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Cremation Of Holocaust Survivors In The Last Laugh

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Cremation Of Holocaust Survivors In The Last Laugh
There are many commentators in The Last Laugh (Pearlstein, 2016), but the most notable are two of the Holocaust survivors: Renee Firestone and Robert Clary. They both recount their memories similarly to survivors of other tragedies as expressed by Tom Brokaw (1998) “they described the scene as calmly as if they were remembering an egg-toss at a sunday social back home.. and they almost never reflect directly on the bravery of the storyteller” (p.7). Both survivors captivate the audience and quickly gain their respect and appreciation for their willingness to explain their stories. They do not however share similar thoughts in regards to the Holocaust and finding humor in the topic. In a scene where Renee and Robert are discussing cremation, Renee is quite appalled at Robert’s comment that the fish will enjoy the taste of him when his ashes are scattered among the water. …show more content…
Sen (2006) states “the singular-affiliation view would be hard to justify by the crude presumption that any person belongs to one group and one group only… there may be significant external influences as well. This clarification is needed since the role of choice has to be understood after taking note of the other influences that restrict or restrain the choices one can make”. This will be a critical perspective to maintain throughout the rest of this paper, the documentary, and in any other memory text that covers such a complex topic. No one besides Renee and Robert, and other survivors, are truly aware of the differences in the experiences that they faced, the feelings that they felt, and the treatment that they received during the Holocaust and the years that have followed
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