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Teaunna Robinson
Tonya Wertz-Orbaugh
UWRT 1102-005
November 9, 2015
Life behind the Barbed Wire: A Research Review about Auschwitz-Birkenau
The Holocaust was a very huge event that resulted in thousands of innocent lives lost.
The Holocaust is a topic that individuals have slim to none knowledge or understanding about.
One only hears that one story or that one perspective to shape their views about the Holocaust.
Meanwhile, there are millions of different stories and millions of different experiences that
carved what the tragedy really was. During the Holocaust, there were many camps that arose in
which prisoners were sent by Germans. Many who were sent ended up being killed or died due
to critical conditions. These prisoners did not know whether they were going to make it alive
from day to day. Auschwitz-Birkenau was the second of three camps, which were together
known as Auschwitz. It was one of the largest concentration camp during the Holocaust. Jews
and others from all over Europe was sent there to be forced into labor or either sent to the gas
chambers. This camp was known as the killing center. There are stories told by survivors and
other research out there that goes into detail of the treatment in Auschwitz. I dug a little deeper to
analyze how this treatment there affected the victims of the holocaust emotionally,
psychologically, and physically.
A study was done to identify coping strategies used by women during the Holocaust. The
researchers felt as though not much research had been done on women and how they dealt with

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being victims of the Holocaust. This particular research study elaborates about individual women
and their stories while in Auschwitz and how each coped in order to help them survive. Analysis
was done for each testimony to provide those defense mechanisms used.
Joy Erlichman Miller, who did Holocaust research on coping of women, writes about the
use of humor by female victims in order to cope. Miller writes, Humor was the light of hope
which was used as a psychological weapon and a bond between friends. This quote suggests
that humor was a shield that was used to protect them from the dehumanization. However, I
would think that humor would be the last thing to have in a terrifying situation such as being in a
death camp. I guess they laughed in order to keep from crying and being afraid. I figured
laughter would give them a sense of hope and strength to remain strong. Hope played a major
role for the women. Some women would have the mentality of being able to be reunited with
their families again. This gave them some sort of bright future and a spark of hope to keep strong
for their family. Millers research is great for giving me details of how women dealt emotionally,
and psychologically which is what my inquiry question is about. This can be used to have a
better understanding of women specifically and their thinking process in order to stay strong
(Miller).
As I was reading Millers research, I ran into some data I felt was significant to
my inquiry topic. Miller writes, group affiliation was necessary for womens physical and
emotional survival. I thought this gave a vivid idea of how women utilized each other to remain
alive. Women used being around one another and creating friendships in order to give them
something to live for. If they could create there special bonds then that would create motivation
and drive to live for each other. They used each other to build up their strength and to provide

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support that they desperately needed. This type of coping was something different that men in
the camps did not do which I found interesting (Miller).
A holocaust survivor of the camp Auschwitz named Rena Kornreich was twenty one
years old and among the first Jewish females to be transported in this particular camp. She writes
a book called Renas Promise and this article includes some of the context within the book. From
what I can tell there is a lot of what Renas thought process included in her personal experiences.
She elaborates on how she was able to stay alive and not give up throughout this tragic
experience.
Heather Dune Macadam, the co-author of Rena's Promise, highlighted specific parts of
the book. She highlights the quote, He doesn't see that I am human. In my opinion, this just
shows how the Germans did not treat the prisoners as human beings at all. This is where Rena
realized that it was a true fact that she was no longer a human but rather an animal. From that
day forward she had no right to question anything as a human being should have the ability to.
She and all the others were dehumanized while in the camp in order for the Germans to have
control and power over the prisoners who lost their dignities. This helps me see how their
treatment towards the prisoners made them physically and psychologically feel unhuman. The
camp was able to break down the prisoners spirits down to the point where they started acting as
savages.
Heather Dune Macadam also points out this quote from Renas promise, I will succeed
because I have no other choice. This shows how Rena remains to have hope through it all.
Having this thought process I think helped her keep her alive. By having this mentality, it gave
her control of her own life way. Shes choosing to survive no matter what happens to her. Shes

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showing the strength that she does have left within her. I fee l as though not very many prisoners
had hope left in them at all and in my opinion made them give up and not fight for their lives.
As I gather more information through my research, I came across information about some
physical things that were being done to prisoners at Auschwitz. Irene Safran, a Holocaust
survivor who lived in Auschwitz, goes into detail about the daily life in this particular camp.
Irene explains the sleeping arrangement at the camp and how fourteen people had to sleep in just
one bed. I could not imagine sleeping in one small bed with fourteen other people. What also
shocked me was how they had certain times that they were allowed to use the restroom, which
were just many holes dug into the ground. That had to be so unsanitary and miserable. I knew
already that the prisoners were only given very tiny portions of food. However, I did not know it
come to the point to where people were eating the grass that was infested with urine and feces.
On top of not getting enough food, they had to work all day with the little energy they had. I
know that their bodies had to have been so weak. The prisoners had to suck it up because if they
showed any type of sign of weakness or sickness they were sent off to be killed in the gas
chambers (Safran).
I now have a clearer understanding of how daily life was living in this particular camp
and how they were treated physically. It broadens my knowledge of how mentally and physical
the prisoners were broken down. I know that since they were treated the way they were, they
started to lose dignity within themselves and started acting like animals. The Germans did not
care about anyone or anything. They would kill women, children, the elderly, the sick, and men. I
can empathize how this treatment could tear a lot of people down to make them kill themselves
like some people chose to do.

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From my research, I can definitely see how the victims of the Holocaust in
Auschwitz were affected. The Germans took away many lives and changed them for the worst. I
thought the quotes that I mentioned above definitely conveyed what the prisoners were going
through. The quotes added genuine emotion and authentic thinking of survivors. As a writer, I
liked being able to include my thoughts to further enhance the quotes that I chose. I think by
dialoguing, the reader gets an idea of what I was thinking and why I chose the quotes I did.

Work Cited

Dune Macadam, Heather. "Rena's Promise - A Story of Sisters in Auschwitz." Rena's Promise - A
Story of Sisters in Auschwitz. Web. 9 Nov. 2015.
Miller, Joy. "Coping Strategies and Adaptation Mechanisms Utilized by Female Holocaust
Survivors from the Auschwitz Concentration Camp." Walden University ScholarWorks, 1
May 1996. Web. 9 Nov. 2015.
Safran, Irene. "At Auschwitz." United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. United States
Holocaust Memorial Council, 1 May 1978. Web. 9 Nov. 2015.

Peer response for Jenna

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1. I think for the most part Jenna included all the requirements that were needed to have a
successful. I saw that she used two quotes from two sources and I can definitely see how
they connect to her inquiry topic.
2. I really thought the introduction was well developed and it caught my interest right away.
I also liked how Jenna included remaining questions she had about certain things as part
of her dialogue. It shows that she was actually curious about her topic and it actually
stimulated her thinking.
3. Although Jenna had some strong points in her research review, I would suggest a couple
of things. I would suggest maybe doing a little bit more dialoging with the quotes. I think
Jenna should comment a little more about the quotes. Also I think the conclusion should
flow a little bit better with the paper. Maybe give an overview of your research paper as a
whole in your conclusion.
4. The Quotation sandwich was used well in Jennas paper. I think she used it properly and
it enhanced her paper overall.
5. I think Jenna did well with providing an adequate amount of information. In my opinion I
dont think there needs to be any more information. Everything was clear and concise.