“Those who want to live, let them fight, and those who do not want to fight in this world of eternal struggle do not deserve to live.” This was a particularly unsympathetic statement on Hitler’s part, especially considering that he made it so difficult and miserable for certain communities to fight. Even so, these victims managed to do so by enduring Hitler’s torment. Endurance- fueled by hope and optimism- can dwarf despair and anguish, even in the face of death.
Negative occurrences need to be utilized in order to become stronger and practice endurance. Proof of this statement can be located throughout multiple sources, one of which including a speech called “For the Dead and The Living” spoken by Elie Wiesel, a Holocaust survivor. In
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Examples may be found in poetry, such as the poem “Crystal Night” by Lyn Lifshin. This poem is about the tragic pogrom called Kristallnacht, or the Night of Broken Glass. Within the poem is the phrase, “a whole family / in shards and this / is just the beginning.” Although this seems to be a very dismal expression, there is an underlying representation of endurance. During this point in the Holocaust, family was one of the few positive prospects anyone had left to cling to. Surrounded by distress and terror, family was a source of security, broken as it may be. Another instance would be an excerpt from an authentic story called "The Power of Light." This tale is about two Jewish children named Rebecca and David struggling to survive during the Holocaust. They were orphaned and left to perish in unsanitary/unsafe conditions; the sound of their growling stomachs grew familiar, warmth was but a distant memory, and they were likely constantly disheartened by angst. And yet, they still managed to overcome dilemmas. During a scene where the two were lighting a candle to celebrate the first day of Hanukah, the text says, "That glimmer of light, surrounded by so many shadows, seemed to say without words: Evil has not yet taken complete dominion. A spark of hope is still left." David and Rebecca found consolation in their religion and in each other, and this is a