For this writing assignment, you will write a short story, in the first person, that deals with life under Hitler. While your story’s main character is fictitious (and could be a person of color, a POW, a Jewish individual, someone with a disability, a member of the LBGTQ community, a Communist, a SS-officer, a Nazi doctor, a member of the Hitlerjugend, a Jehovah Witness, a “Gypsy” etc.), everything else needs to be historically accurate and thorough research is required. In-text references are not warranted, but a bibliography listing the sources you’ve used during your research is. You will write and submit a 250-word prospectus (due May 9) in which you answer big-picture questions such as: • What is your story about? • What is the time frame? • Who are the characters? • Where will the story end? • What obstacles will arise for the protagonist in that period? • What sources will you use? (list at least 4 sources, including one monograph, and one article from https://www.jstor.org/). Tips: Pay attention to details. If you are writing about a child arriving in Theresienstadt, make sure your description of the camp is accurate. Find out what happened to children in Theresienstadt. Who survived? What did they eat and wear, and where did they sleep? What jobs did children perform inside the camp? If you are writing about a Jewish resistance fighter who was involved in the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, make sure you know the layout of the ghetto, the weapons that were used by the resistance, and the position of the Ghetto’s Jewish Council on resistance efforts in general. If your main character is a gay man in the 1930s, make sure you are aware of the antigay laws that were enforced during that time, the public’s attitude toward members of the LGBTQ community, the harsh conditions for gay prisoners in concentration camps, and their reluctance to speak out about their experiences after the war. Similarly, if your protagonist is a perpetrator, try to find out why people followed Hitler. Why did people join the SS, the SA or 12 the Hitlerjugend. And once they had joined, were they able to leave? Try to identify with your protagonist, their emotions and fears. What did it feel like to live under Hitler? You can use diaries, memoirs, biographies, and interviews as your inspiration (list these works in your bibliography), however, your story has to be original. Immerse yourself in the culture and customs of the time. Look at original photographs and footage and describe what you see. While historical facts are very important, they are not the storyline. Instead they are the backdrop for the drama. Don’t lose sight of the story that takes place in this historical setting.
