Every rock represents someone that was alive because of Schindler and his list... and his compassion.In times of desolation and in times of despair some people stand up and fight for what is right. It's not something commonly done, for fear of what the consequences might be, and it is never something left ignored. What I mean to say is that acts of kindness and compassion never go unnoticed. Especially during WWII and the Nazi occupation. To stand up to this evil higher power can, and probably did mean, certain death. To stand up for what was right, even if you were standing alone, meant that the probability of survival for yourself has gone way down and it is the most basic of human natures to strive towards survival. It takes a great deal of courage to ignore your own nature of survival in order to protect someone else's.
In Good Evening Mr. Wallenberg, we see the perfect example of a man that has to choose between morality and certain job and social obligations. We see a man that, even though the moment and fear dictated that not impede in the Nazi movement (as a a Swedish, and therefore neutral, Diplomat) and limit his involvement with the Jewish people, he went a completely different way from what was expected of him.
Wallenberg definitely went through a huge risk in order to save the Hungarian Jews from an imminent death. I was incredibly surprised when he stopped and boarded a train already packed with people and demanded their release while SS guards were watching only a few feet away. It surprised me to see the emotion of this movie, how Wallenberg, even having so much to lose, did not sto fighting for the Jewish people and got them passports to be able to get out of Hungary safely.
It was interesting watching Schindler's List again. I watched it once in highschool and thought it so incredibly raw that I haven't watched it since, not until now. I can never get over my original feelings for Schindler and how careful he had to be to keep his facade going. How he had to pinpoint times where he had to be a bit harsher to the Jewish people he brought to his camp so that the Nazis didn't take them away from him. I've always thought about how the Jewish people, even though they obviously would like to be back to the better days with their families and friends intact, understood what Schindler was doing for them. It's why my favorite part of the movie (if you had to choose a favorite part) is the end, when the children (now adults) get together after Schindler dies and go to his grave. They understood what he did, even if they didn't understand why he did it.
Schindler and Wallenberg were two of many. Their stories were remembered and told because they were great deeds of compassion and humanity. But we have to remember that there were people who did smaller things, shared bread with their Jewish brothers and sisters, sheltered one of them from the Nazis. There are many Jewish people who survived the Holocaust because of small acts, small things that other people did that in the life of that survivor, was the act that saved their lives.
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ReplyDelete"To stand up to this evil higher power can, and probably did mean, certain death. To stand up for what was right, even if you were standing alone, meant that the probability of survival for yourself has gone way down and it is the most basic of human natures to strive towards survival. It takes a great deal of courage to ignore your own nature of survival in order to protect someone else's."
ReplyDeleteThis is an important part of your blog to address. It rings 100% true which is what separates heroes, like Schindler and Wallenberg, from the rest. Most people were too scared of death and being punished than doing what was right. No one can possibly know what they would do in a situation like this until they were in it. As much I say I would die for honor, there is no way of knowing how I would react in a situation like this. It was easier for Schindler and Wallenberg to make a difference since they were not in concentration camps, however, doing what they did put them at risk of punishment and death. This did not stop them and what made them go down in history as heroes. They decided their survival did not matter as much as saving these people from wrong doings. I am sure that they did not think about this everyday that they could die, but it definitely crossed their minds at some point the possible consequences. They went against nature because what was going on was too unspeakable to live with. That was the key to their decisions.
Okay, I will give you credit for this.
ReplyDeleteYou are very correct in saying that to stand up to the horrible evil, mean you would more than likely die for it. Mr. Wallenberg was only one man, how could one man make a difference against thousands? He did he made a great difference, his bravery and determination took him there to stand up. He knew that death was to become of him for doing this heroic action. This did not matter to him at all though. Seeing him in the homes of the Jews (his safe homes in which he created), was remarkable for this era. Mr. Wallenberg fought for his cause all the way to the end for many of whom he did not even know. What he did know is that they were dying for no reason except their beliefs. Schindler I did not think was going to be as heroic to me as Wallenberg at first. However, as you mention to see him too have to keep face to save these individuals was unbelievable. Both men are heroes in my eyes, which fought for what they believed in despite the consequences.
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