OVERVIEW: The Holocaust is a horrific part of human history, but one that is critical to remember. With violence toward ethnic groups a constant of violence around the globe, remembering Europe's worst genocide is vital for ensuring the nations of the world are constantly reminded of why fighting against such ethnic and religious violence is crucial for all generations. For this assignment, student are instructed to look at personal stories of survival from the Holocaust. In examining the individual stories of Jews, Romani (Gypsies), Jehovah's Witnesses, homosexuals and political prisoners victimized by the Holocaust, students will gain both a greater understanding of the time period and the integral part individual memories play in crafting and enriching a society's history.


ASSIGNMENT: Write a 1,000 to 1,500 word comparison of two survival testimonies from the Holocaust. Examine both the similarities and differences in the two stories. You will employ the rhetorical strategies and structures pertinent to a comparison/contrast work to evaluate the two testimonies. The two testimonies must follow one of the following criteria:

Both stories are from people from the same geographical location (Both survivors are originally from Warsaw)

Both stories are from individuals who spent the majority of their imprisonment in the same camp.

Both stories are from different ethnic/social groups but were held, for the majority of their imprisonment, in the same camp

Both stories are from survivors who were imprisoned due to their political activities or sexual orientation

In order to do this, you must access the USC Shoah Foundation website and Testaments to the Holocaust website through the USF library website...


Step 1: Review rhetorical strategies and structures pertinent to comparison/contrast analysis.
Step 2: View several video testimonies from the USF Library of Holocaust Remembrances.
Step 3: Choose two video testimonies from the USF Library of Holocaust Remembrances that would be interesting to compare/contrast.
Step 4: Take careful notes as you view the videos to help save you time and energy when it comes time to write your essay.
Step 5: Compose a 1,000 to 1,500 word essay that compares and contrasts two survival testimonies from the USF Library of Holocaust Remembrances. You will conduct research that helps to narrow your thesis and clarify your argument. Though this essay may be constructed in numerous ways, you may wish to analyze each testimony separately and then synthesize their two separate observations explicitly in the final third of the paper. You may also compare each testimony point by point.


OUTCOMES:

• Students will learn how to conduct a rhetorical analysis by analyzing video interviews of Holocaust survivors using an accepted academic discourse and style.
• Students will come to discern and evaluate rhetorical elements such as literary style, purpose, and audience.
• Students will be equipped with a framework to critically analyze how a popular text reflects a larger rhetorical situation as well as the rhetor.
• Students will be able to construct an evidence-based argument by incorporating quality sources, providing interesting examples, considering opposing viewpoints, and supporting opinions with research and reasoning.
• Students will research and locate at least two articles from the library that help to explain the relationship between these two interviews and/or their general literary context.
• Students will learn the genre of rhetorical/literary analysis.
• Students will demonstrate an understanding of the writing process, including invention, narrowing a topic, drafting, editing and revision strategies that include peer review and receiving feedback from their instructor.

HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE:
Historical Context: Students should investigate how the historical and cultural context of the interview not only affects an author's choice of subject matter but his or her choice of metaphor, figurative language, and so on. Their analysis should explore the various intersections between the interview, society, and the historical context of the Holocaust both in modern times and during the actual Holocaust tragedy. Furthermore, students should consider how the portrayal of those dilemmas relate to their own contemporary society and the author’s.


HISTORICAL EVIDENCE: Students will identify and incorporate different kinds of primary and secondary source material to situate their arguments within the continuing discussing concerning the nature of intertextuality. The source material used here could be of three varieties: the students could research 1) the history of criticism of the interview, 2) the ways these two interviews have been compared historically, and/or 3) the historical situation in which the interview was recorded and how it relates to the major concerns of the participants.


UNDERSTANDING AND CREATING ARGUMENTS: Students will construct an argument based on evidence, plentiful citation, and originality.


CONTEXT: The genre of this project is a formal literary analysis; therefore, the audience of this project includes, but is not limited to, the USF student community, political commentary for a national newspaper or magazine. The proper tone for this audience is informed, objective, and academic.


LENGTH, FORMAT, AND DESIGN: 1,000 - 1,500 words in an instructor-approved academic style, including an annotated bibliographyandreference page produced using RefWorks.