The memoir that I chose to read was All But My Life written by Gerda Weissmann Klein. Klein’s memoir begins in 1939 in Bielsko, Poland, she was 15 years old at the time. The war had just begun and her family was only beginning to feel the effects. Klein’s family consisted of her brother Arthur Weissmann, mother Helena referred to throughout the book as “Mama”, and her father Julius referred to as “Papa”. The memoir starts in 1939, but the first major changes for Klein and her family do not come until April 19, 1942. The Weissmanns were moved into a ghetto and then, 18 years old at the time, Klein’s journey of survival during the Holocaust truly beings. When the war began Klein and her family strongly believed that it would be over sooner …show more content…
Here the girls had a relatively easy time, working at looms from 7 A.M. to 6 P.M. They were even given Sundays off, a very rare occurrence in many camps. Here Klein wrote skits to entertain Frau Kügler and the other girls at the camp. She considered it one of her greatest accomplishments because, “the knowledge that it was in my power to bring them an hour of fun, to help them forget”(Klein 141), made her smile. From here, Ilse and Klein had luck on their side and stayed together as they headed to Märzdorf. This camp was very disorganized and became quite brutal on Klein. On one of the first few days there Klein was working in the factory when a supervisor tried to get her to sleep with him, “ ‘Perhaps bread and butter,’ he suggested. ‘Apples, sausage, warm soup.’ … ‘And for all that, I don’t want much from you’”(Klein 148). When Klein refused him he responded with, “You will be sorry!”(Klein 148), and this she was. He made her time at this camp torture by having her work both the morning and night shift. Leaving Märzdorf, Klein, Ilse and ten other girls were taken to Landeshut, where they were to work in a weaving mill. Here they were placed near a men’s camp and though the work was difficult they were much happier here than they had been in Märzdorf. At the men’s camp nearby Abek was working. Klein was lucky enough to be allowed to sneak visits and see him now and again. In May of 1944, the girls were transferred again, this time to Grünberg. Here, they worked in a factory in the spinning-room. The girls working in this room were x-rayed every month to search for tuberculosis and those that did not pass their screenings were sent directly to Auschwitz. After working here for quite some time the war had progressed and they were to be transferred again. Now, the train was not to be taken, but they were to walk, “We took the first step. I thought: I am marching to death or
When Irene Safran was only twenty-one years old, her carefree life ended in the face of the Holocaust. Born to two Jewish parents as one of ten children-- four girls and six boys in all-- in Munkachevo, Czechoslovakia around the year 1923, her world changed in early April 1944 when she and her family were transferred to a Jewish ghetto. For the next year, Irene's life was a series of deaths, losses, and humiliations no human should ever have to suffer, culminating, years later, with a triumphant ending. Her story is proof that the human spirit can triumph over all manner of adversity and evil.
The camp consisted of three sectors: the SS segment, the administration section and the prisoner area. The prisoner’s area made up of five fields with wooden barracks as the accommodation for inmates. Because of the poor construction, sanitation, and overcrowded population, the death rate was high. The shortage of water, food, clothes and medicine made for even worse conditions. One of the fields was a camp for women, which helped living conditions a little. There were intentions for a camp for the children, however, this never happened, children were already prisoners of the camp.
In the book Parallel Journeys, by Eleanor Ayer, World War II events are described through the experiences of two people during this time. Excerpts from both character’s own memoirs are included to get the perspective from their lives. Some events that took place throughout the book include the severe reality of the Holocaust and the effect of the Hitler Youth on young Germans. Parallel Journeys specifically portrays these events through the eyes of Helen Waterford, who was a Jewish girl, and Alfons Heck, a Hitler Youth member mesmerized by the power of Adolf Hitler.
Born in Poland, Henia Weit was the youngest of nine children in her family. She lived in a town by the name of Sambor. Unfortunately, the town was bombarded by German soldiers shortly after Hitler started his reign of terror on the Jews. Henia’s family was forced to do laborious work in a ghetto until they were all deported to a concentration camp. Fortunately for Henia, she was able to escape and never went to the concentration camp herself. Instead, she had to survive for several years alone, with only her sister to turn to.
The Life of a Jew A girl, born in Holland, had a life changing experience when Hitler sent troops to attack her hometown. A nonfiction book, otherwise known as The Hiding Place, a story describing Corrie Ten Boom’s perspective of her journey that she took during World War II. The author uses diction, syntax, imagery, and tone to elaborate and describe what is going on in the book, as well as it gives personal thoughts to have a closer relationship with the reader. Diction can make a big difference in the book.
Each of these histories reveal a story of suffering that is endured by both Gentile and Jew, but also a story of humanity and salvation. In Five Chimneys: A woman Survivor’s True Story of Auschwitz, Olga Lengyel tells of her family assisting other Jews fleeing the Nazi military. Later, after her own ordeals in Auschwitz, she was saved by citizens in a small Polish village. An essay written by Vera Laska is included in Women and the Holocaust: Different Voices, which is an anthology of essays about women in the Holocaust. In addition to the many stories of survivors and rescuers, I am using several scholarly articles
Life is a precious thing, and it is so precious that some people will undergo severe anguish to hold on to it. During the 1930’s and 1940’s in Germany, people of the Jewish religion were diabolically oppressed and slaughtered, just for their beliefs. Some Jews went to extreme measures to evade capture by the German law enforcement, hoping to hold on to life. Krystyna Chiger was only a small child when her family, along with a group of other desperate Jews, descended into the malignant sewers to avoid the Germans. After living in the abysmal sewers for fourteen months, her group emerged, and when she became an adult, she authored a novel about her time in the sewer. When analyzing the literary elements utilized in her novel, The Girl in the Green Sweater, one can determine how tone and mood, point of view, and conflict convey the message of struggle and survival that was experienced during the Holocaust, and how they help the reader to understand and relate.
Survival in Auschwitz by Primo Levi and Night by Elie Wiesel are two tragic stories about the experience of these Holocaust survivors during the horrors of the second world war. In the 1940’s it was a very difficult time for Jews who were victimized by the German Nazis and sent to concentration camps, such as Auschwitz, where conditions were worse than imaginable. Elie first entered a concentration camp when he was 12, along with his father, mother, and three sisters. Levi, an Italian jew, was 24 when he was sent to the camps for participating in a resistance group, but unlike Wiesel, did not have his family by his side. Levi, despite his bitter character, acquires hope from the humanity and compassion of others while Wiesel, even with his strong relationship with his father, can't maintain his desire to hope for survival or alliances.
All But My Life is Gerda Weissmann Klein’s memoir of her experiences during World War II. Klein was born on May 8, 1924, in Bielitz (now Bielsko), Poland. She remembers her childhood as being happy, even idyllic. The Weissmanns were a Jewish family, and their town had been part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire before 1919. Like most of the residents in the area, the Weissmann family was bilingual, speaking both Polish and German, and Klein’s older brother, Arthur, studied English as well. Klein’s father, Julius, was a business executive who had lived in Bielitz for more than twenty years, and Helene, her mother, was born there, as were both Klein and Arthur. The family was horrified when German Nazi forces invaded Poland on September 1, 1939. Despite the fact that Britain and the United States declared war on Germany two days later, it took the Nazis only eighteen days to conquer Poland.
In All But My Life, the memoir of Holocaust survivor Gerda Weissmann Klein, the first bystanders the audience
“I pray you never stand at any crossroads in your own lives, but if you do, if the darkness seems so total, if you think there is no way out, remember, never ever give up. The darker the night, the brighter the dawn, and when it gets really, really dark, this is when one sees the true brilliance of the stars.” These words were spoken by Gerda Klein, a Holocaust survivor. Her story is filled with desperation and an overwhelming sense of hope. Gerda Weissmann was born in Bielsko, Poland. Both of her parents and her older brother died during the Holocaust. She was somehow able to survive “the ghetto, deportation, slave labor camps and a three month death march. She was rescued by an American soldier named Kurt Klein. She ended up marrying him and moving to the United States.
The Diary of Anne Frank is a remarkably moving book about the short life of a young girl and her family. The Holocaust was a horrible time for Jewish people and Anne and her Jewish family’s lives were completely turned upside down as a result. The war resulted in the deaths of countless people, mostly innocent people. Before the invasion on D-day and the end of the war not too long after, the rest of the world didn’t know the real disaster going on over seas. Anne Frank’s once secret diary has introduced the immense suffering and horror that occurred during the Holocaust.
All But My Life is a memoir about a young Jewish girl, Gerda Weissmann, who was able to endure the hardships of World War II and the Holocaust. Gerda went through and saw more horrific things in the matter of a few years than any of us will ever have to face in our lifetimes. The fact that a girl this young and hopeless can withstand so much pain but yet contain so much strength should be an inspiration to all. Reading this book really opened my eyes to what the world can bring. After reading Gerda’s journey, I will never again complain of times being tough or depressing in my life. This book really meant a lot to me for that very reason. It is amazing that
In 1983 Aharon Appelfeld published a work of fiction titled Tzili that closely resembled his own personal Holocaust experiences. This work of fiction revolves around a maturing teen who is alone and on the run during the Holocaust. In Tzili, Appelfeld brings to life his characters, which include Tzili, Katrina, Mark, and Linda. Throughout this literary analysis Appelfelds’ memoir Story of a Life will be used to access the parallels that exist between Appelfeld’s own personal experience and his fictional work Tzili.
In the past many horrific events have happened that many people choose not to believe. One of those events was the Holocaust. Millions of innocent people died during this tragedy, but what about the people who survived? How did this affect them? A survivor, Elie Wiesel, wrote about his experience during the Holocaust, and how it changed him as a person. In his book “Night”, the main character Elie went to the concentration camp Auschwitz. Throughout the story, he gained new character traits that he carried for the rest of his life.