Literature can be a powerful tool, the Nazis were able to see this, thousands of books were burned during the Nazi regime for many reasons, but this didn’t stop people from finding ways to preserve literature. The Nazis burned books as an act to control people, hatred of the Jews, and fear of different ideology. Around the world people were shocked and took action against this act of war on literature. American publishing houses started to produce books for the soldiers fighting in the war against the Nazis. Two libraries were also built, they were different but with a similar goal, in order to fight against the war the Nazis had started against literature. The Nazis succeeded in burning thousands of books in an attempt to control people but they were unable to stop people from finding ways to continue fighting for their own ideas through literature.
Nazis burned books for many reasons, from fear to complete disgust over other races and religions, believing they were the better human beings. In the video by the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Peter Black explains what the Nazis goal was, “The Nazis intended to rearm Germany and to reorganize the German state on the principal that the German ethic group, or race, was superior to all others in Europe.” (Nazi Book Burning)
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In order to do this the Nazis needed to be able to control people and taking their literature is a way to accomplish this. Students organized a book burning event so they could cleanse their German culture from any sort of foreign ideas. People were strongly encouraged at the book burning to pledge on oath to fight against these influences, this was also a way to show who was a supporter and who was not considering Nazi officials did participate this event in various locations. When Nazis began burning books it shocked the world, effecting people to the core. The Nazis burning books appalled the American people, who felt that something should be done to combat this act against literature. Librarians started to collect books, some of them were the same titles burned by the Nazis, to send to the American soldiers. American publishing houses began producing pocket-sized books made especially for soldiers to be able to travel with. They believed this was a way to combat against the war on literature so that the soldier could “arm their minds with ideas” (Manning). If the Nazis had never burned books this may not have ever become a priority for Americans to provide for soldiers in battle. Some of these books saved lives because soldiers were able to transport themselves out their situation or deal with what they’ve had to go through. After the Nazis burned books two libraries were built, both for different reasons, but they provided symbols that joined people from various walks of life together to combat the war the Nazis started against literature. The Freedom Library is one of these libraries, it was found by German people in Paris, bringing the attention of people from all over and was a stand against the Nazi book burning. Nikola Von Merveldt describes this, “The library symbolized the unity of the German émigré community to the world, and intellectuals from around the world recognized its members as the true defenders of German culture.” (Merveldt 523) Instead of dividing people and destroying ideas that were not in the Nazi favor they actually made them stronger by burning literature. The American Library of Nazi-Banned Books was founded by Jewish-American people, bring a solidarity that may not have happened otherwise. Merveldt states “By transcending linguistic, religious, and racial boundaries, the Library of Nazi-Banned Books and the activities linked to it truly symbolized democratic American values. The fight for freedom of thought and expression was both a Jewish and an American one.” (Merveldt 530) Jewish and American people realized that even though they may not carry the same faith their core values are the same. Jewish immigrants needed a new home land and were able to discover that in American in a way. The Nazis were able to burn thousands of books, but people still held tight to ideas by making sure the material that was burned was able to be accessed through soldiers in the battlefield and the libraries created.
Soldiers were able to use the power of literature to transform their mindsets in the battlefield and after. The libraries created had the power to bring together masses of communities and nations in the fight for the freedom of ideas and literature. Literature is a powerful tool, it can be used to destroy nations or bring nations together. In the Nazis attempt to use literature as a weapon, against first the Jews and then other nations, they brought communities and nations
together.
Few books exemplify the consequences of misconceptions more than Farenheit 451. The book speaks of a world in which in citizens think they are living in a utopia, when in fact their world is constantly devoloving into a place where no human could ever flourish. This delusion along with the misconception that books are thing to be feared is the precise reason that the general populace is so easily controlled. The reason behind the propaganda campaign against books is so the people do not realize that their lives are unsatisfying and dull. In other words, this, misconception propagated by the governing force, fuels the illusion of a perfect world. The myth that the world...
The argument that Francine Prose makes is valid with the way she supports it. The importance of books is most likely know by looking at the diction and the style of writing. However, some high school teachers prevent their students from knowing the importance by the way the teach. Using literary works to teach values makes it difficult for the students in the future, like in college. By teaching students the right way in the first place or in this case, in high school, will help them
Can you imagine a world where literature did not exist? It’s very hard, nearly impossible. Literature plays a major role in shaping society. Literature is a word used to describe written or spoken material. Literature educates, informs, entertains and influences the reader or listener in a myriad of profound ways. Broadly speaking, “literature” is used to describe anything from creative writing to more technical or scientific works, but the term is most commonly used to refer to works of the creative imagination. Writers can change one’s beliefs, thoughts, actions, indeed their entire lives. In Northrop Frye’s The Educated Imagination, Anne Lamott’s Bird by Bird and Plato’s The Republic, the writers use literature to utter the importance literature bestows on society. The three writers state their opinions using different methods to prove to the readers that their opinions are valid. Since each author has a unique writing style, most envision their writing with a relatable figure. Some would argue that Frye’s writing style is much like that of a textbook, very instructional and factual, Lamott reminded them of a conversation with a friend and that Plato’s writing style is very informative, akin to a professor carrying on a dialogue with an inquisitive student.
Heinrich Heine’s article on the connection of the Holocaust to book burning presents multiple concepts on the idea of burning books. Throughout the text the author presents his overall purpose on the importance of the act of burning and reveals the possibility of burning burning being inherently sinister. Many of his comments relate to the novel Fahrenheit 451 in which book burning also takes place. Overall, Heinrich Heine opened up new ideas on book burning and its impact on societies over the years.
(Page 102) Many great works of Jewish authors and even American authors were burned. The point of the book burnings was to erase any form of non-German knowledge and to only allow ideas that supported the Nazi Party. In the book, Liesel steals a book from the fire, which turns out to be a Jewish book. The was caught for stealing by the mayor 's wife, but was easily forgiven and was even allowed to read books in her private library.
This novel was written by Ray Bradbury, He wrote other novels such as the Martian Chronicles, the Illustrated Man, Dandelion Wine, and Something Wicked This Way Comes, as well as hundreds of short stories, he also wrote for the theater, cinema, and TV. In this essay, three arguments will be made to prove this point. First, the government uses firemen to get rid of books because they are afraid people will rebel, they use preventative measures like censorship to hide from the public the truth, the government promotes ignorance to make it easier for them to control their citizens. Because the government makes books illegal, they make people suppress feelings and also make them miserable without them knowing.
There are many similarities and differences between WWII Germany and fahrenheit 451. The book burnings in nazi Germany and in fahrenheit 451 is crazy similar. They both have crazy leaders With all the similarities theirs burning books and limiting knowledge in an advanced society there government wants to control knowledge so they stay in power and there’s not a smart enough to overthrow the government. they burn books is a similarity they also outlaw books. But just as there are similarities in this book and in nazi germany there are differences. Like they don’t burn down the houses they just burn the books in germany. People weren't allowed to have or read books and if they did have books they would have to be burned by firemen.Rumors of
Imagine a world of uniformity. All people look the same, act the same, and love the same things. There are no original thoughts and no opposing viewpoints. This sort of world is not far from reality. Uniformity in modern day society is caused by the banning of books. The novel "Fahrenheit 451" illustrates a future in which the banning of books has risen to the extent that no books are allowed. The novel follows the social and moral implications of an over censored society. Even though the plot may seem far-fetched, themes from this book are still relevant today. Although some people believe that banning a book is necessary to defend their religion, the negative effects caused by censorship and the redaction of individual thought are reasons why books such as "Fahrenheit 451" should not be banned.
Books are a symbol of learning, imagination and knowledge. In 1933 the Nazis burned all the books in order to subdue the free thinking and, liberty of the citizens of germany. In the novel Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury it displays a controlling, violent, and oppressive Dystopian, government similar to Germany.
In the article 10 Reasons for Banning Books and 5 Much Better Reasons not to, it states that the books teach us vocabulary, history, and new ways of thinking. “Every year I receive at least a dozen invitations to be commencement speaker at colleges and high schools. My books are probably more widely used in schools than those of any other living American fiction writer.”-excerpt from Kurt Vonnegut’s letter. Books are known for their choice of complex vocabulary. We use non-fictional books to learn about real events in history. Non-fictional books and articles show children a new way of thinking. Many books are used in an educational
"75th Anniversary of the Nazi Book Burnings." AbeBooks:. AbeBooks Inc., n.d. Web. 22 Apr. 2014. .
The Holocaust targeted mainly Jews and also included gypsies, poles, the disabled, Jehovah's Witnesses, homosexuals, non-Aryan people, and others. Camps were set up in conquered countries and treated the prisoners like slaves, forcing them to do work for the benifit of people supporting the Nazis. About 15 thousand camps were created durring this time, including labor camps, concentration camps, and extermination camps. Stereotypes about the targeted groups supported reasons to eliminate those specific types of people so that Germany could be a strong nation again. The events in the Holocaust were made legal so that people in from other countries wouldn't suspect that something horrible was going on in Germany, for a while.
Certain times in human history seem to reflect only the worst qualities we as a species possess. The Holocaust is one of those times. Marek Sroka, author of the article The Destruction of Jewish Libraries and Archives in Cracow during World War II examines the loss of various Jewish books, library collections, and other materials in Cracow, Poland after the 1939 invasion of German troops. Of all the collections of Jewish works, it was the school libraries in Cracow that suffered the worst losses. As the author states “the plan to eliminate Jewish cultural and literary contributions to Polish as well as European civilization became almost as important to the Germans as the physical destruction of the Jewish people” (161). This chapter
Literature has had a major impact on society, and, also our history. Literature has reformed and shaped civilizations, changed political systems, and has exposed injustices (3). Our literature has changed and developed as we have, keeping up with our society. “...literature is crucial for the advancement of society (3).” With literary works, we can convince others to view things a certain way, share our opinions, and more. Literature is greatly intertwined with our society and everyday lives, and they would not be the same without it. Literature plays an irreplaceable role in our
Literature has many purposes, and opens doors to unique worlds. Through Literature, we discover ourselves and world time and again.