Dehumanization: the psychological process of demonizing the enemy, making them seem less than human and hence not worthy of humane treatment.
"Good Night. The first human words."
"You've escaped the greatest danger, selection. So now you must muster your strength and don't lose heart. We shall see the day of liberation. Have faith in life. Above all else, have faith..."
"It did not take long to discover why we had been summoned: it was for the extraction of our gold teeth."
"He was going to be hanged...I did not feel any pity for him. I was even pleased about what had happened. I had saved my gold crown."
"I watched the whole scene without moving. I kept quiet. In fact I was thinking of how to get farther away so that I would not be hit myself. What is more, any anger I felt at that moment was directed, not against Kapo, but my father. I was angry with him, for not knowing how to avoid Idek's outbreak. That is what concentration camp life had for me."
"Terror was stronger than hunger"
In reference to the soup; "In our thoughts we were murdering him"
"The thousands who died daily at Auschwitz and at Birkenau in the crematory oven no longer troubled me..."
"But further, there was no longer any reason why I should fast. As I swallowed my bowl of soup, I saw in the gesture an act of rebellion and protest against Him. And I nibbled my crust of bread. In the depths of my heart, I felt a great void."
Elie was changing, the starvation and killing of thousands of people was becoming an everyday norm, such as I get up and go to school every morning, his routine followed a horrifying pattern of work, limited food, and the dreaded selection. Life in the camp changed him most in the sense that gruesome death did not phase him, while it made my stomach turn just to imagine it, he watched a child hang from a noose and could keep his food down, despite the fact that he had little to no food. More importantly however, his faith was transforming, God seemed absent in his anguish and despair and he wanted to punish Him for it, by ceasing to practice Jewish traditions as a rebellious act against the God who abandoned him. All these quotes and analysis show that he was slowly taking a turn for the worse, the lashes he got, the lashes his father got, and the horrible life that had befallen him made death and tragedy seem mediocre. So much, that it would please him to have someone die than from him to give up his golden tooth.
Tuesday, February 23, 2016
Wednesday, February 17, 2016
Night: Dialectical Journal 1
In times of turmoil, we look to a God or a higher being to elevate the suffering we are experiencing. But what if your whole life, all you did was worship and pray and give thanks and in the time of your most need, there is an absence of hope and a presence of despair. In "Night" Elie describes that very first days of persecution from the German soldiers after they invaded his home and how even still, many Jewish victims remained hopeful that their God would relieve them.
"The Russian army's making gigantic strides forward... Hitler won't be able to do us any harm, even if he wants too." This quote proves that many believed in times of stress, even when people (such as Moshe) said to be hopeless, they (he) chose to believe in hope. "The Germans were already in town, the Fascists were already in power, the verdict had already been pronounced, yet the Jews of Sighet continued to smile." Even though in other parts of the world, Jews were being victimized, having their community destroyed, and thrown from their homes, the Jews in Sighet had a lot to smile about because, at that moment they were safe, the German soldiers weren't attacking their homes and for the time being, they were polite. However, when passover happened, things made a turn for the worse, "The first step, Jews would not be allowed to leave their homes for three days- on the pain of death". After that, they got their belongings taken away, and had to wear the yellow star, most would break down from that, but not Elie, he remained optimistic in the sense that he said, "little by little life returned to normal. The barbed wire did not give us any fear." If I was trapped in a space by soldiers that were of a different religion, my faith would falter, life would not seem like it is returning to normal but for Elie this was becoming the new normal and it was better than death or starvation. As they lived life trapped in the ghetto, they continued to have optimistic speeches about the situations they were in, "If you ask me, the whole business of deportation is just a farce. Oh yes, don't laugh. The Boches just want to steal our jewelry. They know we've buried everything, and they'll have a hunt for it: it's easier when the owners are on holiday..." On holiday!" They convinced themselves that they were on holiday because they were getting robbed of their things and it seems more practical for a thief to commit his crime if the owner he is stealing from is on holiday. They told themselves that the holiday would end, and they would get their life back.
"The Russian army's making gigantic strides forward... Hitler won't be able to do us any harm, even if he wants too." This quote proves that many believed in times of stress, even when people (such as Moshe) said to be hopeless, they (he) chose to believe in hope. "The Germans were already in town, the Fascists were already in power, the verdict had already been pronounced, yet the Jews of Sighet continued to smile." Even though in other parts of the world, Jews were being victimized, having their community destroyed, and thrown from their homes, the Jews in Sighet had a lot to smile about because, at that moment they were safe, the German soldiers weren't attacking their homes and for the time being, they were polite. However, when passover happened, things made a turn for the worse, "The first step, Jews would not be allowed to leave their homes for three days- on the pain of death". After that, they got their belongings taken away, and had to wear the yellow star, most would break down from that, but not Elie, he remained optimistic in the sense that he said, "little by little life returned to normal. The barbed wire did not give us any fear." If I was trapped in a space by soldiers that were of a different religion, my faith would falter, life would not seem like it is returning to normal but for Elie this was becoming the new normal and it was better than death or starvation. As they lived life trapped in the ghetto, they continued to have optimistic speeches about the situations they were in, "If you ask me, the whole business of deportation is just a farce. Oh yes, don't laugh. The Boches just want to steal our jewelry. They know we've buried everything, and they'll have a hunt for it: it's easier when the owners are on holiday..." On holiday!" They convinced themselves that they were on holiday because they were getting robbed of their things and it seems more practical for a thief to commit his crime if the owner he is stealing from is on holiday. They told themselves that the holiday would end, and they would get their life back.
Wednesday, February 10, 2016
INHUMANE
Jordan and Chloe
Captain abandons ship with High School students on Board:
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/12/world/asia/south-korea-ferry-captain.html?_r=0
Guy Vows to Punish Sorority Girls :
http://nypost.com/2014/05/25/virgin-gunman-vowed-sorority-sluts-must-die-before-rampage/
The Korea sinking is inhumane because the Captain told the high school to stay put on the ship and left them to die on the ship as it sunk in the ocean. It led to to the death of 295 people and 1 school principal committed suicide for the guilt of the death of his students.
The sorority shooting was inhumane because the student believed that he was gaining retribution and punishing them for not loving him. He said that all the beautiful blondes deserved to die for not loving him and resulted in killing 2 girls before killing himself in a police shootout.
Captain abandons ship with High School students on Board:
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/12/world/asia/south-korea-ferry-captain.html?_r=0
Guy Vows to Punish Sorority Girls :
http://nypost.com/2014/05/25/virgin-gunman-vowed-sorority-sluts-must-die-before-rampage/
The Korea sinking is inhumane because the Captain told the high school to stay put on the ship and left them to die on the ship as it sunk in the ocean. It led to to the death of 295 people and 1 school principal committed suicide for the guilt of the death of his students.
The sorority shooting was inhumane because the student believed that he was gaining retribution and punishing them for not loving him. He said that all the beautiful blondes deserved to die for not loving him and resulted in killing 2 girls before killing himself in a police shootout.
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