The Forgotten Victims: The Consideration of Gay Victims of the Holocaust as Sufferers of Genocide Yasmina Lawrence CHG 381 P. Spitzer Friday June 3rd, 2016 During the reign of the Third Reich, the symbolization of the pink triangle was used to identify the thousands of gay prisoners who were sent to extermination camps under Paragraph 175, the law that criminalized homosexuality between men. Researchers say that an estimated 5,000 to 15,000 gay men died in these camps, however this figure does not include those who were interned and later released, let alone those who died undocumented and forever forgotten to history.¹ These thousands of men were forced through excruciating cruelties with little to no reprieve or recognition of the atrocities perpetrated against them. It is because of this that while they are not a distinct racial, ethnic, or religious group, the treatment of those who bore the pink triangle during the Holocaust follows the genocidal process and as such gay Holocaust victims should be considered sufferers of genocide.
Literary Themes and Symbols of the Holocaust Although Holocaust literature focuses on a specific period in world history, it also contains some common themes and symbols that help to define this era. The butterfly, for instance, is a symbol for the ephemeral lives of Holocaust children. A child, Pavel Friedman, wrote a poem titled "The Butterfly" during his time in a concentration camp. Since then, the butterfly has been a Holocaust theme for the large number of children who did not survive. A book,I Never Saw Another Butterfly, compiled by Inge Auerbacher, a Holocaust survivor at Terezín, features artwork, poems (including Friedman's poem), and words from many of the young children who died inside Terezín's walls. Patricia Polacco'sThe Butterfly also connects to this symbol as a butterfly gets crushed in a fist, helping show young children the horrors that occurred during the Holocaust in ways that could easily be understood.
The Holocaust Era: Keith Hearn ENC 1101 Professor Robin Rogers 7/21/16Abstract An abstract is a brief summary—usually about 100 to 120 words—written by the essay writer that describes the main idea, and sometimes the purpose, of the paper. When you begin your research, many scholarly articles may include an abstract. These brief summaries can help readers decide if the article is worth reading or if addresses the research question, not just the topic, one is investigating.
The butterfly has become a symbol for the 1.5 million children murdered in the holocaust. During the holocaust many children were put into concentration camps, they knew they were going to die. They carved hundreds of butterflies with their nails or stones on the walls of the prisons. I believe these butterflies represented their souls. They had a meaning. The butterflies were supposedly a message of hope, that despite the fact that they would be dead before long, their souls would not die. Just like how a larva turns out into a butterfly an flies out of the cocoon, similar once they die, they would completely come out of their suffering and hardships and once again live life in peace and freedom. A butterfly is so awakening and charming which
To all able ears, Dzungar, Holodomor, Rwandan, Cambodians, Armenians, Circassian, Ottoman Greek, and the Jewish. All too many genocides. When will it stop? When will we learn? When will we stop forgetting about the past and when will the history books end the patterns of war and death? When? The survivors share their stories, but do we listen? Elie Wiesel was a fifteen year old boy with the a life ahead of him, when his religion, following Judaism, made him a target in Adolf Hitler's extermination plans. He was only a boy. He had done nothing wrong, absolutely nothing, yet his life had been ended before it began. From Auschwitz to Birkenau to Buna to Gleiwitz and Gleiwitz to Buchenwald. Wiesel endured separation and starvation, to survive the brutality of the Jewish Holocaust that left millions of others dead. Individuals with lives, with hopes, with dreams, suffering with no end, and losing everything upon survival. Adults, children, elderly, everyone one of them innocent. As individuals living without these threats we cannot empathize for the horror stories we hear, since we have no personal connection, we can only sympathize for them. With no personal connection to the events, it is sure that we will forget Wiesel, but why do we forget? Because humans are imperfect beings? How do we stop erring and forget the mistakes that have preceded us? Humans struggle to understand that the mistakes of one individual do not define those similar to them. If human can attempt to
The Holocaust, a morbid atrocity that made people question humanity, was the cause of millions of deaths. One of those victims of this brutality was Anne Frank, a young Jewish girl who hid from the Nazis along with her family. Although she was merely ordinary, Anne Frank kept a diary which became a significant, historical artifact in the modern world as it details her account of concealing her identity from the outside world. Her story, told in an innocent perspective, allows individuals to reflect the dreadful events of the Holocaust and acknowledge how far we have come since then. Even though she died along with millions of other victims from the Holocaust, her spirit still exists thanks to her articulately written words in her diary which is now considered one of the most famous works of literature. Anne Frank’s legacy still lives on today because her story provides a primary source of a dark period in history, insightful contemplation of humanity, and motivation for people to stand up against unjustified persecution.
The Holocaust is a topic that some think of as a very essential part of history that students should learn about. On the other hand, some would argue that it is too severe for middle school students. Without a doubt, Nazis abused their large power and used it towards destruction
Evolution of the Holocaust One of history’s most horrible events is the Jewish holocaust. This was a horrible event in WWII history. This was a mass genocide of millions of Jewish people by the Nazis led by Hitler. In Hitler’s book Mien Kamph, he wrote about getting rid of the jews in germany’s political, intellectual life and culture. He was very open to hating them. Although Hitler did not originally plan on carrying out the systematic mass murder of millions of Jews, this ultimately did happen.
The Holocaust “was the systematic bureaucratic, state sponsored persecution and murder of 6 million Jews by the Nazi regime and its collaboration.” This callous event took place in Northern Europe from 1933 to 1945. It affected Jews, gypsies and other enemies of the state. The Holocaust was perpetrated by Nazi
The Elie Wiesel Foundation for Humanity quotes Elie Wielsel’s, “Sometimes we must interfere. When human lives are endangered, when human dignity is in jeopardy, national borders and human sensitivities become irrelevant. Whenever men and women are persecuted because of their race, religion, or political views, that place- at that moment- become the center of the universe.” Many people suffered and had to give up their lives during the holocaust. The days of horror and torture during this time is to be told by many different writers. Elie Wiesel, Corrie Ten Boom, and Anne Frank, three writers I chose, all wrote books about the holocaust to make it a little bit easier to understand the real life situations they had to go through while in hiding. If it wasn’t for them, people today wouldn’t know the pain and hardships people had to face at that time. The holocaust was a life changing event that shaped the world to how it now is today.
While examining the works of Elie Wiesel and Primo Levi it becomes apparent that the holocaust was a horrendous time in our human history. However, although both writers went through similar experiences during this time; both seem to reflect and dwell on things differently such as their point of view and lives in the camps as well as the different themes they focus on. In this analysis the stories of the two authors will be compared and as stated above will also focus on how they recount their experiences.
Hannah Boggs English 8 Block 3 Mrs. Guidry 8 February 2017 The Holocaust The Holocaust was the Nazi attempt to wipe out the Jewish race (Rossel 12). The Holocaust took place from 1933 to 1945 (Rossel 12). The Holocaust took place in Europe, mainly Germany (“Introduction” par 3). Mainly Jewish and Nazi people were involved in the Holocaust, as well as some Gypsies (“Introduction” par 2, 3). The Holocaust was the persecution of 6 million Jews and millions of others forced to live in ghettos, deported to camps, and systematically annihilated until the Allied forces liberated the remaining survivors.
Prior to the holocaust, however, he exhibits none of these characteristics. He was kind, wealthy, and uncommonly resourceful, and his marriage to Anja was filled with compassion, intimacy, and love. Where now Vladek is now stubborn, irritable, and almost comically stingy with his money. His experiences in the Holocaust
As Elie Wiesel was taken through the Holocaust as a result of being a Jew, he began to ask himself this: “Blessed be God’s name? Why, but why would I bless him? Every fiber in me rebelled. Because he caused thousands of children to burn in his mass graves...Praise be Thy Holy Name, for having chosen us to be slaughtered on Thine altar,” (45). As many enter into wars and horrific events stemming from wars, they begin with strong and unwavering faith. As the war continues and nothing is relieved, people begin to question their faith as they lose sight of all hope. This loss of faith results in a shift in one’s mindset and point of view. As danger and violence seem to increase in wars, so does the struggle to maintain faith. As people continue on in horrible conditions for so long, they eventually reach a breaking point, causing them to abandon all hope, pride, or spirituality they have; because if their world is falling apart, being shattered, and becoming what seems to be unamendable, why has a leadership or a higher being not intervened? As wars continue to be waged throughout history, is has become apparent that the struggle to maintain faith is a theme seen universally as a result of dancing with violence, unsafety, and death.
Known as one of the most horrific events in history, World War II (WW2) caused tremendous adversity and suffering amongst the lives of people across the globe. However, what is most concerning about the war, was what happened behind closed doors, specifically within Germany. The Holocaust is still considered one the worst ethnic cleansing attacks in the world. Although there is an endless amount of research and hard evidence of the Holocaust occurring, certain groups of individuals strongly reject it. Known as “Holocaust Denial”, this conspiracy theory has always been personally intriguing due to several reasons and will be analyzed more thoroughly.