Chattahoochee River
Tuesday, January 13, 2015
Chapter 1
I was astounded by the way the Jews dismissed the impending doom they faced. They ignored the warning signs Moishe provided to them when he escaped from captivity. They dismissed the German presence in their town and managed to convince themselves that everything would be okay. I don't think they were ignorant of their fate, but I do think that they were terrified at the prospect of their worst fears coming to fruition. They chose to dismiss what was occurring as a coping mechanism. They could not handle what was happening so they managed to convince themselves that it wasn't going to happen. They keep telling each other that everything is alright. Humanity uses this technique often to cope with issues they feel they cannot handle. The Jewish citizens in this book are not the only ones.
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However, the techinque that they were using was denial, and this just lead them into the ghettos and eventually transportation.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you Andrew, they knew what was ahead for them but still kept an optimistic attitude.I also agree that the Germans tricked them into believing that they would do them no wrong because at first they were very friendly towards the Jews.
ReplyDeleteAndrew, you are pretty much right. When I think about it, I just can't believe that they ignored all the signs that were presented to them. Yes, Moishe greatly provided many warnings, but imagine how you would feel if someone you knew came to you one day and warned you that some people were going to come soon to ruin your life and to make it a living hell. Well, I would think that this person who was warning me was pretty much crazy because as of that moment my life was peaceful and I had 'more important things to worry about' (such as family, relationships, personal issues, employment,etc).I would dismiss this person just like I dismissed the person who announced to the world in 2012 that the world would end. The reason is because: 1) many people are not in their right minds and 2) many people play 'the boy who cried wolf'. So you see, I wouldn't know what to believe and especially if I was a Jew who was very religious and believed that God would always protect me from all harm. Yes, even further they ignored the signs even more foolishly once the Germans arrived in their residence, but I think that they ignored the signs because perhaps they believed in the good in others and "hoped" for things to improve. They simply responded the way they were directed, for example: lets say someone was to treat me kindly even though I was warned that they were not to be trusted,however, I would give that person an opportunity to change and to show me that the rumors were false because for me to get to know this person would be better than to listen to a rumor. Yes, it's a very foolish idea but many people are like this and so I think that they were "hoping" that not all Germans were brutal as they were described.
ReplyDeleteYes I understand what you are saying. I definitely would be confused if someone came and told me my life was about to torn apart. But the act of dismissing the warning is a coping mechanism in itself. By not even considering that the person warning you could be right, you are eliminating the problem from your life. If these warnings continued to occur though, I may begin to take heed.
DeleteAndrew, thank you for your reply.Yes, I agree. But as you can see this is not what happened to this community of Jewish people. How could they dismiss all the signs? Was it a coping mechanism? Most likely it was. But I can only try to understand why they didn't take action to the best of my abilities because I was not there and I did not experience what they experienced, therefore I cannot believe thoroughly that it was a coping mechanism. Even what I posted above are all my opinions.
DeleteAndrew, I agree that the Jews didn't process what was happening to them because it was the only way they could cope with it. But I also think other factors played into their apparent oblivion to their situation such as trying to remain hopeful, and feigning hope for the protection of others. I love how you wrote this by the way, I like the words you used, and " fears coming to fruition", that was a good line.
ReplyDeleteAndrew, I agree that the people's reactions and dismissive attitude seems to be a coping mechanism for the tragedy and chaos they were to face. Do you feel that it can also connect to what we know about truth/reality? (Like from reading "Harvey," the way the truth for some people is actually a lie they've come up with within themselves.) I'm aware that this connectjon is probably a little abstract, but I'm wondering if anyone else noticed this.
ReplyDeleteYes that is absolutely true. By dismissing the apparent danger of their situation in order to cope, they made their own truth. It may be abstract, but I think that it is definitely applicable.
DeleteThat's a very good connection, Marian. Just like O'Brien said in The Things They Carried about how our experiences are what create reality. This novel definitely connects to the issues we explored in both the truth and the justice units. Also, even though this is a piece of nonfiction, no doubt there are elements that Wiesel invented (that fit within the limits of what did and could have happened) to create cohesion in his story. This also reminds me of The Things They Carried, which is a fiction novel, but has elements of actual people and/or situations O'Brien experienced.
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