Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Blog 3: Arendt
Arendt gives insight to the horror of concentration camps, and shows how it dehumanitizes its inmates. From my understanding she spoke on how it was impossible to evaluate the psyche of a former inmate, because all their moral values and beliefs, have and will continue to disintegrate because, they have been hidden from the world, and considered as non existent. Arendt also spoke on how the true horrors of a concentration camp would never be revealed, even if there was a survivor, because they had been made not to have existed which, would create confusion and cause a distraction from what is essential. I think she is trying to say that it would become such amazement that the person or persons were alive that the nation would less focus on the cruelty and crime that has been committed and more on his/her story of what took place in the camp. Arendt describes the inmates moving back into the human world as Lazarus being resurrected which, to me, could actually prove to be an accurate description of how life could be for a survivor. Because they will have lived under some ones rule for far too long, leaving them in fear and unable to think for themselves. In captivity someone will have told them when to eat, sleep, and drink. So unfortunately the fear of doing something out of order will stay installed in them, and I don’t think that they would any longer be capable of surviving in the real world.
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5 comments:
You made some good points and I couldn’t agree more with your view that these camps are totally removing these people from the world they once were involved in. Just as you say these people would probably never be able to return to normal living and still be the same as they once were.
I thought your break down of Arendt's piece was well-thought out, and all your points were very clear. I definitely agree with what you said about how the few survivors of concentration camps weren't likely to survive in the "real" world after living through such torture for so long. Good job!!
I like how you broke down the reading to a better understaning. You are right, the survivors of the camps probably couldnt survive in the real world. They wouldnt know what to do. I can tell you one thing though, they would be happy knowing that they didnt have to worry everyday about being killed just for being jewish.
I agree with Cheryl. Good analysis of the reading. Being released from a concentration camp probably would feel like being resurrected.
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