Parallel Journeys, By Eleanor Ayer

Recalling his devoted years to the Hitler Youth program, author Alfons Heck states “I have never once during the Hitler years thought of myself as anything but a decent, honorable young German, blessed with a glorious future” (206). This honesty conveyed by Heck elucidates the selfish ideals of those in the Hitler Youth, a theme apparent in the novel A Child of Hitler. Although Heck’s thoughts are self-conceited, they convey the opinions of those decieved by the Hitler Youth principles. As politically incorrect as these principles were, A Child of Hitler portrays them differently than other literature reporting on the subject. Through his descriptions of daily activities, Heck describes the pressure that children faced as Hitler Youth.

Can you predict if it was the last day of your childhood and freedom? Lucia and her family couldn 't. Lucy Lipiner’s haunting memoir “Long Journey Home” documents when Nazis invade their homeland and forced them to flee away and find shelter. With limited options on where to go, their family stays together throughout the strenuous journey to find safety throughout Europe to America. This memoir tells in detail the mental and physical struggle to get to safety and freedom. Even when tumultuous events occur, you still have a chance to become resilient no matter what circumstances. To illustrate this theme, Lucy Lipiner uses extensive imagery.

How do authors generate ideas when writing? Many authors shape their works by reflecting on occurrences in their lives. While some utilize positive occurrences, more often than not, poets incorporate unpleasant experiences in their compositions. Mary Oliver exhibits this technique by incorporating her tough childhood into her poetry. “…with words, I could build a world I could live in. I had a very dysfunctional family, and a very hard childhood. So I made a world out of words. And it was my salvation” (Shriver). As a result of her sufferings, Oliver also turned to nature for inspiration. Mary Oliver’s works focused on her observations in nature, which provided an escape from reality. Mary Oliver’s experiences in life profoundly influenced

Although promises made by Hitler Youth lured all children, the organization were looking for specific children to take part in the organization. To join Hitler Youth organizations, children were forced to take several tests such as proof of ancestry and health, understanding Nazi political and racial beliefs, and physical tests (Discoverer - ProQuest). Once accepted, children took on several activities that differentiated from boys and girls although both were believed to equally promote physical fitness. Such activities included hiking, camping, but also meetings described by most of previous Hitler Youth members as dull and lacked the excitement promised by the organization (Campbell Bartoletti). Before Hitler became chancellor, the children were even involved in handing out pamphlets , which was considered a dangerous work due to rival, promoting the Nazi party. In the book Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler’s Shadows, one of Hitler Youth’s martyrs was murdered by communists while passing out pamphlets. Once made chancellor and then Fuhrer, Hitler appointed Baldur von Schirach as head of the Hitler Youth Organization. Schirach role as Hitler Youth leader was to deteriorate the children's obedience from family and school towards Germany (Kater,

Then the Nazis had to prepare for the future and the future of Germany was the youth. Many organisations like the Hitler youth and the league for German Maidens were set up to teach the youth to follow the Nazis. In the Hitler youth they were taught like the military, neat, tidy and organised. The youth saw Hitler as a father figure in the fatherland and obeyed him. Then Hitler used indoctrination in the education system to recruit them into the army as loyal Nazis. There were subtle Nazi views added into all school work to brainwash the youth, as they were naive and didn’t see the wrong side of the Nazis true nature. The future of the people’s community was successfully secure and the Nazis would keep control for years to come.

Children were not only drawn into Nazi ideology through education reforms, but the creation of Nazi Youth Organizations also attracted a majority of German youth to the Nazi belief system. The single greatest tool used by Hitler to convince the youth to work towards the Volksgemeinschaft was the Hitler Youth. The goal of this party-run youth organization was to brainwash children to think and act German, and to wipe out class distinction and individualism. Like the education system, the Hitler Youth also emphasized physical fitness, as a key part of Aryan superiority. It also provided a plethora of group activities, the goal of these activities was to build trust for your

Hitler believed that the future of Nazi Germany was the children. He set up a program to educate the children the way he wanted. The Hitler Youth had teaching schemes to fill the youth's minds with Nazi Germany. Before Hitler came into power, the kids could avoid doing things for Hitler Youth if they

Can you predict if it was the last day of your childhood and freedom? Lucia and her family couldn 't. Lucy Lipiner’s haunting memoir “Long Journey Home” documents when Nazis invade their homeland and forced them to flee away and find shelter. With limited options on where to go, their family stays together throughout the strenuous journey to find safety throughout Europe to America. This memoir tells in detail the mental and physical struggle to get to safety and freedom. Even when tumultuous events occur, you still have a chance to become resilient no matter what circumstances. To illustrate this theme, Lucy Lipiner uses extensive imagery.

The novel Parallel Journeys by Eleanor Ayer with Helen Waterford a remarried Jew with one child and Alfons Heck a hitler youth follower both show their different views of their experiences during the war WW2. Both Alfon and Helen go through almost losing their lives and living in fear. While also going through different paths.

Reading historical sources is an important and fundamental way of learning from history because it provides different perspectives of a particular event. If historians and scholars were to draw from one particular source, then they would have a limited perspective of an event that occurred. Therefore, this is why many different sources need to be integrated into learning about a particular subject. While learning about the Holocaust, my Professor, Gordon Dueck, has used Elie Wiesel’s memoir, Night, Laurent Binet’s novel, HHhH, and Norman Goda’s historical overview, The Holocaust: Europe, the World, and the Jews, 1918 – 1945, to teach us about the Holocaust. This paper will discuss the different forms of Holocaust representation that I have learned about and discuss the strengths and weaknesses of memoirs, novels, and historical overviews while learning about the Holocaust.

Marie Antoinette: The Journey, is an insightful biography written by Antonia Fraser. Antonia Fraser, writer of the best-selling book, Faith and Treason: The Story of the Gunpowder Plot, had done extensive research to help bring the life of Marie Antoinette into the light. Fraser has a unique dedication to Queens, as she has written not only about the Queen of France but also of Mary, Queen of Scots.

With all the propaganda, Hitler’s support base grew very quickly and "by 1939 the Hitler Youth has become the largest youth organization in the world with over 7.3 million strong within its ranks" (“The Hitler Youth”) 4. More and more people were joined the Hitler youth from all over, which meant more people to carry and enforce this anti- Semitic views and to keep the ideology

Even at the onset of war, Hitler Youth totalled 8.8 million members. Numbers decreased significantly (to just over one million) once the war began as many local and district leaders were drafted for the national army. Previous average age for local and district leaders was 24, but following the onset of war, this had to change to those who were 16 and 17 years of age. These youths were in command of up to 500

This memoir is about the Holocaust and Ellie Wiesel’s experience of the concentration camps. Once again, an author has used their memories to perfect an educational opportunity. Instead of hiding his dark memories, Ellie Wiesel embraces the horror of the holocaust and gives us an insight on our history. It shows how we can all grow and become a better nation. It helps people in their effort to learn in the past and it also helps people to succeed in the present by learning from their own memories. Just as Ellie learns from his memories as he is at peace with himself after this tragedy. Memories are just stories that lead us into a successful

In October of 1936 the Hitler made Hitler youth a mandatory membership, conscripted all German boys aged ten into the HJ as well. The laws required boys age ten and over to join but there were younger boys as little as 6 years old fighting to join the Jungvolk, which was the voluntary HJ. The young boys wanted to be a part of a group and fit in, and most of all wanted to wear a uniform. Alfons Heck described his infatuation with the HJ uniforms, comparing it to being part of a sports team and having pride in wearing your own teams’ jersey.