How does the repetition used in "First They Came..." contribute to its overall meaning?

Throughout the poem, Niemöller uses repetition to describe the Nazis actions. Niemöller conveys this through the repetition of, “ First they came for the Communists” and then proceeds to repeat that phrases with different minority groups until it reaches him.

Explanation:

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chapter i -- paris: september, 1792

a surging, seething, murmuring crowd of beings that are human only in name, for to the eye and ear they seem naught but savage creatures, animated by vile passions and by the lust of vengeance and of hate.

during the greater part of the day the guillotine had been kept busy at its ghastly work: all that france had boasted of in the past centuries, of ancient names, and blue blood, had paid toll to her desire for liberty and for fraternity.

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connections  to the  book night by elie wiesel.   elie wiesel  is a holocaust survivor. as a young, jewish boy he was taken from his home with his family by the nazis. he was taken because he is jewish.