Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Holocaust Video, Chapter 1 Reflection

1)What details about the Holocaust experience became clearer or more vivid for you because of the video?
The immense size of Auschwitz, how it was bigger than 500 football fields, and at least half of Manhattan.  I also saw how Elie Wiesel was affected by going back to the concentration camp; he would talk in a hushed tone, and refused to go in to the third crematorium- where his mother and sister most likely died.

2)Describe the video techniques used to tell this story:
The excerpts from the book were well placed, helping to reenforce some of the horrors Elie has seen, as well as recall some of our prior knowledge from what we read in the book.  It is presented in a form that is easy to follow along, superimposed on a picture or a short video clip that is relevant to the quote.  The graphics were very effective in giving a face to what the words are saying.  I noticed the camera rarely stayed still, even for the still pictures- where they had a "Ken Burns" effect.  Motion captures attention, and made it seem more dramatic than a regular monotone interview/documentary would.

3)What is the "madness" the Oprah and Elie Wiesel speak of at the end of this section?
The "madness" is of believing in humanity after what Elie has witnessed.  Oprah stated that she thinks that trusting and trying to fix humanity after something such as the holocaust is "madness", as being inhuman was so human at that time.

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