A traumatic event like the Holocaust, the slaughter of millions of Jews, would certainly leave some scars behind. It can also change one's personality: their beliefs, their morals, etc., usually for the worse.
The same happened to Elie Wiesel, along with countless other Jews.
The first notable change that happens to him is the shift in his beliefs. After he bare witness to the horrors at Auschwitz during his first night, he begins to believe that God is dead. Elie used to be a very religious person, who aspired to be a cabbala, one who studies the Torah. Seeing was believing for him then: but not in God.
"Never shall I forget those moments which murdered my God and my soul and turned my dreams to dust."
Later on, he admits that he does not doubt God's existence, but doubts His overall authority.
While spending time in camp, Elie and the other prisoners are quickly stripped of their humanity. They are malnourished, only being given 1,700 calories worth every day, while being forced to do labor. Additionally, they are forced to sleep in cramped bunk beds with no blankets. Their clothes are thin and itchy. Living conditions at the camps weren't all that great, and that's an understatement. By the end of the book, many of the prisoners think only of survival, while many others give up, sleep, and never wake up. The survival-minded would step on their own parents to accomplish their goal. Elie falls victim to these feelings, but his bond with his father does not break. He regains his emotions whenever his father gets in trouble (is on the brink of death). This changes when his father finally dies from weakness caused by dysentery combined with a single bludgeon from a truncheon. Elie no longer has anything to connect to being human other than his emaciated body until the liberation.
Thursday, February 25, 2016
Sunday, February 21, 2016
Night - Chlomo Wiesel
In the non-fiction story Night, Eliezer states that Chlomo, his father, rarely showed any emotion, and that he was more concerned with others' situations than with his own family's.
It seems like this changes when they arrive at the first concentration camp. During the selection, he is eager to stay with his son. As they get separated from the girls of their family, who die right after, their bond tightens, determined to stay alive.
They stayed together until Buna, where the were separated for a while. Elie manages to get his father into the same unit as him shortly after, though, and stays with him at all times. Despite that, Elie does not interfere when his father is beat up at the warehouse, possibly due to his inhumanity slowly crawling into the bond he has with his father, or fear of being beat up as well.
On the way to Buchenwald, Chlomo becomes weaker, and needs to rely on his son more. In Buchenwald he contracts dysentery, and completely relies on Elie, like their roles were reversed as father and son; he was retrieved from the snow by Elie, is assisted by Elie to move, and is kept away from trouble by Elie. He has grown so weak, the other prisoners believe that it would be better to steal his ration of food since he would inevitably die soon.
And, they were correct. While resting in the block, Chlomo kept asking Elie for water. He could not comply, so Chlomo went on, when a guard heard him, and ordered him to be quiet. He didn't listen. Soon, the guard had enough of it, and bashed his face with a truncheon.
Chlomo's last word was, "Eliezer."
It seems like this changes when they arrive at the first concentration camp. During the selection, he is eager to stay with his son. As they get separated from the girls of their family, who die right after, their bond tightens, determined to stay alive.
They stayed together until Buna, where the were separated for a while. Elie manages to get his father into the same unit as him shortly after, though, and stays with him at all times. Despite that, Elie does not interfere when his father is beat up at the warehouse, possibly due to his inhumanity slowly crawling into the bond he has with his father, or fear of being beat up as well.
On the way to Buchenwald, Chlomo becomes weaker, and needs to rely on his son more. In Buchenwald he contracts dysentery, and completely relies on Elie, like their roles were reversed as father and son; he was retrieved from the snow by Elie, is assisted by Elie to move, and is kept away from trouble by Elie. He has grown so weak, the other prisoners believe that it would be better to steal his ration of food since he would inevitably die soon.
And, they were correct. While resting in the block, Chlomo kept asking Elie for water. He could not comply, so Chlomo went on, when a guard heard him, and ordered him to be quiet. He didn't listen. Soon, the guard had enough of it, and bashed his face with a truncheon.
Chlomo's last word was, "Eliezer."
Wednesday, February 17, 2016
Holocaust AoW Impressions
Last Friday, I've heard a lot of stories from in-class sharing of articles related to the Holocaust. Well, except for three people having the same article to share, but I still got something new from each account.
I will start by talking about the story that three people in the class had to share. Israel has been refusing to provide aid for Syrian refugees, and it isn't sitting well for Holocaust survivors, who were once in the same situation. They have been demanding that Israel, as well as other countries, help the refugees immediately. The article in which the story was told was titled Holocaust survivors demand Israel help refugees, and was published on September 10, 2015.
The story I find most interesting is that of Oskar Groening, former Auschwitz guard accused of 300,000 counts of accessory to murder, which means that he has assisted 300,000 murders. Oskar himself feels moral guilt, but denies that he has directly assisted any of these murders. He says that any of his decisions as an Auschwitz guard were of the Nazi state, and he does not consider himself accountable for them.
Thursday, February 4, 2016
Berlin Memorial Reflection
Years before the Second World War, the first anti-Semitic laws were established.
These first laws mostly took trivial privileges from Jews, aside from a few others refusing reimbursement for Jewish doctors and the expulsion of Jewish civil servants. Further along the line, though, the laws established become more punishing, with the Nuremberg Laws stripping Jews of their nationality.
There were even prohibitions on graduation, and eventually all sorts of schooling for Jews. You couldn't even buy a book in 1942. Personally, that would be the hardest to cope with if I was a Jewish person in that time period. I am a recluse, and I prefer not to interact with people (since it bothers me and I'm bad at it), so my usual time-killers are video games or books. Video games outside of arcades were non-existent at that time, meaning I would only be able to read books to spend time. Without books, I would suffer in that scenario.
In 1938, more anti-Semitic laws were made with the purpose of isolating the Jewish population, possibly for easier targeting. A few years later, Jews were essentially deprived of food and other necessities. All of the documents recording these laws were destroyed in 1945, when Germany was defeated.
In years of importance, up to ten or more laws were passed, specifically during 1933, the year Hitler rose to power; 1938, the year before the invasion of Poland; and 1942, the year after the bombing of Pearl Harbor.
Many, many years later, in memorial of the Holocaust, over 80 signs with the anti-Semitic laws from 1933-1943 written on them are propped onto lampposts in Berlin. It's been hard trying to look for any written information regarding these signs, so I can only assume what the purpose of these signs are. My best guess for this is that these signs were meant to remind people of the cruelty of the Nazi Party to Jews. They warn people that this happened once, and it could happen again, unless we stop it.
Sunday, January 24, 2016
TKAM Film/Book Juxtaposition
Question Prompts:
It's common knowledge that movie adaptations of books rarely stay faithful to their originals, especially in the case of the Percy Jackson movies (which might as well be an alternate universe instead of an adaptation).
The movie adaptation of To Kill A Mockingbird is no exception. Aunt Rachel is replaced as Dill's aunt by Stephanie, who is still the same as a character. We get to see Judge Taylor ask Atticus defend Tom Robinson. We never witness Scout's trip to First Purchase (I believe that's what the church is called, although I'm not entirely sure). The list of differences certainly does not stop there.
With all of these differences, any messages the story is supposed to convey might be affected, which means they could be potentially screwed up.
This is my own biased opinion, but I think that the book is more effective at delivering the message of empathy to its audience, simply because it is a book. It is more in-depth than the movie, which will help the reader understand the concepts introduced by the book more easily. Also, there are no child actors. This is more of a personal thought, really, but I've observed that child actors tend to force their acting, due to their inexperience.
If I were to support the idea that the movie is better at conveying this message, though, I would present Gregory Peck as evidence. There's a reason he won an award for this movie. His acting in the movie was perfect, which could be attributed to the fact that he is much like Atticus himself, as noted by the actor who played Scout.
Okay, but is there a need for different versions of a story? Isn't one version enough?
I think it's probably because there are different preferences when it comes to media. Some people understand movies best, others like books, some others audio books, and a few other people who prefer to play out the story through a video game.
(Aiming for more general understanding would probably be an incentive of the past. Media companies nowadays only hope for quick cash by jumping on the bandwagon...)
These different versions can come together to form a big picture. Movie depictions of characters can help someone reading the book envision those characters without trouble. Audio versions set the tone and mood for you, as well as leaving you to your imagination. Games let you experience what it's like being in the protagonist's shoes.
While there aren't any games based on To Kill A Mockingbird (that would just be awkward), the other three apply to it.
1. How would you prove or disprove that one version of To Kill A Mockingbird is more effective in delivering its message than the other? Be sure to provide specific pieces of evidence to support your opinion.
2. What is the purpose in having different versions of a story? Think about how different versions contribute to the overall understanding and interpretation of that piece of work. Use specific concepts to support your opinion.
2. What is the purpose in having different versions of a story? Think about how different versions contribute to the overall understanding and interpretation of that piece of work. Use specific concepts to support your opinion.
It's common knowledge that movie adaptations of books rarely stay faithful to their originals, especially in the case of the Percy Jackson movies (which might as well be an alternate universe instead of an adaptation).
The movie adaptation of To Kill A Mockingbird is no exception. Aunt Rachel is replaced as Dill's aunt by Stephanie, who is still the same as a character. We get to see Judge Taylor ask Atticus defend Tom Robinson. We never witness Scout's trip to First Purchase (I believe that's what the church is called, although I'm not entirely sure). The list of differences certainly does not stop there.
With all of these differences, any messages the story is supposed to convey might be affected, which means they could be potentially screwed up.
This is my own biased opinion, but I think that the book is more effective at delivering the message of empathy to its audience, simply because it is a book. It is more in-depth than the movie, which will help the reader understand the concepts introduced by the book more easily. Also, there are no child actors. This is more of a personal thought, really, but I've observed that child actors tend to force their acting, due to their inexperience.
If I were to support the idea that the movie is better at conveying this message, though, I would present Gregory Peck as evidence. There's a reason he won an award for this movie. His acting in the movie was perfect, which could be attributed to the fact that he is much like Atticus himself, as noted by the actor who played Scout.
Okay, but is there a need for different versions of a story? Isn't one version enough?
I think it's probably because there are different preferences when it comes to media. Some people understand movies best, others like books, some others audio books, and a few other people who prefer to play out the story through a video game.
(Aiming for more general understanding would probably be an incentive of the past. Media companies nowadays only hope for quick cash by jumping on the bandwagon...)
These different versions can come together to form a big picture. Movie depictions of characters can help someone reading the book envision those characters without trouble. Audio versions set the tone and mood for you, as well as leaving you to your imagination. Games let you experience what it's like being in the protagonist's shoes.
While there aren't any games based on To Kill A Mockingbird (that would just be awkward), the other three apply to it.
2nd Quarter Reflection
The end of the 2nd Quarter, huh? Usually, it would be the end of the 3rd Quarter for me. I am rather disoriented because of this, since I keep getting hopeful that school is going to end, and being disappointed when I realize I'm not in the Philippines anymore…
But I digress. I will try to reflect on this past quarter as best as I can.
「*In what area do you think you made your biggest improvements in the English Language Arts?
This is a tough one, since I don't pay much attention to which skills I could improve. I would say that I've gotten a little better at staying on task in class. This applies mostly to late in the quarter. I've been able to keep up with the class constantly. My ability to do so at home hasn't changed, though, which sucks.
「*What is something you have accomplished since the new year that you are proud of?
I can't remember anything to be proud of related to this class aside from being able to submit my TKAM Comparative Analysis on time. It's rather small, but I feel like that was a start of keeping up more frequently.
「*What has been the most challenging part of 2nd Quarter for you and what did/can you do to help overcome this?
This one is easy. Reading every single page of two chapters in To Kill a Mockingbird, supplying those pages with annotations of decent quality, and working on answering the questions for those two chapters; combined with my subpar time management skill. Due to regrettable decisions on my part, I usually had to stay up until around 1 a.m. Looking back on that time, I'm surprised I wasn't late to school more often.
Anyway, I only managed to do this by persisting in getting my work done, hitting my head when needed. Oh, and playing music I like while working also helped.
*Of the books you have read this quarter, which was your favorite? Why?
To Kill a Mockingbird. I both dislike the book and absolutely love it. I dislike it since it brings up some pretty bad memories of trying to squeeze out whatever I had left in my brain cells late at night to try and finish the day's work on the book. Though I love it because it has a realistic feel to it. Harper Lee, the author, supposedly based the book on real events that happened in her childhood. If that was the case, then I would believe that Harper Lee had eidetic memory at the time she was writing this, which allowed her to describe scenes and events in detail. And there are just a lot of characters in the book, you know? You could probably relate to one or some other. My point is, I really enjoyed reading through the book, even if it was late at night and I was in need of sleep.
But I digress. I will try to reflect on this past quarter as best as I can.
「*In what area do you think you made your biggest improvements in the English Language Arts?
This is a tough one, since I don't pay much attention to which skills I could improve. I would say that I've gotten a little better at staying on task in class. This applies mostly to late in the quarter. I've been able to keep up with the class constantly. My ability to do so at home hasn't changed, though, which sucks.
「*What is something you have accomplished since the new year that you are proud of?
I can't remember anything to be proud of related to this class aside from being able to submit my TKAM Comparative Analysis on time. It's rather small, but I feel like that was a start of keeping up more frequently.
「*What has been the most challenging part of 2nd Quarter for you and what did/can you do to help overcome this?
This one is easy. Reading every single page of two chapters in To Kill a Mockingbird, supplying those pages with annotations of decent quality, and working on answering the questions for those two chapters; combined with my subpar time management skill. Due to regrettable decisions on my part, I usually had to stay up until around 1 a.m. Looking back on that time, I'm surprised I wasn't late to school more often.
Anyway, I only managed to do this by persisting in getting my work done, hitting my head when needed. Oh, and playing music I like while working also helped.
*Of the books you have read this quarter, which was your favorite? Why?
To Kill a Mockingbird. I both dislike the book and absolutely love it. I dislike it since it brings up some pretty bad memories of trying to squeeze out whatever I had left in my brain cells late at night to try and finish the day's work on the book. Though I love it because it has a realistic feel to it. Harper Lee, the author, supposedly based the book on real events that happened in her childhood. If that was the case, then I would believe that Harper Lee had eidetic memory at the time she was writing this, which allowed her to describe scenes and events in detail. And there are just a lot of characters in the book, you know? You could probably relate to one or some other. My point is, I really enjoyed reading through the book, even if it was late at night and I was in need of sleep.
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