SEVENTEEN : The Story of Ten Days

Chapter 17, finally an end of the horrifying camps? Levi’s escape and his journey back to humanity? Victory against the SS? Survival considered strength? Nonsense.

Primo Levi and comrades, the seven people, had achieved success to survive the ten days. With somewhat luck and the crave for survival, they were able to find those that were essential to the survival of a human being. Through those ten days, they fought against illness and grasped survival until the Russians could finally rescue them. Following their immediate rescue, these men were served in a temporary hostpital of the russians and then sent home. Although Primo Levi had survied Auschwitz, I stronly believe that he probably had felt to some extent guilt. Because you see, the most hardest endurance in the world is to see comrades, friends and family die away one by one, untill only a handful are left while you are alone still living. Levi probably would have felt pain to see himself still struggling for life while his friends and family are sent to the crematorium.

Although many or enough prisoners had fought against the SS soldiers through rebellious activiteis, Levi couldn't even utter a single word against them. So is survival such a grace? I believe that because of survival in Auschwitz, Levi was that much tormented by his past in the present which lead him to his suicide. It is difficult to endure memories that haunt you. Levi probably couldn't even had a sound sleep due to nightmares of the camps.

Through the last chapter, I came across an article that had suggested about the title of the book. In the US version, it is adapted as 'Survival in Auschwitz'. The meaning of the orignal version was meant to be 'If this is a Man'. The latter, I believe has much more significance and impact upon the content of the book. The reason I state such a matter is because throughout the book, Levi portrays the SS soldiers and Germans as 'inhumane'. He often discusses how such a man could hit another without anger. Through the content of the book, I believe that the title of the original version goes along better.

SIXTEEN : The Last One

Chapter 16, a chapter in which the mind begins to ponder, whether the prisoners of the camp were ‘normal’ ever in their lives. A chapter in which we realize the grimness of the situation that had occurred. In which we begin to connect our lives with those unfortunate of the commodities that we are privileged with. I believe that this chapter helps those who read the book how great a situation we are bestowed upon. We often complain how ‘better’ our lives could have been, how ‘more’ we deserve until this chapter makes us realize, ‘my position isn’t even close to horrible’.

As the ‘last’ rebellious soul was executed, the pride and dignity of the prisoners, the Jews, were destroyed. Even in the presence of the ‘last one’s’ execution, the prisoners had not said anything or acted upon anything. The SS soldiers had achieved victory upon their plans for genocide. Physically, bodies of the Jews were alive and the race existed on earth, but mentally, spiritually, the Jews were dead. They were no longer of any value because they had given up their self-esteem and dignity. No more were the Jews that could achieve victory against the Germans. They had already lost to fight that had never begun.

FIFTEEN : Die drei Leute vom Labor

In chapter 15, Primo describes how 174,000 Italian Jews were first arrived at Auschwitz and how only twenty-one now survived. This tells a great deal of how many people were exterminated by the Germans during the Holocaust. It is not in terms of minor massacres but truly a mass extermination of a whole race. In this chapter, Levi mainly talks about how uncertain their future is and how they are lucky to survive throughout their duration in the camp. Then, Primo Levi is chosen one of the three to work as specialists in the Laboratory.

Inside this Laboratory, he is ensured with the survival of the cold winter and less suffering from hunger because he was not subject to physical labor. He describes how he remembers many objects and is happy to see familiar sites of when he was a free man. He states how the condition he is currently in is better than those who work in the cold how he received a book to refresh his analytical skills.

Despite the ‘good’ conditions that he received inside the labs, outside, nothing had changed. Primo Levi, by being chosen for the Laboratory was able to experience a closer form of humanity because of the treatment that was different from the ‘outside’ but on the other hand, others were still fighting against death and were in constant fear of selections. This shows to me how there can be such a difference in condition despite that they are still in the same concentration camps.

Although Levi was in better situations, he was not all relieved of potential stress. One thing that had tormented him in the lab was the presence of women. He had noticed that in the camp, physical appearance had not mattered but inside the lab, the girls showed their disgust for the prisoners that worked inside the lab. He noticed how the ‘girls’ would not answer to the questions he had and how they would deliberately show their hatred towards them. Ironically, I thought that his type of stress was only caused on the outside of the barbed wires. In a sense, maybe Levi might have felt like a free man when he had to take sense of how he looked.

Mostly, I think this chapter should be considered a transition. From this chapter and on, I believe that Levi will go through changes that will benefit his survival in Auschwitz. As being selected for the Lab, also in the later chapters, I believe that Primo Levi will finally escape from ‘hell on earth’ and become a free man.

FOURTEEN : Kraus

Diligent workers are noticed by the society no doubt. The universal law in the world is that hard workers achieve higher goals. And as a result we come to the conclusion that hard work equals acknowledgment from those around us. In Auschwitz, everything is nothing. Prisoners aren’t acknowledged by how hard they work or how good their relationships are. No matter how hard they try, Jews are considered as Jews. That was how the Germans functioned. Stubborn indeed. This was the strength of propaganda. It destroys personal opinions and strength for objective critical views. The only factor that mattered in the concentration camps was whether you were worth manual labor. Humans are products in Auschwitz. If they find no use for the prisoners, they are exterminated. Kraus was a fool. He worked hard for nothing. Although it is heartbreaking to acknowledge this fact, Kraus was a fool for working hard in Auschwitz. No matter how hard he worked, he will nonetheless be a subject for execution.

In Auschwitz, everything is nothing

Diligence acknowledges nothing

Indolence acknowledges nothing

Kindness acknowledges nothing

Evilness acknowledges nothing

Strength acknowledges nothing

Weakness acknowledges nothing

Existence acknowledges DEATH

THIRTEEN : October 1944

Chapter 13 is the result of an ignorant human being creating propaganda for his people to believe a false truth and an ignorant race that was naive enough to believe this propaganda. Many of us debate upon the matter of how evil Hitler and the German race were and how the selections for the crematorium or the gas chambers were inhumane. WE ALSO LIKE TO CONVERSE WITH EACH OTHER HOW SELECTIONS WOULD HAVE BEEN TO THOSE INDIVIDUALS WHO WERE SUBJECT TO IT AND HOW IT WOULD HAVE FELT TO BE CHOSEN FOR DEATH. But the matter of fact is, how stupid we are to think that we are not subject to selections. What more is stupid is to proudly state that we ‘understand’ how much fear these people would have felt if chosen for death. Are you sure you truly understand? Personally, I think that no matter how hard I try to understand, I wouldn’t NEVER be close to the fear that was felt by the prisoners. So it is truly a idiotic action to say that we understand.

Above, I stated that it was stupid to think that we are exceptions from selections. But in fact, our society is always based on selections. We are selected and categorized into types of human beings. Although we always debate upon the selective system in the concentrations camps, we too, are destined to be selected. Take for instance, college applications, some are selected and some are not, and this selection may often affect our future. So in truth, it is hilarious for us to discuss the fear of death because for the time being we won’t feel what the prisoners felt and for us to discuss how cruel selections are because we are living in a selection based society.

TWELVE : The Events of the Summer

It is indeed shocking to view how many different qualities were present in those who were retained inside the concentration camps. Most of these qualities that appeared in the men were often hard to even imagine about. Primo Levi had done a great deal of portraying what the men had felt so that the readers could somewhat easily understand the circumstances that these people were in.

Some of the traits that intrigued me was that the men, after their duration in the concentration camps began to lose will to live, had thought that hope would only be a hindrance to their survival, and that they lost self identification.

In chapter 12, Primo Levi especially speaks about how people began to forget who they were as a free man and how difficult it was to remember how the outside of the barbed wire was functioning. During this process, Primo Levi states a man who helped him and maybe, the sole factor of influencing himself to survive Auschwitz. He mentions Lorenzo, someone that had helped in supporting Primo with extra food and equipment, stating that a good deed should be done without a want for recognition or praise.

Through this man, Primo was able to ‘rethink’ that he too was a man. He began to realize how the environment of the camp had influenced him to think that he was no longer a human being but an animal inferior to the Germans. Undeniably, I believe that through a constant repeat of action, the human brain will able to believe anything or forget anything. This was the case for the prisoners in the concentration camps. Through constant degrading actions from the Germans, the prisoners lost their identity as a free man.

The reason this impacted me with great deal was because there was a similar case with the North Koreans. Some time ago, their leader, Kim Jung-IL had brainwashed his people that he was great leader and an absolute being. This was done by constant repeated speeches and therefore, before the people could develop individual opinions on their leader, they began to believe what they were told to believe.

It is hard to acknowledge what had happened in Auschwitz. What is more difficult to acknowledge is that these prisoners had lived without hope or self-identity.

ELEVEN : The Canto of Ulysses

This particular chapter was the most difficult for me to understand thoroughly. As a result, I had to think deeply while reading to analyze and understand what Primo Levi was portraying through this chapter. Then, I came to realize why Primo Levi would use the Canto of Ulysses in part of his story of survival in a concentration camp. In the chapter before, he already stated that he was ripped of not only his possessions, but also those of his pride and hopes. Ironically, this chapter depicts something more than suffering from physical labor and hunger. The content of the chapter gives off a different aura than the others and in turn impacts the reader in a different way.

Mainly, the chapter discusses about the days after the examination where there was no specific job related to chemistry but rather similar to what was done before. It also states about different comrades and how they would rest when there was no guard to watch the prisoners’ work and how they had the advantage of working out of the sun. But halfway through the chapter, Primo Levi has the chance to leave the worksite to retrieve rations for the day with Jean.

From this moment on, he describes how they were able to have a decent conversation of life in the past and find many qualities that were similar as well as different. And during this time, Primo Levi begins to teach Jean Italian. Throughout this period, Primo states how different two languages can be and that it is somewhat difficult to translate one language to the other perfectly. He states that during the process of translation, perfect words could not be found because of the fact that some meanings are just not the same even though the word might be similar. What I mean by this is that even though the meaning of the word might be same, the feeling to what the word gives off can vary.

This case is evident in languages around the world. As in English, “apple of my eye” may mean to cherish something above everything else, but translated into Korean; it doesn’t make sense that there is an apple to an eye.

Different qualities are often hard to overcome. It is inevitable to avoid these disagreements between cultures and languages. There are some phrases that might impact someone in one language but may mean nothing in another. I think Primo Levi had felt this way trying to teach Jean a language and phrase that meant something powerful in Italian and yet not that powerful in French.

TEN : Chemical Examination

“I already know the Lager well enough to realize that one should not ever anticipate, especially optimistically.”

In many stories and movies that have been created, always, hope is considered the best of things that are vital for a man’s survival. In the movie, ‘Shawshank Redemption’, the main character, Andy Dufrain quotes near the end of the movie to his dear friend Red, “hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things. And no good thing ever dies.” And as proof from the movie, Andy escaped and lived a better life because he had not given up hope during the duration of his time in prison.With the evidence from many aspects of life, I too, believed that hope could change anything and motivate any action to become successful. I strongly held belief that hope could even give life to dying person. But as I read ‘Survival in Auschwitz’ I realized that in some circumstances, hope could be futile, and in some cases, even deadly. That was with Primo Levi and his fellow comrades when they were receiving chemical examinations, which would change the future of their concentration camp environments. As where if passing the examination, they would work in a ‘better’ surrounding with probably less manual labor, and opposing to this matter, if failed to qualify the needs of the Kommando 98, they would return to their previous lives. This chapter tells that indeed, a man can be ripped of more than his possessions. Through the portrayals of Primo Levi, I understood slightly the conditions of Auschwitz. He tended to think that temporary comfort through an anticipation of some sort was rather a hindrance to his survival. Nonetheless, because of his examination, he was able to survive Auschwitz without being a selective member.




“Because that look was not one between two men; and if I had known how completely to explain the nature of that look, which came as if across the glass window of an aquarium between two beings who live in different worlds…”

Also, another major topic that I thought was important was the fact that the German inspector looked upon the prisoners with a condescending attitude. I too can sometimes feel this look upon some Korean parents who often asks this question to me: “What school do you go to?” Whenever I answer them with “TCIS” they often think me as a student who couldn’t endure the so-called “good Korean education” and was a “failure” and therefore going for a lower state of study. But in fact, they really don’t know how TCIS functions. They do not know even the slightest details of TCIS and speak whatever they want to. This shouldn’t be reality because there are benefactors of a foreign school, sometimes, even better opportunities than Korean schools.

NINE : The Drowned and the Saved

Thousands of individuals, differing in age, condition, origin, language, culture, and customs, are enclosed within barbed wire: there they live a regular, controlled life which is identical for all and inadequate to all needs, and which is more rigorous than any experimenter could have set up to establish what is essential and what adventitious to the conduct of the human animal in the struggle for life.

Despite the variety of people that are sent to the concentration camps, they all end up with the same routine of life. Instead of focusing on aspects of life that are complicated and that require analysis and deep thinking, prisoners in the camp tend to act more instinctively. There main goal is to survive, satisfying hunger and quenching thirst, morality is no more a topic to be concerned of. The humans are adapting to their environment trying to live the best way possible to step on others for their survival. And in a way, as the prisoners are treated inhumanly, they are assimilating to that treatment and are becoming animals themselves, only acting upon their natural instinct and taking actions that are based on individuality rather than basing them on a group. The saying that ‘humans are social animals’ is being destroyed to the point that only oneself matters and nobody else.

　　

EIGHT : This Side of Good and Evil

Chapter eight suggests a different aspect of the prisoner’s life in the concentration camp. As discussed about in our group, wherever you go, there is always a type of economic flow within a society of people. Although it is difficult to say that the concentration camps were a type of society, it is safe to say that there was a type of economic flow within the prisoners and also some authoritative figures in the camp.

As an example, Primo Levi explained the market to us. Through the market, the prisoners could not only experience a form of life outside the camps, they could also barter sell and buy goods that are essential to their survival in the concentration camps. Most sold products were clothes, typical utensils such as spoons or knives and last but not least, tobacco. These products were indeed useful when living inside the barbed wires of a society.

Despite the main focus upon the market, the title made me to realize a fact and thought of the SS soldiers. By saying, ‘This side of good and evil’ it contained numerous thoughts that made me think to choose one of. To me this is my conclusion. I believe that by saying ‘this side’ it means that not the outside world but the inside of the barbed wires. And by stating good and evil, I think that in truth, there were no good or evil categories to choose from when classifying prisoners. Whether the actions, minds, thoughts of a prisoner was good or evil, they were just slaves, a source of physical labor to benefit from. The only ‘Evil’ I believe that existed was the minds of the Germans themselves. Apart from the SS soldiers, all prisoners were considered the same: physical labor machines that can be rid of when their life is done.

SEVEN : A Good Day

Chapter seven withheld more of a positive atmosphere rather than devastating and hopeless backgrounds in the previous chapters. In this chapter, Primo Levi explains how sunlight was seen in a long time. How the sunlight provided the prisoners with relinquished strength and maybe a little bit of hope.

Most of all, I believed that the sunlight would have reminded the prisoners of what it was when they too were free men. In chapter seven, the sunlight represented the connection of memories and gave glimpses of how it felt in the past. Through seeing the sunlight, prisoners were yet again happy to see themselves and comrades and maybe, just maybe the sunlight would have replaced giving up their will to live with hope.

Ironically, sunlight contained a negative connotation. Where in the first few chapters, prisoners or the Jews thought that the light of dawn was a sort of betrayal, that yet they opposed for the next morning to come. However, in this chapter, the sunlight was positive reminding the prisoners of freedom and happiness, a short moment of relief that they are still alive.
The chapter also discussed about how increase in ration delighted the hearts of the prisoners. Biological demands are heard to withstand. As a result, hunger was the most difficult to satisfy. Therefore, when rations were increased, the prisoners were pleased that they could assure their hunger.

Similarly, right now at this moment, when I am writing this journal, I fell hunger in my stomach. Because it is early in the morning, my stomach is almost empty. I feel to the point that it is similar to a stomachache how hard it is to endure hunger. It hasn’t eve lasted an hour and I walked to the fridge for food. I cannot imagine how the prisoners of the concentration camps could endure this kind of pain for many consecutive years.

They say that death from hunger is yet the most painful of all suffering deaths

SIX : The Work

The personal perspective always defines a day’s work. To some people, it might be 8 hours while some people consider it to be 6 hours. It depends on how the day is planned on how many hours one is able to work. But within the barbed wires of the concentration camps, work hours for a day is not defined subjectively but in a definite objective view. There are set times when a prisoners sleeps and wakes up, in between, apart from meals, there is only work to be done.

The Germans had always thought that Jews were inferior to themselves. Because this thought dominated most of the Germans, the Jews were treated as if slaves and physical labor.

When I went to work in Thailand, I was shocked at how difficult it was to perform physical labor in the sun. During our trip, we usually worked from 8 to 11:30, ate lunch and rested until 1:00 and then worked again until 3:30. The total is not even up to 8 hours a day. During those eight hours, occasionally on some days, my friends and me would some how find rest time just because of a little tiredness.

I felt sympathy for Primo Levi when he tried to avoid work by using the latrines. Although the level of seriousness is different, I am able to connect to how difficult it is to lift objects that are heavy and carry them to certain places. I felt pain moving more than 200 bricks. Levi should have felt more trying to carry objects exceeding over 100 pounds. This chapter made me connect particularly to physical labor and the pain it causes although the severe ness is too large to compare.

FIVE : Our Nights

The fifth chapter of the book was not too long and not too short. Lengthwise, I thought it was perfect for any story it would contain. Primo Levi, however, changed my thoughts upon the content of chapter five. It primarily explains the events that happen during bedtime. I was shocked at the fact how elaborately Primo Levi explained the nightlife of a block.

There are indeed many events happening even in the shadows of night. It is indeed appalling by the fact that many precautious measures are taken with careful thought when an individual in the concentration camps act.

A fair example is upon the tin bucket that resembles the toilet for the night in bunks. Primo Levi explains how people who have the urgency of going to the restroom use the tin bucket to relieve their biological needs. Upon this action, there are differences from those who are new to the camp and those who consider themselves veterans. This is resulted from the fact that ‘the last user of the bucket must empty it outside’. Levi explains how veterans here the sound of the sides of the bucket and the level of filling up before actually using it. He says that most of the time, they are able to use the tin bucket and avoid the emptying process. Newcomers, however do not know when to use the bucket and therefore often are subjected to the emptying action.

Primo Levi also portrays how sleeping can be in the concentration camps. He explains how bunkmates are vital to a healthy sleep during the night. Tall companions are therefore disadvantaging because of the room they take up. He also describes how sleeping is a sort of protection from the physical work outside. But most of all, it impacted me most when Primo Levi had said that the majority of the prisoners were ready to wake up even before the night guards officially announce to when to wake up. This definitely shows how the prisoners were willing to be obedient to avoid trouble and an extra beating.

The chapters of the book make me think again how thankful my position in life is. Some of the stories described are things I probably will never experience in my life. And it makes me think how it would have been if I were to process the same experience that the camp survivors claim to have gone through.

FOUR : Ka-Be

Ka-Be, recognized as the infirmary of the concentration camp, it is also recognized as ‘sanctuary’ to the prisoners. Concentration camps are notoriously well known for the harsh environments and risk factors that often result with the loss of life. Apart from these set conditions, Ka-Be is to most prisoners, a place that enables them to ‘truly’ rest and also a tremendous threat to some individuals.

Those who are injured during their time of labor are often sent to the Ka-Be. Because the German SS soldiers believe strictly that Jewish prisoners are economically a benefit, they sometimes have a rudimentary system of care so as to keep the Jews to a certain condition where they can profit from them, but at the same time, abuse them to keep them a ‘lower race’.

During the 4th chapter of the book, it made me realize how the conditions of the concentration camps were devastating to the prisoners, even the Ka-Be. The reason this thought had come passed me is because of the fact that even the so-called ‘haven’ of the concentration camp may result in a two-way deal. Primo Levi portrays the patients and their disorders and injuries that come into the Ka-Be. He also explains how the healed end up yet again into the labor force. Primo Levi, however, also explains the counter-result of entering the Ka-Be, ‘selections’. This particular explanation intrigued me. The reason is that with the prisoners, with the hope of a few weeks rest and relinquishing their pain, they enter the Ka-Be only to realize they are later chosen for selections, on to the gas chambers and crematorium. This impacted me and made me thought of how desperate those chosen for death would have been when in fact, they had hoped for peaceful rest.

On the other hand, however, it also impacted me to see how thankful the occupants of the camps can be to minor conditions of being able to sleep for most of the day with food, even though it lasted for just a couple of weeks or months.

That part of the chapter made me feel about my stay in Thailand with the H4H mission trip team. This trip made me feel how ignorant I was to my living conditions in Korea after a course of 10 days living inside a tent, and working in the sun for the majority of the day. Through this experience, I understood what physical labor was and the fact that I could not runaway from the labor.

THREE : Initiation

Through an abundant lifestyle that people today are accustomed to, we are always concerned about the ‘huge’ matters of the world and our surroundings. By living so in such an environment, it is easy to say that we are not habituated with certain types of elements that support our life. In the third chapter, Primo Levi mainly debates on whether how washing his body is significant, given the fact that the camp itself is already unsanitary. During this chapter, Primo Levi mainly states that even if he concentrates on personal hygiene, it is a pointless act because his environment is already filthy.

But how can such a small matter such as washing hands be a topic upon debate? It is said that in a state of hopelessness, a human being will begin to concentrate and realize small matters, anything they can grasp on to in order for their own survival. For example, a child punished and locked into his room might contemplate on the mechanism of the lock on his door or sense methods to escape from his situation. Although the door was probably there forever, the child would have never thought about its locks and mechanisms.

The same was with Primo Levi and his fellow inmates. Because they were in a state of hopelessness, they began to focus on small matters such as washing hands.

As a personal experience, recently, during my lunar break, I had the chance to experience physical labor through the mission trips. By supporting Habitat for Humanity, I had the chance to build houses, and perform manual labor. Similarly, as I felt physical pain and environments surrounding me changed, I began to notice matters taken for granted at home. With the change of my surroundings, I too concentrated on matters I would have never thought of at home. As similar to Primo Levi, even the smallest matters had a sense of significance to it. Different functions worked to thrive inside my body compared to those used inside the environment of civilization.

Through physical labor, even the most rudimentary thoughts in my mind began to change. I believed it wouldn’t be that hard to show significance and to make a difference through helping, but this was not true. I noticed how studying was the easiest job ever, and how making a difference in the world is difficult. I found myself a mere grain of sand on an endless beach. And through the mission trip, I began to think of thoughts I would have never arrived to when I could sleep in a bed.

TWO : On The Bottom

Primo Levi portrays a component of his thoughts within himself during the second chapter. He also depicts the conditions of the Jews during their first encounters with a concentration camp. The circumstance that the Jews and Primo Levi were set in was devastating. They were treated as if product, rather than an individual human being. Even the worst of slaves had better treatment than that of the prisoners of the camp. Primo Levi states that during the first times of his camp life, he had many questions on the survival of himself and his inmates. As the Jews were ‘shipped’ to the concentration camps, they were stripped of their belongings. Treated as if trash, the Jews then were forced with showers and a process of ‘disinfections’. This was not a environment for human beings.

As I read through the chapter, I encountered with the fact that these prisoners had absolutely no hope. ‘Hope’ in turn is probably the best factor to derive a human to live on. As hope was depleted within the walls of the concentration camps, the prisoners, then naturally began to think that eventually, all would die. This state of mind is truly a horrifying thought because surrendering the will to live is the last resort any individual would take.

It is truly horrendous to be able to read and reluctantly acknowledge the fact that this was a true story. Within Primo Levi’s thoughts and actions, there are many analytical conclusions that can be set. Although the prisoners had questions on how to live with the flow of the concentration camps, they could not ask. Although the prisoners had physical and mental needs, they could not ask. In this kind of state, I believe it is futile to take action upon anything. Through this chapter, I began to realize how my situation wasn’t even close to bad let alone terrifying.

ONE : The Journey

gen·o·cide-noun-the deliberate and systematic extermination of a national, racial, political, or cultural group.


Even the slightest thought of the word may impact the individual on how extreme it would be to put forth action according to the word. It is a common understanding that the Germans had done the undoable to the Jews. There is no doubt that the Germans, during World War II were determined to exterminate a whole race, thus, causing the holocaust. In the present, there have been numerous counts of studies and observations on the motives and reasons why the ‘Germans’ exterminated the ‘Jews’.

The first chapter of the book, “Survival in Auschwitz’ was nevertheless astonishing by the treatments that the Germans had exploited towards the Jews, despite the fact that they weren’t even close to the concentration camps. Even though it is easily predictable on how harsh the characters of the book will be treated, it is hard to comprehend the fact that it was on ‘true account’.

Primo Levi was a survivor of the camps in Germany. What determined who would live and who would die? That was up to the German SS soldiers. Luck had a great contribution to the future of the Jews. As I read on with the chapter, the cruelty of the Germans was shown in the beginning of the shipment of the Jews. Even during the journey to the camps, Germans were condescending towards the Jewish race. The chapter and its contents then suddenly made myself think of what should never have been thought of. I abruptly thought that the presence of God had left Germany. That God and his love was no more reaching the Germans. On what account could the Germans act as though they were superior over other races?

When the Jews arrived to the concentration camps, the German SS soldiers asked questions regarding health and physical status. By asking these questions, the Jews were then separated into groups of women, children, the workable and the unworkable. From this, each individual was already destined for survival, or death. Those who were not worthy of physical labor were sent to the gas chambers for mass extermination.

Mass extermination. God’s presence could no where be seen.

ZERO : Emotions for Hitler

Auschwitz never had any emotional appeal to me. Although I knew it was the scene of one of Adolph Hitler’s concentration camps and death camps, I did not really think of genocide with much emotional thought. Even though I had learned that it was mass murder and that many innocent lives were lost, I still had never though about it deeply. This documentary film, however, made me think deeper into the subject. I realized how horrifying it would have been to experience what was done to the Jewish race. The most intriguing scene was when the video explained how the Jews were executed in groups by gassing. As the video illustrated how these chambers were structured, it reflected to me how petrified and fearful those who were imprisoned inside would have felt. During IB World History class, when we had learned about how Hitler had started WWII and his motivations, I had thought that to some extent, Hitler was not entirely a villain. I had thought that in some logic, it was the surrounding countries and their leaders that were to be blamed due to not taking action in the early stages of Hitler’s reign. But through this video, I resulted with the idea that Hitler was not a villain for his ambitions of constructing a larger empire but in the sense that he was responsible for ‘The Holocaust’. In many ways, the film changed my perspectives of how I viewed Hitler.