Alfons_Victim_Essay Essays - Nazi Germany, Adolf Hitler, Free Essays

Alfons_Victim_Essay Essays - Nazi Germany, Adolf Hitler, Free Essays Sachan Shah Mrs. Kupchuck English 1d (3g) 17 October 2014 The Holocaust was the horrific mass killing of over 6 million Jews and 5 million other groups of people deemed undesirable by the Nazi party. Among the Nazis most fanatic group was the Hitler youth many who claimed after the war to be a victim rather than a to be a violator. The book Parallel Journeys by Eleanor Ayer, Alfon Heck, and Helen Waterford describes the experiences of the Hitler youth through one young man named Alfon Heck. Towards the end of the book Alfon describes himself as a victim. Alfon heck was a victim of the Hitler youth because of Hitler's huge influence, and because of the fact that he did not know about the Holocaust. Adolf Hitler had a huge influence on Alfon Heck and he was greatly attracted to the power that Hitler had promised. For example, in the story it states "You are a superior race of people; it is natural that you should rule the world." (20). If one was to praise someone continually then they will think it is true, I think this caused much of the German youth to join. In addition those who were against Hitler's ideas had little or no power on the children. It was if the children of the Hitler youth were under a spell. In the book it states: "Parents who did not agree with the Hitler Youth leader's ideas found themselves powerless to change their children's mind. Alfons father was one who didn't agree. "Girls as well as boys were attracted by the power, glory, and the importance that the Hitler youth promised." (21) This symbolizes how Hitler had a huge influence on the German population. Alfon had not listened to his father to enroll in the Hitler youth. This also shows that the Hitler Youth persuaded both boys and girls into joining the Nazi cause. In conclusion, Hitler had a huge influence on kids and they were what seem like a spell. Those whom were in the Hitler youth had not known of many of the horrors of the Holocaust. "That is our life sentence for having been the enthusiastic followers of Adolf Hitler."(219) this shows that he was tricked and he was brainwashed. Alfon just thought that he was helping his country. "My goal is to share with others the lessons I learned at such a tremendous and painful cost... It is up to me to plant the seeds of this message in the minds of my readers and listeners. And I hope that they will believe me. Only then will I feel certain that my survival has had some meaning." (223). this shows that he had learned that at a tremendous cost and he had only learned after the war. Also in the text he says that the French hit him with the butts of their guns for not believing that the holocaust was real. He was only 16 and he had no clue that all these people were treated like this. This shows that he did not know of the holocaust and he was innocent. In conclusion Alfon was a child in the Hitler youth who was misled by Hitler's promised power and did not know about the holocaust. He was told that he was of a superior race and that he was entitled to lots of power. He might have acted differently if had known about the Holocaust. He now has to live with himself for being in the Hitler youth.