All But My Life...characters point of view

Dear Gerda,

I honestly don't understand why you didn't leave. I know you stayed here for me, but I would much rather you know that as a friend I would feel a whole lot better if I knew that you were safe and away from here, and not with me. who wants to die like this? who wants to burn or get shot in a camp for not doing something right? who wants to sit back and watch close ones that they love die or know that they've died? No One! Gerda you've been through enough pain, so just go and live your life free! get away from here. I understand why you didn't want to go but if it was me and I had the opportunity to leave I probably would have made special arrangements for you to come but even though you didn't do that i still respect the fact that you thought of me. Gerda your my best friend and I love you, but do this one favor for me....and go

All But My Life

In the first 70 pages of All But My Life, the stage of genocide shown is symbolization. Symbolization is when one or more groups are being recognized by something. In this case the Jews are being recognized by the Star of David.  For example one day Gerda was on her way to a friend’s house, and she was wearing “a white dress that was too short, and pinned to her was the star of David” (Klein, 1995), since the Jews wore the Star of David on their arm it’s kind of like a sign that’s letting everyone else know that they are Jews which limits the Jews to doing a lot of things they used to do in everyday life before the war, “since the Jews were not allowed on buses we had an hour’s walk in the bitter cold” (Klein,1995). These examples qualify because it states how the Jewish people were symbolized during the holocaust and it shows how they couldn’t get away with anything because if they tried they would be killed which was why they had to wear the Star of David on their arm so they stand out from the non-Jews.