Frankly Speaking

I have found Man’s Search for Meaning to be a very interesting book so far. Every year since probably fourth grade I have learned about the Holocaust in my history classes, but this book has shown me a different side to what I’m used to being taught. Frankl discusses something I have never been taught before in regards to the Holocaust-what was the meaning of the suffering for each individual there? I always wondered before how it was possible for these victims to survive not only physically, but mentally. I couldn’t imagine how they could find a reason to want to stay alive after all they had been through until I read this book. If one could find meaning in their life, then they would be more likely to survive. Throughout all the suffering the survivors went through, they still managed to find some meaning in their lives to hold on to and to me that’s amazing. Those people were so strong and we need to learn about their personal experiences and hear their stories. What Frankl says is very true-it is so important to learn about events such as the Holocaust from people who experienced it firsthand. When we learn about the Holocaust in school through text books, most of the information we get in strictly factual. We get some insight as to how the victims felt, but nothing can compare to a firsthand account. It becomes so much more real to the reader when they read what was written by an actual survivor. The reader can capture the real emotions so much more as opposed to reading a textbook or something written by a historian who has studied the Holocaust.