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Dehumanization In The Devil's Genocide

854 Words4 Pages
Genocides are the mass killings of a certain group of people. 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 various 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 given a bucket to drink out of that is unsanitary. The Nazis 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 Nazis refer to all prisoners by their name. In the movie, the Nazis are calling the prisoners by their names such as “ Sarah Taitz.” This is misleading; in concentration camps, the Nazis do not care for the Jews’ names. It is known that every prisoner had a tattoo with a number on their wrist to which they would be referred. Nazis calling prisoners by
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