The voice of witness reader 9-84

The book started off with an introduction of the background of the book and what the organization is about. It has steps of advice on the process of interviewing someone so the interview can run smoothly. There are many steps of what to do and what not to do in an interview in order to make the person being interviewed feel comfortable. The introduction also has small stories about interviews that had already happened. The first interview was on Chris Ochoa who was pressured into taking blame for murder and rape and sentenced to life in jail. He talks about his childhood and when he was charged. He took us through the process of being interrogated and how he lived in jail. The second story was about Beverly Monroe who was charged with murdering her boyfriend. Beverly was considered a suspect even though it was ruled a suicide. She ended up confessing for the murder even though she was innocent. Her daughter ended up helping her get out of jail.

The intro to the book was something I liked. It gave me basic knowledge on what to do when running an interview. The Chris Ochoa story definitely shocked me. I could not believe that the detectives scared him to the point where he began to make up stories. Chris was intimidated when he thought of being raped in jail so he lied which is intense. The amount of fear that he had to make up a lie is what grabbed my attention.

Online source #4 & #5

A Polish Catholic named Karski fought for Jewish rights. He believed that not everyone hated Jews, there were still individual people who cared for them. Karski risked his life many times in order to save Jews. He states that it is wrong to think the world is against Jews because many Christians help save Jews and not all of them hate Jews. When he was growing up, he was raised to think everyone was equal and that's what he continued to fight for. The second section was about a rescuers life.It talks about what it takes to become a rescuer, and how the background of each person gives them a reason to become a rescuer. Being a rescuer means taking notice in what is happening and understanding it. The rest of the text talks about the reasons rescuers did what they did.

I liked the first source and how he explained that not all people hated and wanted Jews killed. The second source had many points.

Holocaust Memorial

After visiting the Pink Triangle Memorial, I made my way to Lincoln Park in San Francisco where I would be able to see the Holocaust Memorial. The memorial consisted of a paper mache sculpture done by the artist George Segal. The art piece shows a pile of dead bodies while there is holding onto the fence looking out of the camp. The man standing gave me the chills. I believe the way George Segal did a great job in capturing the cruelty the men and women endured while in concentration camps. The man is standing there looking out the camp, looking at freedom while there are dead bodies behind him. While I was there it began to rain which was a weird feeling. It reminded me of the closing scene of the movie The Boy In the Striped Pajamas where it shows men and women about to be killed in a gas chamber and it is pouring rain at the concentration camp. I could not even imagine myself in the same shoes, such cruelty that they suffered is unimaginable. This memorial is something I will definitely recommend to someone.

Pink Triangle Park

Tuesday morning I had the chance to visit the Pink Triangle Memorial in San Francisco. The Pink Triangle Park serves as a memorial for the gay, bisexual, transgender, and lesbian men and women who were killed in concentration camps during World War II by the Nazi's. The memorial consists of triangular pillars with a mini pink triangle at the top. Behind the pillars is a triangle on the floor filled with beautiful pink stones. The plaque that is placed next to the memorial shows a photo of some of the men who were sectioned into the homosexual group. The men had to wear a pink triangle as a symbol of their sexual orientation. Overall visiting the memorial was a great experience.

From Cruelty to Goodness

Summary:
                From Cruelty to Goodness explains what cruelty really is. Phillip Hallie explains the many forms of cruelty. He elaborates on the actual meaning/definition of cruelty. The dictionary defines "Cruelty" as "disposed to giving pain." The latin definition crudus refers to bloodshed, or involving the spilling of blood. The Nazi's performed some of the worst cruelties with the jews. A passage from Journey Through Hell explains an example of the cruelties "Urine and excreta poured down the prisoners' legs, and by nightfall the excrement, which had frozen to our limbs, gave off its stench." The prisoners were also kept from using latrines, and were forced to drink water from a toilet bowl full of excreta.  This form of cruelty destroyed a persons dignity and self-respect. Furthermore, Phillip speaks about the cruelties performed on the children in the concentration camps. The Nazi's performed "medical experiments" on the jewish and gypsy children chopping off their fingertips. The power to commit such a horrid act on children is the ultimate form of cruelty. With such cruelty going on, came some good. The people of Le Chambon were the light at the end of the tunnel for many jews. They accepted many of the refugees with open arms. They taught the people that goodness could conquer cruelty.

Comment:

                This excerpt really grabbed my attention with the fact that these people were able to commit such cruelties. Stripping them from human rights, making them feel like less than an animal is something that is hard to wrap your head around. It was hard to believe that the children were tortured in so called "Experiments." It is definitely hard to read, picturing myself in the gruesome scenes. Reading about the people of Le Chambon was uplifting. Knowing that there were people out there risking their own lives just to help refugees was a good feeling.