One small act in this world, whether it is significant or not, can change the life of someone forever. Miep Gies, a woman who once went unknown to the world, once said, “But even an ordinary secretary or a housewife or a teenager can, within their own small ways, turn on a small light in a dark room.” (Goodreads 1). The woman who went unheard of by the world around her, turned on this light during the dark experiences of World War II. From being a small business secretary to saving the lives of people around her, Miep Gies made a name for herself, and that name is now well known by many. All it took was one simple action of kindness for the world to remember her name, and now we celebrate the actions Miep made and the lives she changed. Even though Miep Gies only helped minorly during World War II, she is still seen as a truly significant figure across the globe to date.
Miep Gies, a significant figure in history, lived through quite a journey, and her background story is definitely one for the books. Gies, who was originally Hermine Santruschitz, was born in Vienna on February 15, 1909 but became ill at a young age and was forced leave her Austrian parents to travel to the Netherlands to live with her new foster family (5). This move was caused by World War I and the food shortages that had struck in several countries (5). In the 1920’s, Miep was placed with a family in Leiden, where she received the nickname Miep Gies, and later moved with her newly founded family to Amsterdam, where her story begins (5). Miep graduated at 18, and worked till 24 at textile company, until she was laid off because of the depression. After being unemployed for a period of time, Gies received news of a secretary position at Nederlandsche Ope...
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In the book of Anne Frank there are the Van Daan’s and the Franks. Then there's the people that help them which are Mr. Kraler and Miep. the Van Daan’s and Frank’s are in hiding because they were taking jews to concentration camps and had to go into hiding. They were hiding in a place called The Secret Annex in Amsterdam. In my Essay today I will be talking about who showed courage, compassion, and sacrifice.
Knopf, Alfred A. Anne Frank in the World. New York: Knopf, 2001. Print. 06 Feb. 2014
Between Night and The Hiding Place, comradeship, faith, strength, and people of visions are clearly proved to be essential in order to survive in these death camps. Corrie, Elie, and other victims of these harsh brutalities who did survive had a rare quality that six million others unfortunately did not.
Often, we find ourselves facing dramatic events in our lives that force us to re-evaluate and redefine ourselves. Such extraordinary circumstances try to crush the heart of the human nature in us. It is at that time, like a carbon under pressure, the humanity in us either shatters apart exposing our primal nature, or transforms into a strong, crystal-clear brilliant of compassion and self sacrifice. The books Night written by Elie Wiesel and Hiroshima written by John Hersey illustrate how the usual lifestyle might un-expectantly change, and how these changes could affect the human within us. Both books display how lives of civilians were interrupted by the World War II, what devastations these people had to undergo, and how the horrific circumstances of war were sometimes able to bring out the best in ordinary people.
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The events which have become to be known as The Holocaust have caused much debate and dispute among historians. Central to this varied dispute is the intentions and motives of the perpetrators, with a wide range of theories as to why such horrific events took place. The publication of Jonah Goldhagen’s controversial but bestselling book “Hitler’s Willing Executioners: Ordinary Germans and the Holocaust” in many ways saw the reigniting of the debate and a flurry of scholarly and public interest. Central to Goldhagen’s disputed argument is the presentation of the perpetrators of the Holocaust as ordinary Germans who largely, willingly took part in the atrocities because of deeply held and violently strong anti-Semitic beliefs. This in many ways challenged earlier works like Christopher Browning’s “Ordinary Men: Reserve Police Battalion 101 and the Final Solution in Poland” which arguably gives a more complex explanation for the motives of the perpetrators placing the emphasis on circumstance and pressure to conform. These differing opinions on why the perpetrators did what they did during the Holocaust have led to them being presented in very different ways by each historian. To contrast this I have chosen to focus on the portrayal of one event both books focus on in detail; the mass shooting of around 1,500 Jews that took place in Jozefow, Poland on July 13th 1942 (Browning:2001:225). This example clearly highlights the way each historian presents the perpetrators in different ways through; the use of language, imagery, stylistic devices and quotations, as a way of backing up their own argument. To do this I will focus on how various aspects of the massacre are portrayed and the way in which this affects the presentation of the per...
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The name “Anne Frank” is synonymous with hope, optimism, and belief in human good, even in times of relentless evil. Although she only lived to be fifteen, Anne is known and respected throughout the world for the humanistic light her work shed on an infamous time. Born June 12th, 1929, in Germany, she spent her early years in a middle-class Jewish-German family. However, the tranquility of the Frank family and 522,000 other German-Jews’ would be shattered by one of the most nefarious events in history, the Holocaust. Anne’s diary became an influential resource in understanding historical and emotional aspects of the Holocaust. Although she was young, Anne Frank is the greatest diarist of European history because she preserved a critical time in history, her work captured the human experience of the Holocaust, and her ideals of hope and optimism remain influential throughout our world today.
Nehemiah’s gift of public speaking evokes the displaced people of Jerusalem, to realize the potential of the city. Nehemiah provides decisive responses to the problems he will face, and his unselfish behavior is for the good of Jerusalem. Nehemiah’s knowledge of coordinating building projects, and at the same time, managing opposition on many fronts, shows the organizational qualities he possesses.
During the Holocaust over 6 million people were killed. But many people still suffered outside of the matter. According to Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett, 8 people, which included the Franks, Van Daans, and Mr Dussel, all stayed in a secret annex for over two years hiding from Nazis and waiting for allied countries to save them. As time passed many