This Blog is a resource tool for the students taking the "FACING HISTORY AND OURSELVES" elective at Westborough High School, Westborough, Massachusetts.
Thursday, December 20, 2012
PERIOD 6 - SOPHIE'S CHOICE
What would you have done if you had been in Sophie's shoes and why? Please do not comment on anyone else's post.
25 comments:
David Morency
said...
Sophie had a very hard choice to make. The guard was only giving her two choices, both that would cause immense pain to her. I think that if I had to make that choice I would give both the children up. Just keeping one would haunt me for the rest of my life, and looking at the son/daughter i chose to keep would be a reminder of what decision i had to make. Also there is a big chance that even after i give up one child, and get the other that, I'd be in another situation in which ill have to give up my other child. I would give up both and find a way to kill myself most likely.
Honestly, I do not think I would have been able to make this tough decision. This is pretty much choosing your favorite child. If I were a parent that would be impossible to do. If I were to do something it would have most likely been punching the soldier in the face. I would rather be shot by another soldier, but at least I would have shown that soldier what I thought of him. I mean this just shows how cruel the Nazis really were. But that is what I say I would do but if it was back in the 1940s I honestly have no clue what-so-ever of what I would do.
I honestly don't know how I would react in such a situation. Knowing the brutality of the Nazis, picking one child to "save" would not necessarily guarantee their safety. That being said, I would most likely choose to "save" the son, as he is a male, so he has a stronger chance to be spared and utilized as a worker. The Nazis might sexually abuse the daughter, or even kill her if she is weak. I still can't even imagine having to choose and force one child to live alone in such a hostile place or possibly even be killed alone. Thinking that way, I almost think it's better to save neither of the children. At least that way they will either die or suffer together, rather than alone.
It is hard to say what I would have done in her shoes. I am not a parent, and as such I can not hope to understand the bond she would have had with each of her children. From a very methodical and detached standpoint, I would say that I would have chosen the young girl to live. This is because she, as opposed to the boy, would have the better chance of not remembering these events so vividly, and could potentially live a normal life again. While that is unlikely and assuming she survives, there would be a better chance. However, again, I could not possibly claim to understand how she felt in that situation.
If I were in Sophie's shoes it would be a tough decision to make but when it comes down to it I would have chosen to save the son. The Nazis were known to separate the men from the women and then send the men off to work while they almost immediately killed the women. So looking at it like that, the son would definitely have a better chance of living than the daughter would because the Nazis could see that the boy was useful and put him to work instead of killing him which they probably would have done to the girl. And if the boy was lucky he could still be working by the time the camps got liberated and be freed, so I think I would have chosen the boy because of his better chance of survival.
If I was in Sophies shoes I honestly would not know how to react, and would probably do the same thing she did. I wouldnt be able to chose between two I loved, I would rather give my own life in that situation. But since that wasnt an option and she was forced to choose between the two or lose both, I would have to chose the girl. Because of the fact she would be able to stay in the same area as I unlike the boy because it would be separated by gender and that way I would be able to stay with her part of time that we were at the camp. But I would not know exactly what I would do being put under all of that stress and flood of emotions. It would have to be the hardest decision I would ever have to make because one child would be forced to think my mom sent me to be killed and kept my brother/sister. I wouldnt be able to live with that guilt and everything placed on my shoulders because I was forced to make a decision on saving one of my children's lives.
The choice Sophie had to make was so tough and I don't think I wouldv'e been able to choose if I were in her shoes. However, I think her son had a better chance of survival if she did choose him, so that's what I would've done also. The Nazis were known to sexually abuse the women and girls so I wouldn't want my daughter to go through that. As bad as it sounds choosing one child over another, I would have chosen the son just because I wouldn't want my daughter to go through or witness even more terrible situations.
This clip we watched was so incredibly horrendous and sad. I honestly have absolutely no idea what I would have done, if I were in Sophie's shoes; telling them to kill me instead or trying to get both the children wouldn't have been an option. I don't think I would be able to choose one child over the other, because I would not be able to live with the guilt of sending one of my children off to die, and having them think that I love them less. I think that having one of them killed is almost just as bad as having both of them killed, because this means that I didn't love my child enough or equally to do anything to save them both.
I dont think anyone could have made the decision Sophie had to make at that moment. But as I take time to put a lot of thought into what I would do in her situation I can only think that I would've broken down like her and let them take both children. I then may have tried to find a way to kill my own self, instead of living with such guilt and horrid memories for the rest of my life.
To be honest, I'm not sure what decision I would make when put into Sophie's place; but upon contemplation, I think I would choose to save the son. I would truly feel awful while trying to decide, but I feel that if you’ve been given the option to save one of your children, you should take advantage of that. I think the son would have a better chance of survival; he was older which means he was stronger, and being a male, he could be given the chance to work in one of the camps. I know that for the rest of my life I would feel incredible guilt over the fact that I had to sacrifice one of my children, but I would hope that they could maybe possibly understand the decision that had to be made. A situation like this is almost unfathomable, and I would like to say that this would be the way I would act during that situation when in reality; we may never know the way we would honestly respond.
I can't imagine being in Sophie's situation. Having to chose which of your children will most likely be killed would be an impossible to make. If I was Sophie though, I would have chosen to save my son. Since the Nazis were more likely to spare the men for work, the boy would have had a better chance to survive. That being said, I probably wouldn't be able to think rationally with that kind of pressure on me.
Sophie's choice was unbelievably difficult and I think that many people would have done the same thing that she did, not make a decision. The guilt that the person would have would be tremendous. I think that if forced into this situation, I would have to choose whichever child was more independent because they could have a chance of survival.
If I was in Sophie's shoes, and the only options were to either send both children or one, I would choose to send the little girl. Each option really sucks either way but at least with this one, one of the kids would get a fighting chance. I think the boy would have a better chance of surviving because he's older and most women are killed right away. Obviously this type of decision would seriously mess someone up, but as a parent I think it's their responsibility to fight for their children; and in turn to carry the burden of sending your kid off to die.
Out of context, I wouldn't have been about to make the choice that Sophie had to make. If I were the father, I think it would depend on the kids' chances of survival. My instinct says that since more men were saved for work than women, I would have saved my son's life in hopes that he could work until the camps were liberated. If his sister was stronger than him, though, I would have saved my daughter.
It's difficult to say exactly what I would have done in this situation. Thinking about it now, If I had been in Sophie's shoes in a situation where I could only save one of my children, I would first attempt to save both of them, sacrificing myself. If the guard would not accept that, then I would probably choose the oldest of my children to save because he or she- being the oldest, would have a better chance of surviving. Having to choose between children would be a terrible experience that would haunt me for the rest of my life and finding a way to live with the pain would be extremely difficult. There would obviously be no guarantee that choosing either child to "save" would actually save him or her. No matter how Sophie chose to respond in that situation the outcome would be equally traumatizing.
Watching what Sophie went through made me sick to my stomach and I can't even begin to think of what i would do if I were in her position. Honestly, I don't think i could live with the guilty conscious of saving one child over another so i probably wouldn't have made a decision leading to the soldier killing both of them. If that happened, I'd find a way to get killed myself so I wouldn't have to suffer and live in deep, traumatizing depression and a guilty conscious for the rest of my life.
I can’t even imagine being in Sophie’s situation, as this would be the hardest decision for a parent to ever make. I think I may have given up my daughter only because males had a better chance of surviving in the Nazi camps. Also, the boy was older which furthermore gave him greater chance than the girl. However this choice would haunt me for the rest of my life and I would have a hard time living with my decision.
I am honestly unsure of what I would do if I were in her shoes. To pick one child would mean living the rest of your life in guilt of being responsible for choosing which child would die. On the other hand, if you let both children die you would feel guilty not letting on of the survive.
If I were in Sophie's shoes it would obviously be a difficult decision. Choosing between two children would be heartbreaking and it is possible to just chose none to say that I love you equally but I feel that that is a decision that you can not make. It is your job as a parent to pick one and even if it is heart breaking and it is difficult to live with your self that is what needs to be done. It is about your children not your self and you need to be able to suck it up and give your child a chance no matter which one it is and be able to live with that the other child will hate you for the rest of their life. That's the difficult part and doing what is hard but right is what separates people like Sophie from the Nazi's
If I was in Sophie's shoes I would have had an extremely tough time picking the child for them to take. I probably wouldn't have been able to pick one, but if I had to choose I would have to say the boy, because he would have a better chance of surviving opposed to the girl.
If I were in Sophie’s shoes, I would have had an extremely tough time deciding which child the officer would take. I probably wouldn’t have been able to choose, but if I really had to pick one of them, I would’ve probably chosen the boy because he would have the best chance of surviving, opposed to the girl, because men could be useful in the camp.
If I were in Sophie’s shoes, I would have had an extremely tough time deciding which child the officer would take. I probably wouldn’t have been able to choose, but if I really had to pick one of them, I would’ve probably chosen the boy because he would have the best chance of surviving, opposed to the girl, because men could be useful in the camp.
If I make that decision I would save my child's life and give mine but this is not that kind of option i would kill my self because that decision is too hard to make. Here is a decicion if the boy is really strong I would save his life and if the girl is not really strong or she had aproblem I would not choose her , However if the boy had a helath problem i would choose the girl. I want one to survive so I would choose the stronger child. That way one child has more chance to live.
I would save my older child in hopes that they would be strong enough to survive the camps. The older son could have been put somewhere to work hopefully and been able to stay alive until liberation. But the young daughter would just be instantly killed because she wasn't fit for manual labor. The decision has two horrible outcomes and the decision is always unjustifiable because you are saving one of your own childrens life over the other.
What would you have done if you had been in Sophie's shoes and why? Please do not comment on anyone else's post.
25 comments:
Sophie had a very hard choice to make. The guard was only giving her two choices, both that would cause immense pain to her. I think that if I had to make that choice I would give both the children up. Just keeping one would haunt me for the rest of my life, and looking at the son/daughter i chose to keep would be a reminder of what decision i had to make. Also there is a big chance that even after i give up one child, and get the other that, I'd be in another situation in which ill have to give up my other child. I would give up both and find a way to kill myself most likely.
Honestly, I do not think I would have been able to make this tough decision. This is pretty much choosing your favorite child. If I were a parent that would be impossible to do. If I were to do something it would have most likely been punching the soldier in the face. I would rather be shot by another soldier, but at least I would have shown that soldier what I thought of him. I mean this just shows how cruel the Nazis really were. But that is what I say I would do but if it was back in the 1940s I honestly have no clue what-so-ever of what I would do.
I honestly don't know how I would react in such a situation. Knowing the brutality of the Nazis, picking one child to "save" would not necessarily guarantee their safety. That being said, I would most likely choose to "save" the son, as he is a male, so he has a stronger chance to be spared and utilized as a worker. The Nazis might sexually abuse the daughter, or even kill her if she is weak. I still can't even imagine having to choose and force one child to live alone in such a hostile place or possibly even be killed alone. Thinking that way, I almost think it's better to save neither of the children. At least that way they will either die or suffer together, rather than alone.
It is hard to say what I would have done in her shoes. I am not a parent, and as such I can not hope to understand the bond she would have had with each of her children. From a very methodical and detached standpoint, I would say that I would have chosen the young girl to live. This is because she, as opposed to the boy, would have the better chance of not remembering these events so vividly, and could potentially live a normal life again. While that is unlikely and assuming she survives, there would be a better chance. However, again, I could not possibly claim to understand how she felt in that situation.
If I were in Sophie's shoes it would be a tough decision to make but when it comes down to it I would have chosen to save the son. The Nazis were known to separate the men from the women and then send the men off to work while they almost immediately killed the women. So looking at it like that, the son would definitely have a better chance of living than the daughter would because the Nazis could see that the boy was useful and put him to work instead of killing him which they probably would have done to the girl. And if the boy was lucky he could still be working by the time the camps got liberated and be freed, so I think I would have chosen the boy because of his better chance of survival.
If I was in Sophies shoes I honestly would not know how to react, and would probably do the same thing she did. I wouldnt be able to chose between two I loved, I would rather give my own life in that situation. But since that wasnt an option and she was forced to choose between the two or lose both, I would have to chose the girl. Because of the fact she would be able to stay in the same area as I unlike the boy because it would be separated by gender and that way I would be able to stay with her part of time that we were at the camp. But I would not know exactly what I would do being put under all of that stress and flood of emotions. It would have to be the hardest decision I would ever have to make because one child would be forced to think my mom sent me to be killed and kept my brother/sister. I wouldnt be able to live with that guilt and everything placed on my shoulders because I was forced to make a decision on saving one of my children's lives.
The choice Sophie had to make was so tough and I don't think I wouldv'e been able to choose if I were in her shoes. However, I think her son had a better chance of survival if she did choose him, so that's what I would've done also. The Nazis were known to sexually abuse the women and girls so I wouldn't want my daughter to go through that. As bad as it sounds choosing one child over another, I would have chosen the son just because I wouldn't want my daughter to go through or witness even more terrible situations.
This clip we watched was so incredibly horrendous and sad. I honestly have absolutely no idea what I would have done, if I were in Sophie's shoes; telling them to kill me instead or trying to get both the children wouldn't have been an option. I don't think I would be able to choose one child over the other, because I would not be able to live with the guilt of sending one of my children off to die, and having them think that I love them less. I think that having one of them killed is almost just as bad as having both of them killed, because this means that I didn't love my child enough or equally to do anything to save them both.
I dont think anyone could have made the decision Sophie had to make at that moment. But as I take time to put a lot of thought into what I would do in her situation I can only think that I would've broken down like her and let them take both children. I then may have tried to find a way to kill my own self, instead of living with such guilt and horrid memories for the rest of my life.
To be honest, I'm not sure what decision I would make when put into Sophie's place; but upon contemplation, I think I would choose to save the son. I would truly feel awful while trying to decide, but I feel that if you’ve been given the option to save one of your children, you should take advantage of that. I think the son would have a better chance of survival; he was older which means he was stronger, and being a male, he could be given the chance to work in one of the camps. I know that for the rest of my life I would feel incredible guilt over the fact that I had to sacrifice one of my children, but I would hope that they could maybe possibly understand the decision that had to be made. A situation like this is almost unfathomable, and I would like to say that this would be the way I would act during that situation when in reality; we may never know the way we would honestly respond.
I can't imagine being in Sophie's situation. Having to chose which of your children will most likely be killed would be an impossible to make. If I was Sophie though, I would have chosen to save my son. Since the Nazis were more likely to spare the men for work, the boy would have had a better chance to survive. That being said, I probably wouldn't be able to think rationally with that kind of pressure on me.
Sophie's choice was unbelievably difficult and I think that many people would have done the same thing that she did, not make a decision. The guilt that the person would have would be tremendous. I think that if forced into this situation, I would have to choose whichever child was more independent because they could have a chance of survival.
If I was in Sophie's shoes, and the only options were to either send both children or one, I would choose to send the little girl. Each option really sucks either way but at least with this one, one of the kids would get a fighting chance. I think the boy would have a better chance of surviving because he's older and most women are killed right away. Obviously this type of decision would seriously mess someone up, but as a parent I think it's their responsibility to fight for their children; and in turn to carry the burden of sending your kid off to die.
Out of context, I wouldn't have been about to make the choice that Sophie had to make. If I were the father, I think it would depend on the kids' chances of survival. My instinct says that since more men were saved for work than women, I would have saved my son's life in hopes that he could work until the camps were liberated. If his sister was stronger than him, though, I would have saved my daughter.
It's difficult to say exactly what I would have done in this situation. Thinking about it now, If I had been in Sophie's shoes in a situation where I could only save one of my children, I would first attempt to save both of them, sacrificing myself. If the guard would not accept that, then I would probably choose the oldest of my children to save because he or she- being the oldest, would have a better chance of surviving. Having to choose between children would be a terrible experience that would haunt me for the rest of my life and finding a way to live with the pain would be extremely difficult. There would obviously be no guarantee that choosing either child to "save" would actually save him or her. No matter how Sophie chose to respond in that situation the outcome would be equally traumatizing.
i was not in class the day we viewed this part of the film.
Watching what Sophie went through made me sick to my stomach and I can't even begin to think of what i would do if I were in her position. Honestly, I don't think i could live with the guilty conscious of saving one child over another so i probably wouldn't have made a decision leading to the soldier killing both of them. If that happened, I'd find a way to get killed myself so I wouldn't have to suffer and live in deep, traumatizing depression and a guilty conscious for the rest of my life.
I can’t even imagine being in Sophie’s situation, as this would be the hardest decision for a parent to ever make. I think I may have given up my daughter only because males had a better chance of surviving in the Nazi camps. Also, the boy was older which furthermore gave him greater chance than the girl. However this choice would haunt me for the rest of my life and I would have a hard time living with my decision.
I am honestly unsure of what I would do if I were in her shoes. To pick one child would mean living the rest of your life in guilt of being responsible for choosing which child would die. On the other hand, if you let both children die you would feel guilty not letting on of the survive.
If I were in Sophie's shoes it would obviously be a difficult decision. Choosing between two children would be heartbreaking and it is possible to just chose none to say that I love you equally but I feel that that is a decision that you can not make. It is your job as a parent to pick one and even if it is heart breaking and it is difficult to live with your self that is what needs to be done. It is about your children not your self and you need to be able to suck it up and give your child a chance no matter which one it is and be able to live with that the other child will hate you for the rest of their life. That's the difficult part and doing what is hard but right is what separates people like Sophie from the Nazi's
If I was in Sophie's shoes I would have had an extremely tough time picking the child for them to take. I probably wouldn't have been able to pick one, but if I had to choose I would have to say the boy, because he would have a better chance of surviving opposed to the girl.
If I were in Sophie’s shoes, I would have had an extremely tough time deciding which child the officer would take. I probably wouldn’t have been able to choose, but if I really had to pick one of them, I would’ve probably chosen the boy because he would have the best chance of surviving, opposed to the girl, because men could be useful in the camp.
If I were in Sophie’s shoes, I would have had an extremely tough time deciding which child the officer would take. I probably wouldn’t have been able to choose, but if I really had to pick one of them, I would’ve probably chosen the boy because he would have the best chance of surviving, opposed to the girl, because men could be useful in the camp.
If I make that decision I would save my child's life and give mine but this is not that kind of option i would kill my self because that decision is too hard to make. Here is a decicion if the boy is really strong I would save his life and if the girl is not really strong or she had aproblem I would not choose her , However if the boy had a helath problem i would choose the girl. I want one to survive so I would choose the stronger child. That way one child has more chance to live.
I would save my older child in hopes that they would be strong enough to survive the camps. The older son could have been put somewhere to work hopefully and been able to stay alive until liberation. But the young daughter would just be instantly killed because she wasn't fit for manual labor. The decision has two horrible outcomes and the decision is always unjustifiable because you are saving one of your own childrens life over the other.
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