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.

January 5th, 2012: Who Should We Donate To?

Out of all the organizations available, I think the Red Cross is the most suitable because of it's ability to provide aid to victims of disaster, internationally. The Red Cross is based in the United States; however, the Red Cross provides humanitarian aid to victims of disaster and war internationally. Since the Red Cross isn't limited to only one country, this means that all countries are elligible for aid in getting out of post-war or post-genocide predicaments. Since this is true, I think that third-world countries suffering from war may have a chance to have their issues reported and get the help they need quicker. Also, the Red Cross doesn't just treat victims of disaster, they also help to prevent disaster as well. Since this is true, I think this means that the Red Cross may be able to prevent war crimes and other crimes relating to genocide. Since the Red Cross can prevent disaster, they may be able to recieve reports on genocide/war crimes and go in to stop the crimes before it's too late. Therefore, due to international responses and ability to treat and prevent, the Red Cross is a suitable organization to donate to.

December 21st, 2011: Syria - Genocide or Not?

The protests in Syria appears to be getting worse and worse as the days pass, and hundreds of Syrians continue to perish. The violence is horrendous, but many wonder: is this a genocide? In my opinion, the answer is no. The definition of genocide is: "acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial, or religious group." This conflict is no struggle between ethnicities or religion; this issue is only a political conflict, and the legal definition of genocide excludes political groups. Despite the violence not fitting the definition of genocide, the conflict still isn't a genocide, since the president of Syria isn't trying to exterminate all Syrians or any ethnic or religious group for that matter; this struggle only shows how a president desperate to stay in power can have the guts to kill his own people to keep that power. I feel this conflict is more of a civil war, since Syrians are fighting against their own government.

December 19th, 2011: Rwanda - Who's Guilty?

Responsibility for the Rwandan Genocide can't really be put all on only one person: everyone is responsible for what happened in Rwanda. The Hutus and Tutsis are definitely to blame for the massacres of the Tutsis, and the Tutsis are responsible as well, even though they were the targets (due to them oppressing the Hutus for so many years prior). Belgium, King Leopold (King of Belgium) especially, is definitely to blame for the genocide; even though they were never part of the actual massacres, they are responsible for the very first steps of the genocide, as they favored the Tutsis and organized the discrimination and oppression of the Hutus.
The US government and the United Nations are definitely to blame. Because of their "lack of interest in Rwanda" and fear of armed conflict, both decided not to intervene and possibly save the lives of hundreds of thousands of innocent people. It almost seems as if the US and the UN are allowing the Hutus to get away with genocide. Therefore, both the US and UN are to blame, if not have the most blame. The Rwandan genocide, like many other genocides, comes with responsibility, and when it comes to this genocide, everyone's guilty.

December 2nd, 2011: The Holocaust - Who's Guilty?

After watching the movie "Defiance" and seeing how the US responded to the Holocaust, I now think that everyone was responsible in some way or another, regardless of whether they were involved or not. I really think the US is somewhat responsible for the murder of so many Jews; perhaps if they would have publicized the Holocaust via the media earlier, maybe the liberation of camps may have happened earlier, and maybe so many lives would have been saved. I also think every single Nazi soldier, collaborator, and German Nazi supporter or follower is responsible as well, but in varying amounts. I do believe Hitler and the Nazis themselves are the most responsible for coming to power and spreading Nazi beliefs to all of Germany, and as a result intensifying antisemitism to violence and death. Sure, the German citizens, not the soldiers, didn't necessarily kill any Jews, but they are also responsible for they supported the killing of Jews and every other race that wasn't German. The Jews, homosexuals, Roma, and every other target may not have suffered the violence and death in their hands, but they are also responsible for it -- they did it.