Schindler's Factory example essay topic

PLOT SUMMARY The movie "Schindler's list" is a compelling, real-life depiction of the events that occurred during the 1940's. It illustrates the persecution and horrific killings of the Jewish people. It also exemplifies the hope and will of the Jewish people, which undoubtedly is a factor in the survival of their race. The most important factor however is because of the willingness of one man, Oskar Schindler, to stand out and make a difference. The movie starts out in a Jewish home, where a Jewish family is celebrating the Sabbath. Candles are lit while songs are sung, and when the Jews leave the house, the candles slowly burn out.

The German forces have just defeated the Polish, and now the Jews are being forced out of their homes. They are reporting to the train station where they register their names, and then are shipped off to Krakow. In Krakow the Jews are gathered together in the ghetto where they are forced to live in overcrowded conditions. The Judenrat, a Jewish council, organizes the Jews into working groups according to their abilities. Oskar Schindler, a German business man, visits the ghetto to talk to Itzhak Stern, a Jew who owns a pot-making factory.

Oskar and Itzhak make a deal in which Schindler will take over the factory but Stern will be the plant manager. The Jews are once again sorted according to their education and working ability, those who cannot work are sent to extermination camps while some of those who are able to, reported to Schindler's factory. The Nazi's decide that all of the Jews should be confined in forced labor camps. Schindler, who is now starting to feel some empathy and responsibility towards his workers, volunteers to confine his workers in his factory. In the next part of the film, thousands of Jews are shipped off to concentration camps. Their luggage is stolen and sorted through for valuables.

Stern is mistakenly put on one of those trains, but Schindler quickly comes to his rescue. Amon Goeth is now in charge of the new labor camp in Plaszow. The Jews not only build the camp, but Goeth's immense house as well. In the second half of the film, it is now March 13th, 1943, and the liquidation of the ghetto is taking place. Many Jews are unjustly killed as they are pulled from their houses or did not co-operate.

Those who tried to hide are found and killed. The few that lived are shipped off to Plaszow. The day after the horrendous massacre, Schindler visits Plaszow. He is upset because he has no workers to run his factory. He is allowed to take most of his workers, who had not been killed, back to his factory.

Days after everyone returns to work, the sick Jews are separated from the healthy ones. Women pricked their fingers and rubbed blood on their faces in order to be healthier looking. The weak and old Jews are killed to make room for new shipments of Jewish workers. The children are placed on trucks and sent away. The next scene in the film is Schindler's birthday. A few workers from the factory bring Schindler a birthday present and in turn he kisses one of the young Jewish girls, which broke the Race and Resettlement Act.

Goeth and Oskar discuss what happened at the party and Schindler apologizes. In April 1944, Goeth receives orders to unearth and burn more than 10,000 Jews that were killed at Plaszow and Krakow. The living Jews are forced to do this. Another order is received to move all of the Jews to a new camp to avoid the Russians. Schindler creates a plan; he digs deep into his ever decreasing finances and builds a new factory. He bargains with Goeth, and "buys" all of the Jewish workers he needs to run his factory.

He draws up a list, later to be known as "Schindler's List", which includes more than 1,100 men, women, and children. Despite a mix-up, in which the train transporting the women are delayed at Auschwitz rather then Schindler's factory, all of the people arrive safely. Now that the war is over, Schindler must flee or face prosecution. He packs a car and says goodbye to his workers, at which time they present him with a letter explaining to everyone that he saved them and a gold ring with the quotation "Whoever saves one life, saves the world entire". He then breaks down, and realizes that the car that he has could have been used as a bribe to get more people, he realizes that if he was not so greedy in trying to gain more money then he could have saved many more peoples lives. The day after he finally departs, a Russian soldier arrives announcing to the Jews that they have been liberated by the Soviet Army.

The end of the film is at Oskar Schindler's grave, in modern time. The actors who portrayed the main characters in the film and the actual people they portrayed place stones on Schindler's grave. The final shot is of a man placing a flower on the grave and then standing their contemplating it. CHARACTER SKETCH At the beginning of the film Oskar Schindler is portrayed as a crafty, cold-hearted businessman simply coming to Poland to take advantage of the growing source of slave labor. He immediately seizes the opportunity to make a deal with Itzhak Stern to take over his pot-making factory. He uses his shrewdness to make very good impressions on the occupations authorities.

He does this by being a member of the Nazi Party, and giving the army and SS officials gifts and bribes. He becomes friends with all of the important SS and army officials and quickly calls in favors to establish himself as a businessman. Schindler's business skills are not very good and he is not good at handling his finances. So he gets Itzhak Stern to manage his finances. Schindler tries to keep the Nazi's happy while Stern managers his factory. Schindler is resourceful.

He uses the Jews labor to its fullest potential and he has a job for everyone. No one is too old or young to work for him. He doesn't kill people just because he thinks that they are not essential. When the children are being separated from everyone else, he steps in and tells the officers that children have small fingers perfect for polishing the insides of ammunition. He is quick on his feet and comes up with plans with ease. Schindler is fair and sensitive towards his workers.

When the Jews are forced onto trains and can barely breathe and are thirsty, it is Schindler who initiates the idea of hosing them down with water. After witnessing the liquidation of the Ghetto, and the massacre that occurred Schindler is profoundly affected. He now has to face the problem of replacing the captured and dead workers. Although Schindler almost reaches a moment of epiphany when he sees the massacre taking place, it is not until he sees the little girl in the red coat, being cleared out along with all of the other bodies in the ghetto, does he transform. He is transformed from a cold-hearted businessman, interested only in profit into a person struggling to do the right thing. He demonstrates this when he tries to assist his workers and save them from persecution and death.

When Schindler sees the little girl in the red coat for the second time, when the bodies of the dead Jews are being burnt, he reaches a moment of true epiphany, and makes a further transformation. He is now a human "angel", whose primary motive is not profit but to save his workers. In one of the final scenes in the film Schindler further realizes that his greediness prevented him from saving more lives. After all of the events that occur in this time frame, Oskar Schindler miraculously transforms from a cold-hearted, profit driven, businessman into a sensitive, compassionate hero. THEME The film "Schindler's List" focuses mainly on one specific theme.

This theme is hope. The Jews have only that to rely on as all of these events occur. As they face persecution they exhibit an unbroken spirit and will to survive. A tremendous example that is portrayed in this film of hope is that despite all of the chaos and killings going on, tow people manage to fall in love and get married. The marriage takes place in the barracks, with some impromptu substitutions, such as a light bulb instead of a wine glass, and a normal lady rather then a rabbi, but still following the Jewish traditions.

The couple stays wed and they keep to Jewish traditions which symbolize hope for the survival of the Jewish race. Other themes are represented in this film. A little girl persecutes the Jews as they are being forced into the ghetto, showing her learned hatred and open hostility that was occurring everywhere. Although the majority of the people refused to help the Jews, there was still the difference that one individual can make, that individual being Oskar Schindler. He risked his life and stood alone against the vast evil of the Nazi Party.

Denial is another theme in this film which helped to save the Jewish race. Even as they are forced into the ghetto and later into labor camps they are in denial of their real situation. When they are in the ghetto they are optimistic and believe that the bad times will pass, and even when killing surrounds them they won't let themselves believe the worst. There are certain groups of people that cause these events to happen. Because of them there are people living in denial and people that are being ostracized every day.

They do this because they are afraid that if they do not go along with what the majority does their will be reprisal. Everyone wants to believe that people are basically good in nature. But with the events that occurred in the film it is easy to see that people are easily influenced and would rather go along with the group then stand out and make a difference. Most people think that one person cannot make a difference. If more people would have taken a stand, then quite possibly more Jewish people would have been saved. One person does make a difference, Oskar Schindler proved that.