This story is dedicated to those who lost their lives during WWII...
"...And so, your assignment tonight is to describe how WWII might've affected you, had you lived in that time when it was around." Mr. Lancer said. The kids piled out of the classroom, and Sam stared at her feet as she stumbled out. Boy, would she have time doing this assignment...Everyone else didn't seem to care, but she did. Leaving the classroom, heading home, the story began to write in her head.
"Ms. Manson, you're up." Mr. Lancer said. Sam smiled a bit and walked up to the front of the room. She cleared her throat, and began.
"I may have not lived in that time, but it affected my family, still into today. You see, my family is of Jewish descent, and they used to live in Germany before Adolf Hitler took over. Over a course of a short time, he defamed them and others through cruel ways, even sinking low enough to make drawn pictures mocking the Jews and blaming them for making too much money, and stripped them of all civil rights, simply for what they believed in.
The Nazis then began to round us up- not only the Jews, but anyone they didn't like. People with different opinions, religions, races, or were a gypsy. Putting them into concentration camps, many died from disease or exhaustion. Some were killed by being gassed- when they would, for example, tell them that there were showers or saunas, with a sign above the room saying 'Baths' or something like it. The inmates would go in, naked, expecting to take a shower or sit in the sauna, but when all of them were inside, the doors were screwed shut with no escape, and pure pellets of poisonous gas commonly used before to exterminate common pests, such as insects, in the rooms. One third of the room died immediately roughly, while the others suffered for twenty minutes tops. Other ways killed them, tortured them...But, telling them all would have me to tears before I even got past one.
That, and there was a death march later on during the war- people would often freeze to death, starve, disease, or exhaustion.
Thankfully, some members of my family escaped to America, with the sad exception of a few who died in the holocaust. Otherwise, I wouldn't be here today, speaking to you all. Two-thirds of the Jews in Europe were killed, with the exception of others they killed just for not being white and christian and 'normal' by their standards.
My family settled here, and loved America- the freedom, ect.
So, next time you're about to judge one based on any of the above, stop and think of WWII. I thank you for listening." Sam finished, a few tears appearing in her eyes.
The room stared in shock, before Danny, Tucker, and Mr. Lancer began to clap. The other kids slowly picked up on it, and before she knew it, everyone was clapping, cheering, whistling standing up. Smiling, Mr. Lancer gave her an 'A+' and she sat down proudly.
This is based on a few bad memories of a kid in the 6th grade saying, to my disgust, 'praise Hitler'. I don't own DP, and I thank you for reading.