Abstract This paper relates from Edward Lewis Wallant's novel, ?The Pawnbroker,? the story of Sol Nazerman, a Jewish pawnbroker who survived the World War II Nazi death camps and as an old man has lost all faith in humanity. The author feels that a turning point is when Nazerman cannot support the racketeer's actions anymore and begins to lend large sums of money to the poor people who bring in valueless items to the pawnshop.The author believes that Jesus? death (the assistant) and the feelings it brings to Nazerman makes the pawnbroker able to move on with his life and even love again.
From the Paper "Despite his efforts to be unlovable, many of the people around him are sympathetic to him. They recognize his pain and are awed by the large, inscrutable Jew. A social worker tries to open up to him by speaking of her loneliness. However, he is unimpressed by her discovery that the world is unjust and he refuses to support a charity that she encourages him to support."
Abstract More than two generations ago, the worst slaughter of human beings occurred during the reign of Nazi Germany. Millions of Jews were put to death; others starved or were tortured. Forgetting those horrific times would be a tragic mistake.
Abstract This paper presents a review of "Night" by Elie Wiesel. The paper outlines the stages of the author's descent into the Holocaust. The stages are clearly defined in this story.
Abstract This paper describes and analyzes the psychology and circumstances of the German Jews during and before the Holocaust as explained by Marion Kaplan in her book "Between Dignity and Despair".
Abstract This paper presents an overview of the movie, "Schindler's List", and addresses the question: "Was Schindler ethical?" In addition, it discusses various current groups that act in less than ethical ways, believing it is for the good of the whole.
Abstract This paper examines the history of anti-Semitism in Europe during the 19th century. The paper explores the similarities between the anti-Semitic prejudices that engulfed France and Russia in the late nineteenth century and then shows how in France, anti-Semitism was largely a right-wing Catholic movement, peppered with socialist support in the aftermath capitalistic change. The paper also provides a broad definition of anti-Semitism in general.
From the Paper "Anti-Semitism is not an "identical phenomenon" similar to all countries, but rather based on individual national histories. The anti-Semitic prejudices that emerged in France and Russia in the late nineteenth century were both preceded by defeat in war, economic instability, and political change; circumstances exploited by the Judeo-phobic press and literature. However, while French anti-Semitism was derived from traditional religious dogmatism, and encouraged by the potent political force of anti-Republican Catholicism, the Russian experience was based on an ideological imperialism that was promoted by the government, and common to all "true" Russians."
Abstract This paper discusses how, at a time when the American government refused to open immigration up to the fleeing European Jews, many of the country's most influential men were actively supporting Hitler. It looks at how American anti-Semitism at the time dominated everything from government agencies to Olympic athletics. It attempts to show how the government of a country, which hosted a network of powerful, anti-Semitic men, would fail to change its own anti-Semitic ways by looking at the some CEOs and major politicians involved with the U.S. side of the German Nazi movement.
From the Paper "The U.S. Government, IBM, Ford Motor Company, colleges and universities, the Catholic Church and the 1936 U.S. Olympic Team all had influential leaders that manipulated power in a way that not only allowed the Holocaust, but also supported it. Without these men and other Americans, the scale of Hitler's final solution would not have been possible. Because of personal beliefs and actions, powerful organizations played influential roles in the United States, but often what they were doing was contrary to the pro-Allied and pro-Jew stance America was believed to have taken. These men and their organizations sometimes remained neutral to Hitler, but were more often actively supporting his final solution."
Tags: hitler, nazi, movemrnt, government, olympic, team, ford, business
Abstract Discusses the development of a young Jewish girl under traumatic circumstances, how she came to know herself as a daughter, a sister, a maturing woman, and a romantic and sexual being.
From the Paper "Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl has long been considered a remarkable document for two distinct reasons: one the one hand, the Diary is an intimate portrait of the Holocaust seen from the eyes of a young ..."
Compares Steven Spielberg's version of the life story of Oskar Schindler with the version presented in the book, "Schindler's Ark", by Thomas Keneally.
Abstract This paper compares and contrasts Thomas Keneally's book, "Schindler's Ark", with Steven Spielberg's film, "Schindler's List", which Spielberg based on Keneally's book. The paper looks at the differences in how Schindler is portrayed in the novel and how he is portrayed in the film, and the details about Schindler that are included in Keneally's book, but omitted in Spielberg's film. The paper also comments on Spielberg's ability to effectively depict the horrific treatment of the Jews by the Nazis.
From the Paper "Perhaps no other movie in recent history has had such an effect on the American public and the citizens of the world than Steven Spielberg's ?Schindler's List.? Based on Thomas Keneally's book, ?Schindler's Ark,? the movie was hailed by most critics as a masterpiece of cinematography. It was also praised as being an important and crucial link to the untold stories of the survivors of Nazi concentration camps during World War II. Through the years the movie has been studied in classrooms across the world and has become the centerpiece for museums dedicated to the camps? victims and survivors. However, one could argue that, among other differences, Spielberg's movie over-dramatized Oskar Schindler, compared to the Keneally's portrayal of the man."
Abstract This paper examines how, from the beginning of the Nazi regime, Hitler set particular store in winning over the youth and how it cannot be denied that the surface impact he achieved was phenomenal. It looks at how Hitler always believed that the youth were enthusiastic, malleable and ready to be totally infused into the Nazi culture and ideals. It also discusses how despite the seeming popularity of the Nazis to the youth, whether it is true to say that Hitler penetrated the minds and souls of them and achieved the full indoctrination that he so craved, or whether the policy towards youth nothing more than a superficial show of strength for the Nazis.
From the Paper "Indeed, the idea that the Nazis successfully mobilised the German youth totally, must be at least partly refuted when a wider picture of the Third Reich is examined. The more the Hitler Youth assumed state powers and the more completely young folk were roped into the organisation, especially when the Hitler Youth became compulsory in 1936, the more clear and obvious became an emerging tide of resistance and nonconformity. One obvious sign of this was the steadily rising number of youth delinquency cases that came up before the German courts throughout the Third Reich."
Abstract A look at how Klein has narrated her ordeal during the Nazi regime and how she survived the Holocaust and the Death March. The writer states that it is a highly emotional book, which narrates the horrors and sorrows faced by the survivors.
From the Paper "All But My Life is a must-read book. This non-fiction story is about a young girl named Gerda Weissmann Klein, also the author, who lived during the Holocaust and World War II. She was born in Bielitz, a city in Poland. Gerda, a little girl, was sitting in her living room one day and she heard "Heil Hitler, Heil Hitler." She had never seen anyone in her town so afraid. Gerda noticed that signs started to appear everywhere. For example, No Jews or Dogs Allowed. Gerda was one of the innocent Jews that lived in her hometown."
Abstract This paper explores the details of the post-World War II trials of Nazi officials. It concludes that while these individuals certainly deserved punishment, the manner in which the trials were conducted violated many international standards of justice.
From the Paper "Documentation reveals that many Germans who were peaceful and kind citizens before 1933, participated in acts of genocide for nearly twelve years and then became quiet, good people again afterwards. It has been theorized that a psychological break occurred during this time. Another personality emerged from the human psyche, summoned by the Nazi leadership. When the war was over, this evil nature disappeared as quickly as it had been created. Therefore, it cannot be claimed that executing Nazi war criminals was a matter of safety. They posed no real danger upon the war's conclusion."
Abstract This paper is about the Weimar Republic of Germany, Nazism, oppression, censorship, and the arts. It looks at pro-Nazi artists, anti-Nazi artists, and artwork that was banned during the Nazi regime of Germany. Specific works are highlighted to demonstrate what censorship meant during the Weimar Republic of Germany and how it was handled.
From the Paper "When talking about people's response to what was happening in the changing society of Germany, one can't ignore the fact that people supported Hitler and the Third Reich. Just as some artists rebelled against the artistic norm and became part of the Dada movement, some went on to support Hitler and presented Germany with works of art that idolized the utopian society and everything that Hitler had fought for. Propaganda in Nazi Germany was running out of control. Propaganda is the art of persuasion. In order to be popular, governmentally in this case, a crowd is needed to be won over."
Tags: communism, hitler, painting, republic, war, weimar
Abstract Holocaust denial has become one of the most important vehicles for contemporary anti-Semitism. Some scholars believe it is the invention of a collection of long-time anti-Semites and apologists for Hitler. The Nazis themselves can be thought of as the first Holocaust revisionists, for they tried to conceal their extermination program behind euphemisms, such as the "final solution to the Jewish problem". This paper shows that, nevertheless, it is important to understand that Holocaust denial and other forms of revisionism also bring up ideas of relativism and truth. When critically analyzed, the motives behind such historians can open a floodgate to how society interprets humanity. Furthermore, the paper shows that, when deep-rooted anti-Semitic connotations are thrown into the mix, it is a recipe for why Holocaust denial is so significant to the contemporary response to the Holocaust.
From the Paper "The main problem that I have with Holocaust revisionists is that they work backwards when compared to traditional forms of historic reporting. As stated before, historians take facts, make analyses, and finally draw interpretations to reach a conclusion. Revisionists already have a conclusion. Before anything else, Holocaust revisionists believe that survivor witnesses lied, documents left by Nazi's were forged and or misinterpreted, photographs were faked, and a myriad of other claims that rattle the cages of conscious thought. From here Holocaust revisionists begin to work backwards in proving their theories. If no letter exists stating that Hitler called for a final solution for the Jews, then the theory of Hitler's final solution never existed. If there are no photos of the gas chambers, then they never existed. This form of historic reporting wanders off the traditional path of revisionists."
Abstract This paper explains that logotherapy, "therapy through finding meaning" contains three basic beliefs: (1) Life has meaning under all circumstances even the most miserable ones; (2) the main motivation for living is the will to find meaning in life and (3) people have the freedom to find meaning in what they do and experience or at least in the attitude taken when faced with a situation of unchangeable
suffering. The author points out that Viktor Frankl developed the theory of logotherapy through the psychoanalysis of himself and other prisoners of concentration camps during the Holocaust. The paper reveals that Frankl observed that people are willing to endure any suffering, if they are convinced that this suffering has meaning; however, suffering without meaning leads to despair.
From the Paper "Each person has to decide what attitude to adopt. An example from the book to describe this theory is found during their liberation. Frankl explained that some of the prisoners, now being free, thought they could use their freedom licentiously and ruthlessly. The only thing that had changed for them was that they were now the oppressors instead of the oppressed. They justified their behavior by their own terrible experiences. He describes walking across a field of green crops with his friend who trampled on the young crops and became annoyed because Frankl did not follow. He shouted, "You don't say! And hasn't enough been taken from us? My wife and child have been gassed - not to mention everything else - and you would forbid me to tread on a few stalks of oats!" "
