Dehumanization: The Holocaust & Slavery
Dehumanization: The Holocaust & Slavery Maus, by Art Spiegelman, brought a renewed sense of Holocaust consciousness to the American public. It also introduced the topic of dehumanization to new audiences because of its accessibility as a comic-book narrative. Dehumanization can be defined as the deprivation of an individual's human qualities, personality, or spirit. This process transpired for many years, to many innocent people for no logical or intelligent reason during the Holocaust. The prisoners of the Holocaust were systematically and bureaucratically annihilated by the Nazis during World War II. Some of the offenses incurred upon the Jewish people included being placed in concentration camps, separated from loved ones, stripped of clothing and belongings, forced into laborious work conditions and eventually murdered. These offenses were the main dehumanizing factors during the Holocaust. Not many can fully contemplate the idea of this occurring in our world, and in such recent times. Reading and learning about the circumstances of the Holocaust will never fully allow society to understand how those involved could have felt, but many authors attempt to interpret the moods and feelings of those involved. Although Sp
iegelman's work fully details emotions and thoughts of the persecuted, it is highly doubtful that readers could ever truly understand what thoughts could have been going through the victims' minds. Even today, in countries not as civilized as ours, women and others are violated and have no chance of a meaningful life. Such a problem would not be allowed to advance to such proportions in today's world. It is hard to believe that the majority of people today actually take the time to learn about what occurred during the time of slavery. This firsthand account tells of the horrific conditions slaves were forced to endure. Although readers may not be able to fully relate, they may be able to gain some knowledge of what occurred during those horrific times. For decedents of slaves, even though they were not involved directly, the fact that their ancestors were violated is enough to anger them until this day. Only the children of the victims could possibly have somewhat of an understanding of the sentiments that the casualties of this atrocity felt. Today's society is still racially divided in many aspects, and slavery is a painful subject for many. One of the most dehumanizing, violating actions in the history of the world was the slavery that occurred in our past. Relating to actions that have not happened to oneself is always a difficult task. Freedom to be one's self is important in achieving fulfillment as a person; slaves were not granted that opportunity, therefore lacking major human qualities. Those with no ties to slavery may wonder why people do not just move on with their lives. While it is understandable that decedents are still upset, people must come together and overcome the mistakes of the past. ------------------------------------------------------------------------**Bibliography**.
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