In this chapter, I found return of humanity among the men. After the SS men and other comrades had evacuated the camp, the men who were left behind suddenly cooperated to survive. They found food, stove, and wood and use them in order to sustain their lives longer. But WHY? Why did they start working together after the SS men left the camp? Why didn’t they cooperate before?
Despite what they had found in the camp, the condition was getting worse. Many of them suffered from pneumonia and diarrhea and felt really weak. It is very impressive how Primo Levi depicted death in Auschwitz.
"Their weakest comrades and those who were most serious ill died one by one in solitude” (169).
"He heard me, struggled to sit up, then fell dangling, head downwards over the edge towards me, with his chest and arms stiff and his eyes white. The man in the bunk below automatically stretched up his arms to support the body and then realized that he was dead. He slowly with drew from under the weight and the body slid to the ground where it remained. Nobody knew his name” (169).
"With the last gasp of life, he had thrown himself to the ground: I heard the thud of his knees, of his hips, of his shoulders, of his head … We certainly could not carry him out during the night. There was nothing for it but to go back to sleep again … On the floor, the shameful wreck of skin and bones, the Somogyi thing. There are more urgent tasks: we cannot wash ourselves, so that we dare not touch him until we have cooked and eaten. The living are more demanding; the dead can wait” (172).
Primo Levi described the death in a very solemn and neutral tone. The dead were not important in Auschwitz. They were no value. The living always comes first. But how lonely the dead would have been… I felt extreme sorrow and pity, even guilt, for the dead. I can’t even imagine how frightened they have been, breathing their last breath, alone in the dark. According to Primo Levi, they “died one by one in solitude” while “nobody know their names” and were left behind because the dead “could wait.”
How do I want to die? Obviously, I do not want to end my life as the men in Auschwitz did. I don’t want to die alone in the dark, where nobody would care about me. One of the people whom I know once told me that “Life is full of sorrow; a human being is a solitary existence.” Now I understand her statement. Even though we are surrounded by others most of times, we are all lonely souls at the end. We want to love and to be loved. Fighting against loneliness and searching for humanity were great struggles for the men in Auschwitz. And they are still struggles for us who are living 60 years after the unforgettable, unforgivable tragedy.
Memorable Quotes:
“It was exactly like that; for the first time since the day of my arrest I found myself free, without armed guards, without wire fences between myself and home” (167-168).
“An old Hungarian had been surprised there by death. He lay there like hunger personified…” (168).
“Because one loses the habit of hoping in the Lager, and even of believing in one’s own reason. In the Lager it is useless to think, because events happen for the most part in an unforeseeable manner; and it is harmful, because it keeps alive a sensitivity which is a source of pain, and which some providential natural law dulls when suffering passes a certain limit” (171).
“Like joy, fear and pain itself, even expectancy can be tiring” (171).
“We lay in a world of death and phantoms. The last trace of civilization had vanished around and inside us” (171).
“It is man who kills, man who created or suffers injustice; it is no longer man who, having lost all restraint, shares his bed with a corpse” (171).
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
Journal #16: Chapter 16
During the group discussion session, my group members tried to put ourselves into the Last One’s shoes. We asked ourselves, “would we be able to do what the man did?” Some of us said “yes” and the others said “no.” Those who answered “yes” said that no men could really live in Auschwitz and there would be nothing to be afraid of. Therefore, they wouldn’t fear death. But I was one of the people who said “no.” I understand that life in Auschwitz was not the same as life we were living now. However, I don’t think I would be brave enough to resist against the SS men and to die in front of other men. The Last One was a brave man; he stood for what he believed and was not afraid of punishment. He fought against the German SS men when most of men obediently followed the order.
Bravery. What is bravery? I think bravery is standing for what one truly believes and being responsible one’s actions regardless consequences. A brave person should be able to express his or her own thoughts and beliefs without being afraid of any threats. Primo Levi called Auschwitz “the house of the dead.” In Auschwitz, people lost their mind and soul. They were just slaves who ate, worked, and slept. Think was luxury for them! However, the Last One was different. He fought against the SS men until his death. He did what he considered to be right. And I think he should be respected for that.
A brave man is a man of integrity. However, I often feel sad because I think it is getting harder and harder to find people of integrity in our society. Many people, especially teenagers, tend to follow the crowd and not to find out who they are truly. We worry about how others would see us and think of us, so we sometimes conceal our thoughts and emotions. Are we brave? I don't think so. Ironically, however, we all want to be heroes among people even if we are not qualified. We should ask ourselves this question: are we brave enough that we would stand for what we believe to be right even if our lives are in danger?
Memorable Quotes:
“He is to die today before our very eyes: and perhaps the Germans do not understand that this solitary death, this man’s death which has been reserved for him, will bring him glory, not infamy” (149).
“To destroy a man is difficult, almost as difficult as to create one; it has not been easy, nor quick, but you Germans have succeeded. Here we are, docile under your gaze; from our side you have nothing more to fear; no acts of violence, no words of defiance, not even a look of judgment” (150).
“Alberto and I went back to the hut, and we could not look each other in the face. That man must have been tough, he must have been made of another metal than us if this condition of ours, which has broken us, could not bend him” (150).
Bravery. What is bravery? I think bravery is standing for what one truly believes and being responsible one’s actions regardless consequences. A brave person should be able to express his or her own thoughts and beliefs without being afraid of any threats. Primo Levi called Auschwitz “the house of the dead.” In Auschwitz, people lost their mind and soul. They were just slaves who ate, worked, and slept. Think was luxury for them! However, the Last One was different. He fought against the SS men until his death. He did what he considered to be right. And I think he should be respected for that.
A brave man is a man of integrity. However, I often feel sad because I think it is getting harder and harder to find people of integrity in our society. Many people, especially teenagers, tend to follow the crowd and not to find out who they are truly. We worry about how others would see us and think of us, so we sometimes conceal our thoughts and emotions. Are we brave? I don't think so. Ironically, however, we all want to be heroes among people even if we are not qualified. We should ask ourselves this question: are we brave enough that we would stand for what we believe to be right even if our lives are in danger?
Memorable Quotes:
“He is to die today before our very eyes: and perhaps the Germans do not understand that this solitary death, this man’s death which has been reserved for him, will bring him glory, not infamy” (149).
“To destroy a man is difficult, almost as difficult as to create one; it has not been easy, nor quick, but you Germans have succeeded. Here we are, docile under your gaze; from our side you have nothing more to fear; no acts of violence, no words of defiance, not even a look of judgment” (150).
“Alberto and I went back to the hut, and we could not look each other in the face. That man must have been tough, he must have been made of another metal than us if this condition of ours, which has broken us, could not bend him” (150).
Journal #15: Chapter 15
Primo Levi is chosen as one of the three workers who can work in the Laboratory. His new work site is warm and clean. His work is much easier than before and he no longer suffers from the cold winter.
Auschwitz was a place where people’s lives were determined by luck. If I were lucky, then I would have been able to survive. But if I were unlucky, then I would have been probably sent to a gas chamber. The motif of luck frequently appears in the book. For example, Primo Levi was lucky enough that he wasn’t sent to a gas chamber right after he arrived at Auschwitz. Once again, he was lucky that he earned an opportunity to work as a specialist, a chemist. Later on, as it is written in this chapter, he works in a warm laboratory. However, some people were unlucky that they were chosen to die in gas chambers during the selection in October, 1944. Likewise, in Auschwitz, people’s destinies were often determined by luck. Even if the men did the same thing, let’s say, forbidden exchange of possession, some were caught and punished while some were not.
However, Auschwitz was not the only place where people’s lives were determined by luck. The world we now live in is also an unfair place. Although it is not as vicious as Auschwitz was, but it isn’t still fair for everybody. A lot of times, bad things happen to good people and good things happen to bad people. Also, the result of work is not always directly proportional to the amount of efforts that was put into.
I’ve faced the unfairness of the world several times. Every time I sense it, I become depressed because I used to believe that people will be able to get what they strive for if they wholeheartedly want it and if they work for it really hard. But whenever I see the unfairness, I think that maybe my understanding of the world is not the right statement.
However, on the other corner of my heart, I still believe that nothing is impossible (or maybe, I want to believe that nothing is impossible). I still hope that if I really try hard, then I will be able to overcome the unfairness of the world. Therefore, in order to deny the unfairness, I often tell myself that my efforts were not good enough and that I must try harder and harder, so my destiny wouldn’t be determined by luck as it was in Auschwitz.
Memorable Quotes:
“Many comrades congratulate us; Alberto first of all, with genuine joy, without a shadow of envy. Alberto holds nothing against my fortune, he is really very pleased, both because of our friendship and because he will also gain from it” (138).
“We know what we look like: we see each other and sometimes we happen to see our reflection in a clean window” (142).
Auschwitz was a place where people’s lives were determined by luck. If I were lucky, then I would have been able to survive. But if I were unlucky, then I would have been probably sent to a gas chamber. The motif of luck frequently appears in the book. For example, Primo Levi was lucky enough that he wasn’t sent to a gas chamber right after he arrived at Auschwitz. Once again, he was lucky that he earned an opportunity to work as a specialist, a chemist. Later on, as it is written in this chapter, he works in a warm laboratory. However, some people were unlucky that they were chosen to die in gas chambers during the selection in October, 1944. Likewise, in Auschwitz, people’s destinies were often determined by luck. Even if the men did the same thing, let’s say, forbidden exchange of possession, some were caught and punished while some were not.
However, Auschwitz was not the only place where people’s lives were determined by luck. The world we now live in is also an unfair place. Although it is not as vicious as Auschwitz was, but it isn’t still fair for everybody. A lot of times, bad things happen to good people and good things happen to bad people. Also, the result of work is not always directly proportional to the amount of efforts that was put into.
I’ve faced the unfairness of the world several times. Every time I sense it, I become depressed because I used to believe that people will be able to get what they strive for if they wholeheartedly want it and if they work for it really hard. But whenever I see the unfairness, I think that maybe my understanding of the world is not the right statement.
However, on the other corner of my heart, I still believe that nothing is impossible (or maybe, I want to believe that nothing is impossible). I still hope that if I really try hard, then I will be able to overcome the unfairness of the world. Therefore, in order to deny the unfairness, I often tell myself that my efforts were not good enough and that I must try harder and harder, so my destiny wouldn’t be determined by luck as it was in Auschwitz.
Memorable Quotes:
“Many comrades congratulate us; Alberto first of all, with genuine joy, without a shadow of envy. Alberto holds nothing against my fortune, he is really very pleased, both because of our friendship and because he will also gain from it” (138).
“We know what we look like: we see each other and sometimes we happen to see our reflection in a clean window” (142).
Monday, March 12, 2007
Journal #14: Chapter 14
“Strange, how in some way one always has the impression of being fortunate, how some chance happening, perhaps infinitesimal, stops us crossing the threshold of despair and allows us to live” (131).
People always look for the slightest hope even in the most dreadful situation. For example, even though it was raining for more than ten days, Primo Levi thought that it was lucky that it was not windy. He was in such an unpleasant place, but he still looked for something that cheered him up. I think it is good to have hope even in very bad situation because hope gives strength to live. Hope enables people to go through hardships and allows them to live.
In the beginning of the chapter 14, Primo Levi wrote that “to have a dry rag would be positive happiness” (131). A dry rag… We don’t really think a dry rag as valuable. Since we have comfortable life, a dry rag is nothing more than a piece of old cloth for us. However, for Primo Levi, who had been wet for several days, a dry rag would as valuable as gold. Unlike us, he would actually prefer to have a dry rag than a piece of gold. When we are in a difficult situation, even a smallest thing that we used to ignore may seem like a treasure, because a lot times, our standard of value depends on our environment or situation.
Memorable Quotes:
“Strange, how in some way one always has the impression of being fortunate, how some chance happening, perhaps infinitesimal, stops us crossing the threshold of despair and allows us to live” (131).
“… until one day there will be no more sense in saying: tomorrow” (133).
People always look for the slightest hope even in the most dreadful situation. For example, even though it was raining for more than ten days, Primo Levi thought that it was lucky that it was not windy. He was in such an unpleasant place, but he still looked for something that cheered him up. I think it is good to have hope even in very bad situation because hope gives strength to live. Hope enables people to go through hardships and allows them to live.
In the beginning of the chapter 14, Primo Levi wrote that “to have a dry rag would be positive happiness” (131). A dry rag… We don’t really think a dry rag as valuable. Since we have comfortable life, a dry rag is nothing more than a piece of old cloth for us. However, for Primo Levi, who had been wet for several days, a dry rag would as valuable as gold. Unlike us, he would actually prefer to have a dry rag than a piece of gold. When we are in a difficult situation, even a smallest thing that we used to ignore may seem like a treasure, because a lot times, our standard of value depends on our environment or situation.
Memorable Quotes:
“Strange, how in some way one always has the impression of being fortunate, how some chance happening, perhaps infinitesimal, stops us crossing the threshold of despair and allows us to live” (131).
“… until one day there will be no more sense in saying: tomorrow” (133).
Journal #13: Chapter 13
One Sunday of October, 1944, there was a selection in Auschwitz. It was surprisingly fast. “In three or four minutes a hut of two hundred men is ‘done’, as is the whole camp of twelve thousand men in the course of the afternoon” (128). The men had to run a few steps in front of the SS man, who decided everyone’s fate right away.
“The SS man, in the fraction of a second between two successive crossings, with a glance at one’s back and front, judges everyone’s fate, and in turn gives the card to the man on his right or his left, and this is the life or death of each of us” (128).
When I picture the scene of selection that day, it is terrifying. There are hundreds of thin, naked and shaved men, waiting for the judgment between life and death. The process may seem simple and quick but it is immoral and inhumane. How can a random person decide another person’s fate by observing him for a few seconds? How can he judge another person without “knowing” him? What right does the random person have to do so?
Even today, we tend to judge people and categorize them. We don’t actually know who they are, but we unconsciously, or sometimes consciously, judge others. The problem is that we still make the judgment even if we do not know them. We may know them by name or appearance, but a lot of times, we do not know their personality and their thoughts. In fact, we don’t often even attempt to learn about others. For our convenience, we like categorizing people and treat them according to our biased judgment. But our judgment is usually incorrect. In some ways, we are similar to the SS men in the selection, because we sometimes judge others by a quick glance. Others’ fate is decided in our own mind. However, we should remember that we do not have any right to make judgment on other people.
Memorable Quotes:
“Just as our hunger is not that feeling of missing a meal, so our way of being cold has need of a new word. We say ‘hunger,’ we say ‘tiredness’, ‘fear’, ‘pain’, we say’ winter’ and they are different things. They are free words, created and used by free men who lived in comfort and suffering in their homes” (123).
“Does Kuhn not understand that what has happened today is an abomination, which no propitiatory prayer, no pardon, no expiation by the guilty, which nothing at all in the power of man can ever clean again?” (130).
Journal #12: Chapter 12
In class discussion, my group talked about how life in Auschwitz was not true “living” and how the workers were no longer “men.” I also think that living in Auschwitz was not actually “living” as a human being. Rather than that, the workers were more like slaves or robots that obeyed their masters and followed every direction. They neither had joy nor excitement in Auschwitz. They almost had no emotions. They took everything passively and did not show desire to live. It was mostly the SS men’s fault that the workers did not have life because even their existence made the workers exhausted. However, I think it was also the workers’ fault to some extent that they let themselves lose their identity. If they tried very hard, they might not have been turned into wild beasts. If they concentrated on living as a man, then they might have been able to maintain their dignity. They were overwhelmed by the depressing atmosphere and allowed themselves to be nobody. But I believe that they should have tried harder.
Even though I questioned why God allowed this tragedy to happen, I still believe that the workers should have relied on God. According to the book, faith was not a part of the workers’ life. Many Christians blamed God and turned against Him; they stopped praying, talking to God, and believing in Him. Instead of relying on God, they denied their faith. As I wrote in another journal, there is always purpose in every event. God must have had plans for the people in Auschwitz. But the people did not allow intimate relationship with God. It always comes back to the very basic idea: that we [people] are impatient and all sinners.
Memorable Quotes:
“At bottom, we all had a certain read of changes: ‘When things change, they change for the worse’ was one of the proverbs of the camp. More generally, experience had shown us many times the vanity of every conjecture: why worry oneself trying to read into the future when no action, no word of ours could have the minimum influence?” (116).
“For living men, the units of time always have a value, which increases in ratio to the strength of the internal resources of the person living through them; but for us, hours, days, months spilled out sluggishly from the future into the past, always too slowly, a valueless and superfluous material, of which we sought to rid ourselves as soon as possible … For us, history had stopped” (117).
“… that there still existed a just world our side our own, something and someone still pure and hole, not corrupt, not savage, extraneous to hatred and terror; something difficult to define, a remote possibility of good, but for which it was worth surviving” (121).
“But Lorenzo was a man; his humanity was pure and uncontaminated, he was outside this world of negation. Thanks to Lorenzo, I managed not to forget that I myself was a man” (122).
Journal #11: Chapter 11
“We spoke of our houses, of Strasbourg and Turin, of the books we had read, of what we had studied, of our mothers: how all mothers resemble each other! His mother too had scolded him for never knowing how much money he had in his pocket; his mother too would have been amazed if she had known that he had found his feet, that day by day he was finding his feet” (111).
I imagined what would have been like to be separated from my mother during the war. It would have been mentally very difficult for me to know all the suffering she would have been forced to go through because she is a very important person in my life. This chapter of the book reminded me that all the workers in Auschwitz had mothers. They had mothers who would have cared about them more than anybody in the world. How sad their mothers would have been if they saw their sons in Auschwitz? Also, it was ironic to realize that the SS men also had mothers.
"How all mothers resemble each other!” (111). I think all mothers have the same heart when they stand in front of their children. They all worry about their children and hope them to be healthy and happy. They often sacrifice themselves, hoping their children’s success in life. In Korea, there is an old saying (I don’t know if there is one in English) that says “women are weak but mothers are strong.” When women become mothers, they often consider their children to be more important that themselves. Mothers’ love never changes even when the children become older. And I think their love is so wonderful and beautiful : )
Journal #10: Chapter 10
It was really lucky for Primo Levi to have the opportunity to work as a chemist. Working as a specialist would make his work easier. At least, he wouldn’t have to carry heavy metal bars.
Primo Levi wrote that “one should never anticipate, especially optimistically” (107). He should not count on the chemical examination. It just gave him no work for a day which would make him less hungry. I like that he pointed out people should not think optimistically in Auschwitz. I personally think that we become more disappointed when we more expect something. Higher the expectation is, more disappointment we get. I’ve learned the lesson through my experience. For example, when I expected good grades for my tests, I found myself very disappointed the results were not as good as I expected because I was only expecting to get good grades. I was not ready for “not so good” grades. I think the same idea applies in Auschwitz. If Primo Levi optimistically anticipated of becoming a specialist in Auschwitz, he would have been very disappointed when he wasn’t selected. However, if he didn’t expect anything except spending a day without working, he would rejoice greatly when he becomes a specialist. Positive expectation can sometimes create a false hope among people and block them from seeing the reality.
Memorable Quotes:
“But have the Germans such great need of chemists? Or is it a new trick, a new machine ‘pour faire chier les Juifs’? Are they aware of the grotesque and absurd test asked of us, of us who are no longer alive, of us who have already gone half-crazy in the dreary expectation of nothing?” (103).
“I already know the Lager well enough to realize that one should never anticipate, especially optimistically. What is certain is that I have spent a day without working, so that tonight I will have a little less hunger, and this is a concrete advantage, not to be taken away” (107).
Journal #9: Chapter 9
“We are in fact convinced that no human experience is without meaning or unworthy of analysis, and that fundamental values, even if they are not positive, can be deduced from this particular world which we are describing” (87).
Yes, I agree with this quote. I believe that each experience has meaning and purpose. Whatever happens to our life, we can learn from each experience and improve ourselves for the next time. Even if the experience might not be a pleasing one to us, we can still learn about other people and the world. For example, let’s suppose that I had a fight with one of my friends. Although my friend and I may be angry at that time, we can use the incident as an opportunity to get to know each other more deeply and to understand each other.
As a Christian, I believe that God has planned every single detail in our lives and that He wants us to accept his plans and learn from them. However, I came up with a question. If God has planned out all the details and put meaning in each experience, why did he allow the tragedy in Auschwitz to happen? What was the message in that experience? We, who are living in the 21st century, may learn that we should never repeat the same kind of tragedy again. We learn that we should respect people of different race, age, language and culture. But what did God want the people, especially the victims such as Primo Levi, to learn from the experience? They might have thought about meaning of life in such a terrible condition and how cruel a man can be… Maybe they’ve learned about human nature and people’s innermost desire. However, I still think that the price they had to pay was too much for them to endure. I don’t have answers to my questions, ‘why did not let this tragedy happen?’ However, I believe that there were reasons why God allowed the horrible event because He is GREAT!!
Memorable Quotes:
“We do not believe in the most obvious and facile deduction: that man is fundamentally brutal, egoistic and stupid in his conduct once every civilized institution is taken away, and that the Haftling is consequently nothing but a man without inhibition. We believe, rather, that the only conclusion to be drawn is that in the face of driving necessity and physical disabilities many social habits and instincts are reduced to silence” (87).
“But another fact seems to us worthy of attention: there comes to light the existence of two particularly well differentiated categories among men – the saved and the drowned. Other pairs of opposites (the good and the bad, the wise and the foolish, the cowards and the courageous, the unlucky and fortunate) are considerably less distinct, they seem less essential, and above all they allow for more numerous and complex intermediary gradations. This division is much less evident in ordinary life; for there it rarely happens that a man loses himself. A man is normally not alone, and in his rise or fall is tied to the destinies of his neighbors; so that it is exceptional for anyone to acquire unlimited power, or to fall by a succession of defeats into utter ruin. Moreover, everyone is normally in possession of such spiritual, physical and even financial resources that the probabilities of a shipwreck, of total inadequacy in the face of life, are relatively small” (88).
Yes, I agree with this quote. I believe that each experience has meaning and purpose. Whatever happens to our life, we can learn from each experience and improve ourselves for the next time. Even if the experience might not be a pleasing one to us, we can still learn about other people and the world. For example, let’s suppose that I had a fight with one of my friends. Although my friend and I may be angry at that time, we can use the incident as an opportunity to get to know each other more deeply and to understand each other.
As a Christian, I believe that God has planned every single detail in our lives and that He wants us to accept his plans and learn from them. However, I came up with a question. If God has planned out all the details and put meaning in each experience, why did he allow the tragedy in Auschwitz to happen? What was the message in that experience? We, who are living in the 21st century, may learn that we should never repeat the same kind of tragedy again. We learn that we should respect people of different race, age, language and culture. But what did God want the people, especially the victims such as Primo Levi, to learn from the experience? They might have thought about meaning of life in such a terrible condition and how cruel a man can be… Maybe they’ve learned about human nature and people’s innermost desire. However, I still think that the price they had to pay was too much for them to endure. I don’t have answers to my questions, ‘why did not let this tragedy happen?’ However, I believe that there were reasons why God allowed the horrible event because He is GREAT!!
Memorable Quotes:
“We do not believe in the most obvious and facile deduction: that man is fundamentally brutal, egoistic and stupid in his conduct once every civilized institution is taken away, and that the Haftling is consequently nothing but a man without inhibition. We believe, rather, that the only conclusion to be drawn is that in the face of driving necessity and physical disabilities many social habits and instincts are reduced to silence” (87).
“But another fact seems to us worthy of attention: there comes to light the existence of two particularly well differentiated categories among men – the saved and the drowned. Other pairs of opposites (the good and the bad, the wise and the foolish, the cowards and the courageous, the unlucky and fortunate) are considerably less distinct, they seem less essential, and above all they allow for more numerous and complex intermediary gradations. This division is much less evident in ordinary life; for there it rarely happens that a man loses himself. A man is normally not alone, and in his rise or fall is tied to the destinies of his neighbors; so that it is exceptional for anyone to acquire unlimited power, or to fall by a succession of defeats into utter ruin. Moreover, everyone is normally in possession of such spiritual, physical and even financial resources that the probabilities of a shipwreck, of total inadequacy in the face of life, are relatively small” (88).
Sunday, March 11, 2007
Journal #8: Chapter 8
What is the definition of ‘good’ and ‘evil’? Can the words ‘just’ and ‘unjust’ be existed in Auschwitz?
I was so shocked when I read that there was the Market where the workers trade items like shirts and portions of bread. The Market even had tobacco. From the previous chapters, my perception of the workers in Auschwitz was that they were tired of living in Auschwitz. I thought they wouldn’t bother to be active except when they eat, work and sleep. However, they actively traded their shirts for little pieces of bread. Of course, trading was forbidden by the SS men, but following the regulation, which is a part of being good, was not a big deal to the workers.
As I read this chapter, I wondered if morality can exist in an extremely depressing place such as Auschwitz. I doubt it. I think there would no concept of being moral or immoral in Auschwitz. More specifically, I think the people would not be even attempted to bother to think about morality. They are physically and mentally exhausted and do not find joy in Auschwitz. Why would they care about being righteous? Most of us care about being ‘good’ because we have comfortable life. We don’t have to worry about our basic needs such as what we are going to eat tomorrow. But for the men in Auschwitz, surviving is the main hardship. How they live tomorrow is not important to them; whether they’ll live or not is important. Therefore, the words such as good, evil, or moral would not mean the same as they do to us. I think the concepts would be all ignored and forgotten in Auschwitz because being ‘good’ wouldn’t help the people to survive there.
Memorable Quotes:
“Here scores of prisoners driven desperate by hunger prowl around, with lips half-open and eyes gleaming, lured by a deceptive instinct to where the merchandise shown makes the gnawing of their stomachs more acute and their salvation more assiduous” (78).
“For us, on the contrary, the Lager is not a punishment; for us, no end is foreseen and the Lager is nothing but a manner of living assigned to us, without limits of time, in the bosom of the Germanic social organism” (83).
“We now invite the reader to contemplate the possible meaning in the Lager of the words ‘good’ and ‘evil,’ ‘just’ and ‘unjust’; let everybody judge, on the basis of the picture we have outlined and of the examples given above, how much of our ordinary moral world could survive on this side of the barbed wire” (86).
I was so shocked when I read that there was the Market where the workers trade items like shirts and portions of bread. The Market even had tobacco. From the previous chapters, my perception of the workers in Auschwitz was that they were tired of living in Auschwitz. I thought they wouldn’t bother to be active except when they eat, work and sleep. However, they actively traded their shirts for little pieces of bread. Of course, trading was forbidden by the SS men, but following the regulation, which is a part of being good, was not a big deal to the workers.
As I read this chapter, I wondered if morality can exist in an extremely depressing place such as Auschwitz. I doubt it. I think there would no concept of being moral or immoral in Auschwitz. More specifically, I think the people would not be even attempted to bother to think about morality. They are physically and mentally exhausted and do not find joy in Auschwitz. Why would they care about being righteous? Most of us care about being ‘good’ because we have comfortable life. We don’t have to worry about our basic needs such as what we are going to eat tomorrow. But for the men in Auschwitz, surviving is the main hardship. How they live tomorrow is not important to them; whether they’ll live or not is important. Therefore, the words such as good, evil, or moral would not mean the same as they do to us. I think the concepts would be all ignored and forgotten in Auschwitz because being ‘good’ wouldn’t help the people to survive there.
Memorable Quotes:
“Here scores of prisoners driven desperate by hunger prowl around, with lips half-open and eyes gleaming, lured by a deceptive instinct to where the merchandise shown makes the gnawing of their stomachs more acute and their salvation more assiduous” (78).
“For us, on the contrary, the Lager is not a punishment; for us, no end is foreseen and the Lager is nothing but a manner of living assigned to us, without limits of time, in the bosom of the Germanic social organism” (83).
“We now invite the reader to contemplate the possible meaning in the Lager of the words ‘good’ and ‘evil,’ ‘just’ and ‘unjust’; let everybody judge, on the basis of the picture we have outlined and of the examples given above, how much of our ordinary moral world could survive on this side of the barbed wire” (86).
Journal #7: Chapter 7
Hope is an essential element in life that brings joy and happiness. Without hope, the life would be very miserable and gloomy. Hope has miraculous power. It makes people feel better and go through hardships. It enables people to imagine and to expect better life. Moreover, hope sometimes gives people extra strength and makes difficult situations easier.
What would be like to live without hope? Would people have desire to live one more day? For me, if I no longer have hope in my life, I would be devastated. I would not see any purpose of living. If I can’t expect bright days in my life, how and why would I enjoy the present?
Primo Levi had to go through hopeless time in Auschwitz. Auschwitz is such a hopeless place. Even Primo Levi himself wrote, “… everything is grey around us, and we are grey” (71). The color grey has negative connotation. It implies being gloomy, depressing and hopeless. Therefore, I can infer that Auschwitz was a very depressing place and a lot of men did not have hope of future. There was no life in Auschwitz.
In such a miserable situation, the slightest improvement can trigger hope. For example, when the weather became warmer one day, the workers rejoiced. It was a small change in temperature, but it meant one less enemy to the workers. The work, which used to be really hard, seemed even easier after the weather change. Furthermore, I think the workers feel new hope of surviving in Auschwitz.
However, hope may be turned into too much desire when we hope for something badly. Then the beauty of hope is gone. Human desire is endless and it is not easily stoppable. Primo Levi wrote “… one hears it said that man is never content” (73). People are never satisfied. Theye desire one thing but once they get it, they usually want another thing. I think it is important to have balance between hope and desire in order to live a content life. We should never lose hope but we should never have too much desire, either.
Memorable Quotes:
“The Buna is not: the Buna is desperately and essentially opaque and grey. This huge entanglement of iron, concrete, mud and smoke is the negation of beauty … and the only things alive are machines and slaves – and the former are more alive than the latter” (72).
“We are the salves of the salves, whom all can give orders to, and our name is the number which we carry tattooed on our arm and sewn on our jacket” (72).
“The Lager is hunger: we ourselves are hunger, living hunger” (74).
“If there is one thing sure I this world it is certainly this: that it will not happen to us a second time” (74).
What would be like to live without hope? Would people have desire to live one more day? For me, if I no longer have hope in my life, I would be devastated. I would not see any purpose of living. If I can’t expect bright days in my life, how and why would I enjoy the present?
Primo Levi had to go through hopeless time in Auschwitz. Auschwitz is such a hopeless place. Even Primo Levi himself wrote, “… everything is grey around us, and we are grey” (71). The color grey has negative connotation. It implies being gloomy, depressing and hopeless. Therefore, I can infer that Auschwitz was a very depressing place and a lot of men did not have hope of future. There was no life in Auschwitz.
In such a miserable situation, the slightest improvement can trigger hope. For example, when the weather became warmer one day, the workers rejoiced. It was a small change in temperature, but it meant one less enemy to the workers. The work, which used to be really hard, seemed even easier after the weather change. Furthermore, I think the workers feel new hope of surviving in Auschwitz.
However, hope may be turned into too much desire when we hope for something badly. Then the beauty of hope is gone. Human desire is endless and it is not easily stoppable. Primo Levi wrote “… one hears it said that man is never content” (73). People are never satisfied. Theye desire one thing but once they get it, they usually want another thing. I think it is important to have balance between hope and desire in order to live a content life. We should never lose hope but we should never have too much desire, either.
Memorable Quotes:
“The Buna is not: the Buna is desperately and essentially opaque and grey. This huge entanglement of iron, concrete, mud and smoke is the negation of beauty … and the only things alive are machines and slaves – and the former are more alive than the latter” (72).
“We are the salves of the salves, whom all can give orders to, and our name is the number which we carry tattooed on our arm and sewn on our jacket” (72).
“The Lager is hunger: we ourselves are hunger, living hunger” (74).
“If there is one thing sure I this world it is certainly this: that it will not happen to us a second time” (74).
Thursday, March 8, 2007
Journal #6: Chapter 6
I agreed with Primo Levi when he wrote that lunch time was almost like a heaven since the work in Auschwitz was terrible. When I worked in the Philippines and in Thailand for Habitat for Humanity, I loved the break time, too. Although I should not even attempt to compare my work in the Habitat for Humanity to Primo Levi’s work (since his situations were absolutely devastating), I could imagine what would have been like to have break time during the hard work.
I think Resnyk was a very good companion. From my experience of working with different people, I know that it is a real advantage to have good partner(s) when working in pairs or in groups. Primo Levi wrote, “[Resnyk] lifts up the sleeper by himself and rests it on my right shoulder with care…” (67) and I thought it was really nice of Resnyk :)
Memorable Quotes:
“The latrine is an oasis of peace” (68).
“Like a rapid, voracious cancer, it kills our sleep and oppresses us with a foreboding anguish…” (70).
I think Resnyk was a very good companion. From my experience of working with different people, I know that it is a real advantage to have good partner(s) when working in pairs or in groups. Primo Levi wrote, “[Resnyk] lifts up the sleeper by himself and rests it on my right shoulder with care…” (67) and I thought it was really nice of Resnyk :)
Memorable Quotes:
“The latrine is an oasis of peace” (68).
“Like a rapid, voracious cancer, it kills our sleep and oppresses us with a foreboding anguish…” (70).
Journal #5: Chapter 5
Alberto, Primo Levi’s best friend, was an intelligent, friendly and righteous man. Even in Auschwitz, he remained to be uncorrupted. He fought for his own life, but at the same time, according to Primo Levi, Alberto was everybody’s friend.
Is being everybody’s friend possible? I used to think that it is possible. But now I don’t think so. Honestly, I used to want to be like Alberto. I wanted to be always nice to everybody and I hoped everyone would like me, too. So I tried to become that kind of person for a while. However, I soon realized that it is impossible to accomplish. The more I tried to become “perfect” among people, the more I wasn’t sure of myself. I mean, it is really hard to always smile and be nice to others when I don’t feel well and when others do not agree with me.
So, I finally decided that I could no longer pretend to be Ms. Perfect. I can’t pretend to be someone who is not me. If my words and actions are not from my sincere heart, they are meaningless and useless. I shouldn’t worry about how others would think of me. The more important thing is how I feel about myself and how God thinks of me. When building relationships with others, now I think the most important thing is to understand God’s will. I believe that I first need to be honest with myself and with God in order to have true relationships with others.
“Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – his good, pleasing and perfect will” (Romans 12:2).
Memorable Quote:
“He fights for his life but still remains everybody’s friend. He ‘knows’ whom to corrupt, whom to avoid, whose compassion to arouse, whom to resist. Yet he himself did not become corrupt. I always saw, and still see in him, the rare figure of the strong yet peace-loving man against whom the weapons of night are blunted” (57).
Is being everybody’s friend possible? I used to think that it is possible. But now I don’t think so. Honestly, I used to want to be like Alberto. I wanted to be always nice to everybody and I hoped everyone would like me, too. So I tried to become that kind of person for a while. However, I soon realized that it is impossible to accomplish. The more I tried to become “perfect” among people, the more I wasn’t sure of myself. I mean, it is really hard to always smile and be nice to others when I don’t feel well and when others do not agree with me.
So, I finally decided that I could no longer pretend to be Ms. Perfect. I can’t pretend to be someone who is not me. If my words and actions are not from my sincere heart, they are meaningless and useless. I shouldn’t worry about how others would think of me. The more important thing is how I feel about myself and how God thinks of me. When building relationships with others, now I think the most important thing is to understand God’s will. I believe that I first need to be honest with myself and with God in order to have true relationships with others.
“Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – his good, pleasing and perfect will” (Romans 12:2).
Memorable Quote:
“He fights for his life but still remains everybody’s friend. He ‘knows’ whom to corrupt, whom to avoid, whose compassion to arouse, whom to resist. Yet he himself did not become corrupt. I always saw, and still see in him, the rare figure of the strong yet peace-loving man against whom the weapons of night are blunted” (57).
Sunday, March 4, 2007
Journal #4: Chapter 4
Primo Levi wrote that everything was hostile in the camp. The SS men were of course mean and cruel but other prisoners were also hostile and evil. I could notice the evilness of people by reading the parts where people did not answer others’ questions and made fun of others. Primo Levi said the social structure of the camp is based on the human law that the privileged oppress the unprivileged. I think it is a part of human nature than people with power want to control others who seemed to be inferior. There is plenty of evidence supporting the statement. For example, colonization and slavery show inequality among people and abuse of power. Also at present, some politicians and leaders in countries take advantage of power and make life of poor people even more difficult. Many people think that we should treat everyone equally, but in real life, the inevitable human law does exist.
Primo Levi wrote, “We have never seen its boundaries, but we feel all around us the evil presence of the barbed wire that separates us from the world” (42). There was this invisible wall that separated the men in Auschwitz from the rest of the world. Repeating the manual work everyday and being monitored by enemy all the time, the men would have suffocated with lack of freedom. So, even though he was surrounded by hundreds of people, Primo Levi would have felt loneliness and a sense of isolation. I think all men feel a sense of isolation to some extent in their lives. We may live among others and have interactions with them, we often find ourselves alone and isolated. But at the same time, we grow internally when we deal with the loneliness inside us. I think feeling a sense of isolation is not the problem, but how to deal with it is what matters!
Memorable Quotes:
“We have never seen its boundaries, but we feel all around us the evil presence of the barbed wire that separates us from the world” (42).
“This fills me with anger, although I already know that it is in the normal order of things that the privileged oppress the unprivileged: the social structure of the camp is based on this human law” (44).
Primo Levi wrote, “We have never seen its boundaries, but we feel all around us the evil presence of the barbed wire that separates us from the world” (42). There was this invisible wall that separated the men in Auschwitz from the rest of the world. Repeating the manual work everyday and being monitored by enemy all the time, the men would have suffocated with lack of freedom. So, even though he was surrounded by hundreds of people, Primo Levi would have felt loneliness and a sense of isolation. I think all men feel a sense of isolation to some extent in their lives. We may live among others and have interactions with them, we often find ourselves alone and isolated. But at the same time, we grow internally when we deal with the loneliness inside us. I think feeling a sense of isolation is not the problem, but how to deal with it is what matters!
Memorable Quotes:
“We have never seen its boundaries, but we feel all around us the evil presence of the barbed wire that separates us from the world” (42).
“This fills me with anger, although I already know that it is in the normal order of things that the privileged oppress the unprivileged: the social structure of the camp is based on this human law” (44).
Friday, March 2, 2007
Journal #3: Chapter 3
“But this was the sense, not forgotten either then or later: that precisely because the Lager was a great machine to reduce us to beasts, we must not become beasts; that even in this place one can survive, and therefore one must want to survive, to tell the story, to bear witness; and that to survive we must force ourselves to save at least the skeleton, the scaffolding, the form of civilization. We are slaves, deprived of every right, exposed to every insult, condemned to certain death, but we still possess one power, and we must defend it with all our strength for it is the last – the power to refuse our consent. So we must certainly wash our faces without soap in dirty water and dry ourselves on our jackets. We must polish our shoes, not because the regulation states it, but for dignity and propriety. We must walk erect, without dragging our feet, not in homage to Prussian discipline but to remain alive, not to begin to die” (41).
This the message from Steinlauf, “a man of good will.” In Auschwitz, he washed his face everyday even without soap. Primo Levi thought washing oneself was a waste of energy but Steinlauf did not let the bad circumstances get him.
I love the message in the above passage. I like it because it states that we must be righteous all the time. It teaches us that men should be able to stand for what they believe. They should not lose their moral beliefs because of the circumstances. The passage criticizes people who just follow the trend of crowd. We often do something because that is what majority of people does. For example, we often think that throwing a candy wrapper on street is okay because many people do so. Not many people actually dare to pick it up. But the passage tells us that it is morally wrong to surrender to surroundings. I believe that we should not allow our surroundings and situations to overcome us. We should be able to keep our virtue even under harsh condition, like in Auschwitz.
I also used to be a person who easily obeys to people around me or to my surroundings. For instance, I used to obediently follow the decision of my friends because I wanted to be part of the group. However, I started to change at some point. I am no longer the person who just follows the crowd. Nowadays, if I think that something is wrong to do, then I don’t do it. I may not be firm enough yet to persuade people not to do it, but I do not follow the crowd. And I’m usually happy with my decision. I think it is important for people to stand for what they believe. Like Steinlauf in the chapter said, we should do our work and duty not because the rule or others tell us to do, but for dignity and virtue.
This the message from Steinlauf, “a man of good will.” In Auschwitz, he washed his face everyday even without soap. Primo Levi thought washing oneself was a waste of energy but Steinlauf did not let the bad circumstances get him.
I love the message in the above passage. I like it because it states that we must be righteous all the time. It teaches us that men should be able to stand for what they believe. They should not lose their moral beliefs because of the circumstances. The passage criticizes people who just follow the trend of crowd. We often do something because that is what majority of people does. For example, we often think that throwing a candy wrapper on street is okay because many people do so. Not many people actually dare to pick it up. But the passage tells us that it is morally wrong to surrender to surroundings. I believe that we should not allow our surroundings and situations to overcome us. We should be able to keep our virtue even under harsh condition, like in Auschwitz.
I also used to be a person who easily obeys to people around me or to my surroundings. For instance, I used to obediently follow the decision of my friends because I wanted to be part of the group. However, I started to change at some point. I am no longer the person who just follows the crowd. Nowadays, if I think that something is wrong to do, then I don’t do it. I may not be firm enough yet to persuade people not to do it, but I do not follow the crowd. And I’m usually happy with my decision. I think it is important for people to stand for what they believe. Like Steinlauf in the chapter said, we should do our work and duty not because the rule or others tell us to do, but for dignity and virtue.
Thursday, March 1, 2007
Journal #2: Chapter 2
In chapter 2, I felt that the men who arrived in the Buna were in fact no longer men. They’ve lost all of their possessions, values and purpose in life. The SS men took away their clothes, shoes and even their names. On page 27, Primo Levi wrote, “They will even take away our name: and if we want to keep it, we will have to find ourselves the strength to do so, to manage somehow so that behind the name something of us, of us as were, still remains.” We often think that name is simply what we call each other. However, name contains deeper meanings. A name of a person can tell us what kind of person he/she is. It indicates the person’s personality and belief. When we hear someone’s name, we can associate the name with certain impression of that person. I think we are responsible for our names. We should try to behave well, so we would be able to create positive impression when others hear our names.
Since name represents who we are, taking our names away is very dangerous. Without the name, we may lose our identity. I think this is what had happened to the men in the Buna. They’ve lost their name, their identity. Their new identity was the number (such as 174517) which meant nothing more than a worker in the Buna. Maintaining their names and their identity would have been really hard for the men in Auschwitz due to the circumstances. The SS men completely manipulated the men. Even the presence of SS men exhausted men and made them feel useless. In this situation, I think the men were very vulnerable and likely to forget their identity. Primo Levi wrote, “He who loses all often easily loses himself” (27).
I think many people “lose themselves” nowadays, too. But the causes are not the same ones that Primo Levi encountered. Today, the causes of losing oneself may be interactions with different people, peer pressure, influence of society. For example, many teenage girls want to be thin because the world tells them that skinny girls are beautiful. Instead of focusing on who they are truly, they pay more attention to their physical body. As a result, many of them feel insecure and do not know their identity. I think among the living people, many of them are not truly living. They all breathe, eat and sleep but they unsure of their identity. I wonder if they know who they are. When others hear their names, what kind of impressions would their names convey?
Memorable Quotes:
“Arbeit Marcht Frei, work gives freedom” (22).
“There is nowhere to look in a mirror, but our appearance stands in front of us, reflected in a hundred livid faces, in a hundred miserable and sordid puppets. We are transformed into the phantoms glimpsed yesterday evening” (26).
“… he will be a hollow man, reduced to suffering and needs, forgetful of dignity and restraint, for he who loses all often easily loses himself” (27).
“For months and years, the problem of the remote future has grown pale to them and has lost all intensity in face of the far more urgent and concrete problems of the near future: how much one will eat today, if it will snow, if there will be coal to unload” (36).
“But men are rarely logical when their own fate is at stake” (36).
“It was better not to think” (37).
Since name represents who we are, taking our names away is very dangerous. Without the name, we may lose our identity. I think this is what had happened to the men in the Buna. They’ve lost their name, their identity. Their new identity was the number (such as 174517) which meant nothing more than a worker in the Buna. Maintaining their names and their identity would have been really hard for the men in Auschwitz due to the circumstances. The SS men completely manipulated the men. Even the presence of SS men exhausted men and made them feel useless. In this situation, I think the men were very vulnerable and likely to forget their identity. Primo Levi wrote, “He who loses all often easily loses himself” (27).
I think many people “lose themselves” nowadays, too. But the causes are not the same ones that Primo Levi encountered. Today, the causes of losing oneself may be interactions with different people, peer pressure, influence of society. For example, many teenage girls want to be thin because the world tells them that skinny girls are beautiful. Instead of focusing on who they are truly, they pay more attention to their physical body. As a result, many of them feel insecure and do not know their identity. I think among the living people, many of them are not truly living. They all breathe, eat and sleep but they unsure of their identity. I wonder if they know who they are. When others hear their names, what kind of impressions would their names convey?
Memorable Quotes:
“Arbeit Marcht Frei, work gives freedom” (22).
“There is nowhere to look in a mirror, but our appearance stands in front of us, reflected in a hundred livid faces, in a hundred miserable and sordid puppets. We are transformed into the phantoms glimpsed yesterday evening” (26).
“… he will be a hollow man, reduced to suffering and needs, forgetful of dignity and restraint, for he who loses all often easily loses himself” (27).
“For months and years, the problem of the remote future has grown pale to them and has lost all intensity in face of the far more urgent and concrete problems of the near future: how much one will eat today, if it will snow, if there will be coal to unload” (36).
“But men are rarely logical when their own fate is at stake” (36).
“It was better not to think” (37).
Sunday, February 11, 2007
Journal #1: Chapter 1
Chapter one was mainly about Primo Levi’s journey to Auschwitz. He was captured by the Fascist Militia and sent to a camp. Soon, he was transported to Auschwitz. Throughout his journey, he suffered from thirst and cold. When he finally arrived at Auschwitz, he faced German soldiers who were in “in subdued tone of voice, with faces of stone” (17).
As I read the chapter one, the first thing I’ve noticed was how cruel and inhumane the Germany soldiers were portrayed. I could not find any sign of emotions or feelings from them. The Nazis killed children and randomly sent people to gas chambers. Even they beat a person for taking time to say good-bye to his fiancée. How could be one turned into a man of no sympathy and no compassion?
It was bitter to notice how Primo Levi described prisoners. He used a word “dust” to describe how small and unimportant the prisoners were. By the author’s style of narration, I could almost feel the same silence and fear that existed during his “journey.” The journey in which no one knew where the destination was. The journey of no purpose, no hope and no desire. When Primo Levi described Auschwitz as a meaningless name which was nothing more than a place on earth, I was chocked with grief and sympathy. Being treated like a mere object, he saw neither meaning of life nor desire to live.
Memorable Quotes:
“I preferred to admit my status as ‘Italian citizen of Jewish race’” (13).
“If you and your child were going to be killed tomorrow, would you not give him to eat today?” (15).
“Dawn came on us like a betrayer; it seemed as though the new sun rose as an ally of our enemies to assist in our destruction” (16).
“Sooner or later in life everyone discovers that perfect happiness is unrealizable, but there are few who pause to consider the antithesis: the perfect unhappiness is equally unattainable” (17).
“Auschwitz: a name without significance for us at that time, but it at least implied some place on this earth” (17).
As I read the chapter one, the first thing I’ve noticed was how cruel and inhumane the Germany soldiers were portrayed. I could not find any sign of emotions or feelings from them. The Nazis killed children and randomly sent people to gas chambers. Even they beat a person for taking time to say good-bye to his fiancée. How could be one turned into a man of no sympathy and no compassion?
It was bitter to notice how Primo Levi described prisoners. He used a word “dust” to describe how small and unimportant the prisoners were. By the author’s style of narration, I could almost feel the same silence and fear that existed during his “journey.” The journey in which no one knew where the destination was. The journey of no purpose, no hope and no desire. When Primo Levi described Auschwitz as a meaningless name which was nothing more than a place on earth, I was chocked with grief and sympathy. Being treated like a mere object, he saw neither meaning of life nor desire to live.
Memorable Quotes:
“I preferred to admit my status as ‘Italian citizen of Jewish race’” (13).
“If you and your child were going to be killed tomorrow, would you not give him to eat today?” (15).
“Dawn came on us like a betrayer; it seemed as though the new sun rose as an ally of our enemies to assist in our destruction” (16).
“Sooner or later in life everyone discovers that perfect happiness is unrealizable, but there are few who pause to consider the antithesis: the perfect unhappiness is equally unattainable” (17).
“Auschwitz: a name without significance for us at that time, but it at least implied some place on this earth” (17).
Journal #0: After watching the movie...
As an introductory lesson for Survival in Auschwitz, I watched a documentary on what would have been like to live in Auschwitz during the Holocaust. The documentary focused on life of people in Auschwitz and presented some shocking facts. After watching the movie, the persecution and extermination of Jews became more real to me and I was terrified.
The movie called Auschwitz the “factory of death.” This phrase frustrated me because it showed lack of humanity. If one was to call Auschwitz the “factory of death,” it indicates that death of a person in Auschwitz was nothing more than a “thing.” A person was not considered as being alive, but rather as an object. He/she did not have any human rights. This really tormented me.
In the documentary, one of the survivals from a ghetto during the Holocaust said that one could not trust anyone in the ghetto because others would use whatever that is for their advantages. This remark really saddened me. If one could not trust anyone, how lonesome and despairing would he/she be? I cannot even imagine what would have been like to live in a place of inhumanity. I mean, even today, I sometimes feel desperate and torn apart because I cannot find compassion and grace among people. It is mentally and emotionally very hard to not being able to trust someone.
Also, another survival said, “There was no God in Auschwitz because it was such a horrible condition that God chose not to go in.” This quote struck me. I wanted to ask questions: why didn’t God do something about the Holocaust? Why didn’t He stop it? The entire concept of exterminating specific ethnic group was against God’s will, His words and His love, wasn’t it?
As I watched the documentary, I realized that the Holocaust was just about 60 years ago. It was a reality! And some people still suffer from the horrible memory. It was such a disastrous event that mankind should not forget. Also, it should not be ever repeated. Never, never, never...
The movie called Auschwitz the “factory of death.” This phrase frustrated me because it showed lack of humanity. If one was to call Auschwitz the “factory of death,” it indicates that death of a person in Auschwitz was nothing more than a “thing.” A person was not considered as being alive, but rather as an object. He/she did not have any human rights. This really tormented me.
In the documentary, one of the survivals from a ghetto during the Holocaust said that one could not trust anyone in the ghetto because others would use whatever that is for their advantages. This remark really saddened me. If one could not trust anyone, how lonesome and despairing would he/she be? I cannot even imagine what would have been like to live in a place of inhumanity. I mean, even today, I sometimes feel desperate and torn apart because I cannot find compassion and grace among people. It is mentally and emotionally very hard to not being able to trust someone.
Also, another survival said, “There was no God in Auschwitz because it was such a horrible condition that God chose not to go in.” This quote struck me. I wanted to ask questions: why didn’t God do something about the Holocaust? Why didn’t He stop it? The entire concept of exterminating specific ethnic group was against God’s will, His words and His love, wasn’t it?
As I watched the documentary, I realized that the Holocaust was just about 60 years ago. It was a reality! And some people still suffer from the horrible memory. It was such a disastrous event that mankind should not forget. Also, it should not be ever repeated. Never, never, never...
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