Several people showed this in their presentations. I am very curious as to what you all see in this sculpture. I cannot figure out what my interpretation is. You can't see it from this side, but the large arm has a number on it. Therefore, it apparently represents a victim. The people around it? I don't know. I want to hear your interpretations of this one.
12 comments:
Wow, this is a strange one. I really like the monument, it has sort of a grotesque feeling to it, and it's very unique. I think all the people stacking up to form a singular hand may be saying something about how they all suffered the same fate, especially since the arm has a tattoo. It shows that many were victimized as one. The free standing figures may represent people who avoided the camps. I'm really not too sure, just some ideas.
When I see all of the people "crawling" up the arm forming the hand, I see pain. I see agony. I see death. It's like all of the people, like Andy said, faced the same fate, which was death (in this case it seems like). That, in hand, creatd the hand, because they are "all together" in this. They are all trying to escape. They are all trying to get to freedom, happiness, get back home with their families and friends, and just be FREE. It's like they are to the point of death and they are reaching out for a last breath.
Another interpretation is they are reaching for FREEDOM and happiness.
-Josh
This monument is extremely powerful no matter how you interpret it, of course. All of the people on it our emaciated, so of course they are all in pain and agony. It almost seems to me that they are reaching with this hand to their death because at this point, death would be better than what they are going through. But, it's called LOVE and anguish. I must be missing something in it. Maybe someone can clarify for me.
I think this monument shows the Holocaust from two seperate points of view. At first glance, you see the distressed hand grasping for something. This really depicts the struggle that each individual who was victimized during the Holocaust went through. The tattoo makes it even more personal. But after you see the large hand and arm, your eyes are drawn down to the mass of grotesque bodies struggling to climb upward, to escape their misery and anguish. This part of the monument represents, in my opinion, how the pain and suffering depicted in the large hand was also the burden of the masses. Overall, it is a very unique and striking statue.
When i see this memorial I think of it in only one way. I interpret it as one last reach for hope. One last reach for a better life. The people that are climbing up all seem to become one whenever they reach the top. This, to me, symbolizes that most people still had hope.
This was my personal favorite of all the memorials in my presentation. In my opinion, I believe it represents those who suffered and died in the Holocaust and their struggle.
There's nothing I really have to say that hasn't already been said by people as a whole. I do think that the many bodies coming together as one represents the fact that they all shared the same fate, as earlier brought up by Andy. And I would also like to point out that they hand is reaching up as if trying to grab something. Maybe it's symbolizing how they longed for liberation and many of them got that, but even if you were liberated you still share a common bond with all victims of the Holocaust. And the Tattoo on the arm represents that fact. I would like to visit this memorial in person. I think alot of thoughts would sink in if I got to look at it up close in person.
The first time I saw this monument i thought of it as being a Nazi hand and jews were trying to climb and figure a way out of harm, but then I was told about the number being on the arm. I had to look at it closely to try and interpret it. I think that it might mean many jews trying to save one jews life or since the hand is pointing up maybe it is supposed to represent God and the jews are trying to reach out with love but also with anguish.
When i look at this picture and see many things that could interpretat it. As you said you cant see the numbers on the other side but your right it is a victim of the Holocaust. I feel like the victim is reaching out to God crying for help. Then you look at the people crawling up the arm and they look scared, in pain, hopeless, and worried. It has many feelings in this memorial. I just wonder what the artist had in mind when he was making this sculpture.
I definately think the whole suffering as one thing is an excellent point. I don't think my opinion is right but whatever. I kinda think that the hand is like their religion and faith and its kind of giving them hope and theyre coming up with it trying to escape and get over this torture. I don't know, that's what i kind of saw.
-katie
I believe that the sculpture represents the victims reaching out to God and asking him how he could let this happen. The people on the sculpture are the victims who suffered the pain and tortures of the holocaust. The free standing figures around the arm each represent something about the holocaust.
To me, this sculpture is very disturbing. I dont like it. I know that it is there to represent something very serious but i just have a hard time looking at it. The arm reaching up with the numbers on it, is to me, the arm a of a victim that is reaching up to God and the Heavens for help. It is like it is crying out for help. The people around the arm is, to me also asking for help but they are more desperate and they are more needy. I dont know. It just creeps me out. Ugh.
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