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Holocaust Survivor Book Report

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Through the eyes of a holocaust survivor, Frankl showed the impressive search for meaning through his book. He also fulfilled this by discovering the grace, laughter and confidence in a life that was very difficult. Frankl conveys a message of hope throughout his book even as he speaks of the horrific events that took place in the concentration camps.
Frankl learns that he needs to think of life in a more positive way after speaking with another prisoner at the camp and Frankl goes on to state, “When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves.” (55). When looking through the concentration camps Frankl saw that many of the prisoners could not find the meaning in their life and misfortunes, causing a loss in the will to live. Frankl understood the relation between survival and mental strength and this is what led to him finding meaning in his life, as the other prisoners found it difficult to find, this is explained when he says “Ultimately, man should not ask what the meaning of his life is, but rather must recognize that it is he who is asked. In a word, each man is questioned by life; and he can only answer to life by answering for his own life.” (109). He was constantly faced with the fear of death at Auschwitz, but he was able to keep a clear mind and this causes him to keep a strong mental state. This leads to him staying in physical shape, so he is deemed as a good worker by the german soldiers. Although he …show more content…

This allowed him to look back on his past and all the struggles he had to go through in the Holocaust at a deeper level, this was a pursuit to help others find meaning in their lives. Although he had to go through more than the average person to find this deeper meaning in life he accomplished it and as he said, “He knows the "why" for his existence, and will be able to bear almost any "how”

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