{"id":13470,"date":"2023-04-12T01:19:24","date_gmt":"2023-04-12T01:19:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.goodacademic.com\/blog\/questions\/essay-in-response-to-rudolf-vrbas-book-i-cannot-forgive-aka-i-escaped-auschwitz\/"},"modified":"2023-04-12T01:19:24","modified_gmt":"2023-04-12T01:19:24","slug":"essay-in-response-to-rudolf-vrbas-book-i-cannot-forgive-aka-i-escaped-auschwitz","status":"publish","type":"questions","link":"https:\/\/www.goodacademic.com\/blog\/questions\/essay-in-response-to-rudolf-vrbas-book-i-cannot-forgive-aka-i-escaped-auschwitz\/","title":{"rendered":"Essay in response to Rudolf Vrba&#8217;s book &#8220;I Cannot Forgive&#8221;  AKA I Escaped Auschwitz"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>For this essay, you will write a summary-response essay to Boris Holec&#8217;s article below. First, read the essay:<\/p>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Critical Thinking in a Hierarchical System<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>by Boris Holec<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>&nbsp; &nbsp; Everyone in a hierarchical system needs critical thinking skills to survive it, because the nature of a hierarchy is that those above you can dominate you, and those below you can replace you. Hierarchical systems exist throughout society: in academia (as a student, you are in competition with your classmates), in a corporation, on a sports team, and even in drastic situations such as a P.O.W. camp. In his Holocaust memoir I Cannot Forgive, we see Rudolf Vrba use brilliant critical thinking skills to survive Auschwitz. How does he do it?<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;First, though Rudi is young and strong, he would not have lasted long in the camps if he didn\u2019t make important connections. In any grouping of people, favors, rewards, raises, promotions, etc. are given to those who network skillfully. Loners do not survive. Rudi figures this out quickly.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;Second, the ability to communicate judiciously can build bridges between others, which is essential for survival. If we use the wrong words, we can be doomed. Rudi has the uncanny ability to use the right words, the right language, even the right body language to survive. He knows that language matters.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;Perhaps the most important skill Rudi employs is positive thinking. Rudi observes people in the camp who are the living dead: the Moslems. Sadly, &#8220;Moslems&#8221; don\u2019t just exist in concentration camps. They exist everywhere. The ability to conceive an escape (from homelessness, drug addiction, poverty, etc.) depends on positive thinking. Rudi never doubts that he will escape the camps. That is positive thinking.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; It would be simplistic to say that these three qualities alone saved Rudolf Vrba. But they were essential to his survival. We can read I Cannot Forgive not only as Rudi&#8217;s memoir of survival, but as an inspiration to survive whatever hierarchical system we find ourselves in.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>For this essay, do the following. First, write a summary of Vrba&#8217;s book in your first paragraph. Finish your paragraph with a thesis that states Vrba&#8217;s three major critical thinking skills &#8212; networking, successful communicating, and positive thinking &#8212; and to what degree each plays a role in his survival (e.g., great, good, fair, minimal &#8212; your opinion).<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;Second paragraph: (your first body paragraph): Describe the networking Rudi does. Construct your paragraph in the P.I.E. format &#8212; Point, Information, Explanation. (See the module on Canvas that explains P.I.E. in more detail.)<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;Third paragraph: (your second body paragraph): Same as above, but describe Rudi&#8217;s communication skills. Use the P.I.E.format.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;Fourth paragraph: (your third body paragraph): Same as above, but describe Rudi&#8217;s positive thinking. Use the P.I.E. format.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;Fifth paragraph: (conclusion). Repeat Rudi&#8217;s three major critical thinking skills and how they can benefit anyone today.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Words:  ~800 words.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Give your essay an original title, one that expresses your view of critical thinking in &#8220;I Cannot Forgive.&#8221;<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>&nbsp;<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>For this essay, you will write a summary-response essay to Boris Holec&#8217;s article below. First, read the essay: &nbsp; Critical Thinking in a Hierarchical System by Boris Holec &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Everyone in a hierarchical system needs critical thinking skills to survive it, because the nature of a hierarchy is that those above you can [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":[],"disciplines":[1145],"paper_types":[],"tagged":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goodacademic.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/questions\/13470"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goodacademic.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/questions"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goodacademic.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/questions"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goodacademic.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goodacademic.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13470"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.goodacademic.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/questions\/13470\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goodacademic.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13470"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"disciplines","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goodacademic.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/disciplines?post=13470"},{"taxonomy":"paper_types","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goodacademic.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/paper_types?post=13470"},{"taxonomy":"tagged","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goodacademic.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tagged?post=13470"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}