A Lucky Child

Buergenthal reflects:“I doubt that we would have been able to preserve our sanity had we remained consumed by hatred for the rest of our lives”(192). Why is the concept of forgiveness important to Buergenthal, and how does his worldview compare to other Holocaust survivors?

A feature of Buergenthal’s memoir is Jews turning on each other in the ghetto and in the camps. Why do you think people chose to do this? What commentary does this offer on Buergenthal's view of humanity?

Buergenthal writes:“[M]oral resistance in the face of evil is no less courageous than physical resistance”(61). Explain how Jews in the camps practiced moral resistance and make an argument for its value.

Buergenthal asks:“What is it in the human character that gives some individuals the moral strength not to sacrifice their decency and dignity, regardless of the cost to themselves, whereas others become murderously ruthless in the hope of ensuring their own survival?”(70-71). Answer Buergenthal’s question and cite contextual evidence.

Explain how propaganda shaped Germans’ opinions of Jews and enabled the atrocities to occur. What can be done in the future to prevent the influence of propaganda? Can propaganda be stopped?

Make an argument that compassion and human comradery enabled Buergenthal to survive the Holocaust and cite contextual evidence.

Later in life, Buergenthal witnessed atrocities in other countries like what he experienced in the Holocaust. Have we broken the cycle of hatred and violence, as Buergenthal strove to do? If not, why? What can be done to break the cycle?

Buergenthal reflects that his schooling in the United States seemed as though it was designed to foster democracy, while his schooling in Germany was authoritarian. Do you share the same opinion of American schools? In what ways are they democratic and in what ways are they authoritarian? If you find them authoritarian, how can they be made more democratic? Should they be?