Primo Levis Survival in Auschwitz Essay Example for Free

Primo Levis Survival in Auschwitz Essay â€Å"Why is the pain of every day translated so constantly into our dreams, in the ever-repeated scene of the unlistened-to story† (Levi, p 60)? As I read this quote in my book, I highlighted it and wrote in the margin â€Å"foreshadowing†. I feel confident that these dreams signified just that; that the author (amongst the other survivors) would forever re-live those horrors and try tell their stories†¦and no one listens. The poem at the beginning of the book, Survival in Auschwitz, by Primo Levi, warns us of just this and curses us should we fail to listen. It is imperative that we a global community never forget and forever respect the struggle. I believe that this feeling, of sharing his story over and over again in his books and with people as he goes through Europe on his journey home and not truly being heard could have been a major factor in his deciding to take his own life. With such an important story, why aren’t we listening? Reflecting back on Levi’s words, I think one of the many reasons people choose to not really â€Å"listen† and take these stories to heart is because they are extremely hard to bear or even imagine. â€Å"Do you know how one says ‘never’ in camp slang? ‘Morgen fruh’, tomorrow morning† (p 133). Nowadays we plan things out in advance; we have 12 year old girls planning out their ideal weddings! The idea that we might not live to wake up in the morning is preposterous. This was their reality. We cannot even pretend to understand what that might be like. So instead of acknowledge that the men among us can do such terrible things to one another, isn’t it easier for us to say â€Å"What a tragedy†¦Ã¢â‚¬  and move on with our lives? Isn’t easier on us, to watch the news and see the horrors of the world, and then turn the TV off and pretend like it is all fiction, so we really don’t have to go out of our comfort zone to do anything about it? For those of us who are religious, isn’t our duty to give thanks to the Lord when we are blessed? There is an example of prayer on page 129 when Kuhn is thanking God after a selecti on for not being selected to go to the gas chambers. We would think this to a reasonable response, however Levi goes on to educate otherwise. â€Å"Kuhn is out of his senses. Does he not see†¦Beppo, who is twenty years old and is going to the gas chamber the day after tomorrow and knows it†¦? If I was God, I would spit at Kuhn’s prayer† (p129). I thought that Levi’s response to Kuhn’s prayer was extreme at first, for isn’t it customary to give thanks for good fortune? But then as I reflected on this, Levi was absolutely correct. How dare one man thank God for living another day when the man beside him has been condemned? There is no rhyme or reason to it, there is no why in the Lager. It is impossible for them at the time to understand, which is why the law of the camp was â€Å"do not think†. How can we begin to fathom now the how’s or why’s? It doesn’t make sense. Who wants to listen to a story that doesn’t make any sense and acknowledge that it could happen all over again? Sometimes, we love to hear the story of a tragedy. For example, some of the most well liked tragedies of all time include Gone with the Wind, Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights, many of Shakespeare’s plays, and a Streetcar Named Desire. These are not only stories though; they have their sadness b ut throughout there is also hope and there are also morals, these are things to gain by these stories. The story the Levi needs to share with us has no hope, it has no moral storyline that we can learn from (aside from all of the wrong ones demonstrated by the Nazi’s). The tone for the story can be seen in one paragraph, and it’s a sad truth†¦ which means many people don’t want to hear it. â€Å"We Italians had decided to meet every Sunday evening in a corner of the Lager, but we stopped it at once, because it was too sad to count our numbers and find fewer each time, and to see each other even more deformed and more squalid. And it was so tiring to walk those few steps and then, meeting each other, to remember and to think. It was better not to think (p 37).† It took me a few years to understand the concept of â€Å"humanity†. If you look it up in the dictionary or online the definitions are abstract and I do not feel that they give you an adequate description of the connotation and denotation together. Levi, however, does a very clear job in showing us examples of the clear inhumane acts of the Nazi’s and the humanity within the camp to help each other. One of the stories that most clearly show us a true meaning of humanity and that really resonates with me can be found in Chapter 17: The Story of Ten Days. On January 22 at night, after everyone has gone to bed, Levi talks about Lakmaker, a 17 year old Dutch Jew boy who has been sick for months and cannot seem to communicate verbally very well others due to their language barrier. Levi describes the scene as the boy â€Å"†¦groaned and then threw himself from the bed. He tried †¦ too weak and fell to the ground crying and shouting loudly† (p 176). Their companion in the ward called Charles climbed down from his bunk and cleaned Lakmaker’s bunk for him as best he could and then cleaned him. Afterwards Charles picked him up and placed him in his bunk so that he could once again be comfortable. This was no small act of kindness, especially considering the position in which they are in in the Lager. Disease and the risk of contracting viruses is extremely high and survival is a fundamental part of brains. It makes no sense, considering what has happened to these men and remembering that they have no idea what to expect in the coming days, to risk ones’ self for another yet this is exactly what they do. To find such greatness and nobility in such a time as this is the true meaning of humanity.