A Tale of Two Cities Dialectical Journal
“Still, our first impressions of the Germans were rather reassuring. The officers were billeted in private homes, even in the homes of Jews. Their attitude toward their hosts was distant, but polite. They never demanded the impossible, made no unpleasant comments, and even smiled occasionally at the mistress of the house.” (5) | The idea that the Germans weren't always harsh during that time baffles me. I always thought that the Germans were constantly beating down on Jews, and, even though they were for most of this historical time, this quote proves me wrong. There were times when they could be civilized and tolerant human beings. There was a belief during this time that the Germans and followers of the Germans believed that Jews were aliens, but I actually believe the Germans were the aliens. How they could go from being decent individuals, as stated in this quote, to being madmen who slaughter people for no good reason is utterly beyond me. The aliens must have taken over the minds of the Germans at this point in time. It's the only logical explanation... | “Three days later, a new decree: every Jew must wear the yellow star. 'The yellow star? Oh well, what of it? You don’t die of it….' (Poor Father! Of what then did you die?)” (6) | I find this quote to be quite sardonic. When you think about having something sewed onto your clothes such as a yellow star, you wouldn't think at all that it would kill you because, it's not directly hurting you in any way. This is what the father, I think, meant when he said "So what? It's not lethal..." But then, you look deeper and realize that the yellow star symbolizes all of these peoples' faith and religion, which is what's ultimately the reason these Jews were being persecuted, because of this faith and the things they believed in, and this is why Wiesel added this slightly satirical comment in parentheses. | “I wanted to come back to Sighet to tell you the story of my death. So that you could prepare yourselves while