Dachau Quotes Flashcards
Quote 1
“When the crew chief said, “All aboard”, we got in as if we were escaping from a fire.”
Quote 2
“… the skeletons sat in the sun and searched themselves for lice.”
Quote 3
“No expression shows on a face that is only yellow-ish stubbly skin stretched across bone.”
Quote 4
“Now he stood on the bones that were his legs and talked and then suddenly he wept. “Everyone is dead.””
Quote 5
“Perhaps his body will live and take strength but one cannot believe that his eyes will ever be like other people’s eyes.”
Quote 6
“They killed not so many people, only eight hundred, in that experiment.”
Quote 7
“… aside from the terrible anger you feel, you are ashamed. You are ashamed for mankind.”
Quote 8
“The clothing was handled with order but the bodies were dumped like garbage rotting in the sun.”
“When the crew chief said, “All aboard”, we got in as if we were escaping from a fire.”
effectively conveys distress survivors during liberation powerful imagery // details notices prisoners escape camp // QUOTE // fire extremely traumatic myriad emotions, include terror desperation fighting for lives, grateful to live guilty others perished, simile compares emotion fire to Dachau cleverly encapsulating complexity strength feelings during and countless years after
“… the skeletons sat in the sun and searched themselves for lice.”
further example powerful imagery clearly picture some of many disturbing upsetting things came across Dachau // bears witness shocking state survivors journey through camp here briefly but effectively describes appearance sat behind barbed wire fence // QUOTE // skeletons not people illustrates emaciated state prisoners, so malnourished more closely resembled death than anything else, sibilance within metaphor engrain image mind of reader, repeated hissing “s” demonstrates event forever echo minds of prisoners lifelong battle painful emotions, echo present minds anyone who learns tragic event unforgettable nature
“No expression shows on a face that is only yellow-ish stubbly skin stretched across bone.”
through effective use metaphor ensures picture survivors cannot be forgotten // details sees as walks through hall survivors // QUOTE // lack expression due to lack energy small movement too costly almost non-existent supply, yellow tinge skin indicative declining health, could caused jaundiced failing liver, arisen result plethora viruses infections rife place like Dachau, prisoners faces only skin stretched across bone so emaciated bone tearing through skin, hollowness emptiness faces physically extreme malnutrition or mentally entirely drained life due to shocking treatment at camp
“Now he stood on the bones that were his legs and talked and then suddenly he wept. “Everyone is dead.””
Throughout “Dachau” includes direct quotes prisoners helping give reader more in depth understanding suffering experienced by those in Dachau // here details encounter prisoner meets journey through Dachau // QUOTE // use metaphor man has bones not legs illustrates skeletal appearance induced severe starvation experienced, “suddenly” describe change emotions suggests fragile mental state, mental instability contributed to by both traumatic experience in camp tragedies witnessed also starved body physically unstable exacerbate already extremely poor mental state, repeats “Everyone is dead” multiple times emphasising thought cannot escape, demonstrates although leave Dachau alive may always stuck there mentally forcing reader consider impact torment have on quality life man able to have after leaving
“Perhaps his body will live and take strength but one cannot believe that his eyes will ever be like other people’s eyes.”
effectively word choice portray deeply traumatised prisoners Dachau were // speaks doctor believes prisoner have seen will make full recovery after encounter Gellhorn firmly believes otherwise // QUOTE // Initially agrees with doctor prisoner probably recover fully physically, then states believes full mental recovery after event like this simply not possible, “ever” suggests permanence convey idea believes in mind prisoner never fully free from experience coping emotions triggered by it ongoing difficulty in life, “eyes” said to be windows to soul believes prisoners soul damaged by horrors of Dachau, prisoner never same again Dachau changed him in horrific saddening way irreversibly
“They killed not so many people, only eight hundred, in that experiment.”
on journey through Dachau interviews some doctors worked in camp witnessed first-hand some various inhumane experiments // speaks Polish doctor who provides her a detailed account some of experiments // QUOTE // “only” describe death 800 people could be said to be contradictory as “only” suggests very few, however in doctor mind death 800 people pales into insignificance comparison fatalities other experiments he witnessed, highlights enormous number of deaths in Dachau, way doctor talks experiments detached cold demonstrated think of prisoners deaths as numbers not people, alludes idea objective only way cope situation emotionally involved detrimental mental health after tragedies witnessed
“… aside from the terrible anger you feel, you are ashamed. You are ashamed for mankind.”
frequent use personal pronouns throughout article pulls reader into text // way in which effectively utilises technique is to provoke strong emotions in reader surrounding what she just described // QUOTE // strong words “anger” “ashamed” describe her emotions over Dachau, word choice “ashamed” suggests guilty embarrassed something like this ever happen guilt over it implies feeling personal responsibility, repeated use personal pronoun “you” strongly believes topic reader should be upset by, drills into reader’s head they too should feel sense responsibility regarding Dachau and fact this type human suffering such large scale never prevented
