Pajama Boy Vs La Vita e Bella

Watters 1 Philip Watters Mr. Spina AP European History 31 May 2011 The Boy in the Striped Pajamas vs.
Life is Beautiful 1. Both children were portrayed as innocent because they were unaware of the exact sort of happenings going on inside the concentration camps. In both cases, this innocence was made possible because of the parents. Guido hid the truth from Giosue, and Ralph and Elsa hid the truth from Bruno. Giosue was more innocently minded than Bruno because he accepted his fathers fabrication that it was all a game. Only an innocent, childish mind would agree to such an apparent lie. Bruno on the other hand was never given any answers to his questions, neither true nor false. In this way, Bruno was more inclined to go find out what the truth was, whereas Giosue had already settled everything in his mind. 2. Adults can have similar characteristics at heart. Some of the adults in the films displayed a certain measure of purity. In The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, Elsa shows her innocence when she argues with Ralph about the morality of his duties as commandant of the concentration camp. She rightfully despises the atrocities in the concentration camps because she knows right from wrong. This lack of corruption is what makes her innocent. In Life is Beautiful, both parents show a measure of innocence. Dora manages to find separation from the sadness in the concentration camps by receiving sporadic messages from Guido. He also shows some innocence in the camp, especially when he is around Giosue. By doing fake, confident marches and other goofy actions, Guido pretends to be just as innocent as his son. However, this is just a faade; he is really just as concerned as every other person in the camp. Guidos seriousness
Watters 2 shines through in his discussion with Doctor Lessing at the dinner party. Finally, the only surely guilty adult in either film is Ralph, Brunos father. Ralph knows exactly what is going on in the concentration camps and he does everything he can to support it. 3. Of the two films, The Boy in the Striped Pajamas better represents the Holocaust. The Holocaust was a terrible event that ought to be remembered as such. Life is Beautiful does not emphasize the horror of the Holocaust in the first half of its film, and even in the second half it does not seem to treat the entire issue as seriously as it should. For example, when they are all in the concentration camps, Guido and Giosue manage to get away with a variety of mischievous actions, such as broadcasting over the loudspeaker and sneaking out of the dinner party. These parts of the film insinuate that there was a decent bit of levity in the concentration camps. This is incorrect. The Boy in the Striped Pajamas more appropriately represents the terrible things that happened during WWII. Shmuel was always depressed and sad before Bruno became his friend. This is a more accurate representation of the behavior of the residents of concentration camps. 4. Both Elsa and Dora serve as motherly figures to their children. Elsa does everything for Bruno and Gretel, and Dora does everything for Giosue. They both care very much for their children. Elsas care is seen in her paranoia about Brunos safety; Doras care is seen when she boards the train to the concentration camp with her husband and son, and when she is reunited with Giosue after being liberated from it. A more interesting comparison can be made from Guido and Elsa. Both parents try their hardest to hide the truth from their sons. Guido does so by developing a kind of game, while Elsa greatly restricts Brunos ability to explore the surroundings of their home. 5. Guido would have immediately criticized Ralph for his reasoning. He would likely bring up Giosue and inform Ralph of how his life was being ruined. He would emphasize that Giosue
Watters 3 would surely grow up into a productive member of society should he not die in the concentration camps. He would say that it is more important for children to survive than for him to follow orders. 6. The Boy in the Striped Pajamas delivers a more powerful message about the prejudice of the Holocaust. The tutor in the movie explains to Bruno and Gretel of how terrible the Jew is in the minds of the German people at the time. He tells Bruno that if he ever found a nice Jew, he would be the best explorer in the world. In this way, the audience sees Brunos hesitation in developing his friendship with Shmuel due to the prejudice of the time period. Prejudice is certainly present in Life is Beautiful, but it is not directly addressed, as it is in The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. 7. The very last scene of The Boy in the Striped Pajamas is the scene from that movie that best represents what Jews experienced in concentration camps. Jews were told that they were going to take showers and were gassed to death instead. This is what happened in the camps. In Life is Beautiful, one of the best representations of the experiences of Jews in concentration camps was when Guido and the other male prisoners walked back into their dwelling and collapsed on their beds immediately due to fatigue. The work at the camps was grueling for Jews and wore them all out. It was this, in combination with malnourishment, that resulted in their emaciated bodies. 8.

Pajama Boy Vs La Vita e Bella

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Pajama Boy Vs La Vita e Bella

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Pajama Boy Vs La Vita e Bella

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

What are some similarities between the parents in the two films?

How do the films differ in their portrayal of the Holocaust?

Watters 1 Philip Watters Mr. Spina AP European History 31 May 2011 The Boy in the Striped Pajamas vs.

You might also like