This link will connect you to an interview between journalist Gitta Sereny and Franz Stangl, a former commandant in the Nazi death camps of Sobibor and Treblinka in Poland, who was arrested in Brazil in 1961 and sent to Germany to be tried for the mass murder of 900,000 people during the Holocaust. In the interview, Stangl talks about how he dealt with the "liquidations" of Jews he oversaw and the effects his experiences had on him later in life. After you read the article, consider the following questions and post any thoughts, comments, or questions you might have.
- After reading this article, do you think it's fair to view people like Stangl - that is, men you held positions of power within the Nazi death camps - as inhuman and evil? Do Stangl's responses change your view of the Nazi officers? If so, why?
- How did Stangl cope with his job at the death camps? In other words, how did he detach himself from what was going on? Do you think this was a good tactic? Why/why not?
- Based on Stangl's responses, do you think he regrets what he did? Provide evidence to back up your opinion.
Stangl coped with his job by drinking every day. as he said in the article he would take a bottle of brandy to bed with him each night and drink. He also said that the only way to deal with it was to drink. The job that he had would have been awful; he saw hundreds and thousands of dead bodies daily. I am surprised that him or other guards were not any worse. I think this job could have made many people go crazy and result in some committing suicide.
ReplyDeleteI do not believe that it is fair to view people like Stangl as inhuman or evil even after what they have done because he did not realize what he was actually doing was bad. Sure, he knew that people were dying because of him but he was only following the lead of others. Stangl’s responses to the questions did change my point of view of the Nazi Officers because I never realized how naive they really were about the harm they were creating. The officers were only copying what their leaders told them to do. They did not have enough since to make their own decisions.
ReplyDeleteStangl detached himself from his work at the death camps by drinking. This was not a good tactic because he was not making good decisions. If he were to put all of that confusion or frustration into something more significant, he would be able to think straight. Although nothing bad came from it, it was still a bad choice.
Based on Stangl’s responses, I think that he has somewhat of regret towards the actions and decisions he made during the Holocaust. I think this because at one point he seems to be avoiding the answer to the question that was being asked. I think he was very ashamed.
I do think that it is fair to view people like Stangl as inhuman or evil because he made a conscious decision to hurt these people. Granted, he felt remorse for it at first, but he still continued to do it. He got used to the idea of killing people. Just because he felt bad about it does not mean that it is an excused behavior. He knew that people were getting hurt. He said it himself, he thought of them as cargo. His views do not change my views of the Nazi officers, because I do believe that many of them felt remorse for what they did, but I do not believe that it changed anything. Very few stopped to help, and very few tried to change things.
ReplyDeleteStangl detached himself from his job at the death camps by keeping himself busy and drinking. When he was not working, he would build things in the death camps to make life a little more comfortable in order to ease the guilt he felt. He drank to make it all go away when he could not ignore what he was doing. He did not want to feel anything.
Based on Stangl's responses, I do think that he regrets his actions. Like Caitlin said, I think he felt ashamed of what he did, and embarrassed. He knows and understand that his job killed many people, and he does not want to openly admit that as scene when he shakes his head or avoids a question. He even said that he could not eat tinned foods after his job at Treblinka. I think that if he could go back in time, he would change the way he acted.
I'm not really sure if it's fair to call these men inhuman or evil. Yeah, he knew what he was doing, but it was mostly subconscious. I think that he was just doing what he was told, like Jack's followers in Lord of the Flies. They know what they are doing, but don't really see the consequences. I guess I expected this type of answer from an officer, but I have a hard time believing it. There's a lot of grey matter for me, surrounding the Holocaust. I guess I thought that most of them thought like this, but there were those few that actually were aware and conscious of what they were doing. I don't know. It's really hard for me to say.
ReplyDeleteStangl used drinking and keeping himself busy to distract himself. He didn't want to feel like he was actually aiding in murders. He wanted to ignore it and not think about it.
I do think that Stangl regrets it. He trails off a lot which makes me think that he, like the author said, is reliving the memories of it. When talking about the farm animals at the slaughter house, the author says that "he went on without hearing, or answering me". I honestly think that the memories are painful for him.
What do people think about the part where he talks about the slaughter house? I found this incredible. Just... I don't know. Powerful. Thoughts?
After reading this I learned that some Nazi officers did not agree with what was going on. Yes he went along with it but only because he thought/knew it was the routine that could not be changed. I'm not saying he did the right thing, he just did something simliar to other officers for different reasons.
ReplyDeleteHe sort of took himself out of the equation by drinking every night before he went to bed. I don't think this was very smart for two reasons. 1. I bet he'd have a hangover a few times a month and 2. in his drunken state he forgot about his environment and became numb.
I think one regret he would have is not doing anything. He knows now that it could have been stopped, yet then he didn't. And thinking back on it now he probably wonders why he was so nieve.
I agree with Caitlin; I don't think it is fair to view people like Stangl as inhumane and evil because, like Caitlin said, Stangl didn't realize what he was doing. In class we talked about how during the time of Nazi Germany, everything was just moving so fast that no one could really comprehend what was going on until they got the chance to look back at what happened years later. I think that this applies to Stangl because he was just following orders, and everything was just happening so fast that he didn't really have time to stop and think about what he and the Nazis were doing. Sure, Stangl obviously knew that he was helping murder thousands of people because he witnessed it happen every day. However, he never really processed the idea. He just viewed the Jews as cargo and never actually convinced himself that they were real people. Stangl's responses do change my point of view of Nazi officers because while everyone thought they were horrible, heartless people, they really just were doing what they had to do. The Nazi party felt that exterminating Jews was for the greater good of Germany, and the job of Nazi officers was to follow orders. Since they were being ordered to kill people, they really had no choice but to do so. I still don't think the Nazis were great people and I don't think they should be forgiven for what they did, but this article shows that Nazi officers did actually have feelings and that they just had to follow "the system" that the Nazis had.
ReplyDeleteStangl coped with his job at the death camps by detaching himself from what was going on. It took him awhile, but after months of seeing dead people in the camps, he got used to it and could finally look them in the eye. Stangl did so by repressing it all and creating a special place. He also admitted that there were still times where he couldn't avoid thinking about it. Stangl said he constantly drank at night to ease the pain of seeing so much death, as well as never viewing the people as individuals, but as a large mass of rotting flesh.
Based on the article, I truly believe that Stangl regrets what he did. Like Lexi and Caitlin said, he appeared to feel ashamed. While reading the article, I felt there was a regretful tone to it. For example, at one point in the interview, Sereny asked, "'So you didn't feel they were human beings?'", and Stangl's response led to a moment of sympathy because of the hopeless grief in his voice. This part of the article really made me feel that Stangl was sorry and regretted what he did because of the amount of sorrow he felt when he answered Sereny's question.
I think that seeing stangl as inhumane or evil because he was just doing his job. stangl's job was very "bad" because it killing many but it was normal for them. i also think that peer pressure might ahve had a role to play in it because stangl's friends may have been doing the same job he had except they enjoyed it unlike him ad tried to convince him to do it and like it as well.
ReplyDeleteTo forget about his job stangl drank. he went to sleep every night with some brandy if im not mistaken so he could drink his problems away. for some this is a good was to forget things but it isnt always the right thing to do. he could have possibly gotten drunk on some occasions and that may have caused more problems than his job itself. some days if he didnt go over his limit and stayed sober sure it could be a good way to forget about things but usually when people are upset and they drink, they go too far.
i dont think he regets it because whats done is done and you cant fix that but he also said "That was my profession; I enjoyed it" so he didnt hate it. he liked liquidating the jews and that clearly shows he didnt reget it. He also stopped thinking of these people as people and as cargo. he says “Cargo,” he said tonelessly. “They were cargo.” showing he didnt care whether they lived or died just he did his job. to me when he was talking to sereny he didnt seem regretfull
I believe that, in this situation, Stangl is the lesser evil. His actions were without a doubt inhumane, but I don't believe that he himself is. I believe that truly evil people are those who do not express guilt for their inhumane actions. It is clear that Stangl experienced remorse due to his actions; in order to escape his guilt, he drank and attempted to ignore the reality. He viewed the prisoners as "cargo", in order to separate himself from the truth.
ReplyDeleteWith that being said, everyone is held accountable for their actions. Stangl made a conscious decision to ignore the reality he faced. I do not believe that this was a good tactic. By ignoring his guilt, I believe it did more harm than good; he was simply putting them off, until they became too much for him to handle. By detaching himself from the situation, Stangl was almost justifying it. He was allowing himself to be a part of an inhumane system.
Based on his responses, I believe that Stangl truly regrets what he did; why else would he try to drown his feelings with alcohol? I agree with what Caitlin said; I believe that Stangl was avoiding the questions because he was ashamed of his past actions. I also agree with what Kate said; someone who isn't remorseful would be able to answer the questions easily. Because Stangl struggled with the interview, it is clear that he was experiencing guilt due to his actions.
I feel that this was a very powerful article; the perspective of a former Nazi officer was rather insightful and powerful.
After reading this article I don't think it was ok to view people like Stangl did. I feel like the officers that helped out in the death camps had a little bit of evil in them. Stangl's responses definitely changed my view for the Nazi solder’s. I feel bad for them but at the same time I don't and I don't know how they could do some of the stuff that they did. I feel bad for them because they had no choice. If they didn't help out they might have been killed themselves. I don't feel bad for them when Stangl says he thought of the Jewish people as "CARGO". I don't think I could ever picture someone as "CARGO". I was also really shocked when he said while working at the camps he never thought of his kids being in a situation like this. I feel like if I had kids I would think of them all the time and I would hope that they would never have to experience half the stuff that happened to the kids in the holocaust.
ReplyDeleteHe said that he tried to deal with the bad thoughts of the holocaust by thinking of a peaceful places or drinking. I don't think the drinking part was the best decision because then he might do other stuff that he will be sorry for later on. Also he probably wouldn't be able to think clearly and make right decisions for himself.
Based on Stangl's responses I do think he regrets doing what he did because he states "But I forced them away. I made myself concentrate on work, work and again work.”(5th statement) This shows that he couldn't cope with his decisions so he had to come up with a way to think of it as work and not as murder or hurting other people.
I do not think that it is at all fair to call or label these people as evil but possibly inhumane. To be evil and to be inhumane are two completely different things. To be completely and utterly evil is to be so bad and dark that you are practically indescribable, but to be inhumane is just to treat someone of a certain race or sex like you are better than them and to do cruel things to them. I am not at all saying that being humane is good in anyway but it is not necessarily evil. For example, I believe that Hitler himself was a truly evil man while the rest of the Nazi's were simply inhumane. They did terrible things to people all over the world but the question that needs to be asked is "Can ideals make someone evil?" and "Is it fair to judge and label someone as evil based on their Principals?"
ReplyDeleteStangl coped with what happened at the death camps by mainly becoming a heavy drinker. He also tried to push himself away from people but he mainly depended on his drinking. This was not the most practical approach but no one can deny that it did work for the most part.
I think that Stangl does defiantly regret what he did. I even believe that he regretted what he was doing while he was in the death camps! This can be shown in his heavy drinking because the main reason people start drinking is because they are unhappy...
1.) After reading this article, I still view people in power within the Nazi death camps as evil, but not so much inhumane. I believe it is fair to say he is evil because he saw the horrible things he was doing to these people, recognized they were wrong, and did nothing about it. Stangl says that he could not have stopped it because that was the system, but that does not mean he had to take part in it either. He also said that eventually, he got used to the death and viewed the people as cargo. Although deaths happened every day, he is evil because he should not have been able to get used to seeing all of these people die each day. However, he is not inhumane because he still felt emotion, and had a conscience. Yes, he did get used to it but he did not start out that way. Sereny says that he could see Stangl’s “hopeless grief”. This shows that he is not soulless, but his actions in killing these people speak for themselves. Stangl’s responses did not change my view of the Nazi officers because even though they had a tough job and felt guilty, it does not change what they did.
ReplyDelete2.) One way Stangl coped with his job at the death camp was by drinking brandy each night. This helped him sleep better and not stay awake thinking about the death camps. He also shoved his guilt away, so emotions would not get in the way of his work. A last way he coped with his job was by thinking of the people as cargo. He did this subconsciously because it was his way of avoiding the guilt that came with his job. I think the last one was a good tactic for him because it allowed him to avoid the emotions and remorse of what he was doing at the death camps.
3.) Based on Stangl’s responses, I definitely think the regrets what he did. One example of his guilt is shown when he said, “It was months before I could look one of them in the eye”. This shows that he knew that what he was doing was wrong, and the only way he could keep on doing it was to avoid seeing them as human beings. Another time is when Sereny says that Stangl did not try to “cloak his despair, and his hopeless grief allowed a moment of sympathy”. This highlights that Stangl was feeling badly about what he did at the death camps, and he did not try to hide this feeling. By the end, you could tell he was re-living the past because he did not hear Sereny when he was asked another question, instead he kept talking. This shows that he is still troubled by what he did.
World War Two was a very sensitive them that definitely impacted the world, and is still impacting the world today. What happened in WWII will never be forgotten and hopefully will never be repeated. For the people like Franz Stangl, it was his job to kill. Everything that happened in the death camps is downright wrong, and there isn't one person who should have dealt with what happened there. After reading this article it proves that the only people being psychology hurt were not just the Jews that were being mentally tortured and physically abused, but also some of the Nazi officers. The few officers like Stangl did not agree with what was going on. I understand why they didn't retaliate because they didn't know the consequences if they did so. Also, as I said before, it was there job. I don't think that they did not want deal with the problems with retaliation but also being unemployed.
ReplyDeleteThe way that Stangl managed with his problems surrounding him at the camps was drinking. He drank so he could sleep better and that how he really felt about what was going on around him would just all go away. I defiantly feel that he regrets what he did. If Stangl didn't have guilt, if he did not realize that what he did was wrong and if he did not regret it, he would not have drank. After reading this article it proves that everyone impacted on the Holocaust was deeply affected.
Through this interview, you can tell that Franz Stangl is reliving every moment of the Holocaust time period. To consider this man, along with the other commandants, inhuman and evil would be creating a generalization. Not every Nazi officer felt as though this was right. There is clear written evidence, Franz Stangl being an example, to say that many did not agree. I agree and disagree when it comes to considering the Nazi officials inhuman. In a way, the German men were forced to become part of the Nazi organization. I think everybody was genuinely afraid of what would happen if they rebelled against Hitler’s orders. However, how could thousands of these men stand around murdering innocent people? When I think of the six million people murdered during this time period, anybody who could’ve stopped it but did not seems evil and inhuman.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, the Nazi’s seemed to have not realized entirely how many people they were killing. During the interview, Franz Stangl, clearly makes it a point to talk about how he cooped. He would bring a bottle of brandy with him to bed every night. There was conflict in his mind because he was one of the people that knew this was not right. After awhile, he says that he was used to seeing the thousands of dead bodies everyday. To be able to admit that you got used to seeing dead bodies is absolutely mind blowing, but it does show his honesty. I say that because to get used to something like that, you have to be so far hypnotized into the act of genocide. I do think that Stangl regrets what he did based on the moment when he talked about the pastures. I think it was an eye opening moment for him because he was looking in on the matter for once. He had always been on the inside, doing the action, instead of looking from afar. To think that anybody agreed to be a part of something so horrible is shocking in itself. However, I feel that this will always be a controversial topic that I cannot decide where I stand with.
Sami O’Toole
ReplyDeleteBlock 1
1. Do you think it is fair to view people like Stangl- that is, men you held positions of power within the Nazi death camps- as inhuman and evil? Do Stangl’s responses change your view of Nazi officers? If so why?
a. This did not change my view on the Nazis, because I have come to realize that the majority of the Nazi’s were forced to work this, in fear of having their family killed, or being killed themselves. Because I believe this, my views on the Nazi party have not changed.
b. On the other hand, the way he conformed to thinking they were one mass of people, and they were thought of as “cargo” made me a little sick. I see now that some people do think like this, not frequently, but still think like this, and use it to enforce the decisions they make
2. How did Stangl cope with his job at the death camps? In other words, how did he detach himself from what was going on? Do you think it was a good tactic? Why/why not?
a. Stangl drank to cope with what he was doing. He said “’I took a large glass of Brandy to bed with me each night.’” I do not think this was a good tactic, because if he drank too much, he might not be able to make rational decisions, and that would result in disaster. The people who would be most affected would be either the people he worked with, or any of the Jews in his facility. Someone would get hurt.
3. Based on Stangl’s responses, do you think he regrets what he did? Provide evidence to back up your opinion.
a. I do believe Stangl felt remorse, and he regrets what he did. “He raised and dropped his hand in a gesture of despair.” says Sereney. Sereney, author of the article states, “It was one of the few times in those weeks of talk that he made no effort to cloak his hopeless grief allowed a moment of sympathy., I think he did feel bad for what he did. I do not believe any person could be so inhumane, so cruel as to kill a person and not feel the consequences.
World War II and the Holocaust had a devastating effect on the world and the people involved. Thousands of people were killed because of the inhumane views and actions of the Nazis. This interview between Gitta Serney and Franz Stangl, a commandant at a death camp, shows that it not only affected the victims, but the Nazis as well. After reading this interview, I believe it is unfair to look at people like Stangl as inhuman and evil. At the time, they were not totally aware of what their actions were. We learned in school that most Nazi officers were pressured or threatened to follow in the views. They were not given the choice to participate or not. Stangl watched people die, but was deeply affected by it. He did not enjoy killing, but the Nazi party and Hitler made him think that this was a good thing. Stangl was only doing what he was told. He repressed all of the feelings and his actions reflect him on a subconscious level. Drinking brandy every night helped him ignore the fact that he was actually committing murder. This shows that it was really hard for him and affected who he was, which is probably the same for most of the former Nazi officers. This interview did change my view on Nazi officers. Throughout the interview, Stangl was hesitant when answering the questions about the camps and what his experience was. Serney states to Stangl, “‘I think you are evading my question.’” This proves that Stangl has painful memories regarding his experience and that he did not enjoy what he was doing. The camp deeply changed him and it is something that he will never forget. He is human and it scarred him. The Nazis were no soulless murders that killed just because, but most were forced to by their superiors. I know look at them through a different light.
ReplyDeleteStangl coped with his job at the death camps by drinking a glass of brandy before bed so that he would not have to think or dream about his actions. He also tried to imagine that he was somewhere else without all of the killing and pain. This shows that he was truly disturbed by what he was doing and what was happening around him. He did not want to face the reality of what he was doing and used this to block the horrible thoughts. He saw hundreds of bodies and was responsible for their deaths. Images like that could drive a person crazy. This was a bad tactic because instead of facing it, the thoughts of the camp did and still do cause him inner turmoil. Drinking and pretending that he was not there also makes him and others who do not like the killing not stand up for what they believe in because they just ignore the problem.
Based on Stangl’s responses, I do believe that he regrets his actions in the death camps. In each of his questions, he was really hesitant to respond, which shows that he was ashamed by what he did. Stangl did not like killing people and it was a challenge to cope for him. Also, Stangl talked about seeing a slaughterhouse. The cattle in the pens’ innocent look reminded him of the death camps. They were waiting to be killed then put in tines, like the Jewish race and others in death camps waiting to die. After that, Stangl said that he could no longer eat tinned meat after seeing the cows. This proves that if he felt ashamed eating tinned meat that were treated like people in concentration camps, he feels bad about what he did to those people. His actions and memories of the camps haunt him constantly and he regrets and feels remorse for everything that went on during his time as an officer.
After reading the interview between Gitta Sereny and Franz Stangl I believe that it is fair to view Stangl, who was a leader of death camp, as inhumane and evil. Despite the fact that Stangl showed remorse and guilt for his actions, it does not change the fact that he did commit them. Stangl murdered thousands of innocent people and that cannot be forgotten. Furthermore, Stangel sates, “ Cargo…They were cargo”. This shows that Stangl did not view the people in death camps as humans. This further proves that it is fair to view Stangl as a cruel monster because a kind humane person would not view a human as being cargo. Stangl’s actions were violent, and unspeakable and he should therefore be viewed as an evil, inhuman person. However, Stangl’s responses to some questions do change how I view Nazi officers. Prior to reading this article, I believed that all Nazi officers felt no remorse for their actions and that their actions were completely just. Stangl shows this is not true when he talks about how he witnessed a bunch of cattle at a slaughterhouse and how much that reminded him of the death camps. Stangl could not eat meat for a long while after. This shows that Stangl felt remorse because he did not eat meat, which for him was the equivalent to killing the people in the death camps. Furthermore, Stangl shows that not all Nazi officers saw their actions as completely just when he discusses how he drank to deal with what he did. This shows that he had a hard time believing in what he was doing because he had to turn to alcohol to deal with it.
ReplyDeleteStangl dealt with what he did at death camps by drinking and coming up with alternative life scenarios. Stangl states, “There were hundreds of ways to take one’s mind off it; I used them all.” At night Stangl claims that he drank to cope with what he had to do in the camps. Stangl claimed that this was the only way to truly deal with his actions. Despite this claim, Stangl also says that he tried creating alternative lives to live in. Stangl created a mental paradise in which there were beautiful gardens and everything was new. Stangl’s way of dealing by drinking is not a good tactic for dealing because alcohol is a depressant and it will only serve to make his problems with coping worse. Creating a separate paradise is a good way to deal with problems because it is not bad for your health and it is easy to put yourself in a mental paradise; it can be done at any time and place.
Based on Stangl’s responses in this article, I do believe that he regrets his actions. Stangl’s drinking and many methods to cope are evidence of this regret. If Stangl had no problem with what he did everyday, he would not need a way to cope, but because he regrets what he did he needed and outlet for his remorse. Also, Stangl talks about how he was not able to eat meat for a while because he saw cattle at a slaughterhouse that reminded him of death camp prisoners. This shows that Stangl feels bad about hurting the people in the camps because he equates the meat to those people, so him not eating the meat represents him not hurting the prisoners.
1) I would not consider Nazi leaders inhuman, because they were people who have been overcome by sin, and humans have a sinful nature. They may not have been evil themselves, but their actions were definitely wrong and evil. Anyone that can allow themselves to murder that many people and see them as animals are either are sick and twisted, or too cowardly to stand up and die for what is right. I consider them selfish because they take the lives of others to save themselves. This has not made me think differently of Nazi leaders, because I will always consider them morally wrong.
ReplyDelete2) Stangl drank to detach himself from what was happening. He said that he would drink a bottle of brandy before he went to bed. I would not consider this a good tactic, because I you need to put chemicals into your brain to ignore the number of people you have murdered, then you’re doing something wrong.
3) I think that he does not regret what he did, because he still doesn’t recognize that he killed humans, he considers that they were just “Cargo”.
Stangl coped by drinking to detach himself from what was happening. I do not think this was a very good tactic because although he would be pretty much forgetting what was going on from ingesting all the chemicals from alcohol he didn't really detach himself from what was going on because he was still participating on what was going on in the camps. He wasn't keeping himself from doing it but only trying to ignore what was really happening in the situation.
ReplyDeleteI believe that Stangl had regret for what he had done because of the fact that he avoided answering some of the questions he was asked. I feel that he feels ashamed of what he had done in the camps and what he had done to all those people.
I do not feel that it is fair to view people like Stangl to be inhumane or evil. His responses were heartfelt and painful for him. He kept pausing, and trailing off when he was answering questions. This shows that the memories are painful for him to live through, showing that he regrets what he did. I feel the most Nazis feel regret their actions during World War 2, after they realized what they had done. Stangl’s responses do not change my views of Nazi officers that much. During the Holocaust, they did many terrible things. I feel that now they are not the people they used to be. Stangl was very honest in his responses, especially when stating how he felt about the people in the death camps and how he would cope with is job.
ReplyDeleteTo cope with his job, Stangl would think of gardens, new barracks, new kitchens, new tailors, new barbers, anything to take his mind off what he was doing. He also admitted to drinking, and taking a glass of brandy with him every night and drinking it. I feel that instead of trying to escape what he was doing, he should have faced it and tried to change it. Stangl said that he could not change anything, that this was just the way that things were at the death camps.
I believe that Stangl regrets what he did. During the interview whenever he had to recall events and relive memories, he would always pause, trail off, and talk very slowly. When he refers to the people as cargo, he seems very depresses and shows despair. He also talks about hw when he saw cattle waiting to go into the slaughter house, it reminded him of Poland, and that he could not eat tinned meat after that. These examples show that Stangl regrets the horrible things he did.
I disagree with Abby. I believe that Stangl and the other men who were held positions of power within the Nazi death camps are inhuman. They could have saved many lives of human beings. Instead of trying to not think about the things he was actually doing such as drinking, he could have been stopping what was happening to the innocent people at the death camps. Although he is guilty for his actions, he still is still at blame for killing millions of people.
ReplyDeleteStangl's responses do not change my view of the Nazi officers. They might feel bad about what happened but they can not go back and erase everything.They watched the rise of Hitler and let it happen. Therefore, they should not be felt sorry for. Overall, my view of the Nazi's is the same after I read the interview with Stangl.
After reading this article I belive that Stangl and his fellowofficers were very much evil, but, not so much inhumane. I look at it as it was their job and they were just following the rules. I feel like they looked as their decision to speak up or to just do it as a life or death decision. If they spoke up they probably would have been killed and the Nazi's were doing all the right things so they were just goijg along with it. I believe that everyone involved in the Holocaust and the extermination of the jewish race is responsible for their actions and they were put into their place.
ReplyDeleteStangl coped with his job by drinking. Before bed each night he would have a drink.I don't believe that this was a good way of coping with his job because it is jsut going to lead him to be an alcoholic.Stangl also coped with his job by seeing the piles of dead bodies as trash instead of humans. This was a better way of coping with his job because we can see that he is regretfull of his job but he can't do anything to avoid it so he thinks of it as something else.
After reading this article, I think that it is unfair to view people like Stangl as inhuman because it was not his choice to do the job he did. Also he knew it was wrong which shows that he is human but he was forced to work there at the Nazi camp so it was not his fault.After reading the article, my views have been changed about Nazi camp workers because of Stangl's responses. Before, I thought of all Nazi workers as cruel and heartless for what they did, but now after reading Stangl's responses I realize that now all of the workers at Nazi camps were like that and that some workers were nice and had feeling but were hung under there will to do there job.
ReplyDeleteIn order to get his mind off of the horrible things he was doing at the camps each day, Stangl would drink alcohol. I think this is a horrible tactic because he most likely got drunk every night which would possible give him a hangover the next day and affect his decisions at work. Although i think this was a bad tactic, there is much worse things Stangl could have done to get his mind off of and detach himself from his cruel job at the Nazi camps everyday.
Based on Stangl's responses, I think that he regretted his job and what he did very much. I know because whenever the interviewer would ask him about his job he would be very serious when he talked about it. Also when he talked about them as "cargo", he got depressed and could handle reliving that part of his life. This shows that Stangl regretted his job and what he did at the Nazi camp.
I think that it is fair to view someone like Stangl. By viewing someone, you can understand and get a better idea of what they are thinking about. In Stangl’s position, he was most likely forced to do the job because of Hitler. Throughout the interview, one can tell that he wasn’t comfortable with the killing of the Jewish people. His interview changes the way I think about Nazi officers in a small way. I personally think that some of the officers did not like their jobs, but those types of people were the minority. I also think that many of the officers thought it was good to kill the Jews which makes me irate.
ReplyDeleteIn order for Stangl to push away the image of the killing of the Jews, he did a few things. He tried to think of peaceful images like gardens filled with flowers. He had to do this many times throughout his job. Another thing he carried out was thinking of the deaths and cruelty towards the Jews as work. His last resort was drinking before he went to bed. All of the other tactics he tried failed, so he resorted to this. I think that pushing the image of the Jews away was a bad tactic because it is so cruel that it should be understood for what it is and that is evil.
According to Stangl’s responses to Sereny’s questions, I do believe that he feels guilty and regrets what he did. I think this because he tried to push the reality of the cruelty towards the Jews away, which must mean that it annoyed him so much that he had to do that. Stangl also said that it took him months before he could actually look one of the Jews straight in the eye. He said this because he knew what the Jews were going through and couldn’t get used to the image of it until he finally could not escape it.
I've never though Nazis were inhumane or evil, so I don't thin it's fair to label Stangl as either, especially inhumane. I've also never thought they were right or just in the things that they did. In fact, I think they really show part of what it means to be a human in an extreme way. I've been thinking about the aspect of human nature a lot lately, and I think that the Nazi party actually fits in with the concept of human nature quite well. I think that the Nazis were so wholly human for two primary reasons; one being that it's human nature to survive, and two being that inside each one of us (some deeper down than others) a cruel and violent person waits until it needs to be summoned. So in my opinion it's fairly safe to say the Nazis summoned that primitive part of them in order to survive. It's also safe to say that Adolf Hitler's frighteningly charismatic leadership influenced all of the Nazi party. So yes their actions themselves were of an evil nature, but was it inhumane to do so? I don't think so. Also, as for us, is it fair to say whether they are or aren't inhumane or evil based on their beliefs? Who draws the line? And where should they draw the line then?
ReplyDeleteAnother basic human response is finding an easy escape from intense, harmful, or uncomfortable situations. Every day people use different things like sex, drugs, alcohol, self harm, etc. as coping mechanisms to shy away from what is in front of them. Stangl did just that- he kept himself busy and drank in order to avoid facing the truth. He said he drank every night and ignored thoughts about his terrible deeds so that he could cope. We see people do this every day, whether we know it or not. I guarantee we can all think of at least two people we know who use escapism in order to cope with the things they face every day. I think that this can appear to be a good tactic, but over time it really proves how counterproductive it is.
I think that looking back on it he regrets it. At the time, Stangl may have avoided all feelings of guilt or regret, but I think that at some point there comes a time when you can't do it anymore. When he notes seeing the pigs at a slaughterhouse, you can tell he is aware of what it was he did. He knows what it was he was doing, and he feels at least somewhat guilty for it.
To cope with his job at the death camps, Stangl decided to drink. He hoped that drinking would make it go away. I can only imagine how horrible it is to see thousands of dead bodies every single day. He of course, still thought about it, but he tried to force the thoughts away. He concentrated on anything, but it. He thought of the people as cargo. Instead of thinking of them as human beings. This helped because he didn’t feel as bad about what he was doing. He couldn’t think of them as individuals, he thought of them as a mass. One big group of people. I think if you had no choice but to have this job, then detaching yourself was smart. By detaching yourself, you try not to think about what was going on. This obviously helped, so you couldn’t feel bad. Though, not thinking about it doesn’t make it go away. The only way to make it stop would be to try to stop it. He didn’t have the option to do that, so he just tried not to think about it. So, he drank and put it in the back of his mind.
ReplyDeleteAfter eading this articl it changed my view on nazi officers at least the officers who were given the order to kil the people at the camps. Stangl reminde me that the officers were only human just ike anyone els only forced to do terrible things. well not to do them but to witness them. And that witnessing of the terrible murders created a mntal wall in their minds that blocked out the concious of the officers from saying something is wrong. I dont think that these officers can be considered evil. They can be held accountable but not evil because seeing terrible things like that is terible and would change any one of us.
ReplyDeleteI found this interview with Stangl to be very truthful. I find that his method of dealing with the liquidation of Jews to be very what I thought most Nazi officials probably did as well. I think that imaging other happy things around would help a little, other than the fact that he didn't get to acknowledge it at night because of his drinking.
ReplyDeleteThe thing that shocks me most about this is that he saw the Jews as "cargo." This disturbed me because the Jews were human beings also and were worth more than cargo. Another thing that surprised me was that he thought that he couldn't change the occurrence of liquidation even if he made an attempt.
The way I see it, Stangl was a businessman of sorts. He held a position of power, but could not completely change the system. The system was already structured, formed and firmly planted. There was no changing it. Stangl was no evil or inhuman, there was definite guilt that came with the mass execution of other human beings. Stangl definitely gives a new perspective for me, I never really thought of looking through the eyes of a Nazi officer, and I think many others can agree. When people think of the functions of Nazi camps, they think of the slaughtering and being victimized, only occasionally looking through the ‘antagonist’s’ eyes. The thought of the destruction of lives is somewhat overwhelming. Stangl gave you the mindset of a Nazi officer, I certainly don’t support his actions but I can sympathize for his guilt.
ReplyDeleteDrinking every night was a way Stangl could cope with his job, he used alcohol to keep his mind off of his job. In some ways alcohol is better than driving yourself bloody insane trying not to think of something. But in the long term, it could affect him, he could eventually develop the need for alcohol whenever something seems a little rough in life.
Stangl, I don’t think regrets what he did, but learns from it. His responses were well-thought out and he seemed very wise. If he didn’t have his previous experiences, he wouldn’t have learned from his mistakes.