknowledge the atrocities that occurred there. This denial is contrasted with the speaker's determined search for the site of the camp, driven by a personal and emotional connection.

On the bridge overlooking the marshaling yards, Piercy vividly recalls the inhumane conditions where "Jews were stuffed into cars nailed shut" and "children too young to know their names / were counted like so many shoes." The innocence and vulnerability of the children are highlighted in their pleas to the French police: "Take me to the bathroom, please, please, / before I wet myself." This depiction of children's desperation adds a heart-wrenching dimension to the historical narrative.

The mention of the "concierge" and the poignant letter—"I am writing to you as everyone else / is dead now and they are taking me away"—serves as a powerful reminder of the personal stories and lives that were abruptly ended. The imagined destination, "the land children named Pitchepois, / giant’s skull land grimmer than Hansel came to," evokes a nightmarish fairy tale, emphasizing the horror and surreal nature of the Holocaust.

When the speaker finally encounters an old workman and asks about the camp, the initial reluctance and eventual guidance—"Oh, in that case, / he pointed to distant towers. You want that bus"—illustrate the complexity of remembering and acknowledging such a painful past. The repeated question, "Why do you want to know?" reveals a tension between remembering and moving forward, between acknowledging history and the desire to forget.

At the site of the former camp, now a housing project "crammed with mothers," the physical transformations are noted: "The guard towers are torn down and lindens grow." Despite these changes, the poem conveys a sense of unresolved pain: "Pain still rises, / the groaning of machinery deep underfoot." The metaphor of crimes sinking "into the soil like PCBs / and enter[ing] the bones of children" suggests that the impact of the atrocities persists, affecting new generations in insidious ways.

"The Housing Project at Drancy" by Marge Piercy is a powerful exploration of historical memory and the ongoing effects of trauma. Through vivid and evocative imagery, Piercy captures the dissonance between the past and present, highlighting the importance of remembering and acknowledging even the most painful aspects of history. The poem serves as a poignant reminder of the resilience required to confront such memories and the necessity of bearing witness to ensure that such horrors are not forgotten.

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