Human values 100

Name

July 6, 2009

HUV 100

            I found it interesting that Frankl said even if he had known his wife was dead he would have still clung to the image of his wife. The fact that he needed to hold on to something so much that it didn’t matter to him what the fate of his wife was he needed her image to keep him going.

            It was strange to read that the memories the prisoners remembered and thought about most were the simple things we take for granted. Things like unlocking the door to their apartment or switching on the lights could move them to tears. Such simple events we do daily and not even think about it meant so much to them really show the horrible conditions that they had to endure. Yet even through we hear these stories and think how horrible it must have been. There were times when they had small and short events that caused happiness or some relief from what they were living with.

            It was interesting to hear the stories of the guards and foreman that were kinder then what they had to be and to hear that there were prisoners that were much worse then they needed to be. There seemed to be good and bad people in every group. The situation had the potential to bring out the best or worst in people. It is easier to hurt another person in order to better your own postion or to take advantage of someone there were still those few that didn’t resort to such acts.

            The fact that after being released the prisoners didn’t feel like they were free at first, like it was a dream or just wasn’t real at all. And you often hear of the prisoners as poor victims but Frankl seemed to show another side. It was a understandable side but I never saw it. The anger and violence that many of the prisoners wanted to do they wanted to hurt the ones that hurt them.