Perishing To Persecute: A Short Story

Funder’s use of symbolism in order to explore themes relevant to her own personal struggle with finding comfort and security within the former GDR is a concept central to Stasiland. The author’s more abstract use of darkness enables Funder to draw parallels between her own difficulty living in the former GDR and those who endured the true terror of the Stasi Regime, particularly in the retelling of Miriam Weber’s attempted escape to West Berlin. ‘It was dark...’ on the Eastern side of the Wall, and ‘...in the west the neon shone.’ West Berlin is painted as a safe haven, away from the dangerous and frightening ‘dark’ GDR.

Preventing the inevitable is unachievable. As soon as the gunman pulls the trigger to execute me, this city, its people, Unanimity and all that exists here will be abolished. I can only hope that the society the Union and Son wished to be formed, is successful. With no dictatorship or segregation. I can only hope that as the gun meets my body, I will, for the first time in my life, know what it means to have a purpose, one that isn’t created for

            Whenever he looks into the eyes of an enemy soldier, he does not see a man, but sees death staring back at him.  He has no choice; the enemy cannot and will not coexist with him.  It

In spite of the fact that it is a commonly known historical piece of the Holocaust, it’s authenticity has been questioned. Some conspiracies deny that it even happened at all. Through the analyzation of Hitler’s own violent anti-Semitism, powerful position, and ability to convey Nazi propaganda into action, one can see how he is the sole cause of the Holocaust.

Even though the Holocaust was something he experienced for himself, it was still a historical event known by all around the world. Indifference to him was learning that the American government knew what was occurring is Auschwitz yet it took so long to take action. Wiesel reflects on the matter, “If they knew, we thought, surely those leaders would have moved heaven and earth to intervene” (3). In this next example, indifference is shown when the president turns away Jewish refugees. He mourns the ship St. Louis, “Sixty years ago, it’s human cargo – nearly 1,000 Jews – was turned back to Nazi Germany… Why the indifference, on the highest level, to the suffering of the victims?” (3). Wiesel knows they cannot deny it happened. He wants to be sure they remain aware so such indifference will not occur again. With a new millennium dawning upon the human race, he makes one final plea against the sin of

Although the world continues to face tragedy, little compares to that of the horrors millions of innocent Jews like Elie Wiesel faced, as they were deported from their homes, separated from their families and pushed around into different concentration camps where they were brutally tortured, killed, and discarded of by Adolf Hitler’s Nazi Germany Army beginning in 1941. It wasn’t until April of 1945 that Elie along with the limited number of other survivors were finally liberated. This mid 20th century atrocity has come to be known as the Holocaust, a tragic part of history that will never be forgotten. It was because of that experience, that Elie Wiesel extensively depicted the events he faced through written and verbal accounts including the speech he gave entitled “The Perils of Indifference” on April 12, 1999. The speech was given at the 7th Millennium Evening at the White House, with an intent to create a kairotic moment with the public including the audiences it was broadcasted to, as an opportunity to explain a darker side of history, while also hopefully enlightening them for the future.

Writer, Elie Wiesel in his metaphorical speech “The perils of Indifference” argues that the future will never know the agony of the Holocaust and they will never understand the tragedy of the horrific terror in Germany. Wiesel wants people to not let this happen but at the time many modern genocides that are occurring and people shouldn’t be focused on just the Holocaust, they should focus on making this world a better place; moreover, Wiesel expresses his thoughts about all the genocides that has happen throughout the years. He develops his message through in an horrifying event that took place 54 years ago the day “ The perils of Indifference” was published. Wiesel illustrates the indifferences of good vs evil. He develops this message

What are You, my God, I thought angrily, compared to this afflicted crowd, proclaiming to you their faith, their anger, their revolt? What does Your greatness mean, Lord of the universe, in the face of all this weakness, this decomposition, and this decay? Why do You still trouble their sick minds, their crippled bodies?? Why, but why should I bless Him? In every fiber I rebelled. Because He had had thousands of children burned in His pits? Because He kept six crematories working night and day, on Sundays and feast days? Because in His great might He had created Auschwitz, Birkenau, Buna and so many factories of death? How could I say to him Blessed art Thou, Eternal, Master of the Universe, Who chose us among the races to be tortured day and night, to see our fathers, our mothers, our

"The Jew has never founded any civilization, though he has destroyed hundreds. He must spread as a disease spreads. Already he has destroyed Russia; now it is the turn of Germany and, with his envious instinct for destruction he seeks to disintegrate the national spirit of the Germans and to pollute their blood." 1

Of the many items that help enhance the horror of the Nazi Holocaust, one of the most notable is what it had of systematic and bureaucratic. Not only killing people, which would have had already been enough, but precisely being made in a quiet and civilized way. It is not strange the image of the Nazi leader quoting his favorite poet while sending to death hundreds of people, belying the myth that culture and education make people better. The Holocaust was primarily an act performed with such rationality that could only become insane. It almost seems that it could have been avoided by appealing to the same reason as well served to run it.

The first time I walked through the streets of Warsaw, the most populated ghetto, housing over four hundred thousand Jews was June 1, 1937. From over the ghetto’s fence, the smell of retched death seeped over. Every man with me pinched their faces in disgust. An officer walked over to greet us at our station wagon. The excitement in his eyes of meeting greeting me was admiring. He reached his hand out and nervously stated, “I can’t believe I am meeting the one and only Adolf Hitler. How do you do, Sir? Sargent? General?” I shot my hand out confidently, and shook his hand, “Good Day, officer. I have finally gotten the time to visit Warsaw, my apologies for waiting so long. You know what they say,

The holocaust was a bleak and unrecoverable part of the history of the twentieth century that will always be remembered. Millions died for no reason except for one man’s madness. Although many people know why this war happened many don’t know when and what events lead up to this: the way Hitler came into power, or when the first concentration camp was established, and what city it was in, why Jews were hated so much by Hitler, and why the rest of the country also hated them as well as, and what the chronology of the Holocaust. These are some of the things I will explain in my paper.

Moore argues that certain patterns of persecution in the tenth through twelfth centuries were not the result of shifts in the opinions of masses or a reaction against real and growing threats from specific groups, as had been assumed, but were the direct result of "the decisions of princes and prelates." (Moore 123) In so doing he takes aim at ideas like the assumption that persecution is, of course, to be expected of a barbarous society, and the objects of persecution suffered their fate because they were an overwhelmingly threatening force. However, persecution does not only happen in barbarous societies, the proof of this lies within today's’ society.

1. Analyse how one or more scenes showed the complexity of a character or individual in a visual or oral text.

Born of war, for war. My purpose to die in battle oh so divine. Reared on the teat of death, hardened to stone through abuse…..Here my demented playground the horizon, it’s howling a blaze, a spectral village illuminates the sky, as fire destroys their domain. With glee I’ve raped and tortured, my pleasure be inflicting pain. To my death with an unholy vigor I shall fight till I’ve vanquished the Christian god’s ways. Tis be but the beginning of an ear of inhuman tragedy. To be ushered by my iron fist, the ovens they bellow towards crematory highs to dispose of the god fearing man. Once the rapture is over and Armageddon is won. Who will save man from their karmatic doom, save them from the slaughter…? HA! There will be no more petty god, Just