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.