Dehumanization In The Devil's Arithmetic

A History of Misgiven Information Genocides are the mass killings of a group of people, and sometimes even an entire race. The Holocaust is one of the largest genocides that the world has ever seen. Because society is not educated on these horrific events, genocides continue to take place. Society has moved forward in so many forms of communication that there are numerous ways to convey the message of remembering a genocide. Jane Yolen 's novel, The Devil’s Arithmetic, more aptly conveys the message of remembering than Donna Deitch’s film adaptation as seen through dehumanization, boxcars, and a love interest. One of the ways that Jane Yolen’s book better communicates the message of remembrance is through dehumanization. For example, Yolen writes, “A bucket of filthy water was passed around, and everyone grabbed for it eagerly. Hannah managed a mouthful before it was taken from her. There was hay in that mouthful, but she didn’t care.” Like animals, the Jews were fed through a bucket that is filled with all sorts of unhygienic and unsanitary things. The Nazi’s skillfully strip away bit by bit at their humanity. This nasty tactic has to be remembered so it doesn 't repeat. On the other hand, Deitch may say the Nazi’s refer to all prisoners by their name. In the movie, the Nazi’s are calling the

The message of remembrance is more aptly portrayed in Jane Yolen’s novel than in Donna Deitch’s film version of The Devil’s Arithmetic. The movie version fails to express the importance of remembrance because it doesn’t illustrate the Holocaust as accurately as the novel. If society remembers and educates themselves on the issue, then they avoid the risk of having to face another genocide. However, if society chooses to forget and ignore, then another genocide could easily take place right under their noses without them suspecting a thing. Society must always remember these tragedies. Is it right for history to repeat itself because people haven’t learned from