“Dehumanization”

“Dehumanization”

In human nature there are a set of characteristics, including ways of thinking, feeling and acting. All 'normal' humans have these in common. But how can humans lose control over their minds? For money? For power? People can lose humanity and fall into dehumanization. Eliezer realized from personal experience that people can change their thoughts, feelings or acts quickly; this phase of people changing is called “Dehumanization”.

For instance: “Dehumanization” of Jews by Germans during the World War, i.e. Germans stripping Jews of their humanity and having control and power over their human counterparts. How do you feel about it? The ability to make decisions on our own is also an important trait we human have. Jews were forced to work, were given little or no food, clothes, and slept in cots or did not even sleep sometimes. They were being tortured and were not able to resist. This caused them to lose their basic human qualities and they suffered physical dehumamization. Eliezer was one of them who stood up against and fought with all her might, thus losing his humanity.

Jews were involuntarily deported from their homes and villages back then. They were separated from their families and didn’t know what would happen to them. They only could pretend that they would still be alive. "She must be in a labor camp and Eliezer is a big girl now. She must be in a camp.” Eliezer’s father said that to himself looking at her photo.

A lot of Jews died from illness, weakness or was even starved to death. The frequent deaths of the concentration camps had numbed their feelings and stripped them of their ability to express their emotions. Death was no longer an appalling matter to the atrocious personality that the captives had developed over time. Some of them started to lose their hopes. They suffered emotional dehumanization. But Eliezer still fought for hope.

Some of them were dehumaninated when they were alive; without food, love, hope and rights. They killed each other even for a little food. They didn’t care anymore of who was to die, they were only thinking about themselves. When humans are dehumanizated, they are comparable to animals. Without feelings or thoughts, it is all the obduracy of a human act. Survival for them was the only way out!