"Exploring Fatelessness"

Introduction to Fatelessness

This period we will be Reading the book “Fatelessness”. This book written by Imre Kertész deals with the concepts of unknown future, and sadness of the Jewish population that were sent to de “labor camps”. This book also deals with the family rupture made by the German regimen, were Georg (protagonist) loses his father how is sent to concentration camps.

Image Analysis

 This image represents the feeling of the Jewish population of sadness of the old times. The man standing beside the fence has the same color of the death bodies at the back of him. This means that the man’s feelings and hope are now totally dead, his is “as good as dead” and he has accepted death. Also the fence represents the Nazi Party how are preventing him from freedom, and don’t letting him be as he was at the old times.

Task 1: Watch the following interview to Imre Kertesz and answer the questions below:

1. Before the interview, the presenter visits a monument to the Holocaust created by the American artist Peter Eiserman. Considering the shapes, architecture and general design, in what ways do you think he represents the reality in the concentration camps?

The monument of the holocaust represents the feeling of vulnerability that Jewish population had when sent to the concentration camps. There was nothing I they could do to escape, and every intent of escaping was suppressed with gun power.

2. Which is the paradox the presenter mentions regarding Imre Kertész and the place where he lives?

The paradox of Imre is that he was send to a concentration camp in Germany, were he suffered and lost a lot of his familiars. But this place, paradoxically is the only place were he can be safe.

3. Refer to anti-Semitism before and after Auschwitz according to Kertész.

The anti-Semitism are a group of people that wanted a new holocaust. They started after Aushwitz.

4. In what way do reminders of the past in historical books make us "much richer"?

The perspective every author haves is what makes richer every version of the holocaust.

5. Which metaphor does Imre use to exemplify the effect of FATELESSNESS on its readers?

If we don’t know about the past, it is probable that it will happen again. We need to learn of our mystiques.