Take A Stand

The reading "Taking a Stand" is located on moodle under "Boy in the Striped Pajamas" section.  Read it, and respond to the following:  Describe the choices that were made by Germans in response to Kristillnacht.  What choice might you have made?
 If I were asked to make this decision I would choose to leave the country. I would choose this because if I chose to stay and disagree with the Fuhrer then I would probably get sent to a concentration camp or they would execute me before my word was heard too much, but I would not want to support the Political Party as they are doing committing a terrible crime.

Analyzing Visual Images

URL: http://www.ncs-nj.org/teachers/svain/holocaust/pages/clipart/healthy.jpg

The Caption on the above poster reads "Healthy Parents Have Healthy Children". On your post please do the following:

1. Describe what you see in the picture. Consider color, placement, people and objects, and composition. Everything that you see.

 In the picture I see a 'healthy family'. They all look like they are, and have, lived a happy life, they look like they are enjoying themselves. I can see that the 4 children look happy and healthy, which is how it should be. The father looks strong and brave while the mother looks kind and caring, that is what Hitler thinks it should be and sure enough if people saw this poster then they would want to be a part of this too, they would vote for Hitler and that was Hitlers aim.

2. Interpret: Guess about the creator is trying to express through the caption and images. Why is this message being conveyed?

 I would guess that the creator was trying to show that if they voted for Hitler this is the life that a German citizen would lead. I would interpret that the message that is trying to be conveyed is that voting for the Nazi party would be better for the Nation, if you voted for this political party then more families is Germany would look like the one in the photograph.

Evaluate: What is the intended purpose of this image? The intended audience? Does the image achieve its purpose?

  The intended purpose of this image is to vote for the Nazis because if you do then your family will, in due course, start looking like this one. This poster is not to persuade the Jews to vote for Hitler but for the Germans to, because the family in the picture is supposed to be a German family not a Jewish family, the whole point is that a Jewish family will never look like that, ever. I think that the image does achieve its purpose because if I were a German I would take one look at that poster and say, 'Wow, I wish my family looked like that and I would soon end up voting for the Nazi Party, because Hitler did know how to use propaganda well. 

Propaganda and Analyzing visual Images

Today we studied some of the aspects of propaganda and its uses, particularly in regard to Nazi Germany. First of all, answer this question: What is the definition of the word propaganda? Next, why was it used so extensively by Hitler and the Nazis?

Propaganda- information that is spread for the purpose of promoting some cause.

Propaganda was used so extensively by Hitler and the Nazis because since Hitler was a failed artist he knew the power of propaganda. They wanted the German race to see that all the blame should be put on the Jews because he, Hitler, had personal issues with them. So he used visual propaganda to show why the Jews should be blamed. One way he showed this was by finger pointing. He had posters of a hand pointing at the a Jew with text saying the Jew is to blame for the war. Here is an example:

The text in this picture means- That is to blame for the war.

URL- http://cm1.theinsider.com/thumbnail/400/585/cm1.theinsider.com/media/0/354/22/ujeEekDs_odlw.jpg

Interesting facts:

For a long time the Nazi party was a joke in 1928 they had 12 seats in 1930 they got 107 seats. There were even more in 1932. Red colors, red because it was a way to provoke and engage people. Hitler wanted to become an artist and so he knew the power of propaganda. They used posters to show propaganda, they used the posters to show that Jews were a threat to the Nation. Hitler was very stereo typical.

Hinter den Feindmachten: der Jude!

Meaning:

Behind the curtain of evil lies: the Jew!

Where do they stand

Briefly describe the person that you represented in today's activity. Then, state the political party you think that the person would vote for in an election. Be sure to give specific reasons for this choice! Besides agreeing with what a political party stands for, what other factors might be involved in a person's voting decision?

My person- Karl Schmidt is unemployed, broke and has a family to support.

I think that Karl Schmidt, in an election, would vote for Nazi party. I have many reasons that support why I would, and do, think this. For one he is jobless because of the Treaty of Versailles and the Nazi party said, in rule #2, 'Abolition of the Treaty of Versailles.' He believes that if the treaty if abolished then Germany will not be in dept to the other countries. Since Germany is in dept it can't afford to pay workers so they just fire them, Schmidt was one of many that came face to face with that situation. This is why I believe Schmidt will vote for the Nazi party in the elections.

Read and annotate "Anger and Humiliation" with questions and comments. Make special note of the description of Adolf Hitler. Highlight any clues or statements on his personality, personal life, beliefs. In class on Tuesday we will be making an identity chart for him. Also, on pg. 124, carefully read the Nazi Party program. Choose two points of this program that you think are especially unfair. Why are they unfair? Which ones do you have questions about? Then, read "Voices in the Dark". Annotate with questions and comments. Then, answer this question: If you had been on the train, do you think you would have said or done anything? Have you or someone you know ever had a similar experience?

ANGER AND HUMILIATION

Choose two points of this program that you think are especially unfair. Why are they unfair? Which ones do you have questions about?

Unfair Laws:

4. 'German blood as a requirement for German citizenship. No Jew can be a member of the nation.'

This rule is completely unfair, how can someone just say because your a Jew you can no longer be a citizen of this country, but also we will take you in a torture you because of what your race did. They should be treated the same as any German is treated, they should be able to be a part of the nation if they choose to be.

5. 'Non-citizens can live in Germany only as foreigners, subject to the law of aliens.'

This law is not unlike the 4th rule in that they both deny the right of someone, not born and bred German, to become a citizen, they say that people of different blood will live as foreigners. What is this? Its nonsense, how can anyone judge someone on their race, because their different, because they believe something else? They denied anyone non-German the right to become a citizen because of their race. This rule is clearly very unfair in many different ways, some of which I have just stated.

Questions:

5. 'Non-citizens can live in Germany only as foreigners, subject to the law of aliens.'

What do they mean when they say 'law of aliens'?

3. Land and territory (colonies) for our surplus population.

What does that even mean?

7. The state insures that every citizen live decently and earn his livelihood. If it is impossible to provide food for the whole population, then aliens must be expelled.

When they say 'aliens must be expelled', what do they mean, do they mean foreigners must be kicked out of the country?

If you had been on the train, do you think you would have said or done anything? Have you or someone you know ever had a similar experience?

If I had been on the train and been listening to those men, then I, truthfully, would keep quiet and try to make sure they didn't hear or see me at all because they seemed pretty tough and strong and if it were me against them, then I think its obvious who would win and who would loose. So maybe in a fantasy we would all stand up to them but in reality, if we were really in his shoes, I think we would all pick to stay quiet.

By Georgina