This Way for the Gas, Ladies and Gentlemen
by
Barbara Vedder (Editor/Translator)
,
Jan Kott (Introduction)
,
Michael Kandel (Translator)
Powerful stories based on the author's experiences at Auschwitz and Dachau. Deserves to be read side-by-side with Man's Search for Meaning and Night.
For the record, Borowski's view of human nature and freedom is more pessimistic than Frankl's.
I wrote up some "Discussion Questions" for this one:
Two of the central concepts of existentialism is human freedom and responsibility. The following two readings post interesting questions concerning these concepts:
1) Man's Search for Meaning
2) This Way for the Gas, Ladies and Gentlemen
Here's a few questions concerning these two readings. Both Frankl and Borowski wrote about their experiences in German concentration camps during World War II--but they seem to have drawn different lessons from their common experiences:
1) What does Frankl say about human freedom? Is it possible to be "free" in a concentration camp, according to Frankl? In what sense?
2) Would Borowski agree with Frankl--or does he seem to be more pessimistic about what happens to humanity amidst the horrors of a concentration camp?
3) Several years after his liberation from the concentration camp, Borowski committed suicide (at age 29, in 1951). Frankl, on the other hand, didn't commit suicide (dying at age 92, in 1997). Why do you think these two men reacted so differently to their concentration-camp experiences? Do their writings provide any clues?
For the record, Borowski's view of human nature and freedom is more pessimistic than Frankl's.
I wrote up some "Discussion Questions" for this one:
Two of the central concepts of existentialism is human freedom and responsibility. The following two readings post interesting questions concerning these concepts:
1) Man's Search for Meaning
2) This Way for the Gas, Ladies and Gentlemen
Here's a few questions concerning these two readings. Both Frankl and Borowski wrote about their experiences in German concentration camps during World War II--but they seem to have drawn different lessons from their common experiences:
1) What does Frankl say about human freedom? Is it possible to be "free" in a concentration camp, according to Frankl? In what sense?
2) Would Borowski agree with Frankl--or does he seem to be more pessimistic about what happens to humanity amidst the horrors of a concentration camp?
3) Several years after his liberation from the concentration camp, Borowski committed suicide (at age 29, in 1951). Frankl, on the other hand, didn't commit suicide (dying at age 92, in 1997). Why do you think these two men reacted so differently to their concentration-camp experiences? Do their writings provide any clues?
No comments:
Post a Comment