We all
feel emotional and depressed when we hear about events like the Holocaust or
9-11. We sit in despair as we watch the news on the latest terrorist attack. We
try to put our feet in the victims’ shoes as much as we possibly can, but the
question is, are we truly able to fit into their sizes?
Let’s
talk about the holocaust. We know the facts: Jews were tortured and killed. We
know the Nazis killed them and that Hitler was ultimately responsible, but what
else can we conjure up? This is exactly my point. We will never truly
understand how these victims felt because we weren’t there to experience the
horror. It is impossible to feel the emotions and pain that these innocent
people felt, and no matter how hard we try, we will never truly know.
In
“Maus,” it is necessary to note that Art Spiegelman wants to hear of his
father’s wartime memories, but at the same time, he is unable to feel the pain
his father is going through as he retells his story. When his father says, “My
eye started so bleeding,” he is also anaphorically leaking blood as he
talks about his past. This represents all the painful history he obtains that
Spiegelman will never truly understand.
Although,
I don’t mean to inform you to erase all these painful memories from your brain.
It is important that we always remember the traumatic events that have
occurred, because if they are ever forgotten, the same tragedies will repeat
over and over again. Just as Powell says, “[the Holocaust] remains that which
cannot be remembered but also that which cannot be forgotten.” We should try to
fit our feet into their shoes as best as we can, even though they will never be
the perfect size.
I loved the analogy you used throughout your writing of the shoe not fitting, it really felt accurate. This post perfectly sums up what we've learned in class this week in one powerful post, nice work Iz!
ReplyDeleteI liked how you referred back to the graphic novel with the bleeding eye part. I completely skipped over that part the first time around.
ReplyDeleteHey Izzy, I like you comparison with the shoes. It's like one size doesn't fit all. We can always try to understand the pain people felt during tragic events, but unless we were there we cannot. Also, I think one of the main reasons Art and his father have so much tension in their relationship is for this very reason. Art has so much trouble understanding his father's actions and beliefs. The truth is, though, his father really does just want the best for his son!
ReplyDelete