World War Two

We read several different stories this week about World War Two. The first "The Shawl" was very touching because it was all about how a shawl nourished a child for months when it had little or no food. I think the shawl was a symbol of the mother's love and how she loved her child so much that the child could live from that. In turn the child loves the shawl back and when she is gone, it is the mother's turn to be nourished by it. The shawl is all that she has left and its like the baby's love is still with her mother. The second story we read was Ladies and Gentleman to the Gas Chamber and it was even more insightful and heart wrenching. It makes you realize what the prisoners who did survive the camps had to do to get by. They had to become almost as inhuman as the guards to be able to get through the day. The main character has tries to physically purge himself from the guilt of this by throwing up and hiding under the train. This is significant because he feels like that is better than getting the stuff he needs for survival. The main character finds the way that the prisoners who are being sent to death appalling. But when he brooches the subject with his friend the friend who has already become tolerant of what is happening around him tells him that it is no big deal and he should basically take what he can get. All in all this gives us realistic look into some parts of life in a concentration camp.