Group Reader Response LC#1: Dialectical Journal Practice

1. Critical Stance

         After all the decrees from the German soldiers, the Jews were always looking on the bright side of things. They had to abide by the commands of the German soldiers or risk their lives. As all of these hectic events were happening, they always had faith in God that this was how its supposed to be. As each decree started, the Jews saw the good side, but only up to the part before deportation.

2. Dialectical Journal Entries

- Page 18: "'We must keep going, we must keep going.' she kept on repeating."
I think this quote really captures how the Jews were when they were being invaded. They didn't lose sight of the good things in life. They always thought that this was all a part in God's plan so they kept on pushing through.

- Page 30: "'Humanity? humanity is not concerned with us. Today anything is allowed. Anything is possible, even these crematories...'"
This quote shows how bad it must have been for the Jews at the time. They were once so full of hope that things would get better, but as it got worse, thats all they expected. They truly lost all hope in humanity.

- Page 32: "Never shall I forget those flames that consumed my faith forever."
Eliezer, in the beginning was full of life, but when he gets to the camps, he is afraid of what comes next. He doesn't believe in the good of things anymore which is why this quote represents that.

- Page 34: "I glanced at my father. How he had changed! His eyes had grown dim. I would have liked to speak to him, but I did not know what to say."
In the beginning of the book, Eliezer talks about how his father was the opposite of the quote. You can see how its draining the Jews of who they were. All the beatings and labor has taken away the life of the person.

- Page 35: "Surely it was a dream."
This quote shows how unreal it must of seemed. From being at home to concentration camps in a matter of weeks or days, it must have felt like it was a dream. They went from living their lives how they wanted to being scared to say one word. It's a horrid process.