Blog # 6

Q-1
What scenes of images are most powerful for you, and why? What lessons or messages did these scenes offer?

A-1
The most powerful image to me was the rows and rows of dead bodies lying on the ground. Studying the Holocaust we hear about deaths. This image brings those stories to a realistic vision. The Scene I’m speaking of showed me that no age or gender was spared. As Mrs.Weissmann said while telling her story, people drop dead in their tracks. Without even a look they kept on walking.

Q-2
How did the Nazis dehumanize Jews? How did Gerda Weissmann work to overcome dehumanization, and who helped?
A-2
In the story Mrs.Weissmann tells of the Nazis separating families. The Jews were captured and treated like animals. They lost all control of their own lives. The who what when and wheres of their lives were all dictated to them. All these orders turned ordinary people into animals in the eyes of the Nazis. Though Mrs. Weissmann did not speak of some other ways that they dehumanized people in her story, I can infer by the books I have read, and the book we are reading in class. Some other methods used by the Nazi Germans was when the people had arrived in the camps, they were stripped of all their clothes and forced to walk through the towns naked from head to toe. After that they were herded into a building, where every bit of hair was shaved off their entire bodies like sheep shaved for their wool.


Q-3During her ordeal in Nazi camps, Weissmann says she fantasized about enjoying a simple morning with her family or deciding what dress to wear to a imagined party. What simple things in your own life do you think you would fantasize about if everything were taken away? What ordinary things do you think you take for granted?
A-3
In the movie, she explains that all her possessions were taken away from her and her family as well. If all my possessions and/or family were taken away from me I would not be able to stand it. I would of course miss my family the most and I would most likely fantasize about them. Out of the ordinary things I use every day, what I probably take for granted the most would be my electronics. For example, when the power goes off at home, I’m fine until I realize that the TV is out and my electronics are not charged. I probably take my television for granted the most.. The TV opens up a world of learning and education for me.

Q-4
This film focuses on the persecution of Jews in the Holocaust, but others also were murdered, including Soviet prisoners of war, Roma, gays and lesbians, and Communists. In what ways do you see persecution happening in today's world? What groups you see being targeted? What can be done to work against such prejudice and intolerance?
A-4
In today's world I see prosecution in many places and in many ways .A lot of times people are prosecuted for being different. Some people have a hard time accepting others for who they are, what they look like or what they believe in. Today, Gays and Lesbians still have trouble being accepted. I feel some older people still have trouble leaving the belief of slavery in the past. Religion and politics are always subjects that cause friction. Quakers believe that everyone is equal. The golden rule of Quakerism is to treat others the way you want to be treated. I believe in this and think that if others would understand this belief, tolerance of others would grow.

Q-5
In many ways, this film is about hope for the future. Who are the heroes of the film? What do they do that makes you feel hopeful? What can you do to help make the world a better place?

A-5
In Gerda Weissmanns case, she probably saw anyone who treated her nicely as a hero. When listening to her story I narrowed it down to three true heroes. Throughout her life, Gerda's father has truly been a hero. He shows his heroicness in June, before winter when Gerda had to walk, he tells his daughter to wear her ski boots instead of her normal shoes. This pays off when time comes for her to walk throughout the winter with hundreds of other women. The boots kept her toes warm and protected her from frostbite. Another hero reveals herself when Adolf Hitler comes to inspect the camp Gerda now calls home. This woman was the chief of Gerdas deviation of the camp. Gerda was ill that day, so she was not working. This woman, out of the goodness of her heart, made Gerda get up and work. This was a heroic move because if Gerda had not been seen working she would have surely been killed on the spot. The last, and probably the most heroic person in Gerda’s life is now her husband. After being abandoned by the German escorts, a young US officer comes to where they have been dumped. Gerda tells this man that they are all Jewish. The man replies to her that he is as well. After this all the remaining women are taken and saved by the United States. This managed truly here, for he saw what others have passed. He saw a young lady standing in the middle of the doorway with no one to care for her and to look after.