“One Survivor Remembers”

By By

HHannah And annah And

DanielleDanielle

On the night before Gerda’s brother On the night before Gerda’s brother left, she went to his room and fell left, she went to his room and fell asleep at the foot of his bed.asleep at the foot of his bed.

Gerda realized that there was a Gerda realized that there was a good chance that she would never good chance that she would never see Artur again, so she wanted him see Artur again, so she wanted him to know how much she loved and to know how much she loved and admired him.admired him.

The painting represents the pain of The painting represents the pain of losing a loved one. The dark sky, losing a loved one. The dark sky, red houses, and the way it’s drawn red houses, and the way it’s drawn all illustrate the moods of fear and all illustrate the moods of fear and pain.pain.

Snow, Winter in Vitebsk, 1911 by Marc Chagall

While Gerda and her parents are living While Gerda and her parents are living in the basement of her house, she in the basement of her house, she sneaks out to her garden to see the sneaks out to her garden to see the flowers.flowers.

Even though her life is changed Even though her life is changed forever, she still feels hope in seeing forever, she still feels hope in seeing her garden.her garden.

The painting represents Gerda’s The painting represents Gerda’s garden and how it made her feel garden and how it made her feel happy shown by the pink and the happy shown by the pink and the green in nature. The white hand green in nature. The white hand represents her hope which is represents her hope which is surrounded by the black background surrounded by the black background that illustrates the fear that is always that illustrates the fear that is always lurking in the back of her mind.lurking in the back of her mind.

The Flesh Eaters, 1952 by William Baziotes

Gerda was on a death march to Gerda was on a death march to Czechoslovakia. In the meantime, Czechoslovakia. In the meantime, she and her friend decided to run she and her friend decided to run away into the forest. When the away into the forest. When the time came, they were both too time came, they were both too afraid to do it, so they stayed.afraid to do it, so they stayed.

A few minutes later they heard A few minutes later they heard gun shots as the Nazis shot gun shots as the Nazis shot another group of girls that had the another group of girls that had the same idea.same idea.

The white is like bone, The white is like bone, symbolizing how the Jews symbolizing how the Jews were dehumanized and were dehumanized and stripped of their dignity and stripped of their dignity and possessions. The base is like possessions. The base is like the pillar of hope that they the pillar of hope that they still have deep within them, still have deep within them, planted in their beliefs. At planted in their beliefs. At the point where the sculpture the point where the sculpture narrows, it’s as if they’ve narrows, it’s as if they’ve been worked almost to the been worked almost to the point of breaking.point of breaking.

Bird in Space, 1923 by Constantin Brancusi

“ “I am naturally anti-slavery. If I am naturally anti-slavery. If slavery is not wrong, nothing is slavery is not wrong, nothing is wrong. I cannot remember when I wrong. I cannot remember when I did not so think and feel.”did not so think and feel.”

-Abraham Lincoln, 1864-Abraham Lincoln, 1864