Homework Question on“Survival in Auschwitz” by Primo Levi
- Write an essay that shows how Primo Levi was able to survive the challenges of Auschwitz, without losing his humanity in the novel “Survival of Auschwitz” by Primo Levi.
- Among other factors you will want to consider his knowing some german, learning “the lay of the land” fairly quickly, luck/chance, his past career as a chemist, theft, etc.
- Please include some quotes from the book in the essay.
Homework Answer on“Survival in Auschwitz” by Primo Levi
The Second World War was the worst in the history of humanity in terms of deceased people, both soldiers and civilians. The War, initiated by the National Socialist Party (Nazi) from Germany also led to numerous crimes against humanity carried out in concentration camps around Europe. Primo Levi, an Italian anti-fascist Jew from Turin and the author of Survival in Auschwitz was a victim of one of these concentration camps.
Born in Turin in 1919, Levi was educated in the University of Turin, graduating with honors in Chemistry. However, in the University he adopted anti-fascist ideologies that led to his arrest and persecution in December of 1943. Levi was held in a prison in Italy before being deported to Auschwitz in 1944 after the fall of Italy. It was his experiences in Auschwitz that inspired Primo Levi to author Survival in Auschwitz.This paper will explore how Levi was able to survive extreme challenges in Auschwitz without losing his humanity.
One of the main reasons Levi survived at the much dreaded camp was his possession of rudimentary German skills. Except the German Jews, many of the people held at Auschwitz had little or no knowledge of the German language. Learning German enabled Levi to communicate with the guards and the guards treated him with less brutality. Most of the concentration camps in Germany including Auschwitz were controlled by the Gestapo (German secret police) or the SS (Schutzstaffel).