“There was a child went forth every day; and the first object he looked upon, that object he became,” wrote Walt Whitman in his 1885 poem There was a Child Went Forth. Whitman’s lesser-known poem is about childhood and what influences a child’s growth. He theorized that the first things we are exposed to as children were the things we become as adults. This theory was reflected in the youth of Nazi Germany, who were exposed to National Socialism at an early age. This exposure would later influence them to become dedicated soldiers and dedicated housewives. The youth in 1930’s Germany would witness massive changes. They would come to think of Hitler as their one and only leader. Through a series of political changes and indoctrination they
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Children were indoctrinated by simply going to school. In his 1985 memoir, Alfons Heck wrote of his experiences with education in the days of the Führer:
Even Monsignor Thomas, the stern head of our parish, whose hand was almost as quick as Herr Becker’s, always said ‘Heil Hitler’ first when he entered the classroom. And then he recited the Lord’s Prayer. It never occurred to us that there might be a clash between the crucifix and the portrait of Hitler, which hung side by side in every schoolroom in the Rhineland.
Throughout the beginning of Heck’s memoir, he wrote of how teachers ignored weaker students (students with an incorrect answer or those who were Jewish). He mentions how strict and sometimes quick to strike his educators were and how he was taught to despise the Jews and devote himself to Hitler. Students were encouraged to tattle on anyone who disagreed with …show more content…
A child 's primary job is to attend school and just be a kid while they can be. Growing up in the 1930 's Germany no child was able just to be a kid. If a child were Jewish, they were hated and driven out. If they were German, they were taught to not only hate the Jews but also obey Hitler at all cost and sacrifice everything for the benefit of their country. It seems wrong to us today, but when it happened it was the standard. German citizens placed Nazism at the center of their lives because they had been conditioned to do so. At the end of his memoir, Heck wrote soberly of the outcome of this saying, "I never once during my Hitler years thought of myself as anything but a decent, honorable young German, blessed with a glorious
Children were indoctrinated by simply going to school. In his 1985 memoir, Alfons Heck wrote of his experiences with education in the days of the Führer:
Even Monsignor Thomas, the stern head of our parish, whose hand was almost as quick as Herr Becker’s, always said ‘Heil Hitler’ first when he entered the classroom. And then he recited the Lord’s Prayer. It never occurred to us that there might be a clash between the crucifix and the portrait of Hitler, which hung side by side in every schoolroom in the Rhineland.
Throughout the beginning of Heck’s memoir, he wrote of how teachers ignored weaker students (students with an incorrect answer or those who were Jewish). He mentions how strict and sometimes quick to strike his educators were and how he was taught to despise the Jews and devote himself to Hitler. Students were encouraged to tattle on anyone who disagreed with …show more content…
A child 's primary job is to attend school and just be a kid while they can be. Growing up in the 1930 's Germany no child was able just to be a kid. If a child were Jewish, they were hated and driven out. If they were German, they were taught to not only hate the Jews but also obey Hitler at all cost and sacrifice everything for the benefit of their country. It seems wrong to us today, but when it happened it was the standard. German citizens placed Nazism at the center of their lives because they had been conditioned to do so. At the end of his memoir, Heck wrote soberly of the outcome of this saying, "I never once during my Hitler years thought of myself as anything but a decent, honorable young German, blessed with a glorious