Going through the timeline that was
on display at the Anne Frank exhibit was an experience that allowed me to
reflect a lot on the past and current situations. During the exhibit we all
walked in a line reading through the timeline of WW2. The timeline included
images and descriptions of events. During my time in the exhibit I found myself
thinking a lot about the books that I read in this class. Many scenes from the
books described events that were included on the timeline. For example, the
timeline described the book burnings and Kristallnacht, the night the Germans
went out in masse to destroy Jewish businesses, that were mentioned in The Book Thief. I was also struck by how
fortunate the characters in the books we read were compared to other Jews that
were in hiding and how sad it is that eight people fearing for their lives in
an annex could be considered fortunate. The timeline stated that many Jews hid
in floors and walls. In comparison, the Franks lived in a three story annex and
Max at least had use of a basement. Still, walking through and reading the
timeline makes it almost impossible to escape the reality of the horrors of the
Holocaust. I often found myself looking at the pictures on display and thinking
to myself, “everyone in this photo is dead.” That was a hard fact to deal with
because of the tragic nature of their deaths. I found myself tearing up as I
had to explain to my little sister that Anne Frank is dead simply because of unnecessary
hate. But I think it is important for people to walk through these kinds of
exhibits and be confronted with the negative power and potential of hate. So
that they may be inspired to release hate from their hearts and become more
accepting. Unfortunately, some people avoid learning these lessons by not
focusing on the gravity of a situation. For example, a woman just two people
behind me said, “I have to respect Hitler for being able to inspire people to
follow him like this.” It saddened me that she missed the point of the exhibit.
She then went on to describe how a family member of hers did not believe in the
Holocaust and had recently become a Neonazi. I never heard her say an
empathetic thing about what she read. In conclusion, the exhibit was just one
more thing that showed me the insidiousness of hate and the importance of
tolerance.
Hi Heidi,
ReplyDeleteWow! I probably should not be shocked, but I am shocked that someone would make a comment about respecting Hitler for inspiring people in an Anne Frank exhibit. We certainly a living in divisive times in this country right now, and I guess if you have neonazis in your family you might have to put up some barriers between yourself and the atrocities of the holocaust. I think the question of privilege in the popularized tellings of the holocaust is an important one to consider. When most Jews in hiding were crammed beneath floorboards or behind secret panels in the walls all day, why is that not what we see in literature and film? Is that too traumatic to translate? Would viewers or readers shut out such representations? I do not know the answer, but you are right that the texts we've read have portrayed a privileged experience of being in hiding, as difficult as that can be to believe.