Euphemism In The Holocaust

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The warm blood trickled down his chin. It was the first warmth he’d felt in a while. The warmth fell to his hand and he looked at it through his swollen eyes. It was almost brown instead of red because of the dirt on his face. He had finally grown accustomed to the pain he’d endured for so long… In Germany, the Nazi Party, led by Adolf Hitler tried to establish the German “Master Race” or Aryans, and rid the world of minorities including Jews, Gypsies, the physically and mentally disabled and political opponents with the ultimate goal to conquer the world. When Hitler rose to power in 1933, the Nazis started ripping Jews from their homes and throwing them in concentration camps. With Hitler ruling Germany, the Nazi’s invaded Czechoslovakia, …show more content…

When Bruno moves to Auschwitz, he has a conversation with his sister about the place they are at. He doesn’t know how to pronounce Auschwitz, so he says Out-With. While he and his sister try to make sense of it all, he asks, “‘So we’re here at Out-With because someone said out with the people before us?’”(25) The author shows that Bruno is innocent by having him speak euphemistically of Auschwitz. The people who think Auschwitz is acceptable might be in the wrong and Bruno might be the only one right because he cannot even pronounce that which is wrong in the first place. Bruno’s father, or Commandant, is a Nazi with high authority. This causes him and his family to talk about Adolf Hitler, the Fuhrer, frequently. When Bruno’s dad says “Fuhrer”, Bruno hears him incorrectly. (attribution), “‘Who’s the Fury?’ asked Bruno. ‘You’re pronouncing it wrong,’ said Father, pronouncing it correctly for him.”(117) Bruno cannot pronounce Fuhrer and in return, calls Hitler “the Fury”. The word “fury” reflects Hitler’s relentless and uncontrollable anger towards the world. As the story progresses, Bruno has a chat with his father. At the end of the conversation, Bruno’s father expects Bruno to salute him. Since Bruno doesn’t think anything is wrong with it, he salutes his father, “‘Heil Hitler,’ he said, which he presumed, was another way of saying, ‘Well, goodbye for now, have a pleasant afternoon.’”(54) Bruno thinks euphemistically of this as well. He assumes …show more content…

When Bruno moved to Auschwitz he was completely oblivious to the Holocaust. When he met Shmuel, he became slightly more aware, but couldn’t comprehend what it all meant. It is ironic that his innocence sheltered him from the traumatizing truth of the Holocaust, but it is what killed him in the

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