“Just as our hunger is not that feeling of missing a meal, so our way of being cold has need of a new word. We say ‘hunger’, we say ‘tiredness,’ ‘fear,’ ‘pain,’ we say ‘winter’ and they are different things. They are free words, created and used by free men who lived in comfort and suffering in their homes. If the Lagers had lasted longer a new, harsh language would have been born; and only this language could express what it means to toil the whole day in the wind, with the temperature below freezing, wearing only a shirt, underpants, cloth jacket and trousers, and in one’s body nothing but weakness, hunger and knowledge of the end drawing nearer (pg 123).”
To the prisoners, the words, “hunger, tiredness, fear, pain, and winter,” do not satisfy the deep meanings. As Primo stated, they are just free words, which claims to represent ‘the feeling,’ which the prisoners feel at the camps. Winter, does not only represent another kind of season. Prisoners fear the launch of winter, because it also means “death” to them. “Seven out of ten of us will die. Whoever does not die will suffer minute by minute, all day, everyday (pg 123).” It is the time when the selection starts and sends the majority of prisoners to the gas chambers and also the coldness starts to pierce the prisoners’ body. Only with a shirt, underpants, cloth jacket, and trousers, they have to endure the cold winter and wait for their death to be announced. Winter equals no hope.
During the selection, it is mostly randomly picked. In three or four minutes, a hut of two hundred men is done (there are about sixty huts), as well as the twelve thousand men inside the concentration camps. After the selection, the chosen ones receive a privilege, gaining a double ration during their meals, which made me feel awkward about it. This made me remember of a book called When My Name was Keoko, which talked about the period during the World War II. This book was written by a Korean woman, who had to suffer through the Korea invasion by the Japanese. During the World War II, the Japan was preparing for a surprise attack with the Kamikaze Soldiers, also known as the suicide soldiers, to threaten US. Keoko’s brother was one of the suicide soldiers. And, the day before their flight, Japan provided them food and expected the soldiers to feel honored of receiving such care. Well, some of the soldiers might have been willing to die for their country and enjoy the meal, but somehow, the situation was related to the Auschwitz Camps. Both countries were just making individuals die because to fulfill the countries' expectations.
Up to yesterday, they just treated the prisoners severely and squashed their hopes. Then, after the selection, they are giving just “double” rations during their meal as a privilege. What are the Germans trying to do? Do they want to make the prisoners feel relief before their dreadful gas chamber experience? Due to the Germans hatred, the Jewish prisoners had to suffer harshly inside the camps without any reasons, and before the day of their death, they were able to eat double rations of their meal. However, surprisingly, the prisoners were not surprised, but it seemed they were simply enjoying their “privilege.” By showing their cards to the Blockaltester, they received double ration of their meal and eat inside their bunk.
First, I could not understand their attitude, but by the end, I realized maybe the prisoners are not really “enjoying” the privilege, but they are truly accepting their fate. Anyways, every prisoner inside the camp expects that he will die one day. Whatever they do, they know that freedom of their life is particularly impossible within the camp. So, if they are going to die anyways, it seems that they might rather fill their stomachs full than dying painfully because of hunger. It sounds horrible, but it was the prisoners’ life during winter.
To the prisoners, the words, “hunger, tiredness, fear, pain, and winter,” do not satisfy the deep meanings. As Primo stated, they are just free words, which claims to represent ‘the feeling,’ which the prisoners feel at the camps. Winter, does not only represent another kind of season. Prisoners fear the launch of winter, because it also means “death” to them. “Seven out of ten of us will die. Whoever does not die will suffer minute by minute, all day, everyday (pg 123).” It is the time when the selection starts and sends the majority of prisoners to the gas chambers and also the coldness starts to pierce the prisoners’ body. Only with a shirt, underpants, cloth jacket, and trousers, they have to endure the cold winter and wait for their death to be announced. Winter equals no hope.
During the selection, it is mostly randomly picked. In three or four minutes, a hut of two hundred men is done (there are about sixty huts), as well as the twelve thousand men inside the concentration camps. After the selection, the chosen ones receive a privilege, gaining a double ration during their meals, which made me feel awkward about it. This made me remember of a book called When My Name was Keoko, which talked about the period during the World War II. This book was written by a Korean woman, who had to suffer through the Korea invasion by the Japanese. During the World War II, the Japan was preparing for a surprise attack with the Kamikaze Soldiers, also known as the suicide soldiers, to threaten US. Keoko’s brother was one of the suicide soldiers. And, the day before their flight, Japan provided them food and expected the soldiers to feel honored of receiving such care. Well, some of the soldiers might have been willing to die for their country and enjoy the meal, but somehow, the situation was related to the Auschwitz Camps. Both countries were just making individuals die because to fulfill the countries' expectations.
Up to yesterday, they just treated the prisoners severely and squashed their hopes. Then, after the selection, they are giving just “double” rations during their meal as a privilege. What are the Germans trying to do? Do they want to make the prisoners feel relief before their dreadful gas chamber experience? Due to the Germans hatred, the Jewish prisoners had to suffer harshly inside the camps without any reasons, and before the day of their death, they were able to eat double rations of their meal. However, surprisingly, the prisoners were not surprised, but it seemed they were simply enjoying their “privilege.” By showing their cards to the Blockaltester, they received double ration of their meal and eat inside their bunk.
First, I could not understand their attitude, but by the end, I realized maybe the prisoners are not really “enjoying” the privilege, but they are truly accepting their fate. Anyways, every prisoner inside the camp expects that he will die one day. Whatever they do, they know that freedom of their life is particularly impossible within the camp. So, if they are going to die anyways, it seems that they might rather fill their stomachs full than dying painfully because of hunger. It sounds horrible, but it was the prisoners’ life during winter.
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