February 27th, 2012: English Blog #3 - Current Event/Media Connection

Link: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-17136646




     In the article "Iraq kills 55 as Shia and police targeted", the intended audience is most likely US or UK citizens interested in current world affairs, as the events in this article take place in the Middle East. The purpose of this article is to inform the public of the terrorism in the Middle East and to give an update on how the violence has recently worsened, as the article clearly states how Shia areas continue to be bombed and shot at by Iraq. For example, a witness, Ahmed Kadhim, tells what he saw: "We were sitting at a restaurant having soup for breakfast when the bomb exploded. I lost consciousness and then saw smoke and dust. I saw people and body parts everywhere."
     The events in this article remind me of the events in the book All But My Life, a Holocaust survivor's memoir. First of all, the violence in the article is similar to the violence that occurred during the Kristallnacht pogroms in the book. In the Middle East, Shia areas were bombed and large numbers of people were shot. Similarly, at the beginning of the book, Gerda mentions how large groups of Jews and non-Aryans in general were killed and tortured during Kristallnacht: "several Jews had been rounded up in the streets, locked in the Temple, and the Temple set on fire." (Klein, 1995, pg. 9) Also, the attacks in both conflicts were carried out by certain groups of people: neither conflict had random people going around killing random people. In the Middle East, certain terrorist groups in Iraq, such as al-Qaeda, are accused of the violence in the Shia territories. Similarly, the Nazi regime was to blame for the Kristallnacht pogroms during the Holocaust, and all acts of violence towards non-Aryans that followed. Based on these connections, the violence in the Middle East does connect well with the specific acts of violence in the book All But My Life.

February 16th, 2012: English Blog #2 - A Letter to Gerda

1234 Addresswithheld St.

Huber Heights, OH 45424

February 16th, 2012

Dear Gerda,

     Remember when you were in Dulag? You know, Dulag: that transit camp you were sent to from Wadowitz. You were on your own with only a few friends and no parents to protect you. You were helpless in the clutches of the odious Nazi regime. Remember when you got that notice from Abek’s family that you were to be set free? If I were in your shoes, I would have left immediately. But what did you do? The absolute opposite. You rejected the offer and decided to stay in Dulag -- and remain in constant danger.

     Why would you turn down freedom that early in the war? What kind of a slap in the face is that? I can’t believe you’d choose to stay in that cesspool camp -- in the hands of those monsters -- and continue to live in constant danger, instead of in the warm arms of a family that loves you.

     Think about it. If you would have died in that camp, you’d just be another statistic out of the 12,000,000 that were slaughtered. I mean, would you rather take your chances and die in a camp, or take advantage of the chance to leave and stay safe? Personally, I’d choose to leave…
     I'm confused as to why you decided to stay. Did you decide to stay so that you could stay with your friend Ilse and be on her side? Did you think that Ilse deserved to have at least one person to depend on in that cesspool, and that you did as well? Did you think that if you were to die in that camp, God would catch you anyway? Or were you so afraid of how your future would be shaped if you were to marry Abek?

     However, as angry as I am with your decision, I’m really stunned that you’d choose to risk your life to be with another. What I mean is that when I’d read a book about a war or a genocide, I’d expect a main character to think only of getting themselves out of the situation alive and have an every-man-for-himself attitude. You were nothing like that, Gerda. You were willing to give up freedom so you wouldn’t have to abandon a friend in need. Ilse was so lucky to have a friend like you.

     I wish you the best of luck in your journey through this terrible time.

     Sincerely,

     Hannah

February 13th, 2012: English Blog #1 - Stages of Genocide

At the beginning of the book All But My Life, not many of the stages of genocide are evident, as World War II and the Holocaust have just begun. However, even at the very beginning of the war, sixteen-year-old Gerda Weissmann can only sit back and watch in horror and confusion as the people she grew up with begin to board trains and vanish, and as the Nazis continue to march through her town and dehumanize the Jewish people and anyone else non-German.
The third stage of genocide is dehumanization. Dehumanization is basically the act of denying a group humanity and making them feel less human and more like "animals" or "germs". (ex. Tutsi were "cockroaches" during the Rwandan Genocide)
There are so many examples of dehumanization in just the beginning of the book. For example, in Chapter 4, Gerda joins Mr. Pipersberg, a lifelong family friend, on his way to visit an old factory where he worked. Upon arrival, both Gerda and Mr. Pipersberg are shocked and horrified to reach the door and see a sign: "DOGS AND JEWS NOT ALLOWED TO ENTER." (Klein, 1995, pg. 26) This is a clear example of dehumanization as the sign is basically saying that Jews and dogs aren't any different, making the Jews seem less human. Also, later in the book, the Weissmann family's rights begin to get taken away. The family can no longer buy sugar, jam, eggs, among other items, so they resort to knitting sweaters to trade for food. This is an example of dehumanization as well, as it shows how the Nazi regime deems the Jews so inhuman, they don't even deserve to have the same food as the Germans. In addition, when the family finally regains contact with Arthur, Gerda's older brother, they are thrilled to find out that he is safe in Russia, but they know that, as a Jew, his privacy will be violated as "many prying eyes would read his letters," referring to the censors. (Klein, 1995, pg. 41) All three examples from the book are clear evidence that dehumanization is evident in the book so far.