英语论文All But My Life

AllButMyLifeisGerdaWeissmannKlein''''smemoirofherexperiencesduringWorldWarII.KleinwasbornonMay8,1924,inBielitz(nowBielsko),Poland.Sheremembersherchildhoodasbeinghappy,evenidyllic.TheWeissmannswereaJewishfamily,andtheirtownhadbeenpartoftheAustro-HungarianEmpirebefore1919.Likemostoftheresidentsinthearea,theWeissmannfamilywasbilingual,speakingbothPolishandGerman,andKlein''''solderbrother,Arthur,studiedEnglishaswell.Klein''''sfather,Julius,wasabusinessexecutivewhohadlivedinBielitzformorethantwentyyears,andHelene,hermother,wasbornthere,aswerebothKleinandArthur.ThefamilywashorrifiedwhenGermanNaziforcesinvadedPolandonSeptember1,1939.DespitethefactthatBritainandtheUnitedStatesdeclaredwaronGermanytwodayslater,ittooktheNazisonlyeighteendaystoconquerPoland.

Soonafterward,theentireJewishpopulationofBielitzwasforcedtoregisterwiththepolice,andsoon,sanctionswereimposedagainsttheJews.First,theywererequiredtoturninallgold,automobiles,bicycles,andradios.ManyJewswereforcedoutoftheirhomes,andthelocaltemplewasburneddown.InOctoberof1939,allJewishmenbetweentheagesofsixteenandfiftywereforcedtoregister,whereupontheyweresentincattlecarstorebuildpartsofPolandthathadbeendestroyedbyAlliedattacks.Klein''''sbrotherwassenttotheinteriorofPolandinoneofthesetransports.InDecember,theWeissmannfamilywasforcedtomoveintothebasementoftheirhome,whilethewomanwhohadbeentheirlaundresstookoverthemainhouse.AfterChristmas,theNazisrestrictedthelocalJewishpopulation''''sfoodsupplybystampingtheirrationcardswiththeword“JEW,”entitlingthemtolessthanhalftheamountoffoodthatnon-Jewsreceived.Theircoalrationswerealsocut,andtheywereforcedtowearblueandwhitearmbandsand,later,yellowstarsthatidentifiedthemasJews.

Beforethewarbegan,BielitzhadaJewishpopulationofnearly8,000people.AsnewsoftheGermantreatmentofJewsreachedthem,however,moreandmoreJewsfledtotheRussian-occupiedpartsofPolandthathadnotbeenclaimedduringtheGermantakeover.Bythespringof1940,theJewishpopulationinBielitzhaddwindledtolittlemorethanthreehundredpeople,mostofthemchildrenandtheelderly.LikeKlein''''sbrother,alloftheyoungmenhadleftinthetransports.Theyoungfemalepopulationwasdecliningaswell,asmoreandmorefamiliesleftorsenttheirchildrenoutofthecountry.OnApril19,1942,alloftheremainingJewsinBielitzwereorderedtomoveintoanewlyconstructedJewishghetto.InMayof1942,shortlyafterKlein''''seighteenthbirthday,allJewswererequiredtoregisterforwork.ThosewhodidnotcomplyweresenttoAuschwitz,anearbyconcentrationcampintendedtoenabletheNazistokillthosepeoplewhoweredeemednotusefultotheGermancause.Soon,theWeissmannfamilywastoldthattheywouldbesenttocampsinordertomakeBielitzJudenrein—freeofJews.Klein''''sfatherandmotherweretakentodeathcamps,wheretheywerekilled,alongwithonetothreemillionothers.

PolandwasthecenteroftheJewishHolocaust,andAuschwitz,Treblinka,Belzec,Majdanek,Sobibor,andBirkenau,theinfamousconcentrationcamps,werealllocatedthere.ThesurvivalrateforJewslivinginPolandduringthewarwaslowerthaninanyothercountry.Poland''''sJewishpopulationdroppedfrom3,500,000tojust50,000bytheendofthewar.AtthesametimethatherparentsweretakentoAuschwitz,KleinandmanyotheryoungPolishpeopleweretakentolaborcamps,wheretheybecameslavesforcedtoworkfortheGermanwareffort.AsitbecameobviousthatGermanywaslosingthewar,theGermansstarteddismantlingthecampsandforcingtheprisonersontomarchesthatbecameknownas“deathmarches”becauseoftheirextremelyhighmortalityrate.Inthewinterof1945,morethanfourthousandyoungwomenwereforcedontoathree-hundred-mile“deathmarch”fromanumberoflaborcampsinGermanyandPolandtoCzechoslovakia.AmongthemwasGerdaWeissmannKlein—oneofonly120womeninhergroupof2,000whosurvivedthismarch.KleinandtheotherwomenwereliberatedbyAmericantroops—includingonesoldierwhoeventuallybecameKlein''''shusbandinthespringof1945.

AllButMyLifeisKlein''''smemoiroftheperiodfromSeptember3,1939,twodaysaftertheNaziinvasionofPoland,untilSeptemberof1945.In1946,KleinmovedtoBuffalo,NewYork,withherhusband,KurtKlein,whereshebeganworkingtoraiseawarenessabouttheHolocaust,preventhunger,andpromotetolerance.ShequicklyformedtieswithanumberofJewishgroupsandbeganlecturingaboutherexperiencesasayoungwomanduringtheHolocaust.Firstpublishedin1957,Klein''''sstorywasthebasisfortheAcademyAward-winningdocumentaryOneSurvivorRemembers.Kleinalsowentontowriteanumberofotherbooks,includingacollectionofhercorrespondencewithherthen-fiancé,KurtKlein,beforetheirmarriagein1946.

AllButMyLifeisjustoneofmanymemoirswritteninthedecadesimmediatelyfollowingtheendofWorldWarII.In1995thememoirwasrevisedandre-releasedwithanepiloguedescribingKlein''''spost-warlife.