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world war 2 persecution of jews
world war 2 persecution of jews
world war 2 persecution of jews
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Golems, crafted from clay and shaped on a model of human anatomy, are a mythical creature often created to protect the Jewish people from anti-Semitic threats and violence. The most well known tale of golem lore is that of The Golem of Prague, retold by Jirasek, however there have been many modern adaptation of the golem myth through film and television. Specifically a television adaptation of the tale in the eighth season of Supernatural will be under examination here. The modern Supernatural adaptation, understandably, deviates from the classical tale while still utilizing the basic structure of the myth. Similarly both depictions of the golem represent the creature as a protector of the Jewish peoples that is controlled by the word of a rabbi. However the two depictions also have many differences, most of which can be attributed to the way in which the storylines are carried out and the time in which they are produced.
In Jirasek’s tale the golem is “shaped out of clay and brought to life by a wooden plug,” it is said to have been as powerful as two servants and required no sustenance or rest. These aspects of the golem hold true in the Supernatural depiction, showing a man-like creature that easily overpowers Sam and Dean, paying little attention to wounds that he receives from mortal instruments, he merely loses small amounts of the clay from which he was formed. Specifically Aaron’s golem is said to “have been shaped from clay and brought to life by rabbis to protect the Jewish people during times of general crapiness.” The golem, created by Rabbi Loew in Jirasek’s tale, acted as a protector against religious persecution and a suspected Jewish blood libel during the reign of Rudolph II. Aaron’s golem in “Everybody Hate...
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...natural retells the golem story nicely, updating it for a modern generation and varying it to better fit the recorded medium. They keep the most important aspect of the golem, his protection of the Jewish people, and make the creature a protector of the ghettos during WWII, which is a seemingly feasible placement for the golem myth. The cast of Supernatural did their best to keep the episode in line with the rest of the show, throwing humor and wit in as needed, creating a very one-of-a-kind golem who is both classical and special.
Works Cited
"Everybody Hates Hitler.” Supernatural, Season Eight. Dir. Philip Sgriccia. Writ. Ben Edlund. Perf. Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki. The CW, 6 Feb. 2013. Netflix. Web. 16 Nov. 2013.
Jirasek, Alois. "Golem ." Trans. Array The Czech Reader: History, Culture, Politics. London : Duke University Press, 2010. 219-222. Print.
In Under a Cruel Star, Heda Margolious Kovaly details the attractiveness and terror of Communism brought to Czechoslovakia following WWII. Kovaly’s accounts of how communism impacted Czechoslovakia are fascinating because they are accounts of a woman who was skeptical, but also seemed hopeful for communism’s success. Kovaly was not entirely pro-communism, nor was she entirely anti-communism during the Party’s takeover. By telling her accounts of being trapped in the Lodz Ghetto and the torture she faced in Auschwitz, Kovaly displays her terror experienced with a fascist regime and her need for change. Kovaly said that the people of Czechoslovakia welcomed communism because it provided them with the chance to make up for the passivity they had let occur during the German occupation. Communism’s appeal to
“The only motive that there was was to completely control a person… and keep them with me as long as possible, even if it meant just keeping a part of them.” Using this statement, Jeffrey Dahmer offers his insight about what made him the cruel, demented being people have known him to be for the last 25 years. Many questions still remain, however. How do we, in society, define the term “monster”? What makes a monster? What shapes our perceptions of monsters, and how do these perceptions change over time? Several centuries passed between the time of Grendel from the epic poem, Beowulf, and the Milwaukee Monster, Jeffrey Dahmer, for instance. Grendel is a creation of the Anglo-Saxons, whose culture
Across different works like Virgil’s Aeneid and Aeschylus’ Eumenides, In these representations of monsters, the initial relationship between gods and monsters is simple: all monsters derived from the gods. However, as soon as distinguishing features set the monsters apart, they prove Clay’s point that monsters are seen as threats who need to be contained and whose powers need to be exploited by the gods. The close reading of both texts reveal the relationship between gods and monsters along with the power structures between
times we have been fascinated with all sorts of tales about monsters and intrigued by myths and
...ces and the reactions he chose to have. The book serves as a moral, if the monster had been given proper attention and guidance he could have been accepted and become ‘good’ but since society chose to outcast him and treat him cruelly, he mimicked those behaviors and likewise in turn treated humanity with cruelty. The development of the monster was extensive in the emotional, psychological and intellectual areas, the dualism of his personality gives him a double-identity which leaves us to question whether he truly became like Adam or Satan.
Kaiser, David E. Politics and War: European Conflict from Philip II to Hitler. Cambridge, Mass: Harvard University Press, 1990. Print.
The second World War was a consequence of one man and his idealistic dream. Adolf Hitler strove to further the "Aryan" race at the expense of other people and cultures. However, for such an idealistic man, Hitler was fairly unoriginal. He borrowed the swastika, the main symbol used in the war to indicate Nazi rule, from ancient civilizations. Hitler also borrowed mythology from other cultures to promote his ideas.
Bruce, Iris. "Elements of Jewish Folklore in Kafka's Metamorphosis." The Metamorphosis: Translation, Backgrounds and Contexts, Criticism. New York: W.W. Norton, 1996. 107-25. Print.
‘Dracula’ is a novel that probes deeply into people’s superstitions, fears and beliefs of the supernatural. The creature Dracula is an evil being with no concern for others, he kills for his own ends and cannot be stopped, and this is what makes ‘Dracula’ truly frightening.
One of the most interesting qualities of Greek mythology is probably the depiction of monsters in the myths. However, these monsters are not all unique. In fact, they all fall into very distinct categories, making them almost the same. Most monsters in Greek mythology look and act in the same ways. Several monsters from these myths look the same in that they have very similar qualities such as being large, snake or human like. However, they are also very alike in that they behave in very similar ways, from guarding something or roaming freely and causing chaos. Generally, the monsters in Greek mythology follow this outline and are depicted in a way to show these qualities.
The Holocaust was a time period in history that is very important to learn about. We learn about it for many reasons, but I think the most important reason is to learn not to discriminate against other people. Not only is it very important to learn about the Holocaust, but it's also important to learn about Hitler's rise to power and how he came to make his decision of the discrimination affiliated with the Holocaust. The events and outcome of World War II and Anne Frank are very important topics, too. These topics are all factors that are associated with the overall events of the Holocaust and all back up the reason as to why we study the Holocaust.
The creature’s embodiment of the non-European, the outcast, the alien and the other stems from the incompleteness of the monster ability to engage in cretin perceptions of the world he was brought in. Unlike the Europeans, the monster was brought to life with no concept of value, or cultural norms. T...
Goldhagen, Daniel Jonah. Hitler's Willing Executioners: Ordinary Germans and the Holocaust. New York: Vintage, 1997. Print.
Jeffery Cohen's first thesis states “the monster's body is a cultural body”. Monsters give meaning to culture. A monsters characteristics come from a culture's most deep-seated fears and fantasies. Monsters are metaphors and pure representative allegories. What a society chooses to make monstrous says a lot about that society’s people. Monsters help us express and find our darkest places, deepest fears, or creepiest thoughts. Monsters that scare us,vampires, zombies, witches, help us cope with what we dread most in life. Fear of the monstrous has brought communities and cultures together. Society is made up of different beliefs, ideas, and cultural actions. Within society there are always outcasts, people that do not fit into the norm or do not follow the status quo. Those people that do not fit in become monsters that are feared almost unanimously by the people who stick to the status quo.
He is described as a monster, demon, and a fiend. Grendel has swift, hard claws, and enormous teeth that snatch the life out of his victims, which are numerous. This “shadow of death” not only kills; he drinks the blood of his prey. His forefather, Cain, was also known for this fiendish act. Just as Grendel is an outcast, so Cain was cast out of the Garden of Eden. To the Anglo-Saxons, the worst crime a person could commit was the crime of fratricide, the killing of one’s own brother. Their society and culture was structured around themes of brotherhood and kinship. The mead Hall, Herot, was a symbol of peace. It was a place where warriors gathered in a spirit of brotherhood and harmony to celebrate. Grendel was jealous and enraged by the festivities and the sound of laughter that he kept hearing while he was alone in his mere.