essay 2 assignment
Everything 10 pt; double spaced; doc format; no wacky fonts; title; name; date.
The Eye Behind the Camera
Kate Butler 7/18/08
What was the perpetrator thinking when he took this photo? Acceptance? Satisfaction? Stress? It is a known fact in the world of photography and film that the role of the man behind the camera is that of a bystander, an objective viewer, with no intention but to take the best photograph that best captures the moment on film. During the Holocaust, many photos were taken by perpetrators, in order to preserve their story, through their eyes. But once a perpetrator becomes a photographer; a human putting his eye to the lens, how does that role change? Did they, watching atrocities being commited, question their beleifs for a second, for a minute, or did they see the same sad, hopeless, and weary faces, that they perceived and treated as swine? How does one, taking part in a huge act of genocide, transform into an objective viewer once he becomes a cameraman?
This photo was probably taken by a German officer in 1934, of captured Jews during the Warsaw Ghetto uprising. The men, women, and children with their hands up can take the role of the victims, since they are about to be deported. The men in the background can be considered the perpetrators. They are supporting the German Reich in pushing the Jews out of the Ghetto and onto buses. And as for the man behind the camera, he can also be considered a perpetrator.
The child in the front right looks shocked but obedient, and his mother looks worried. The woman behind her is afraid, and her daughter is too. But they dare not resist, the men behind them have guns. And in front of them is a man with a camera. He is an officer too. He is their going to drive them to the concentration camp where some of them will work, and most of them will die. Yesterday he shot a Jew for resisting force and disobeying orders, because that was the easy thing to do. He grew up in a small town in Germany, and he turned thirty three years old last month. He sees their worried faces, and he knows the feeling. But this is something that has to be done.
Marisa Halm
July 18, 2008
Holocaust Photography
The photographs taken during the Holocaust are treasured because the rarity of the German regime approving of taking visible documentation of their actions limited the use of cameras. The moving photo provided shows a clear example of the roles described in Omer Bartov’s The Holocaust and gives us plenty of room for analysis.
In the photograph, Jews are being forced out of their bunkers during the Warsaw ghetto uprising. It shows the soldiers being perpetrators and the Jews playing the role of the victims. The soldiers are instantly recognized as the perpetrators because of their guns. Guns represent power, and when the soldiers pointed their guns at Jews, as the one is doing to the boy, the guns suddenly represent power over the people. We instinctively believe that the Jews are the victims because their hands are above their heads. This is a universal sign for surrender and asking for mercy. The Jews also have distinct feelings of panic and fear- panic of being forced from their homes again, and the fear of death.
When you look at the photograph, you can’t help but wonder and analyze what the people are doing and thinking. It is obvious that the adult Jews are feeling panicked, because they know what will happen to them now that they are being taken away from the ghettos. However, the children are different. Not only the little boy, but also the little girl caught my eyes when I first looked at the photograph. Both are children and display a sense of innocence among a dark photo. The little boy seems confused and dismayed at the turn of events. He is obviously young, and the young have a naïve outlook on life- good and bad. He seems dismayed at the fact that he hasn’t done anything wrong, and yet the soldiers are still treating him like a criminal. His position in the photo, center yet separate from the group, emphasizes his confusion and his need for an explanation. The little girl seems to be the opposite of him. She is standing in the crowd, almost cut out of the picture. And yet my eyes are drawn to her because of her steady stare. It is an innocent stare, and shows a quiet acceptance. And yet she seems to be asking the same question as the boy- “Why don’t you help me instead of looking at me?” They also seem to say, “This is your fault”. Either way, the children invoke guilt and pity inside of me.
Though we can never really go and experience what the people in the photo went through, we can bear a sort of witness to what was done to them. We can see the roles of the perpetrators and the victims being fulfilled, and we can analyze what the people are feeling, thinking, and their actions through the photo. So much is being conveyed to us through this spontaneous moment- we simply have to look at a photograph.
Brenda Hernandez
Holocaust Assignment 2
July 18, 2008
Since the beginning of the Holocaust, the population was divided into four different categories: victims, perpetrators, supporters, and bystanders/resisters. Each played a role in the fate of the Jews, disabled, and gypsies. They were either the victims who had done nothing wrong to receive brutal punishments, or the perpetrators who followed the Nazi regime and took action on the mass killings. However, there were also those people who supported the Nazi regime and the murder of millions of people; we also had the bystanders who chose to live their lives like nothing was wrong, but we also had the resisters who did try stop the Nazi regime and weren’t afraid to voice their opinions. The image that was given to us depicts two of the four categories of people; we are presented with the victims and the perpetrators. Their actions are so different that I would discuss the actions of the perpetrators first and then those of the victims.
The image of the perpetrators makes me go back to the time when we discussed the “ordinary men” and the “ordinary German.” The perpetrators in the image look so relaxed as if they were doing something one does everyday. They don’t seem affected by the fact that they are forcing people out of bunkers and probably leading them to their death. Moreover, this reminds me of the “ordinary men” because ordinary people wouldn’t be able to do this without feeling some kind of regret or doubtfulness about the actions they are committing. Ordinary people will question what they are doing, while the perpetrators in the image are just standing there with their guns feeling powerful and in control. Ordinary people wouldn’t be able to hold women and children at gunpoint because they know that it is morally wrong to do so.
Furthermore, the image also depicts the emotions of the victims. Men, women, and even children are being forced out of their bunkers and taken outside. Some come out with worried expressions, while some come out with scared expressions. They all have their possessions and are outside with their hands raised. From what we know, we know that those possessions won’t be theirs for long. They are awaiting their fate and it’s all in the hands of the soldiers. The children being held at gunpoint in the image is most devastating. They are so young and we know for sure that they have done nothing wrong to deserve this kind of cruelty and they probably don’t know the full effects of what is happening. The young boy’s facial expression of sadness shows us that he is far too young to be involved in this conflict that does not involve him. What is devastating is that the men, women, and children will soon be separated from each other and be left alone in a place where they must be hopeful to survive. Couples will be separated because wherever they are going, men and women are separated. Children will be separated from their mothers and if they are not old enough to work, they automatically are sent to an extermination sight and if they do live, they are left in a place where they don’t know anyone and must fight for their own lives at such a young age. The victims in the image are seen as helpless and with no idea of what their future holds for them.
This image clearly represents the crossing of the line to women and especially children. It represents that the perpetrators take any victims regardless of gender or age. Lastly, the picture represents the differences between the perpetrators and the victims. The perpetrators have no moral values and are indifferent to the fact they are ruining someone else’s life. The victims have no control of what happens to them. While the perpetrators have power, the victims have no choice but to surrender to them.
Anderson Hurley
July 18, 2008
The Participants of the Holocaust and Their Roles
There were many people involved in the Holocaust, many played interesting and unique roles. There are however several general categories that participants fall under. People could be one of many things including victims, perpetrators, bystanders, supporters, rescuers or advocates. Traditionally Jews, homosexuals and Roma are seen as the victims while the German Army and The Nazi Party are the perpetrators. Germans who neither supported nor fought against the Nazi regime were seen as bystanders. There is more grey room in the other categories. The picture in question manifests several of these categories. It shows both victims and perpetrators.
The picture shows gun carrying thugs taking a group of women and children out of a building. The women and children in the front are standing in fear with their hands in the air while the thugs aim their weapons at them. The picture shows that the German Soldiers were involved in the genocide of the Jews. Pictures allow us to learn that it was not just the Nazi who killed Jews but the German Army itself. It portrays the Jews as victims and themselves as the perpetrators. One interesting aspect of this photo is that women and children were victims of this war. Traditionally men are the only group of people physically harmed during times of war. During the Holocaust the Nazis didn’t care if a Jew was a man, women, child or elderly person; it was all life unworthy of life. Another aspect of this photo is that none of the people are resisting what is happening. Jewish people historically are often accused of not trying to escape their fate during times of persecution. This idea can be seen within the picture because now of the women or children are trying to escape or fight back. They are standing as innocent victims helpless with their hands in the air. Pictures taken by the Nazi propagandists allow us to see what we couldn’t have and we are able to learn about the horrors of the Holocaust as well as the roles people played in it.
John David Ike
Dr. Denham
7/18/08
Holocaust Essay #2; Image Analysis
It is said that a photograph is worth a thousand words and when presented with the monumental photo of the Warsaw Ghetto uprising, enormous emotion and thought presents fill the viewer. When discussing the Holocaust , people can be divided into distinct categories; perpetrators, victims and bystanders. The image provided from the Warsaw Ghetto uprising of 1943 is a prime example of these categorical distinctions and the role of each in the unfolding of the Holocaust. The goal of this photographical analysis is to distinguish the two present groups of individuals into their respectful categories, provide a brief historical context of the rebellion and discuss the photographic elements that make the image so powerful.
When presented with this photograph, it is first necessary to distinguish the categories of individuals and the context of the situation. This photograph from the Warsaw Ghetto uprising in Poland of 1943 represents the capturing of Jews from a building. In this image the SS and Jews are the distinct categories of individuals. The Jews are considered victims where as the SS are considered the perpetrators. Although the groups are obvious, it is necessary to understand the uprising and its outcome before furthering dissecting the image. The uprising in 1943 was a Jewish attempt to prevent the deportation of the Jewish community to the Treblinka extermination camp. The primary period of retaliation occurred between April and May of 1943, however since the Jews had little supplies and the German SS was more adequately supplied with resources, the rebellion failed and the Jews were sent to extermination. Although unsuccessful in its goal of freedom, the Warsaw Ghetto uprising was the largest collaborative rebellion against the Nazi Regime. Now that the basic context of the uprising is understood along with the groups presented in the photograph, the impact of the photo must then be addressed.
When studying this photo of the Warsaw uprising, serious thought and emotion come to mind. The direct impact of a photograph or any artistic representation can have a greater effect than written text. This statement is very true for the image of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. The photograph, which depicts the German SS capturing the Jews, evokes many emotions. One figure, the young boy in the front with knee high socks conveys a fearful visage of uncertainty that evokes empathy and helps further the animosity towards the indifferent expressions of the Nazi SS. Along with the young boy, the young girl presented on the left of the photograph gazes hopelessly into an unknown outcome while the adults appear strongly shaken from the situation and the knowledge they possess of the likely outcome causes the viewer to feel empathy. The presence of the SS also evokes a thought process among the viewer because of their indifferent appearance to the actions they are committing second hand (their work with deportation eventually leads to the first hand extermination of innocent individuals). The composition of the photo also helps to make it have a large impact; the strong diagonals protruding to the rear of the photo help draw the viewer in along the train of people that eventually leads back the central figure of the young boy. The large density of people on the left of the photograph provide the viewer with a feeling of imbalance evoking even a deeper feeling of uneasiness. The statement that an image can represent a thousand words can be directly applied to a photo of this caliber which carries strong emotional and compositional values. Overall this photograph serves as a prime example of the emotions that can be evoked, the categorical distinction of groups in the Holocaust and the power of composition in a photograph.
When presented with the historical context of the Jewish action taken against the Nazis during Warsaw Ghetto uprising, this photo strikes close to the heart and provides a key example of categorical distinctions between victims and perpetrators. The photo through compositional means evokes certain emotional responses in the reader that would not be felt if the photo were balanced and contained no diverging lines. The faces and body language of the individuals helps create emotional tension and empathy. With the knowledge of the historical context of the uprising and the knowledge of the categorical distinctions between individuals this photo causes great emotion in the viewer. If not for photography of the uprising, would the written text have had such a dramatic effect on the empathy and emotion we feel when presented with such photographs?
Dan Johnson
7/18/08
Photography is an art form that, similar to other arts such as painting, music, and poetry, is created by an individual with the purpose of demonstrating an event or concept. Therefore, one must not only look for visual clues in the picture to realize what is going on, but also think of the historical context in which the photo takes place. During World War II, and many other important events in history, art has been used as a medium to portray reality. The Holocaust, due to its historical magnitude, is well documented. However, the documentation of the Holocaust is a collaboration of several different groups of people. Three extremely influential groups during the Holocaust include: perpetrators, bystanders, and victims. Each assemblage has a different story, picture, song, or poem to contribute to the study of the Holocaust. In this particular photo, the one displaying women and children, predominately, being forced to ‘evacuate’ the Warsaw ghetto by German soldiers, two of these distinct groups can be identified: the perpetrators (the German soldiers) and the victims (the Jewish ‘evacuees’).
The scrapbook created by Stroop, the SS officer in charge of the suppression of the Warsaw ghetto uprising, includes: photos, a descriptive narrative, and copies of daily communiqués. This picture was one of fifty-two that was used to document the ‘evacuation’. From the one photo that has been displayed and from knowledge of the historical context in which this took place one can get a glimpse of how the German soldiers, as well as the SS, carried out Himmler’s order to ‘liquidate’ the ghetto. Relating back to the picture at hand, women and children appear to make up a large part of the victims. Obviously the perpetrators consist of armed German soldiers forcing the victims to move. The pose of hands in the air on the part of the victims displays that they, the women and children, are being told what to do at gunpoint. Also visible in the photo is the background. The street is damaged and the buildings look dilapidated. The amount of bags and ‘luggage’ being carried by the women and children shows that the evacuation is a permanent one.
Throughout history, paintings and photos have often been used to demonstrate to the public the perceived reality of an event by an individual. I say perceived because the image is created and/or staged by a single person. When an individual takes a photo or creates a painting there is an indefinite number of angles and positions that the event can be seen from. Therefore, the artist must choose where to display the action from and who to include in the picture. For example, this same photo taken from a different angle, where soldiers and members of the SS cannot be seen will change the image dramatically. Another way pictures can be manipulated is the manner in which people are posed. If a group is running away or has their back faced toward the opposition, it implies passiveness and fear on the part of the fleeing group. However, if that same picture has one group facing the other, it displays aggression on the behalf of both parties. An image is a manifestation produced by an individual to convey a certain idea or message. The message can be significantly changed through the altering of either the subject matter at hand or the dramatic positioning of each group. In this case, a combination of the two drastically highlights the emotionally charged atmosphere that is universally associated with mass genocide.
Sarah Lanners
18 July 2008
Victims and Victimizers
The Holocaust was a time period in which each person played a part in society. As Levi explains in The Gray Zone, the Holocaust cannot be separated into good and bad, as the contemporary public prefers, yet this image of the Warsaw ghetto evacuation seems to do just that. Those on the left portray the role of the good, innocent, and persecuted victims, while the soldiers on the right depict the bad, guilty, and persecuting soldiers. In addition, the photograph has three main focal points, to which the viewers' eyes are immediately drawn: the crowd, the boy separated from the crowd, and the soldiers with their guns drawn, and each of the three has a role in the world of the Holocaust.
The most prominent point of this image is the young boy with his hands above his head. A child captures the essence of innocence, and this young boy firmly juxtaposes victims and victimizers. Clearly he has done nothing, but what will he do? Will he steal from his sister's bread ration, or take his friend's spoon? In what way will the Holocaust destroy his naivete? The Holocaust may have taken from from his innocence, yet in this photo the innocence remains and the role cannot be challenged. The little boy with scrawny legs and fear in his eyes is simply a victim of Nazi cruelty. The crowd from which the boy has somehow become estranged plays the same role as the boy, yet because of the older age of some in the throng, the innocence is diminished. Also, a crowd is less individualistic, so the viewer feels a smaller amount of concern for the entire group, but the role of the crowd remains that of a victim.
To complete an image of victims, there must be victimizers, a role which is played by the soldiers in the corner of the photo. Whether the soldiers were Nazis or part of the Wehrmacht is unclear, but their role as perpetrators, however, cannot be denied. There may be a "gray zone" for the soldiers as well. Perhaps they refrained from killing the innocent boy or showed acts of humanity after the evacuation of the ghetto, but a picture can only provide so much information, and this picture simply places the soldiers in the role of victimizers and perpetrators.
There are no bystanders in this image, none that are somewhat innocent or partially guilty. The "gray zone" of partiality existed, but the roles of those in the Holocaust are clear and comprehensible in this photo. The crowd and boy invoke thoughts of concern and sadness, while the soldiers bring about feelings of anger. These people and points of focus have obvious roles which, despite the "gray zone" that may have existed, cannot be questioned based on this single photograph.
Elizabeth Lewis 7/18/08
The Perpetrators vs. the Victims
On February 19, 1943, Himmler ordered the Warsaw ghetto to be evacuated. Jürgen Stroop proceeded to document the operation in three parts: a detailed introduction, daily announcements, and a series of photographs. This photograph is part of that series showing Jews being pulled from their bunkers by force. Two groups of people were involved in this action.
The group forcing this action is commonly known as the perpetrators, consisting of German military men and SS officers. These men obeyed their orders because of responsibility to duty and underlying antisemitic feelings. When this defense is claimed in hearings of crimes against humanity many questions arise. If “only obeying orders” can be used as an acceptable defense, then where is the line between giving orders and obeying them drawn? Could Hitler have claimed orders from a higher calling as reasoning for the “Final Solution”? Judges in nations outside of Germany decided many of these men were guilty of the crimes.
A major question that accompanies the Holocaust is why Jews did not put up resistance.. They well outnumbered the German “Aryans” implementing the orders. In history, there are many instances of Jews trying to petition, buy protection, and comply to survive in contrast to the one major revolt. In early A.D.. Alexandria, Egypt, an occurrence of petitioning took place. The delegation that traveled to Rome was similar to the Bulgarian one in 1942 because they were both working to be returned or remain in their homes. In 1384, large amounts of money were collected from Jews trying to buy safety in the same fashion many Jews did in Nazi-occupied Europe. When Jewish peoples felt danger was imminent they often complied with demands. Jewish councils in Europe used this method to protect their people. At the beginning of the 2nd century, Jewish people revolted while still imagining an independent Judea in the future.
When these two types of people came together disaster occurred. The Germans took advantage of the non-violent policies of Jews. The people in this important photograph show the drastic differences in their ways of life. Military soldiers and officers perform their duty through threat and bewildered Jews comply with fear.
Mary Alyce McCullough
7/18/08
Holocaust Image Essay
We’ve come to look at resistance from the oppressed as an uncommon occurrence in the Holocaust. The Warsaw ghetto uprising was one of few instances when victims attempted to rise against the perpetrators. The uprising failed and resulted in the deaths of many along with the immediate deportation of many others. This image displays the measures taken by SS officers to intimidate even the most unthreatening of victims, women and children, as they left the ghetto.
The photograph shows Jews, carrying their few belongings, being led from the ghetto in a jumbled line with the SS standing by with weapons raised. The most prominent figures, the ones leading the line in the picture’s foreground, are women and young children. With their arms raised above their heads, they bear the most contrast to the armed officers in their uniforms and helmets, who stand feet away. Isolated from the group by a small gap in the line, stands a young boy with a facial expression of both fear and confusion. Farther in the background a member of the SS points his gun towards the child’s back. With a cleanly cut line the image divides victim from perpetrator, none are bystanders, rescuers, opponents, or advocates. All individuals in the photo take on either of the two most polarized roles present in the Holocaust.
For most people in our society the vision of a child in danger is highly unsettling. The Holocaust was the mass murder of millions of innocents. We may never grasp the full severity of the concept of so many lost lives, even though we feel compelled to do so. Although we feel sympathy, pain, and grief for all the victims, the blatant exploitation of the children may be the hardest crime to stomach. This image sends that vision straight into our minds and brings about those protective instincts we have towards the young, helpless, or weak among us. What is so disturbing in this photo is the lack of that innate emotion present in the gun bearing SS officers. The coldness of the picture, beyond just that of the weather, radiates from the hard faces of the officers. The varied facial expressions scattered amongst the crowd of Jews creates a sense that they are incredibly more human than their perpetrators. The emotions range from pain to despair, but the point is that there are feelings there. They are not simply the animals that the Nazis treat them as, they are people with feelings and thoughts which are ever present even in their oppressed state. This is not to say that the SS officers do not have their own back stories as well, because through our readings we’ve learned they do. This photograph, however, as a frozen moment in a horrific series of events shows all too telling differences in the mentality of victims and perpetrators.
The sunlight rests upon nearly every Jew, every innocent, but only shines upon one SS officer, the figure who has stepped into the light to better guard the lone boy. The rest of the SS are standing in the shadows. This contrast of light and dark in its composition makes the image all the more intricately intriguing. No single piece of writing, film, or image could possibly summarize the complex events and dynamics of the Holocaust, but this photograph reaches impressively near to the definition of victim and perpetrator.
Eliza Nagle
The Holocaust
July 18th, 2008
Who Are You: Perpetrator, Victim, or Bystander?
It is mind-blowing how this situation in the picture came to be. Centuries of aggression and assimilation, building up to the moment in which a group of people have the means to accomplish the destruction of a community they deem unworthy to live. Heda Margolius Kovaly wrote about her encounter with a perpetrator and his epiphany, finally grasping the extent of his crime. It is at these rare and shocking moments when the core of free will has the best chance to choose a course of action. Due to the circumstances, right or wrong was most likely not as clear as we are able to see today. If the perpetrators epiphany came years later, then a typical excuse may be to blame his/her background. “We were not doing anything but our duty as decent soldiers, we were not criminals but decent men who faced a terrible fate” (Gordon J. Horwitz 214). We see the heart of the this violent picture everyday in various and lesser degrees - hate. What makes this photograph so surprising is that hate has the ability to escalade into extreme measures. Who would have thought the day would come when a grown man would hold a gun up to a young boy?
Lawrence Langer prompted a question I have been pondering in “Redefining Heroic Behavior” involving the victims. Does survival trump morality? The boy in this picture, out of pure self-preservation, could plead that his survival instinct caused him to exploit his sister in order to block a bullet. It is amazing to think that there is a reflex in each of us that could react, more or less selfishly and somewhat logically, in order to stay alive. Are we heroic if we can practice resistance against an unconscious drive? In my opinion, yes. However, that kind of fortitude and perception takes the deepest kind of love to perform.
I have come to find that there are several kinds of bystanders. Some may use violence to their advantage, others will attempt to stop violence, and a number will turn the other way. They may either think it is right, it is wrong, or have no knowledge on the subject at all. As of now, we are in some way active or passive bystanders to the massacre in Darfur. It is by studying events like the Holocaust that we can better prepare to be active in stopping crimes against humanity. Looking at this picture, we can never truly know how guilty or how innocent the perpetrators, victims, and bystanders are precisely. There is too much background and too many excuses to find the easy “answer”. The key element you can take from this picture is to downplay it to your life and determine the category you currently participate in. Crimes against humanity involve all of humanity, and every free will has the opportunity to choose how they will act.
Julie Purcell
July 18, 2008
Warsaw Ghetto Photograph
Jews living in ghettos during the Holocaust could only remain there temporarily. Just as the physically and mentally handicapped needed to be cleared out of the institutions to make more space, the Jews in ghettos needed to vacate them so that masses of more Jews could come piling into the crowded tenements filled with disease and corpses. However, in this case, many of the Jews in this picture were being punished for their participation in the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, in which they tried to resist the Nazis attempt to send them to Treblinka. Unfortunately, this rare case of resistance by the Jews was shot down quickly, and most were being transported to the place that they tried to avoid most: the death camp of Treblinka.
In this photograph, it seems to me that fear was not the most prominent emotion amongst the Jews. Did they know of their fate? Surely those who were captured during the uprising knew that something worse was soon to come. However, the looks on the faces of the adults reveal something different, despair. It seems that they are too tired, too weak for the thought of what lies ahead to consume their thoughts. After the uprising failed, they probably felt as if they exhausted all their options, and that there was nothing left for them to do. When that “shy little bird” inside of them, that glimmer of hope was quickly denied, it seems that they just fell right back into compliance, as there was not many other alternatives. The only clear expression of fear is on the face of the little boy in front, who was probably frightened by the SS men. However, the little girl featured on the left, and the rest of the other little children, do not seem to be quite phased about the event taking place, maybe because they are unsure and ignorant of where it will lead them, or maybe because the unknown is exciting to them. Maybe they think that anything had to be better than life in the ghettos and that leaving symbolized a new beginning with feelings of safety, and an end to oppression, starvation, and crammed quarters.
We are told that people involved in the Holocaust can be divided into different groups of people. There were the victims, the perpetrators, the rescuers, the opponents, the advocates of the regime, and the bystanders and witnesses. Although there does not seem to be much diversity of groups in the picture because most are victims, there are additional SS men in the background that need to be categorized. It seems natural to classify them as the perpetrators because if the men worked in the ghettos, and were sending these Jews off to Treblinka to be killed, then they were being compliant with theplans of the Final Solution and therefore in that sense they would be perpetrators. However, I feel as if by the lack of anger and force on thefaces of the SS men, that maybe they were just following orders and doing their jobs, rather than enjoying carrying out these actions. Even by the way the SS man in the back right is standing closely next to the Jewish man to his left and by the way he is looking at the Jews, it seems that they did not want to deliberately send the Jews to their demise at Treblinka, but wanted to be regarded as getting the job at hand done, and doing it well. This would not be a reason to move them from the category of perpetrators, but if they really were just doing their job, it would show that their intentions were not as evil and sick as those of some other perpetrators.
Christina Veliz
7 July 2008
In the uprising in the ghettos of Warsaw many Jews were forced out of there homes and were being transported to the Treblinka extermination camp. Many of those Jews were already dying of starvation and disease before the SS troops even invaded. When the troops where deporting them they just told them that they were being sent to labor camps and so the majority of them didn’t really know they were being sent to their deaths. Sooner than later they caught on to it and 300,000 of those Jews were then killed in the concentration camps.
In the picture you can feel just tell how much fear and sadness the Jews were feeling. The terror in there faces and the confusion upon them. They really didn’t know what to do or think when such a tragic thing was happening. Everyone is just following the orders the troops where giving them. Raising there arms in the air to prevent any of them to try to attack an officer. Most of them had gathered there belongings in bags, probably there most precious possessions, and are taking it with them.
The boy in the front is probably the main focal point in this picture. You can tell that he is terrified as he could be and that he didn’t really know how to react to such an event. He is probably thinking he was going to be doing long work hours in a factory or going to be killed with the guns the troops where carrying. The other children don’t seem to show any emotion. The one girl on the left just looks like she is following her mother who is most likely the lady standing next to her. The majorities of the adults don’t seem to scared or bothered by the fact that they are being relocated in a “labor” camp. It seems to me that they were maybe waiting for this to happen and where already prepare for it. The troops in the picture don’t seem to show any emotion either. The ones in the back of the line seem a little irritated or upset. They are probably trying to seem more upset then they really are, trying to scare the Jews make them fear them more than they already do.
There is so much emotion and so many things that are going through everyone’s head in the picture. They are probably all thinking the same thing all confused and scared. Even in the troops faces it seems there is a little fear and they seem a little uneasy about everything. The whole picture has a powerful and meaningful message. It shows what the Jews had to suffer through and how tragic it was. This picture not only captured people being forced out their homes by SS troops but it captures a point in time when fear and confusion where stopped and where captured in that moment.
Mark Viser
July 18, 2008
Some of history’s most complex concepts have been captured in a single image. Such pictures include the flag at Iwo Jima, Armstrong on the moon, and the unforgettable pictures of Septmeber 11. These photos encompass the significance and enormity of their corresponding event. Our assigned image accomplishes the same thing. Following an unsuccessful uprising in the Warsaw ghetto, these Jews, under the order of Jurgen Stroop, were shipped to Treblinka.
The most striking part of this picture to me is the expression on the boy’s face in the foreground. His young, round eyes look lost and defeated, and his mouth droops in a frown. To me, this clearly expresses the boys fear about what will soon happen to him. We have learned from our reading that the Jews usually did not know where they were headed or what was to become of them; they simply followed orders and were left with the horror of wondering. The boy’s visage grabs this feeling. Although very young, he appears old enough to comprehend the basic idea of what is happening to his world. Therefore, the boy realizes that there was an attempt to rebel against authorities and make things normal again. Furthermore, he knows that whatever the “grown-ups” tried did not succeed and things were about to get worse. As he gazes into the camera, the viewer sympathizes with the boy, emitting a gaze of intesnse fear of the unkown.
Beside the boy is a woman, presumably his mother whose presence in the photograph is equally intriguing and significant. Immediately I noticed that this particular woman has her head turned, looking at something behind her, possibly the two guards. Secondly, this woman does not have her hands raised as high as the other Jews in the picture. The combination of these two features gives me the impression that the woman is openly resentful about the deportation. I can vividly imagine the curses she is sending the guards as she, her family and friends are humiliated and dehunmanized. At the same time, I notice that she is hauling two large bags and is in the front of the line. This signifies that she is a leader amongst her neighbors, swallowing her anticipation and fear in order to possibly help someone with their overwhelming stress.
Behind the mother and son stand the two German guards. While both are significant to the overall percepiton of the image, the one closest to the camera adds the most interst to the photograph. This guard pompously administers the excavation with a look of arrognace and satisfaction. Since we have background on the picture, we know that this guard probably assisted in the suppresion of the uprising, and the viewer can see the look of cocky triumph on his face. Who are they to rebel against the German government? What gave them them the confidence to attempt such a thing? The viewer can easily see the look of contempt on the guards face as he scoffs at the human beings that he detests so much.
Through this image, the viewer is able to interpret an abundnace of information about the excavation of Warsaw. The Jews fear and defeat is very obvious, and evokes pathos in the viewer. However, since it is a photograph, much is open for personal interpretation. This aspect of the image is what makes it so intersting and what assists the reader in being able to relive the moment and visualize the event. In this way, the viewer can experience in the smallest degree the feelings and emotions of those in the picture.
Connor Yates
July 18th 2008
Perfectly displaying the role of the perpetrators and the victims, this picture depicts the Nazi soldiers pointing their guns at small children and women who are most likely Jews. The victims show no sign of resistance as they walk out of a building with their hands up. The boy standing in the front seems particularly scared but the expression on his face. He probably does not understand why he is being forced to leave and why a man is pointing a gun at him, but seems to know enough to cooperate with them. This picture portrays the true atrocities of the Holocaust showing neither man nor woman is exempt from the Nazi’s persecution. The victims, most likely Jews, are carrying a good amount of stuff with them, probably containing personal items, clothing, food, or whatever else they would need to bring. With the Nazi’s most likely arriving without any warning, they were probably taken by surprise hinting that the victims may have packed before in case of an unexpected visit. On the other hand, the Nazi soldiers do not look as intimidating and scary as history has made them out to be. They look like normal soldiers, not much different from the American or British soldiers; there seem to be no devil horns coming out of their heads or anything, showing that they are humans just as much as the victims are. The Nazi soldiers had to endure the killings, if not perform them, and were scarred just as bad, if not more, than the bystanders and witnesses in the concentration camps. In this particular picture, there seems to be no bystanders, only victims and perpetrators. However, if these Nazi soldiers did not perform the killings, then they could be considered bystanders even though they might have a biased view point, they may silently not have agreed with the Nazi party. However, this is only an a proposal and they probably bought into the Nazi propaganda just as most of Nazi Germany did.
[to come]