Evidently, this scenario is almost far-fetched to say the least, since it is common for bystanders to walk past the homeless. Almost as if they do not exist. Even more disturbing are the discrimination cases such as verbal slurs physical assaults. In essence, what is happening to homeless people today is similar to how Nazi Germany treated the Jewish population during World War II, in which both share a distinct trait. Their perceptions about what makes us human falls into one of two categories; noted from Primo Levi’s Survival in Auschwitz. Either they become “drowned” like Jean Améry in Torture, or “saved” like Elie Wiesel in Night.
Incidentally, before continuing further on the subject, it is best to give some background about the man who …show more content…
In short, shredding victims, like Jean Améry and all other “drowned souls” of hope.
Originally named Hans Maier, Jean Améry’s essay Torture narrates the harsh torture withstood during his time in Fort Breendonk; a notorious Gestapo prison between Antwerp and Brussels. But upon his “liberation” in 1945, his trauma remained; causing him to commit suicide in 1978 (Langer 119-120). At this point, it is easy to see how Améry’s style of writing is similar to Primo Levi; both have written personal accounts about their imprisonment in World War II..
However, the key difference to point out is the tone; in which ties to Levi’s perception of the drowned. To illustrate this point, Jean Améry states this comment at the end of his essay: “Whoever has succumbed to torture can no longer feel at home in the world” (Améry 136). It seems that he too lost any sense of humanity; surrendering to the trauma he obtained. In essence, it could be said that Améry slowly became part of “the drowned”; in which Levi describes them being notable for their “faceless presences”, as their bodies already because too empty for any more suffering and thus considered “non-men” (Levi …show more content…
Consequently, making other prisoners commit heinous actions to one another. Summarized best from the Kapo’s message to Wiesel: “In this place, there is no such thing as a father, brother, friend. Each of us lives and dies alone” (Wiesel 110). Needless to say, the nameless child understood this fact early; beating his own father to death for a piece of bread, only to shortly after have himself beaten to death by a group of men (Wiesel 101-102).
However, not all actions committed were brutal. That is to say, Primo Levi depicts “the saved” by narrating the stories of four different prisoners, each using a different tactic to survive. In the case of Henri, the last prisoner; he was the most “civilized” person, using sexual innuendo to obtain whatever he needed. Even explaining to Levi three methods he uses: organization, pity and theft (Levi 98). In the end, if you look at the bigger picture, the Holocaust ultimately produced cruelty amongst themselves; being repeated in a never ending
Incidentally, before continuing further on the subject, it is best to give some background about the man who …show more content…
In short, shredding victims, like Jean Améry and all other “drowned souls” of hope.
Originally named Hans Maier, Jean Améry’s essay Torture narrates the harsh torture withstood during his time in Fort Breendonk; a notorious Gestapo prison between Antwerp and Brussels. But upon his “liberation” in 1945, his trauma remained; causing him to commit suicide in 1978 (Langer 119-120). At this point, it is easy to see how Améry’s style of writing is similar to Primo Levi; both have written personal accounts about their imprisonment in World War II..
However, the key difference to point out is the tone; in which ties to Levi’s perception of the drowned. To illustrate this point, Jean Améry states this comment at the end of his essay: “Whoever has succumbed to torture can no longer feel at home in the world” (Améry 136). It seems that he too lost any sense of humanity; surrendering to the trauma he obtained. In essence, it could be said that Améry slowly became part of “the drowned”; in which Levi describes them being notable for their “faceless presences”, as their bodies already because too empty for any more suffering and thus considered “non-men” (Levi …show more content…
Consequently, making other prisoners commit heinous actions to one another. Summarized best from the Kapo’s message to Wiesel: “In this place, there is no such thing as a father, brother, friend. Each of us lives and dies alone” (Wiesel 110). Needless to say, the nameless child understood this fact early; beating his own father to death for a piece of bread, only to shortly after have himself beaten to death by a group of men (Wiesel 101-102).
However, not all actions committed were brutal. That is to say, Primo Levi depicts “the saved” by narrating the stories of four different prisoners, each using a different tactic to survive. In the case of Henri, the last prisoner; he was the most “civilized” person, using sexual innuendo to obtain whatever he needed. Even explaining to Levi three methods he uses: organization, pity and theft (Levi 98). In the end, if you look at the bigger picture, the Holocaust ultimately produced cruelty amongst themselves; being repeated in a never ending