One Survivor Remembers

1.    What scenes or images were most powerful for you, and why? What lessons or messages did these scenes offer?

   There were many powerful and moving scenes in One Survivor Remembers, but one really stuck in my memory. The scene where Gerda and the other girls are being loaded onto the trucks moved me for many reasons. The other girls and Gerda are being taken to a labor camp, and their parents are most likely being taken to a concentration camp. After Gerda tries to see her mother again, a shoulder picks her up and puts her back on the truck. The shoulder saying to Gerda, “You are too young to die.” That moment showed me that not all Nazis and non-Jews were bad people. He knew that she would die if she went with her mother, so he saved her. I think he was forced to join the Nazi movement for his family, and did not necessarily agree with their ideals. 

    Another scene that was moving for me was of Frau Krugler “saving” Gerda and other girls. Gerda and 4 others were sick and permitted to stay in bed; while unknown to them Nazi officials were coming for inspection. Frau Krugler warned them just in time and they were saved. It showed me that non-Nazis found ways to help Jews even though they faced the threat of persecution. Gerda also explains that you cannot judge a person by their looks. Frau Krugler appeared to be nasty but she was in reality a kindhearted woman.

2.    How did the Nazis dehumanize Jews? How did Gerda Weissmann work to overcome dehumanization, and who helped her?

   Nazis dehumanized Jews in many ways; some so cruel it is unimaginable today. Nazis insulted Jews, using hateful terms and slurs. Jews were starved and continuously told that they were no better than animals. In the movie, Gerda tells of how thin and malnourished she was after her ordeal. Some Jews were forced to live in Ghettos, another form of dehumanization. Jews were forced to work in factories, where the officers abused them physically and emotionally. Even though the circumstances were hard, Gerda found ways to stay strong. Gerda never acted out or tried to rebel, so officers never harmed her excessively. Furthermore, she used her imagination; whenever times were hard she would visualize herself with her family. Gerda also had friends to help her and keep a look out for her. Her family was also partly her motivation for living and not trying to commit suicide.

3.    During her ordeal in the Nazi camps, Weissmann says she fantasized about enjoying a simple morning with her family or deciding what dress to wear to an imagined party. What simple things in your own life do you think you’d fantasize about if everything were taken away? What ordinary things do you think you take for granted?  

   I think I would visualize a moment with my parents, just sitting around. I would also imagine being with my friends, just talking and having fun. I also would imagine myself just being lazy at home and not thinking about anything. Today, we take so many things for granted never realizing that it is something another might not have. I take for granted my house, my family and friends, food and water. I never think about how I have the right to say what I believe or freedom. Almost everything in my life I take for granted, never realizing what would happen if they were taken away.

4.    This film focuses on the persecution of Jews in the Holocaust, but others also were murdered, including Soviet prisoners of War, Roma (Gypsies), gays and lesbians, and Communists. In what ways do you see persecution happening in today’s world? What groups do you see being targeted? What can be done to work against such prejudice and intolerance?

   After the end of the Holocaust the entire world vowed “never again. But genocide and racial discrimination still exists. The genocide of Jews during the Holocaust is similar to the situation in Darfur right now.  The government and the government backed Janjaweed militias are raiding, looting, raping, bombing, and starving non-Arab civilians in Sudan. Gays and Lesbians are still discriminated against, but slowly we are starting to accept them. The KKK and other hate groups still exist but are not as prominent in society. Children should be taught from the beginning that discrimination and prejudice against certain people is wrong and won’t be tolerated. We should pass bills allowing gay marriage; it is a person’s choice who they want to love. Rules that prevent bullying should be strictly enforced, with harsh consequences.

5.    In many ways, this film is about hope for the future. Who are the heroes of the film? What did they do that makes you hopeful? What can you do to help make the world a better place?

   In my opinion, the heroes of the film are Gerda and the other girls, the liberators, and Frau Krugler. Gerda and the other girls showed remarkable courage in the face of adversity. They never gave up and persevered, believing that it would all work out in the end. The liberators showed courage risking their lives to save Jews. Frau Krugler was also a hero in my mind, even though she ran the labor camp. She saved Gerda and three other girls from certain death. It makes me hopeful that Hitler didn’t manage to convince the whole Germany, and some had the courage to go against the majority. I can make the world a better place by being tolerating of other races, religions, etc. We as a country can educate individuals so they don’t grow up prejudiced. 

The Book Thief- Blog Entry 3

   Propaganda is the coordinated attempt to influence public opinion through the use of media, was skillfully used by the Nazis to spread their messages of hate across Europe. Propaganda was biased against Jews and portrayed Hitler and the Nazis in the best light, they were portrayed as the heroes saving people from the Jewish threat. Propaganda provided a crucial instrument for acquiring and maintaining power, for the implementation of the Nazi’s policies, and the extermination of millions of people in the Holocaust. Hitler himself writes in his book, Mein Kampf, "Propaganda tries to force a doctrine on the whole people... Propaganda works on the general public from the standpoint of an idea and makes them ripe for the victory of this idea." In 1933, after the Nazi seize of power, Hitler established the Reich Ministry of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda. Its aim was to ensure that the Nazi message was successfully communicated through art, music, theater, films, books, radio, educational materials, and the press. Propaganda persuaded Europeans that Jews were inferior, and that they were taking their jobs and land away from them. The Nazi regime used propaganda to rally the German population to support its wars of conquest until the very end of the regime.

   My book, The Book Thief, has many examples of the propaganda used by the Nazis during the Holocaust. One of the main examples is the recurring mention of the Mein Kampf, which many in the book describe as “great.” The Nazis also destroy propaganda from the enemy side. Jewish literature, poetry, and other banned material were destroyed in book burnings. One example of this in The Book Thief is on Hitler’s birthday banned material is burned in a festival. Nazi officials make speeches that say Jews are inferior and that they shouldn’t live among the German citizens.

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. “Nazi Propaganda.” Holocaust Encyclopedia http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10005202http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/?ModuleId=10005143. Accessed on 12/1/11

The Book Thief- Blog Entry 2

   The characters from The Book Thief and Sarah’s Key are very different, but they have some similar traits. The two protagonists grow up in two very different worlds, on opposite sides of the war. Liesel grows up in Germany, although she does not share the extreme views on Jews that many Germans share. Sarah is a victim of the Vel d’ Hiv roundup of Jews in Paris. Both Sarah and Liesel grew up in families who were considered threats to Nazis and Hitler. Sarah grew up in a Jewish family. Liesel’s parent(s) were communists and her father and mother were most likely kidnapped or killed. Another experience Sarah and Liesel share is that both their brothers are dead.

   Liesel and Sarah are both 10 years girls who matured too fast; they both have lost their families due to the Holocaust and war. Before the war Liesel and Sarah were innocent children. When the Holocaust began, they were forced to deal with adult problems at a young age. Furthermore, both protagonists are both courageous and daring. Liesel takes a big gamble every time she steals a book and when she steals food from farms. If she is caught stealing books from a book burning of Jewish literature, the consequences could be dire. Sarah takes an unimaginable risk when she flees the concentration camp. If she were to be caught by German soldiers or an anti-Semitic individual she would most likely be brutally murdered. Another shared characteristic of the two protagonists is that both are willing to die to save their families; they are both infinitely loyal.

   Liesel and Sarah share some of the same characteristics, but are not necessarily motivated by the same things. Liesel is motivated to steal books by her love for learning and knowledge. The first book she steals, The Grave Digger’s Handbook, serves as the last link to her mother and brother. Her book thievery serves a small rebellion against the Nazis for possibly taking her mother and father away. Sarah’s recurring motivation throughout the book is loyalty her family. When she is at the concentration camp and in the Vel d’ Hiv all she can think about is her brother. Michael is her motivation for escape from the concentration camp; she can’t bear the thought of losing him. When Sarah grows up she doesn’t tell her new family the truth about her childhood out of love for them. 

The Book Thief- Blog Entry 1

   Narrated by Death, The Book Thief is the story of Liesel Meminger, a nine-year-old German girl in the midst of Hitler’s regime. Death first meets Liesel at her brother’s funeral; her brother died on the train ride to the Hubermann’s house. Liesel and her brother are given up by their mother to live with Hans and Rosa Hubermann for reasons unknown to the reader. It is after the burial of her brother that Liesel steals her first book, The Grave Digger’s Handbook, after it is dropped in the snow. Although Liesel is uneducated for her age and unable to read the book, she keeps it as a final memory of her brother. Originally, Liesel does not want to live with the Hubermanns. She is haunted by nightmares about her family that she left behind. She finds solace and comfort through Hans Hubermann, with whom she grows close to.

   The main protagonist of the book is Liesel Meminger. She is fostered by the Hubermanns when her father abandons their family and her mother is forced to give her up for adoption. Her younger brother, Werner, dies on the way to the Hubermanns. She has a close relationship with her foster father, Hans, who comforts her and plays the accordion. Liesel has a rough but loving relationship with her foster mother, Rosa. The story takes place in Munich, Germany between 1939 and 1943. I infer that the town was a Nazi stronghold, and the Hitler ideologies had support from the residents of the town. 

   One of the recurring problems in Liesel’s life is her lack of education. She is unable to read, but is slowly learning with the help of her foster father. Another problem Liesel faces is the trauma from her brother’s death; she frequently has nightmares about his death. 

Sarah's Key- Blog Entry 2

   In the book, Sarah’s Key, there are multiple inferences about the events in the book that can be made. One of my inferences is that the houses that both characters live in are the same; the characters just lived in them at different times. I think this because both houses are in Paris and they are both apartments, Julia also talks about how old the apartment is. She says, “My husband’s grandmother had lived here for ages.” (p.11) The great-grandmother is in her 90s, so she could have moved to the apartment when she was a teenager. One of my questions about this inference is did the Tezacs know that they were moving into a house from the infamous roundup? Did they know that the house’s previous occupants had been victims of the Vel' d'Hiv roundup?

   In addition, another inference I made is that some Parisians were against the roundup of Jews. When Sarah and her family were being taken away, one of her neighbors spoke out in defense of the family. He said, “But you can’t do this…they’re honest, good people! You can’t do this! (p. 19) I also know from history that some Europeans hid and protected Jews during the Holocaust. I also wonder why people that Sarah’s family had good relationships with were willing to stand back and let the family continue to their deaths? There may have been up standers to the discrimination but I infer that some French disliked Jews and agreed with the roundup. Sarah demonstrates this point by saying, “That awful boy at school, Daniel, who had whispered horrible things to her under his breath, horrible things about her mother’s accent, her father’s accent.” (p.13) I wondered how a child would think it is okay to discriminate against Jews? What could make a child think they are inferior? 

   I also think that there will be some marriage problems in the future for Julia and Bertrand. Julia says, “Today, for some obscure reason, for the first time, I felt I had had enough.” (p. 21) Bertrand makes fun of Julia for being American and moving to France, he believes that Julia doesn’t care about what he says. One of my questions is what will Julia ever confront him or stand up for herself? 

Sarah's Key- Blog Entry 1

   In the beginning of the book, we meet the two main characters from both time periods. The reader is introduced to Sarah’s family; the French police take Sarah with her parents as they go to various houses arresting Jews. Sarah is a little girl and doesn’t understand what is happening, she believes that they will come back. Her little brother doesn’t want to go, so Sarah locks him in a cupboard believing she will we back to save him. In 2002, we meet a modern-day Parisian family who is moving into their grandmother’s house. The family consists of Bertrand, Julia, and Zoe. Julia is the main protagonist from that era; she is investigating the roundup of the Jews in Paris.   

   The protagonists both live in Paris, just in different time periods. Sarah’s family is from Paris in 1942, during the Holocaust. Julia’s family lives in Paris in 2002, Julia is originally from America. I infer that the two houses that both protagonists live in are the same.

   There are a lot of major and minor problems in the book so far. One of the main problems for Sarah’s family is that they are being taken away from their homes, and are probably not coming home. Another problem is that Sarah’s little brother is trapped inside the cupboard, and he probably won’t ever come out. In Julia’s family, there are not any major problems, but there are some minor ones. Julia is starting to get irritated because her husband is making snide comments about Julia being American. 

Flower Garden

    Flower Garden is a story that accurately portrays racism and shows that peer pressure exists among adults also. The story is about a woman named Mrs. Winnings who befriends her new neighbor Mrs. MacLane. Mrs. Maclane moved from New York, and is a widowed mother to her young son Davey. Mrs. Maclane is a popular and well-liked member of the community. It all changes when Mrs. Maclane says hello to Billy Jones and asks him to help her with her garden, Billy cannot so his father Mr. Jones accepts the offer. People do not take well to the fact that Mrs. Maclane has an African man working shirtless in her garden, and they begin to shun her. At first, Mrs. Winning is embarrassed and tries to talk her friend out of hiring Mr. Jones, but after a while she gives into peer pressure and ignores her to. It ends with Mrs. Maclane saying hello to Mrs. Winning and Mrs. Winning ignoring her, showing that their friendship is over.

   The protagonist in my opinion was Mrs. Winnings, although I sometimes found it hard to sympathize with her pettiness and shallowness. I think she was truly jealous of Mrs. Maclane, and her happy and carefree life and her tolerance of others, she also shows how jealous of she is of how much love Davey gives her. The protagonist never blamed herself or thought she was doing anything wrong, she believes that Mrs. Maclane is at fault. When Mrs. MacLane asks, “Are you sure it isn’t because of Mr. Jones working here?” Mrs. Winning’s reaction is immediately that of to think that Mrs. MacLane is blaming the Blacks, and Mrs. Winnings is immediately irritated. This statement is ironic, because the town is to blame for the cruel treatment of Mrs. Maclane and Mr. Jones and their belief that Mr. Jones is in some way inferior to them. The protagonist was not willing to go against the social expectations or norms; she easily gave into peer pressure when she saw that her own status in the town was threatened.