KRISTALLNACHT

Kristallnacht is a name of a cruel event caused by the Nazis which whom were protesting Jews to live in Germany, this event happened on November 9th of 1938. On that night, the streets of all Germany and parts of Austria were topped with sparkling glasses that shattered from many of the Jewish stores and houses, this was the reason why this event was called the Crystal Night. Almost all of average Germans aryanized Jewish properties, stones were thrown directing to every Jewish property. On this very same night, stormtroopers burnt down 191 synagogues, religion books were all turned into ash. Former Nazi troops came to houses of Jewish people to take them for concentration camps, as many as 30,000 Jews were forced into camps all around Europe. 

This tragedy was triggered at its main point when the assassination of German diplomat was reported from France. A boy of age seventeen named Herschel Greenszpan decided to become a political assassin as he found out his family were going through a really tough time by the Nazis in Poland. This was the lead to Kristalnacht because this death of Nazi official was the reason for Germany to be able to have avenge to all Jewish in Europe. The day after the incident of Kristallnacht, the Nazis claimed that this event was not their fault, Joseph Goebbels (Hitler's minister of propaganda) held a press conference saying it was not a government action but a "spontaneous" expression of German citizens to the Jews. Even if not, these actions were bad anti-semitism. All people judged simply quick, they make every Jew look bad, Hitler's propaganda led this to happen.


After all I've learned from the Europe in 1930's I am deeply shocked. I come to points where I wonder the crisis they must have to have such ridiculous thinkings, how could so many people let this happen? Innocent Jewish were blamed for every single bit of problem Germany had back then, from having their properties, family, and dignity taken, Germany still had to blame them for the Kristallnacht fixing prices! I couldn't beliebe there was actually a discrimination of a huge group of human beings to be treated like this. I studied documentaries of the people that experienced these times where they can't even explain, I feel disappointed, even though this happened a long time ago and none of my relatives were in this, I feel sick of my own kind that let horrible things like these happen.

A Story of Prejudice and Bias

• What has the novel taught you /shown you about prejudice and bias?

One of the many novels written by John Boyne was fulfilled with the act of prejudice and bias. The book is called The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas, a story from a small boy's view who has a father that is in charge of a concentration camp in Poland, Europe. The main character of this book is a boy named Bruno, the father of this 9 year old is a big time follower of the Nazis. Without even trying to think, we know that Bruno's father is supporting a group that has all the evidence of once a huge prejudice. This book shows a lot of connection of parents and their children, many of the scenes from this book is Bruno's parents telling their children bits of wrong information that leads to following what Bruno's father is doing.

The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas novel has taught and shown me the bigger meanings of prejudice. Before I read this book and think deeper about prejudice, I would only imagine a person that doesn't want to do things with a certain of people. This novel carved a note in my mind that prejudice can damage more as the "hate" becomes bigger. In World War 2 the Nazi party is keeping millions of Jews to suffer and die by the Nazi system of concentration camps and many more. The reason of all this is bias and prejudging, some Germans that lived on the 1940's encouraged their people that their 'failing country' reason is the Jewish. Those actions were completely unreasonable because the Jews had done nothing wrong. They were just living people like the rest of German and rest of the World.


The parents and surroundings of Bruno and Gretel (his sister) are frequently teaching them to think that Jewish people were horrible. This is what the novel had shown me, people that supported the Nazis must have been encouraged to blame something in a time where the people were desperate. It was the reason why Nazi had so much of great power, influencing others in which had the greater amount of people to vote. Gretel is much more influenced to the 'Jews are horrible' than Bruno because Bruno interacted with a Jew and it was a person that meant a lot to him. As his surroundings were encouraging him to hate Jews, he questions himself a lot of times because Shmuel (his Jewish friend) was the friendliest person he have around his place. He know that means Jewish aren't horrible at all, they're friendly. The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas shows these moments of encouraging in many occasions, this made me realize that the opinions of people are extremely likely to evolve because the later people never interact with the one blamed and have no connection to them.

Fair/Unfair Treaty For Germans

After the end of the first World War, a history was created by an American president Woodrow Wilson. On the month May of 1919, Wilson established a treaty setting Germany into fourteen points of essential for lasting peace. As the Versailles treaty evolve, many European countries were more interested of punishing the Germans rather in preventing another World War. As ideas build by more European countries, the treaty contained articles that some think as being too harsh.

From learning and understanding the past of the German country, I sense that this treaty being declared went past over the fairness for the Germans. These articles were being widely shared, many have observed, as a result numbers of German Communists and even non-Germans opposed to the agreement. A local newspaper in Germany raged with comments opposing the Treaty and how the German feel betrayed; “In the place where, in the glorious year of 1871, the German Empire in all its glory had its origin, today German honor is being carried to its grave. Do not forget it! The German people will, with unceasing labor, press forward to reconquer the place among the nations to which it is entitled. Then will come vengeance for the shame of 1919.” By this, I came upon to support the Germans because I felt it was too many against one.

As the Germans were busy commenting and complaining about losing their dignity, others came by a reply with the treaty that Germany set for Russia a year earlier. People around the world believe that the treaty called Brest-Litovsk set for Russia was way more harsh and cruel. As I examined this later treaty reaction, Russia did not complain and it was between the two of this country. Yes, Germany might have gone a hypocritical, and they gave more damage, but I still think that the Germans don’t have to get that kind of payback by the world.

Reasonably, the first thoughts created by president Wilson were really goal-wised, but the outcome seemed not as effective by the people judging in that time. It is wrong to take advantages when something collide, like the other European countries were asking for land empire, army, etc... It was unjust as Wilson said ‘self-determination’ the main idea from Wilson was to have “league of nations” where nations resolve differences around a table rather than on a battlefield, respect.

No man is an island entire of itself; every man
is a piece of the continent, a part of the main;
if a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe
is the less, as well as if a promontory were, as
well as any manner of thy friends or of thine
own were; any man's death diminishes me,
because I am involved in mankind.
And therefore never send to know for whom
the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.

These words describes the world in a simple but perfect life. It also carries a review of the human race by its side, what the people of this Earth have been up to. Our world sometimes doesn't match with its reflexive verb, only some people run the world 'No man is an island entire of itself..' People does not appreciate others equally, why is there people in charge of the whole, the people that are just born and die is equal, they should be greeted and let go the same way 'any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind.' This world have experience these acts for so long we think it's the best idea. What if there are no boundaries, people working around the same rank, just then there will be no man as an island. But we people just can't help it, we decide to need someone to idol, we want someone to control ourselves, We rank others with what they've achieved. That is, the society.

This poem also shows that everyone is a part of something bigger. "..every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main.."  I believe that everybody is connected, I came from the first two people that one day lived on earth. Some way or the other I am a relative to the seven billion people in this world living today. As family treat each other, not one has its right to belonging and happiness, we should feel the same when others feel different, '..as well as any manner of thy friends or of thine own were..' and that's how the world's society today should be.