1. Introduction
Oskar Schindler was a hero of his time, negotiating the lives of countless Jews, and defying the raging machine that was the Nazi party. He used tools that the Nazi 's used: deceit, black market trading, and bribery, however he utilized these to work within the party to save Jews. Though no one knows his exact motives, that doesn 't change the fact that he performed an enormous good for a race of people. Oskar Schindler was an exististential hero because he faced alienation, displayed courage, and rose above the absurdity despite the changing of his concrete situation.
2. Alienation
Due to his actions, Oskar Schindler risked alienation by his peers. Born German, he was raised in a Catholic household. However, this did
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They have willingly chosen to reason falsely against the Jews, in order for them to appear impentrable (Anti Semite and Jew, p. 18). They chose to blame the Jews for all of their troubles, and to hate them faithfully, devaluing both words and reason (p. 19). They chose to appear more powerful to the rest of the world by intimidation, not by sound argument (p. 20). To the Nazi 's, the Jews were the lowest rung of the social ladder. Regardless of the how poor or powerless a man was, he could at least turn his head to the Jews as being lower than he was.They wished to keep things the way they were, longing for that nostalgia of the Aryan race 's superiority. They saw the mass killing of Jews as the justification for their existence (p. 51), and fled their responsibilities as humans. They wish to be impervious to reason and experience, and to be terrifiyingly convicted in their actions (p. 20). The Nazi party was closed to all doubt in their minds that they were in the wrong, and their people were coherced into being part of the crowd, part of the hive mind against the …show more content…
Schindler before had a concrete situation, filled with sin, money, and "exploits with women [that] was the stuff of barroom legend" (Jewish Virtual Library). The situation changed with the occupation of Hitler and the Nazi party. This man highlighted by greed and lust changed in his situation to a hero, defining his existence (Sartre). The anti-semitic behavior of the Nazi 's, characterized by hate and devoid of reason, was the change that occured in Schindler 's situation (Anti-Semite and Jew p. 19). Even though his concrete situation changed around him, Schindler went above it and defined himself as a
Simon Wiesenthal: The Nazi Hunter. There are many heroic individuals in history that have shown greatness during a time of suffering, as well as remorse when greatness is needed, but one individual stood out to me above them all. He served as a hero among all he knew and all who knew him. This individual, Simon Wiesenthal, deserves praise for his dedication to his heroic work tracking and prosecuting Nazi war criminals that caused thousands of Jews, Gypsies, Poles and other victims of the Holocaust to suffer and perish. The Life of a Holocaust Victim The effect the Holocaust had on Wiesenthal played a major role in the person he made himself to be.
In the height of the war, Oskar Schindler recognized that he could use his power and prestige to do more good by saving people’s lives rather than just by making money. As the persecution of the Jews increased, Schindler felt compelled to save lives by hiring the Jewish people to work for him in his factory. If a Jewish person was not considered skilled or useful, they were in danger of being sent off to death camps. Oskar Schindler would hire many Jews (skilled or unskilled) to prevent them from being sent to their death. Not only did he employ them, he also housed...
Oskar Schindler was a German spy in the Nazi Party.He was also a very wealthy businessman who owned a war goods manufacturing factory in the World War II era. Schindler managed to employ 1,200 Jews in his factory in an effort to save them. While Schindler did this, a new concentration camp opened up near him that was run by the notorious Amon Goth. Schindler cultivated a relationship with Goth, so whenever Goth would try to take the Jews to his camp, Schindler would bribe him with black market goods. Later on in the war the camp was forced to shut down due to the advance of the Allies. Schindler got word that all of his Jewish workers would be shipped to Auschwitz with the other Jews. Schindler, upset by this, decided to build a new factory
It is often said that nothing brings people together like a common enemy, and the Nazi’s knew this. The Jew and the communist would become this collective punching bag. The Nazi’s were convinced of an international conspiracy to “exterminate— that is, to kill— all the German people.” The Jews were
Oskar Schindler accomplished many things within his life, such as saving the Jews, being a German spy, and helping the economy. His accomplishments have benefited those throughout his life. Although his kindness for his fellow man ran deep, so did his greed for boosting his own personal status within the community. There are still those today that believe that Oskar Schindler only saved the Jews for his own personal gain, but there are also those that believe that he did it out of kindness. Whether he did it out of good morale or simply for his own greed, Oskar Schindler 's many accomplishments have impacted plenty of lives.
Oskar Schindler was a German Industrialist and a previous member of the Nazi Party (Oskar Schindler (1908-1974) ). Schindler had many jobs, including working in his father’s machinery business, opening a driving school, selling government property, and serving in the Czechoslovak army (Oskar Schindler). At first, Oskar was motivated by money and he did not care if the way he got that money was unfair or illegal, but then his mindset changed when he noticed all of the victims from the Holocaust (Oskar Schindler (1908-1974) ). He then changed his goal from making as much money as possible to saving as many Jews as he could from Plaszow and Auschwitz (Oskar
After the Great Depression and World War I, Germany was left in a fragile state. The economy was ruined, many people were unemployed and all hope was lost. The Nazis believed it wasn’t their own fault for the mess, but those who were inferior to the German people. These Nazi beliefs lead to and result in cruelty and suffering for the Jewish people. The Nazis wanted to purify Germany and put an end to all the inferior races, including Jews, because they considered them a race.
Oskar Schindler, a German middle-classed officer who worked for the Nazi, saved the lives of 1,200 Jews during the Holocaust. He
Within the experts of Schindler's List and add At the Heart of the White Rose; Letters and Diaries of Hans Sophie Scholl, both experts demonstrate courage and the ability to be an upstanding are by standing up for the Jewish racing and defying Nazi commands. To begin with, Schindler was the ideal Aryan, to avoid military service he joined the German intelligence and traveled to Poland following the invasion. In 1939 Schindler acquired a contract for supplying kitchenware to the military and opened a manufacturing plant in cracow. He moved his shoe is labors to a remote and safe location away from enemy lines and treated them well until the war was over. The narrator states, “At his own expense he provided did his Jewish employees with the life suspicion diet, unlike the starvation-level rations mandated by the Nazis” (2).
The movie “Schindler’s list” is a compelling, real-life depiction of the events that occurred during the 1940’s. It illustrates the persecution and horrific killings of the Jewish people. It also exemplifies the hope and will of the Jewish people, which undoubtedly is a factor in the survival of their race. The most important factor however is because of the willingness of one man, Oskar Schindler, to stand out and make a difference.
" The businessman, Oskar Schindler, demonstrated a powerful example of a man who was moved emotionally to step in and take action to save the lives of the Jewish people. His bravery still commands great respect today. His role shows the great significance of speaking up against injustice and choosing not to be silent.
“All propaganda has to be popular and has to accommodate itself to the comprehension of the least intelligent of those whom it seeks to reach,” Adolf Hitler (The National World War Museum). The German Nazi dictator utilized his power over the people using propaganda, eventually creating a sense of hatred towards Jews. After World War 1, the punishments of the League of Nations caused Germany to suffer. The Nazi party came to blame the Jews in order to have a nationwide “scapegoat”. This hatred and prejudice towards Jews is known as anti-semitism.
[War] brings out the worst in people. Never the good, always the bad. Even in the midst the devastation of a national genocide, where one race turned against another in hate, good people existed and worked to counteract the hate through love and compassion. Oskar Schindler was one of these people. World War II provided him the means to become a very wealthy and powerful man, yet he did not exploit the Jews like many other businessmen during his time. He used his money and power to save thousands. Much can be learned from what happened during the holocaust and what Schindler did to save thousands of Jews.
Thomas Keneally’s Schindler’s List is the historical account of Oskar Schindler and his heroic actions in the midst of the horrors of World War II Poland. Schindler’s List recounts the life of Oskar Schindler, and how he comes to Poland in search of material wealth but leaves having saved the lives of over 1100 Jews who would most certainly have perished. The novel focuses on how Schindler comes to the realization that concentration and forced labor camps are wrong, and that many people were dying through no fault of their own. This realization did not occur overnight, but gradually came to be as the business man in Oskar Schindler turned into the savior of the Jews that had brought him so much wealth. Schindler’s List is not just a biography of Oskar Schindler, but it is the story of how good can overcome evil and how charity can overcome greed.
During the occupation of the Krakow Ghetto, Jews were being separated into “essential” and “non-essential” categories. Individuals selected for the “non-essential” category were to be shipped off to concentration camps. Originally completed by a Jewish accountant recruited by Schindler, “non-essential” workers were being designated as “essential” workers for Schindler’s business. Realizing he was unknowingly hiring unfit employees, Schindler berated the accountant for devising the plan and jeopardizing his profits. This incident is where Schindler is faced with his first ethical dilemma; by taking away the employment of unfit individuals, he is sentencing them to certain death, but if he allows them to remain, he is endangering future profits. By allowing the unqualified employees to stay, viewers can see a shift in his inner workings, and also a light is shown on his humanity. Furthermore, his reputation for forgiveness and mercy begins to bud, as does his slow separation from Nazi Party