This Blog is a resource tool for the students taking the "FACING HISTORY AND OURSELVES" elective at Westborough High School, Westborough, Massachusetts.
Friday, April 1, 2011
PERIOD 3 - The Gestapo
You've been watching the BBC documentary, The Rise of the Nazis - A Warning from History. Please share your thoughts about the film thus far. Does anything stand out for you about the segment on the Gestapo that you saw today?
36 comments:
Steph Debs
said...
In the film there was a segment about a woman who was sent to a concentration camp because she didn’t “fit in” with the rest of the Germans. The fact that a woman was sent to a concentration camp and eventually was killed just because she was different is another example of Hitler trying to make Germany a strong, organized country. They thought that getting rid of people who didn’t fit a certain type would help him accomplish this.
So far, I have found this film to be very eye opening. The one thing that has stood out to me the most so far would have to be the lady that was interviewed on the park bench. It is pretty clear that she was denying the fact that she wrote the letter that sent her neighbor to a concentration camp. The fact that she doesn't feel any real regret at all about being responsible for having a women killed amazes me.
When watching this film, specifiacally the clip about the lady on the bench, i was appalled. I could not believe her attitude towards the evidence as well as the interviewer. I saw her as very rude and stuck up. She admitted that her signature was the one on the document and that the document did list her address at the time and yet all she could say was "I don't know" or something along those lines. She must know. She could say she doesn't wish to talk about it but she just said she didn't know. Which I felt made her look like she was better than the interviewer because she did not regret what she did when many people in the world would.
Going off of what Steph said about the neighbor not seeming to fit in, all of the lady's comments could have been rumors and were just speculations she had. There was no specific proof of the neighbor being involved in any suspicious activity or something of that sort. To think that someone would just throw another person's life away by saying negative comments about someone is not human.
I thought this film was especially interesting because I have never heard of the Gestapo before. I think that there was no reason for them, because it was just another excuse to kill innocent people. I think that the woman in the film who was sent to a concentration camp and killed is just another example of how evil and unjust Hitler and his followers were. Even her neighbors were looking for any way to get themselves on the Gestapo's "good side" so they were willing to throw her under the bus.
I agree with Andy. It amazes me also that she does not feel any regret or remorse for assisting in the death of her neighbor. I think that she, along with many others who helped their friends and neighbors to death, are cowards.
When watching "The Gestapo", I saw just how unreasonable the Nazi regime was. As we saw with the woman who was interviewed, many people were prosecuted based on rumors. If one was rumored to be associating with Jewish people, that was reason enough to be arrested. The film described the hatred for the Jews being based on their domination of certain occupations. I agree with Andy that the interviewed woman who denies any wrongdoing is astonishing. The Gestapo shows some of the greatest injustice towards the situation.
Today in class we watched a film on a women who was sent to a concentration camp merely because of what her neighbors had wrote about her in letters. They found a german woman who had written a letter about her neighbor saying she was different and anti social, she seemed like she may be a lesbian and talked to people who had a jewish appearence. When this women who said these things about her neighbor was interviewed, the lady denied writing it but admitted that it was her signature at the bottom. She had no regret. This to me is an awful thing but it shows how paranoid the germans were during hitler's rise of power.
I agree with nicky, I could not believe the lady on the benches attitude toward te situation. The letter meant nothing to her and she had absolutely no regret in sending an innocent lady, who wasn't even jewish, to a concentration camp where she would be killed.v
I think that the film is very interesting, I have never heard of the Gestapo before and it was very new to me. What stood out the most was the women who denied that she didnt turn her neighbor in and that she doesnt remember doing it even though the signature was hers.
I agree with Nikki that the women was very stuck up and rude but didnt show regret. Her attitude showed that she didnt really want ot continue talking about the topic that was being brought up.
So far, after watching the video, I have came to realize how some Germans still don’t realize how bad, and how everything that happened during the Nazi regime was wrong. It shows how many Germans don’t regret what they did, and don’t feel ashamed. It was obvious that the lady interviewed was uncomfortable, and didn’t own up to the letter that incriminated an innocent lady; she denied it all even though her name and address was signed in the letter. It was something sad to see.
I also agree with Andy, because I was amazed that she didn't feel any regret on the situation, and she tried avoiding the conversation, knowing that she was wrong. She didn't see it as a big deal, because it happened several years ago.
The most memorable part in the movie for me was when Mrs. Kraus was interview about a letter she had sent about her neighbor. she accused her neighbor for being lesbian and not fitting in with the general society. her neighbor was then carried off to a concentration camp and eventually killed. From the look of Mrs. Kraus, it doesn't seem as though she is ashamed of it and doesn't even own up to the letter by saying she doesn't remember it 50 years later.
I agree with most people on this blog in that the lady on the bench did indeed seem as though she didn't regret accusing her neighbor. The part that got me was when she said "and now its raining" trying to divert away from the main issue as if it didn't matter 50-51 yrs later
In this film the one thing that stood out to me the most was the part about the woman who was sent to her death because she looked and acted different. It just reinforces the fact that Hitler neeeded Germany to be "Pure". Something that made me really angry was the womans carefree attitude towards the letter she supposdedly wrote. She was just sitting on the bench denying the fact that she sent a woman to her death. All she did was deny to try to make herself feel better.
I find this film to be very captivating. I must say, the part that has stood out the most to me was the clip of the lady being interviewed on the park bench. She had written a letter about her neighbor, trying to get her arrested because she had seemingly Jewish friends, acted like a lesbian, and was against Hitler. The woman on the park bench denied writing the letter and it made me really mad. If you've done something wrong, you should own up to it. Especially something as serious as this.
While watching this film, I was shocked at the lady on the bench who continued to deny that she wrote a letter complaining about her neighbor. The signature and the name on the letter were correct however she couldn’t “explain” or understand the rest. She didn’t show any regret and didn’t take responsibility for it. That letter complaining about her neighbor got an innocent woman sent to a concentration camp for no real reason. The lady accused her of possibly being homosexual and Jewish and not being normal. Her behavior when talking about the letter disgusted me.
I agree with Isaiah that when she said “and now it’s raining” it shows that she doesn’t care about the subject and thinks it shouldn’t be brought up 50 years later. She doesn’t even know why the interviewer brought it up because she doesn’t think it matters.
This film was very interesting and insightful. The part that troubled me the most was the part where the neighbor of the woman who was killed in the concentration camp spoke to the reporter. I could not believe how she was able to deny everything that was presented in front of her even though there was evidence. She was responsibel for killing her neighbor just because she was "wierd" and "suspicious". First of all, i was appauled that the woman took it upon herself to write to the Gestapo even though nobody was requesting that information. She was just an evil person for getting an innocent woman arrested and killed for no reason.
I agree with Jenny's comment because i guess perhaps that woman threw her neighbor under the bus becuase she wanted to be on the Gestapo's good sides. It makes sense because everybody had to watch their backs.
In the film "The Gestapo" I was pretty surprised at how far the Germans took it by sending a woman to a concentration camp, just because there were suspicions about her "not fitting in" and having friends who appeared to be Jewish. I thought it was surprising that they sent her off just based on inaccurate assumptions made by her neighbor. This shows the ignorance and intolerance that the Germans had for those who didn't seem to fit the norm.
I agree with Andy, I was surprised that the lady at the park didn't seem to feel like she had done anything wrong. Instead of admitting to her faults, she was defensive and claimed that she didn't do anything wrong because "she had never killed or murdered anyone, and didn't belong to the Hitler youth group for girls". Just because she wasn't directly involved with these groups or the murdering of Jews, she still had a huge influence in the death of her neighbor. Her neighbor's death occured indirectly because of her accusations against her.
I think it was interesting that the Gestapo were a small force, that operated entirely with the permission of the German people. The Gestapo did not impose its will on the populace, they were just a representation of the sentiment of Germany. I don't think there has ever been another time in history when people have been willing to tolerate secret police activities without any sort of backlash.
When the film was talking about the woman who was killed by the Germans because she was simply suspected of being a lesbian and didn't fit in, I felt outraged. I always knew that homosexuals were killed by the Nazis, but I assumed that they had some sort of proof of their homosexuality rather than just murdering somebody for something they may or may not be. Some of my best friends are homosexuals, so this made me really sad to watch.
I agree with Andy that it was clear that the lady on the bench wrote the letter. The fact that she kept denying it made me angry at her. I wish she would admit to having done wrong rather than perpetuate that her sending her neighbor to be killed was perfectly normal and something to not be remorseful about.
I believe that the idea of creating a "pure" society was very counterintuitive. I set neighbors against each other and led to the deaths of millions for minor or non-existent offenses. The fact that participants of helping the Gestapo eliminate these "undesirables" still do not confess to their crimes is appauling. Something such as being the instrument of someone's death should eat at the conscious just a little and seeing that old lady on the bench lie through her teeth was pathetic.
I was in disbelief when I watched the woman on the bench. The way she was acting toward the evidence in front of her shocked me, she kept saying it was her signature and her address and her name but she didn’t know anything about it. Even thought it was something that was 50 years ago, you cannot tell me she doesn’t know a single thing about that or what happened. It is better to admit that you did something and you regret it than to deny it altogether. In my opinion she made herself look foolish.
I agree with Jenny; this was just another act to get rid of people that were not the type that were wanted even if they were innocent and had never done anything wrong.
The biggest shock for me was the fact that as the Gestapo was actual very small in numbers, the had to rely on the citizens of the Riech to turn in their nieghbors and friends. That paroind state of mind would have torn the social fabric of Europe to shreds had WW2 not occurred.
I was shocked by the woman on the park bench. I couldn't believe she wouldn't own up to the note she write. She wrote a complaint because her neighbor didn't fit in and she was thought to have Jewish friends. Thats ridiculous.
36 comments:
In the film there was a segment about a woman who was sent to a concentration camp because she didn’t “fit in” with the rest of the Germans. The fact that a woman was sent to a concentration camp and eventually was killed just because she was different is another example of Hitler trying to make Germany a strong, organized country. They thought that getting rid of people who didn’t fit a certain type would help him accomplish this.
So far, I have found this film to be very eye opening. The one thing that has stood out to me the most so far would have to be the lady that was interviewed on the park bench. It is pretty clear that she was denying the fact that she wrote the letter that sent her neighbor to a concentration camp. The fact that she doesn't feel any real regret at all about being responsible for having a women killed amazes me.
When watching this film, specifiacally the clip about the lady on the bench, i was appalled. I could not believe her attitude towards the evidence as well as the interviewer. I saw her as very rude and stuck up. She admitted that her signature was the one on the document and that the document did list her address at the time and yet all she could say was "I don't know" or something along those lines. She must know. She could say she doesn't wish to talk about it but she just said she didn't know. Which I felt made her look like she was better than the interviewer because she did not regret what she did when many people in the world would.
Going off of what Steph said about the neighbor not seeming to fit in, all of the lady's comments could have been rumors and were just speculations she had. There was no specific proof of the neighbor being involved in any suspicious activity or something of that sort. To think that someone would just throw another person's life away by saying negative comments about someone is not human.
I thought this film was especially interesting because I have never heard of the Gestapo before. I think that there was no reason for them, because it was just another excuse to kill innocent people. I think that the woman in the film who was sent to a concentration camp and killed is just another example of how evil and unjust Hitler and his followers were. Even her neighbors were looking for any way to get themselves on the Gestapo's "good side" so they were willing to throw her under the bus.
I agree with Andy. It amazes me also that she does not feel any regret or remorse for assisting in the death of her neighbor. I think that she, along with many others who helped their friends and neighbors to death, are cowards.
When watching "The Gestapo", I saw just how unreasonable the Nazi regime was. As we saw with the woman who was interviewed, many people were prosecuted based on rumors. If one was rumored to be associating with Jewish people, that was reason enough to be arrested. The film described the hatred for the Jews being based on their domination of certain occupations. I agree with Andy that the interviewed woman who denies any wrongdoing is astonishing. The Gestapo shows some of the greatest injustice towards the situation.
Today in class we watched a film on a women who was sent to a concentration camp merely because of what her neighbors had wrote about her in letters. They found a german woman who had written a letter about her neighbor saying she was different and anti social, she seemed like she may be a lesbian and talked to people who had a jewish appearence. When this women who said these things about her neighbor was interviewed, the lady denied writing it but admitted that it was her signature at the bottom. She had no regret. This to me is an awful thing but it shows how paranoid the germans were during hitler's rise of power.
I agree with nicky, I could not believe the lady on the benches attitude toward te situation. The letter meant nothing to her and she had absolutely no regret in sending an innocent lady, who wasn't even jewish, to a concentration camp where she would be killed.v
I think that the film is very interesting, I have never heard of the Gestapo before and it was very new to me. What stood out the most was the women who denied that she didnt turn her neighbor in and that she doesnt remember doing it even though the signature was hers.
I agree with Nikki that the women was very stuck up and rude but didnt show regret. Her attitude showed that she didnt really want ot continue talking about the topic that was being brought up.
So far, after watching the video, I have came to realize how some Germans still don’t realize how bad, and how everything that happened during the Nazi regime was wrong. It shows how many Germans don’t regret what they did, and don’t feel ashamed. It was obvious that the lady interviewed was uncomfortable, and didn’t own up to the letter that incriminated an innocent lady; she denied it all even though her name and address was signed in the letter. It was something sad to see.
I also agree with Andy, because I was amazed that she didn't feel any regret on the situation, and she tried avoiding the conversation, knowing that she was wrong. She didn't see it as a big deal, because it happened several years ago.
The most memorable part in the movie for me was when Mrs. Kraus was interview about a letter she had sent about her neighbor. she accused her neighbor for being lesbian and not fitting in with the general society. her neighbor was then carried off to a concentration camp and eventually killed. From the look of Mrs. Kraus, it doesn't seem as though she is ashamed of it and doesn't even own up to the letter by saying she doesn't remember it 50 years later.
I agree with most people on this blog in that the lady on the bench did indeed seem as though she didn't regret accusing her neighbor. The part that got me was when she said "and now its raining" trying to divert away from the main issue as if it didn't matter 50-51 yrs later
In this film the one thing that stood out to me the most was the part about the woman who was sent to her death because she looked and acted different. It just reinforces the fact that Hitler neeeded Germany to be "Pure". Something that made me really angry was the womans carefree attitude towards the letter she supposdedly wrote. She was just sitting on the bench denying the fact that she sent a woman to her death. All she did was deny to try to make herself feel better.
I find this film to be very captivating. I must say, the part that has stood out the most to me was the clip of the lady being interviewed on the park bench. She had written a letter about her neighbor, trying to get her arrested because she had seemingly Jewish friends, acted like a lesbian, and was against Hitler. The woman on the park bench denied writing the letter and it made me really mad. If you've done something wrong, you should own up to it. Especially something as serious as this.
I agree with Andy. We both talked about the woman on the park bench. She seemed to have no remorse whatsoever for getting her neighbor killed.
While watching this film, I was shocked at the lady on the bench who continued to deny that she wrote a letter complaining about her neighbor. The signature and the name on the letter were correct however she couldn’t “explain” or understand the rest. She didn’t show any regret and didn’t take responsibility for it. That letter complaining about her neighbor got an innocent woman sent to a concentration camp for no real reason. The lady accused her of possibly being homosexual and Jewish and not being normal. Her behavior when talking about the letter disgusted me.
I agree with most of the people here that it amazes me that she doesnt feel any regret at all and just denies everything that clearly was her.
I agree with Isaiah that when she said “and now it’s raining” it shows that she doesn’t care about the subject and thinks it shouldn’t be brought up 50 years later. She doesn’t even know why the interviewer brought it up because she doesn’t think it matters.
This film was very interesting and insightful. The part that troubled me the most was the part where the neighbor of the woman who was killed in the concentration camp spoke to the reporter. I could not believe how she was able to deny everything that was presented in front of her even though there was evidence. She was responsibel for killing her neighbor just because she was "wierd" and "suspicious". First of all, i was appauled that the woman took it upon herself to write to the Gestapo even though nobody was requesting that information. She was just an evil person for getting an innocent woman arrested and killed for no reason.
I agree with Jenny's comment because i guess perhaps that woman threw her neighbor under the bus becuase she wanted to be on the Gestapo's good sides. It makes sense because everybody had to watch their backs.
In the film "The Gestapo" I was pretty surprised at how far the Germans took it by sending a woman to a concentration camp, just because there were suspicions about her "not fitting in" and having friends who appeared to be Jewish. I thought it was surprising that they sent her off just based on inaccurate assumptions made by her neighbor. This shows the ignorance and intolerance that the Germans had for those who didn't seem to fit the norm.
I agree with Andy, I was surprised that the lady at the park didn't seem to feel like she had done anything wrong. Instead of admitting to her faults, she was defensive and claimed that she didn't do anything wrong because "she had never killed or murdered anyone, and didn't belong to the Hitler youth group for girls". Just because she wasn't directly involved with these groups or the murdering of Jews, she still had a huge influence in the death of her neighbor. Her neighbor's death occured indirectly because of her accusations against her.
I think it was interesting that the Gestapo were a small force, that operated entirely with the permission of the German people. The Gestapo did not impose its will on the populace, they were just a representation of the sentiment of Germany. I don't think there has ever been another time in history when people have been willing to tolerate secret police activities without any sort of backlash.
When the film was talking about the woman who was killed by the Germans because she was simply suspected of being a lesbian and didn't fit in, I felt outraged. I always knew that homosexuals were killed by the Nazis, but I assumed that they had some sort of proof of their homosexuality rather than just murdering somebody for something they may or may not be. Some of my best friends are homosexuals, so this made me really sad to watch.
I agree with Andy that it was clear that the lady on the bench wrote the letter. The fact that she kept denying it made me angry at her. I wish she would admit to having done wrong rather than perpetuate that her sending her neighbor to be killed was perfectly normal and something to not be remorseful about.
I believe that the idea of creating a "pure" society was very counterintuitive. I set neighbors against each other and led to the deaths of millions for minor or non-existent offenses. The fact that participants of helping the Gestapo eliminate these "undesirables" still do not confess to their crimes is appauling. Something such as being the instrument of someone's death should eat at the conscious just a little and seeing that old lady on the bench lie through her teeth was pathetic.
I was in disbelief when I watched the woman on the bench. The way she was acting toward the evidence in front of her shocked me, she kept saying it was her signature and her address and her name but she didn’t know anything about it. Even thought it was something that was 50 years ago, you cannot tell me she doesn’t know a single thing about that or what happened. It is better to admit that you did something and you regret it than to deny it altogether. In my opinion she made herself look foolish.
I agree with Jenny; this was just another act to get rid of people that were not the type that were wanted even if they were innocent and had never done anything wrong.
The biggest shock for me was the fact that as the Gestapo was actual very small in numbers, the had to rely on the citizens of the Riech to turn in their nieghbors and friends. That paroind state of mind would have torn the social fabric of Europe to shreds had WW2 not occurred.
I was shocked by the woman on the park bench. I couldn't believe she wouldn't own up to the note she write. She wrote a complaint because her neighbor didn't fit in and she was thought to have Jewish friends. Thats ridiculous.
I agree with Steph. Theres no way to prove any of the allegations towards the woman. They had no right to take her away from her home.
I was absent for this film
I was absent for this film
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