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Experiencing the Blitz: A Poetic Representation of a Childhood in Wartime London

Qualitative Inquiry

Published online on

Abstract

This article utilizes poetic representation of an oral narrative to explore the wartime experiences of Jackie (Cole) Hanauer who as a child lived through the repeated bombings, displacement, distress and uncertainty of London during the Second World War (WWII). This poem utilizes a poetic critical ethnographic approach and extends current historical research on individual experiences during the Blitz that have focused on personal literacies against the backdrop of mythic and stifling perceptions of this historical period. The methodological approach consisted of recording, transcription and transformation into poetic form using the guidelines of poetic rendition. The resultant poem offers emotional insight and experiential understanding.