Analysis Of Nicholas Kristof's Article 'Anne Frank Today Is A Syrian Girl'

1023 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Importance of history knowledge

A year ago I was in a class discussing the Syrian refugee issue. The popular opinion of the class was that we felt like someone needed to save them, however we were scared that if the United States let them in, terrorists would be able to sneak in pretending to be refugees. In Nicholas Kristof’s article, Anne Frank Today is a Syrian Girl, Kristof makes the connection of the American fear of accepting Syrian refugees and the American fear of letting the Jewish refugees in. He explains, “Jews were widely seen as potential Communists or even Nazis. There were widespread fears that Germany would infiltrate the U.S. with spies and saboteurs under the cover that they were Jewish refugees.” This fear America has had in the past directly parallels to the fear of letting Syrians in today. Kristoff’s entire article was a reflection on how the Syrian issue echos the Holocaust. He creates parallels with the American reluctance to help an innocent group of people from being murdered by terrorists and the American reluctance to help Jews from their inevitable inhumane treatment and deaths. Kristoff believes we should see the Holocaust as an example of what happens when we do not take action in times like these. If we do not use the Holocaust as a mold of what could happen, history will repeat itself. James …show more content…

For example, very few people in my generation know about the Rwandan Genocide, and if they do, they know few to no details. It has not been relevant in our lifetime because it happened before we were born or able to communicate and it is not discussed today. The Holocaust stays relevant and in discussion today because of how much people tend to compare and contrast the Holocaust with other events and people, such as the Syrian refugee issue or Donald Trump. If we did not do this, the Holocaust would be known just as well as the Rwandan Genocide within a few

Show More
Related

  • Did the US Do Enough During the Holocaust?

    1889 Words  | 4 Pages

    Through out history there’s a ground breaking event that forces society to reform its beliefs. The Holocaust was one of these events, refugees were persecuted in a number of ways and society had a choice to help, become isolated, or to confirm any persecution as ok or right. In every choice our society has depicted that there's a right and a wrong decision to everything; it was wrong for U.S legislation to not give their best efforts to help refugees of the Holocaust it lead to future prejudices and the suffering of millions.

    Read More

  • Importance of Teaching Genocides in Schools

    1006 Words  | 3 Pages

    Chris Bohjalian once said, “But history does matter. There is a line connecting the Armenians and the Jews and the Cambodians and the Bosnians and the Rwandans. There are obviously more, but, really, how much Genocide can one sentence handle?” and Elie Wiesel says, “To forget a Holocaust is to kill twice.” There is a connection between every genocide, but how much can one sentence actually handle? This is just a repeating thing that keeps on happening and it has gotten to the point where it is not getting any better. If we stop teaching about the Holocaust, it is to kill twice because there will always be that one person who can actually make a huge difference and make good and peace in the world. However, there will always be that one person that has no care for the world and wants to discriminate one race, gender, or religion for no reason, or even because of stereotypes. We should continue teaching about the Holocaust and

    Read More

  • The Holocaust And The Holocaust

    653 Words  | 2 Pages

    So why do we study the Holocaust? Is it to know of Adolf Hitler's madness or know about a large part of World War II? I believe it is to know how to recognize and stop something like the Holocaust from ever happening again. It is like Edmund Burke said, "All tyrany needs to gain a foothold is for people of good conscience to remain silent." The Holocaust gained it's foodhold because we didn't know what was happening so we remained silent. A lot of the suffering and pain could've been prevented if we had simply realized what was going on. Another one of Edmund's quotes is that, "Those who don't know history are destined to repeat it." That is why we must learn and know about the Holocaust so that we do not repeat our mistakes of the past.

    Read More

  • Diary Of Anne Frank Analysis

    571 Words  | 2 Pages

    Imagine what it would have been like to be cooped up in an attic during the Holocaust,with only very little space eight people in one little attic. For the Franks and the Van Danns it was eight people and a cat for most the time. With no one to talk to they have to keep everything in, unless they write it. In “The Diary of Anne Frank” the two families live this way. Anne and Peter were two of the characters who experienced this. Anne is a teenage girl who has a sister and lives during the Holocaust. Anne also had a lot of friends so she was popular; she loved to read and write in her journal. She was very loud and obnoxious. In Act one Scene two ,Peter says “I was always by myself, while you were in a big crowd of people.” This shows that Anne was very popular and is used to people; while Peter was not used to as much attention and people. Then in Act one Scene three, Mr.Van Dann says, “ Why can’t you be more like your sister Margot?” This proves that the Van Danns like Margot more than they like Anne ; it also proves they think Anne is obnoxious.

    Read More

  • Adolf Hitler and The Holocaust: Why Do We Study the Holocaust?

    695 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the end, the real main question is why. Why do we study the Holocaust? We study it for so many reasons. We study it so we remember all the tragic events, from the murdering of the Jews to the liberation of death camps. Also this defineing moment in history lets us see how rasicim effected everything. Not only in Germany with the Nuremberg Laws, but here as well with the Jim Crow Laws. WWII did help us out of The Great Depression though. But the most important reason as to why we study this is so we know the signs, so it will never happen again. No one should ever want this to repeat. It was tragic all around. Thats why kids world wide will alwats study about the Holocaust.

    Read More

  • Lasting Effects of the Holocaust

    1179 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Holocaust was a very impressionable period of time. It not only got media attention during that time, but movies, books, websites, and other forms of media still remember the Holocaust. In Richard Brietman’s article, “Lasting Effects of the Holocaust,” he reviews two books and one movie that were created to reflect the Holocaust (BREITMAN 11). He notes that the two books are very realistic and give historical facts and references to display the evils that were happening in concentration camps during the Holocaust. This shows that the atrocities that were committed during the Holocaust have not been forgotten. Through historical writings and records, the harshness and evil that created the Holocaust will live through centuries, so that it may not be repeated again (BREITMAN 14).

    Read More

  • How Do We Remember the Holocaust Today?

    1209 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Holocaust is considered the largest genocide of our entire world, killing more than 600,000,000 Jewish people during the years of 1933-1945. The memories and history that have filled our lives that occurred during the Holocaust are constantly remembered around the world. Many populations today “think” that constant reminders allow for us to become informed and help diminish the hatred for other races still today. These scholars believe that by remembering the Holocaust, you are able to become knowledgeable and learn how to help prevent this from happening again. Since the Holocaust in a sense impacted the entire human race and history of the world, there are traces of the Holocaust all across our culture today. As I continue to remember the victims of this tragic time period I think of all the ways that our world remembers the Holocaust in today’s society. Through spreading the word, works of media and memorials across the world, I am continually reminded of the tragedy that occurred.

    Read More

  • Holocaust Bystanders Essay

    1188 Words  | 3 Pages

    When individuals think about the Holocaust, most place the responsibility of the terrible events on the perpetrators. However, bystanders played one of the largest roles in the Holocaust (Evans, Carrell) simply by staying safe for way too long (Florida Center) and the world wants to make sure it never happens again (Shriver Jr., Donald W).

    Read More

  • Informative Essay On The Holocaust

    403 Words  | 1 Pages

    For many years, people time and time again denied the happenings of the Holocaust or partially understood what was happening. Even in today’s world, when one hears the word ‘Holocaust’, they immediately picture the Nazi’s persecution upon millions of innocent Jews, but this is not entirely correct. This is because Jews

    Read More

  • Female Holocaust Experiences

    2263 Words  | 5 Pages

    Levi, Neil, and Michael Rothberg. The Holocaust: Theoretical Readings. New Brunswick, N.J.: Rutgers University Press, 2003. Print.

    Read More

  • The Night of Brocken Glass and The Krystal Naught

    677 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Holocaust is one of the most learned about events in history. The question is, why do we learn about it? We choose to keep the horrors of the Holocaust fresh in our minds and the minds of our children to keep it from ever happening again. The United Nations was formed to keep another World War from happening. We study the Holocaust so that we can identify the early stages of genocide and stop it before it starts. We put so much effort studying history to keep it from repeating itself.

    Read More

  • Never Forget The Holocaust

    1080 Words  | 3 Pages

    The holocaust is a incredibly difficult for some people to discuss with others depending on their extent of connection to the event. It is believed to be the worst genocide known to man by many people. This explains discomfort many people experience when discussing the subject. People debate if the absolutely horrific events of World War II will be forgotten as generations pass. Survivors have many different ways of never forgetting the events that happened to them. Some people feel that it is better to completely wipe these events from memory because they do not want to remember what happened to them, while others want to tell all of society of tragic events hoping to prevent similar events from occurring in the future. Many people debate which method is best to never

    Read More

  • Argumentative Essay About Syrian Refugees

    747 Words  | 2 Pages

    While Syrian refugees are often labeled as terrorists, they are actually the opposite. Through research, - Lauren Gambino, Patrick Kingsley, and Alberto Nardelli - three writers from an English Newspaper, “The Guardian”, have found interesting results. They admit, “Syrian refugees are generally afraid of exactly the same thing that Americans are: Islamist terrorism” (Gambino 3). Considering that the Syrians are seeking an escape from the same exact thing that Americans are, why have they not been accepted into America? Like many of the 70,000 refugees who are accepted into the United States every year, Syrian refugees search for shelter from wars and hope of a prosperous future (Welsh 1). Teresa Welsh, a writer for the “U.S. News and World Report”, describes in her article “Why the U.S. Can’t Resettle Syrian Refugees” that “the U.S. should be doing more to help resettle those fleeing conflict and repressive governments in the Middle East and Asia” (Welsh 1). The Syrians desire escape from a repressive government with no chance of rebuilding a better future; therefore, they seek support from outside countries, like the United States and other European

    Read More

  • Analysis Of The Diary Of A Young Girl By Anne Frank

    825 Words  | 2 Pages

    I. Introduction The autobiography book, “The Diary of a Young Girl”, is a collection of Dutch diary entries authored by Anne Frank, a 13-year-old Jewish girl who lived through the atrocities of the Anti-Semitist German Nazi Regime. Beginning on June 14, 1942, the diary, which Anne named “Kitty”, vividly depicts fear-filled stories of the Franks and other Jews in evading racial annihilation. Besides the stories of war, the world-renowned personal account narrates a teenage girl’s blossoming and her search for identity, love, and acceptance. The entries end abruptly on August 1, 1944, signifying the Gestapo’s capture of the Frank family and all the other residents of the Secret Annexe, but despite the impermanence of Anne’s life, her legacy endures in her 70-year-old memoir which immortalizes the horrors of the humanity-crushing war and violence in the minds of mankind and how it was perceived through the eyes of the juveniles.

    Read More

  • Essay About Refugee Crisis

    2200 Words  | 5 Pages

    Since 2011, Syrian refugees have been fleeing their country and looking for safety in places like Turkey. There is a great global debate on the solution to this refugee crisis involving as many as 20 independent countries plus the European Union. The United States is caught in a debate of its own on whether to take in Syrian refugees because of a conflict of domestic safety and global humanitarian obligation. By analyzing the historical background of the United States regarding Jewish, Hungarian, and Cuban refugees, there are distinct similarities and differences between the political decisions, domestic response, and overall effectiveness of refugee policy compared to the current Syrian Refugee

    Read More

More about Analysis Of Nicholas Kristof's Article 'Anne Frank Today Is A Syrian Girl'

Open Document