At last, the Germans are out of the camp because the Russians are getting Germans' butt kicked. Alberto left early, but Primo felt like staying more and also Primo was a little sick. SO he stayed with the other people who are not ready to leave the camp and survived for 10 days more. SInce Germans are out of the way, the prisoners could now steal food from the kitchen with ease, and for early days they survived on kitchen food and melted snow water. Even when the concentration camp was over, there were young and old people dying from the sickness or hunger.
During the 10 days Primo and the rest of the refugees fed on food at kitchen, got new clothes from a Tailor.
In the middle of 10 days, one guy from other camp saw potato field from not so far area. Primo and his gangs took many potatoes and had a feast with them. Potatoes, or soup, pancakes, and anything one could do with potatoes were made and for the first time in ages, the prisoners had a feast.
At this time, the prisoners were teamed up, not trying to survive on his own. By helping each other, they gained food and tried to heal the sick or old people. In the later days, the 11 people escaped the camp, leaving only one dead in the camp.
Primo survived and some of his friends also reached their family or made a profession of something. All of them were now back in peaceful life.
Personally, I liked this chapter because it was easiest to read and there were many parts about food. THe food in the book always make me hungry... wait not only that, It was a happy ending for all the prisoners. The last sentence of what primo said also made him sound like he miss the people in the camp. Maybe he doesn't miss the camp's life, but people from the camp is what he missed the most.
Sunday, 11 March 2007
journal 16
"To destroy a man is difficult,almost as difficult as to create one: it has not been easy, nor quick, but you Germans have succeeded. Here we are, docile under you gaze; from our side you have nothing more to fear; no acts of violence, no words of defiance, not even a look of judgement."
He said this before a guy who said, "I am the last one!" This may be significance because that man who died WAS the last one who will die in the camp. Primo was disgusted to see another person dying and because the guy had stated I am the last one, Primo and his friend must have been shocked.
The quote from the pg 150, up in the first paragraph is from Primo who said to the Germans in thought that German was successful controlling the men of jews. He means that making life or killing life is hard when he said man is difficult to create one or kill. Life is most important thing about people, but German didn't think so. German thought Jews were inferior and they thought Jewish does not need life, so that is why they can easily kill off life of men at the camp. And because German can kill life so easily, Jewish are afraid so they are docile to Germans. Germans are the trainers and Jews became their pet-animals.
He said this before a guy who said, "I am the last one!" This may be significance because that man who died WAS the last one who will die in the camp. Primo was disgusted to see another person dying and because the guy had stated I am the last one, Primo and his friend must have been shocked.
The quote from the pg 150, up in the first paragraph is from Primo who said to the Germans in thought that German was successful controlling the men of jews. He means that making life or killing life is hard when he said man is difficult to create one or kill. Life is most important thing about people, but German didn't think so. German thought Jews were inferior and they thought Jewish does not need life, so that is why they can easily kill off life of men at the camp. And because German can kill life so easily, Jewish are afraid so they are docile to Germans. Germans are the trainers and Jews became their pet-animals.
journal 15
Time passed, and many italian jews or other jews that came with Primo is now long gone. The experienced prisoners like Primo is now a kommando who works under shelter. What they basically do is work with chemical ingredients. Primo Levi was chosen for one of the three scientist to work in laboratory. His friend Alberto congratulated him and Primo mentioned that his friendship with Alberto has grown like an "Alliance." There is no envy or jealousy from Alberto. He is the best friend of primo and having friend in the camp is not very usual thing. As I said in before journals, everybody is enemy and bargain life to each other secretly. However, Primo was a very good friend of Alberto as he was also a friend of primo.
The life in the camp turned very easy for Primo because now he is promoted to a specialist and he can get new clothes every wednesday. I figured out that having a major of something useful would also get a man to get his life easier than those who suffers. Primo can also steal without getting in danger and what he always does is now writing notes and do chemistry. Nobody beats him and he had better shelter. The life in Buna became a heaven for Primo now. (Not entirely, but probably better off than the life when he was working severously)
The life in the camp turned very easy for Primo because now he is promoted to a specialist and he can get new clothes every wednesday. I figured out that having a major of something useful would also get a man to get his life easier than those who suffers. Primo can also steal without getting in danger and what he always does is now writing notes and do chemistry. Nobody beats him and he had better shelter. The life in Buna became a heaven for Primo now. (Not entirely, but probably better off than the life when he was working severously)
Saturday, 10 March 2007
journal 14
Rainy day is a melancholic day for everyone. It is same for everybody in the camp. Rainy day means muddy ground and place to evade rain to the prisoners. They would not want muddy and wet clothes so they would hide under shelter in a shed. And in chapter 14, the rain had been raining for 10 days and ground is so wet that it is difficult to work and all sacks are wet. Primo once mentioned in pg 131,
"Between one movement of the shovel and another I think about it, and I really believe that to have a dry rag would be positive happiness."
This phrase is saying that even primo is in the dreaded camp, he would also think about working in better conditions like having a dry bag instead of the weat ones. It seems that the prisoners cannot stand massive mother nature disaster than the slavery in the camp. Primo was also glad that it was not windy while raining because windy weather would make prisoners in despair. Even though the prisoners does not like rainy weather, they don't like something (like wind) that makes the rainy weather even worse.
"Between one movement of the shovel and another I think about it, and I really believe that to have a dry rag would be positive happiness."
This phrase is saying that even primo is in the dreaded camp, he would also think about working in better conditions like having a dry bag instead of the weat ones. It seems that the prisoners cannot stand massive mother nature disaster than the slavery in the camp. Primo was also glad that it was not windy while raining because windy weather would make prisoners in despair. Even though the prisoners does not like rainy weather, they don't like something (like wind) that makes the rainy weather even worse.
journal 13
At winter of the Auschwitz camp, there is a process called 'Selekja' which means selection. Those who get selected by the German officers does not get any reward, but instead one gets to die earlier. In winter, German officers once set a big tent for the prisoners of lager. however as population of prisoners were increasing, they had to lessen the population of the prisoners by selecting them and then kill.
Even in selection process, there is still idea of survival of fittest. Some people who learned about the selection, won't let others know and sneak to Ka-be for just to escape the selection. Once again, as i mentioned before in other journals, these sneaky people does not let other people know because they want advantage from those who doesn't know. But because of the people who did not let others know, people will revenge against the people who did not teach them about the selection. Than whole revenging will start just like Peace child's Sawi did to the other tribes.
Even in selection process, there is still idea of survival of fittest. Some people who learned about the selection, won't let others know and sneak to Ka-be for just to escape the selection. Once again, as i mentioned before in other journals, these sneaky people does not let other people know because they want advantage from those who doesn't know. But because of the people who did not let others know, people will revenge against the people who did not teach them about the selection. Than whole revenging will start just like Peace child's Sawi did to the other tribes.
journal 12
In chapter 12, The Buna is bombarded and the prisoners faced new challenge in the life of camp. The bombardment was led to the flee of prisoners. Prisoners had to wrok all day and now that the camp was getting bombed, they had to evade from the danger. The prisoners run wild and some steal food from the kitchen and some might get killed or starved in hunger. The laws in the camp doesn't exist during the bombardment. Though it is risky to steal food from the kitchen (cuz it led to death)the prisoners are too starved to care about the result.
Primo also described this crazy experience as "world shaken every day more deeply by the omens of its nearing end, amidst new terrors and hopes, with intervals of exasperated slavery," at pg 119. The camp was already bad enough with dying people from cursed German people. Though the prisoners gain hope sometimes, the hope is shriveled up agian by the the camp's new experience, bombing, which led Primo to add it as one of their new torture in the camp.
Primo also described this crazy experience as "world shaken every day more deeply by the omens of its nearing end, amidst new terrors and hopes, with intervals of exasperated slavery," at pg 119. The camp was already bad enough with dying people from cursed German people. Though the prisoners gain hope sometimes, the hope is shriveled up agian by the the camp's new experience, bombing, which led Primo to add it as one of their new torture in the camp.
journal 11
The poem about Ulysses (the greek epic poem also called Odysseus where it explains the Ithacan king returning from Trojan war)that Primo explains to Pikolo is basically a poem that invigorates hopes to the hopeless people. The poem, in a different way, talks about Ulysses' dangerous adventure through the ocean and troubles. This sort of reminds the prisoners in Auschwitz. Odysseus (or Ulysses whatever) was forced to go to trojan war because of Menelaus, king of sparta, and it took long time to come back to his home, just like jewish people in the camp. Jewish were forced to come to the camp because of German nazis. They were labored and until the German Nazis were defeated, the prisoners lived a animal-like life. Many jewish died, as well as Ody's men. Ody's poem might have gave the prisoners feel hopeful because Ody was successful at last getting to his home. They probably believed that, just like Ody, they will also live throughout the camp (although that is not sure because anybody can die anytime) and return home.
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