Schindler's List

            “Schindler’s List” is a documentary movie that portrays how are the Polish Jews being mistreated and killed during World War II. There are lots of killing being shown in the movie, telling the audiences that human lives are just so tiny when war occurs. It also displays human’s nature of survival, where people would do anything in order to survive. 

            During that period of time where the militaries hold the authority, people’s lives could be changed easily based on their single decision. The Jews are forced to leave their homes and being killed or sent to the concentration camp due to the bias and discrimination from the German’s authorities. The soldiers could even kill whoever they like without having any reasons. For example, Amos Goth, who is the SS second lieutenant that being assigned to look after the concentration camp, kills the Jews randomly in the concentration camp when he thinks that they could no longer serve as a manpower. He and his men even make fun on the people who are being locked on the train and prepared to be sent to kill.  From their behaviours, I wouldn’t say that they have lost their humanity, but they are numbed towards killing. They have been educated to kill their enemies, and people in concentration camp are being seen as “enemy” as they think that Jews outstand them a lot. The guns in their hands have been mistreated to kill their own people, even though they do not admit it. 

            From the Jews, I could see human’s nature sense of survival and how it drives them to keep themselves alive. One single military order has made all Polish Jews lost their homes, and many of them even lost their lives. In order to survive, they try hard to prove that they deserve to stay as they are useful towards the country. Many of them are forced to hide when the soldiers are catching them to send them to the concentration camp. In the concentration camp, they are being mistreated badly. Anyone who is considered as “not essential” would be killed. During the medical check, they are humiliated to run nakedly in the public square. Women even put some blood on their faces just to make them look healthier in order to stay in the concentration camp. The children even hide themselves in the toilets and cover with feces to prevent themselves from being send away from their parents. Due to the fear of death, no one is dare to stand up and challenge authorities. They can only obey their demands and work hard in order to survive. 

            They are two type of people in the movie: the person who holds the authority to kill, and the person who tries very hard to avoid being killed. However, the main character of the movie, Oskar Schindler, does not represent either one of these people. He plays the role of saviour when the Jews are being ordered to be killed. In the beginning, he is just a business man who wants to be success. He builds good relationships with the military officers and offers the job to the Jews as they are cheap to be hired. However, his mind changes after he sees lots of killing. With his accountant, they try to seek people out from the concentration camp by giving bribe to the officer. They come out with the Schindler’s list and save lots of Jews’ lives when they realize that the last murderer is coming. His actions save lots of lives although in the end, he leaves with broke. It is his humanity that saves him from being killed when the Nazis’ fail. 

            From this move, I can see different kinds of humanity and how they affect each person to act. The soldiers still remain the sense humanity even though they have been used to killing, therefore they leave Schindler’s factory without conducting their duty to kill. The Jews’ strong sense of survival keeps them alive in the end. Schindler’s respect towards lives drives him to save the Jews from being killed. In the period of time where war begins, a sense of humanity becomes such a precious thing as it will keep people to stay alive and stop the war from continuing.