Five Chimneys: The Story of Auschwitz Papers & Assignment Topics

Essay Topics/Writing Assignments

These 20 essay questions can be used as essay questions on a test, or as stand-alone essay topics for a take-home or in-class writing assignment. Students should have a full understanding of the text in order to answer these questions. They ask for a thorough analysis of the text.

1. What methods did the Nazis use to control their victims at different stages of their deportation, imprisonment, and extermination? How did the reactions of the deportees and prisoners enable the Nazis to succeed in their work?

2. Describe the evolution of self-preservation among the prisoners, Olga included, and the extremes to which some people took this notion. At what point did caring only for oneself become necessary, and how did this influence the way in which some prisoners interacted with each other?

3. Why did some prisoners survive while others did not? ...
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