I'm writing a 10 page paper on The treatment of children in the Auschwitz concentration camp during WWII. I know this topic is narrow enough, but is it TOO specific? Should I change it to concentration camps in general?
Also I'm not sure what my thesis should be. ANYHOW I'm not asking anyone to do any work for me, I just need opinions on whether my topic is good and if I should alter it a little.
Thanks so much!
2006-12-01 09:41:23 · 20 answers · asked by layla 2 in Arts & Humanities ➔ History
Thanks so much to all who have contributed, it helps alot. I've already done some research and I know about WWII because it is an obsession of mine. I was just worried that my topic is dry. I will leave my topic without changing it thanks to all the advice [= The problem i have left is What am I trying to prove? And I guess that will be my thesis.
2006-12-01 10:13:49 · update #1
ok people, i DO understand that it is a very emotional subject. I read NIGHT by Elie Wiesel twice. I cried through it both times. I am not some fragile damsel in distress. So please stop with the "Don't persue it if you are a fragile doll because it will distress you"
2006-12-01 15:05:49 · update #2
I am an historian and a history teacher. Your topic is not too narrow. If you switched it to concentration camps in general, you would have way too much information for a ten page paper. Think about it. There are whole books written on the concentration camps. How could you fit all that information into ten pages?
As for you thesis, that depends on what your research tells you. What specifically are you writing about? What has your research uncovered about the treatment of children in concentration camps? But remember to avoid value judgements in your thesis. Your job is not to condemn the Nazis for their despicable acts, but to reconstruct the history.
2006-12-01 09:47:33 · answer #1 · answered by lilejeff 2 · 3⤊ 1⤋
Your topic is good, not too specific.
For your thesis, think about what you really want to SAY with your paper. Since you're focusing on children, do you think there is a pattern of certain things done to children in Auschwitz and if so, could there be a specific cause for it? Do you think children dealt with the concentration camp differently than adults did, and why? Focus on details and think of a concrete point you want to make. Turn that into your thesis statement and build on it.
2006-12-01 17:45:37 · answer #2 · answered by Bwilkerson 4 · 1⤊ 1⤋
A brilliant and important topic you have chosen because it is meaningful and reveals important history that needs to be retold again and again with fresh perspectives.
Good history discusses the environment, the people, and the causes and effects that occured from a time passed.
To this end, put the child in the center of your report and then explore and report on the child's relationship with things in their daily life: other children, work duties, eating habits, social actions, games, spirituality, death and dieing, psychological challenges, social survival of the fittest, and the randomness of fate.
What is most important is that you conclude your paper with what the real child survivors did with their experience in changing their view of life and the courses of living they chose post Auschwitz. Remember, the Child is the parent of the Adult. It is then that the full message of courage, hope, dignity, and good ultimately triumphing over evil can come out.
Best wishes for a top grade.
2006-12-02 07:13:18 · answer #3 · answered by angelthe5th 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Well, it's a good start - what interested you enough to think of it as a topic? That could be a clue as to how you want to modify it.
If that doesn't help, you could think about the types of theses that you've encountered - difference, change over time, cause and effect...
Now, think about what you - a self-confessed WWII buff - know about children's treatment at Auschwitz. What's significant? Were children treated different from adults at Auschwitz? Were children treated differently at different camps? What caused camp officials to treat kids the way they did at Auschwitz.
I think a thesis could come from any one of these.
Best of luck.
2006-12-01 18:21:40 · answer #4 · answered by umlando 4 · 1⤊ 1⤋
I think that if you would change your title to Concentration camps in general; you would have a bigger variety of topics that you could write about. That way you could have a larger area of search topics and not be stuck trying to find only information on the treatment of children. You don't want to limit you resources; so I would advise to always make sure that your topics are not too detailed. Hope that helps you out!
2006-12-01 17:51:47 · answer #5 · answered by Sweet home AL 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
You could easily do a 10 page paper on that subject. For example, there is one book about that subject called Children of the Flame that is 320 pages long. And that is just one of many books. So you should be able to write a 10 page paper on the subject. It will be a very upsetting subject to write about, but you will learn a lot about how cruel mankind can be when following an insane leader.
2006-12-01 17:49:24 · answer #6 · answered by Anniesgran 4 · 1⤊ 1⤋
It might not be a bad idea to change your topic to the treatment of children in concentration camps in general. But you will want to emphasize in what ways children were treated differently than adults. In my own study of the Holocaust I have always felt that children were treated even more brutally than adults (which was bad enough).
2006-12-01 23:11:25 · answer #7 · answered by James@hbpl 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
You want a vague concept. But I don't think it is too specific. I mean you are targeting ONE audience of about 10 other choices of different treatment go with it. If you go with people in general,you run into race,different uniforms,sexual orientation,age,etc.
It's a good topic. Want some information on concentration camps,you can visit:http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org
2006-12-01 21:46:35 · answer #8 · answered by Ellie 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋
I do not think it is too dry, if in fact you report the facts, I don't think there would be hardly anybody that would not have wet tears.
In my opinion try to bring a positive side to this monstrous mayhem by incorporating some heroics among the children. I do not mean an Anne Frank situation, but everyday heroics that the children suffering rendered to one another or to adults.
A title could be "Daily heroics in the concentration camps"
2006-12-01 18:22:19 · answer #9 · answered by THA 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
No, it is not narrow. But it is depressing. Are you sure you want to be exposed to all the horrible pieces of history related to this tragedy? There are other topics, you know. However, I am sure you can write a lot more than 10 pages on the subject. There are so many reference materials to go to.
2006-12-01 17:45:23 · answer #10 · answered by seek_fulfill 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋