Writing Prompts - Leonard Chill

Prompt 1

In the very beginning of the interview, Chill states that his family thought of themselves more as Poles perhaps than Jews. Nazi ideology, at its very core, denied Jews the right to express national pride, even if they wanted to. What effect did the stripping away of his Polish nationality have on Chill for the remainder of his life? Write an essay that both summarizes and analyzes his attitude about national pride both during and after the Holocaust. Be sure to cite specific evidence to support your analysis.

Prompt 2

Leonard and his father were forced into the Vilno ghetto. There was tremendous overcrowding - four or five families to a room, he remembers. They escaped to Warsaw. We changed our identities and took new names. I looked Polish so it was easier for me to pass. I was never in true hiding; I just hid my identity, says Leonard. Compare and contrast Leonard’s account with other survivors who experienced ghetto life related to the notion of losing one’s identity. Be sure to cite strong and thorough evidence from both sources to support your argument.