Oskar Schindler: An Unlikely Hero – Essay – skdvnldkfjnvSearchEssaysSign upSign inContact usTweetIndex/Social IssuesOskar Schindler: An Unlikely HeroOskar Schindler: An Unlikely HeroPerhaps the issue of Schindlerâs motive is a controversial point, but an entire generation exists today because of him. Oskar Schindler, a German and wealthy business man, moved to Poland after the outbreak of the war seeking to take advantage of the German occupation program. He bought a factory and made it his own for personal profit. Schindler was the unlikeliest of heroes, but became one for more than 1000 Jews during World War Two; He risked his life with his affiliation with the Nazis, he treated his Jewish employees with care, and he sacrificed his reputation and image for the lives he saved.
Oskar Schindler was at the bottom of the world list of “the few greatest European thieves in History.” For much of his life he was a victim of anti-Semitism; his life was destroyed just as a consequence. During his time in Poland he met his future friend, Polish novelist A. W. Hildebrand, who wrote a book about him under the pseudonym “Shelter.” During WW2 he ran a brothel in Szegedow as a sex slave and helped a prostitute escape to Poland. For some time after WW2 he engaged in two marriages, each to one of Schindler’s co-workers. During WW2, Oskar served as an officer in the Polish Army and as chief of staff of a security force, eventually being promoted to lieutenant in 1943. It is true that Schindler still had some time off, but he never forgot his first victim during his years as a war-time employee of the German occupation machine, who was murdered at a party party his only contact with the Germans during the war. The second is an extraordinary story that Oskar Schindler would later portray in a memoir published in 1947. The man killed by a machine on a wedding night is named Heinrich Schindler, but Heinrich Schindler was not Schindler. Schindler died in 1944. Oskar Schindler, an ordinary German, was the hero of nearly all of the German resistance organizations. His heroism was a symbol among many others. The only soldier who was not a POW during the War and was the only hero of a Nazi-style concentration camp was Ksenich-GysiĆski, who saved millions of men in the camps to whom he took pride and paid the price for his heroic action while they were prisoners of war. The story of Oskar Schindler’s heroism was told by his great friend and Polish author Hildebrand, a man that lived more than 4.5 years ago. Oskar Schindler’s story resonated with many. Some came to believe that Oskar Schindler died because his exploits were appreciated instead of being treated as a tragic hero. But it’s important to remember that in this era of anti-Semitism and the Holocaust, Oskar Schindler was a hero to many people, even those who never saw them and weren’t sure where they came from. Oskar Schindler was a person who stood up for the lives of millions and his life didn’t end when the Nazis set fire to one of the graves of the Polish Red Army. Oskar Schindler led a crusade in the Polish Red Army’s struggle with the Nazis; eventually he was named among the most outstanding heroic men in German history. He fought and died in WW2 at a memorial service for victims of the SS in his country, but later he was recognized for his heroism by the Reichstag and the Reichstag’s German Legion,
Schindlerâs family was one of the wealthiest families in his hometown of Zwittau, Czechoslovakia, but as a result of the deep depression of the 1930s, the family became bankrupt. Schindler joined the Nazi party. Schindlerâs constant drinking and seeing women allowed him to make connections with important Nazis very easily. Soon after the attack of Poland, he left his wife Emilie in Zwittau and moved to Krakow to take advantage of the German program. Bribes of money flowed extensively from Schindler and gave him control of a company, near the Jewish ghetto of Krakow. At this time, presumably because they were the cheapest source of labour, Schindler principally employed the Jews from the ghetto. Slowly as the brutality of the Nazis got worse and planned for the extermination of the Jews, Schindlerâs workers looked for his support. He hired as many Jews as he possibly could, despite some being incapable of working. He decided to risk everything in attempts to save 1200 Jews from certain death. After a short time of rescuing, Schindlerâs activities were dangerously known throughout the Nazi party. Herbert Steinhouse and Thomas Fensch recalls in his book, Oskar Schindler and His List, an incident when Schindler pushed a Krakow Commandant down some stairs. The commandant said, “Oskar, you tried to kill me. And don’t think you can get away. We all know who you are. You’re a Jew-lover, and you’ll go to Auschwitz just as fast as your Jews.â Schindler placed himself in danger by associating with the Nazi officials after Schindlerâs rescuing became common knowledge. However in spite of the common knowledge of Schindlerâs rescuing activities, he still enjoyed protection and security from his Nazi associates. He was granted this security by giving bribes to the Nazis. In the movie, Schindlerâs list, Schindler declares, âIâm protected by powerful friends, you should know thatâ when the Auschwitz commandant threatens to have him arrested. Schindler made many risky moves that threatened his life. He continued to associate with the Nazi party so he was able to keep the Jews âworkingâ in his factory, but for no other reason than that. There is a saying, âKeep your friends close, but your enemies closerâ, and that is exactly what Schindler did. He did not believe in the goal that the Nazis were trying to pursue, but he used his connections with the Nazis so he was able to save the Jews. Schindler put the lives of the Jews, ahead of his own safety and primarily for this reason he was viewed as a hero for the Jews during WWII. His behaviour was recognized not only during the war, but after the war and still present day.
Schindler showed a reversal of his priorities, from where he spent all of his money he made on women and alcohol, to when he decided to spend all his money on saving and protecting his Jewish employees. There were many instances where Schindler was showed as a hero to the Jews that worked in his factory. At his factory, workers were not as hungry as in other camps. Meals had a calorie count of 2000, different from the 900 calories the other places received. When food supplies were important, Schindler spent a lot of money purchasing food supplies on the black market goods. In Sir Martin Gilbertâs book, The Boy’s – Triumph Over Adversity, Moshe Rosenberg, a worker at Schindlerâs factory recalled,
“Loud enough for the Germans to hear, Schindler shouted âWhat’s this shit?â Then he threw some food wrapped in paper and walked out. It was his way of smuggling food to the Jews. Without him stepping in, the guards would have beaten me until I was dead.â
At Schindlerâs factory, nobody was hit, nobody was murdered, and nobody was sent to death camps. A few months later, the same man, Moshe Rosenberg sat down for a moment. At that very moment Schindler came in to the factory, followed by a SS Commandant named Amon Goeth. Rosenberg later recalled,
âSchindlerContinue for 5 more pages »Read full documentDownload as (for upgraded members)Citation GeneratorMLA 7CHICAGO(2017, 10). Oskar Schindler: An Unlikely Hero. EssaysForStudent.com. Retrieved 10, 2017, from“Oskar Schindler: An Unlikely Hero” EssaysForStudent.com. 10 2017. 2017. 10 2017 < "Oskar Schindler: An Unlikely Hero." EssaysForStudent.com. EssaysForStudent.com, 10 2017. Web. 10 2017. < "Oskar Schindler: An Unlikely Hero." EssaysForStudent.com. 10, 2017. Accessed 10, 2017. Essay Preview By: skdvnldkfjnv Submitted: October 1, 2017 Essay Length: 1,458 Words / 6 Pages Paper type: Essay Views: 425 Report this essay Tweet Related Essays The Hero: Pedro Romero The Hero: Pedro Romero At the beginning of the 20th century Hemingway's generation viewed the world as romantics (Wikipedia Romanticism, 2008). World War One changed 1,035 Words  |  5 Pages John Brown - a Hero or Villain? What makes a hero or a villain? A hero is defined as a person noted for feats of courage or nobility of purpose, especially one 2,532 Words  |  11 Pages Oskar Schindler Oskar Schindler What is your paradigm of a hero? Is it someone who is a comic strip hero? Or is it someone who has a 253 Words  |  2 Pages Why Did Oskar Schindler Do It? The Holocaust usually refers to Nazi Germany's systematic genocide of various peoples during the Second World War, the main target of this designed massacre being 1,534 Words  |  7 Pages Similar Topics Napoleon Bonaparte Villain Hero Wine Astonishment Heroes Idols Get Access to 89,000+ Essays and Term Papers Join 209,000+ Other Students High Quality Essays and Documents Sign up © 2008â2020 EssaysForStudent.comFree Essays, Book Reports, Term Papers and Research Papers Essays Sign up Sign in Contact us Site Map Privacy Policy Terms of Service Facebook Twitter