Wednesday, April 11, 2012
Does he deserve pity?
I don't believe the dying SS man in "The Sunflower" deserves pity. He says "those Jews died quickly, they did not suffer as I do." I believe they did suffer, everyday they had to think about dying and they never knew when it was coming. They weren't guilty for anything and he was guilty for killing some Jews. He also says "Many young Germans of my age die daily on the battlefields. They have fought against and have fallen in the fight, but I...I am left here with my guilt." On the battlefield he had also "fought" against defenseless men, woman, children, and the aged. He says "many young Germans die daily"; what about the young children that were being killed at the hands of the Germans? I understand he was under commandment, but personally, I don't think I could ever kill a child under any circumstance.
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I admire your honesty in this, yet I can't agree with you. While what the SS soldier did was beyond terrible and life-changing, he does deserve *some* pity. He got into the SS thinking that he would be able to be a part of something good instead of killing innocent Jews. That's just my opinion, though.
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