Question

What mainly does the following passage reveal about the speaker (paragraphs 4-6)?

I remember: it happened yesterday or eternities ago. A young Jewish boy discovered the Kingdom of Night. I remember his bewilderment, I remember his anguish. It all happened so fast. The ghetto. The deportation. The sealed cattle car. The fiery altar upon which the history of our people and the future of mankind were meant to be sacrificed.

I remember: he asked his father: “Can this be true?” This is the twentieth century, not the Middle Ages. Who would allow such crimes to be committed? How could the world remain silent?

And now the boy is turning to me: “Tell me,” he asks. “What have you done with my future? What have you done with your life?”

Answer 1

The passage reveals the speaker's deep emotional pain from the Holocaust and sense of betrayal by a world that allowed such crimes. It emphasizes the trauma experienced and questions about the collective responsibility of humanity and future generations.

Step-by-step explanation:

The passage primarily reveals the anguish and disillusionment of the speaker as he reflects on the horrific experiences of the Holocaust. It underscores a sense of betrayal and disbelief that such atrocities could occur during what was believed to be a civilized era. The young Jewish boy, symbolizing innocence and the future, confronts the speaker and essentially humanity, with a poignant question about what has been done with his future and the actions taken by those who are living, in the face of such overwhelming history.

The speaker's remembrance of the ghettos, deportation, and sealed cattle cars embodies the profound trauma and rapid unraveling of life that accompanied the systematic destruction of the Jewish people. This reflection not only underscores the loss of innocence but also the heavy burden of history that survivors carry, as well as the questioning of humanity's collective conscience and the responsibility of subsequent generations to honor and preserve the memory of those who suffered.

Answer 2

The passage mainly reveals that the speaker is a survivor of the Holocaust and has witnessed the atrocities committed during that time. The speaker remembers a young Jewish boy who is shocked and devastated by the sudden and traumatic events that have taken place, such as being forced into the ghetto and deported in sealed cattle cars. The passage also shows the speaker's sense of responsibility and guilt for the events that transpired, as the boy asks what has been done with his future and the speaker's life. The passage conveys the speaker's deep emotional and psychological scars from the Holocaust and the profound impact it has had on their life.