Writing Prompts - Jack Seidner

Prompt 1

At 4:50 in the film, Jack Seidner talked about becoming so hardened by difficult circumstance that he “could not cry…I couldn’t shed a tear.” Yet, he also described his “tremendous drive to survive” (8:50). Write an essay that both summarizes and analyzes how these related ideas are developed over the course of the film, including how they emerge and are shaped and refined by specific details. Cite strong and thorough evidence from the film to support your analysis.

Prompt 2

At 6:15 in the film, Jack describes a foreman who saved his life when an SS man accused him of sabotage. How did Jack Seidner’s drive to survive also depend on the help of others? Write an essay that compares and contrasts Jack Seidner’s experience with the idea of bystander behavior (those citizens that remained silent while Jews were being deported, detained, and killed) during the Holocaust. Be sure to cite strong and thorough evidence from both sources to support your argument.