7 Object Stories by Joseph Lyon

Ovens

jlyon222 — 2015-03-26 14:39:17 UTC

These crematoriums were used to burn the bodies of dead prisoners. Officials did not know what to do with all of the dead bodies so they had to burn the bodies to get rid of them. This process was much more efficient than mass graves. These ovens signified some of the brutality and injustice that occurred in these camps. The prisoners were thought of as nothing and none of them received a proper burial. The crematoriums are probably one of the largest symbols people think of when they think of the unfair events that happened during this time.

Suit Cases

jdwyer8 — 2015-03-26 14:42:59 UTC

When prisoners arrived at the camps their suitcases were taken from them and thrown into piles. This was a blatant insult to the people arriving because it demonstrated the fact that Nazi officials believed the lives and the feelings of the prisoners were insignificant. These suitcases were filled with the few personal belongings that people were able to quickly gather before being forced out of their homes and into cattle cars headed to the camps. Suitcases are a defining object of concentration camps because when they were taken by officials, prisoners were completely striped of their old lives. They now realized that they would be forced to adjust to their new lives in the camps.

Uniforms

jlyon222 — 2015-03-26 14:53:46 UTC

The people in the camps were forced to wear the same clothes everyday. When prisoners arrived they were stripped of their old clothing in front of the entire camp. Through this process the prisoners were humiliated and dehumanized. The uniforms that they were given were ratty and dirty, just like the people in the camps were portrayed. Typically these uniforms were blue and white striped pajama like tops and bottoms for men. Women often wore some type of tattered dress or smock. The uniforms were distributed randomly, and often times they had previously belonged to prisoners that had recently died. The uniform is a defining object of the camps because it was another way that prisoners' identities were taken from them. They also demonstrate the guards' lack of care regarding the comfort and health of these prisoners.

Tattoos

jlyon222 — 2015-03-26 14:58:27 UTC

The prisoners were stripped of every aspect of their identities and given a number instead. When the prisoners arrived at the camps their number was tattooed on their arm. The tattoos were introduced to help the SS authorities to identify the dead bodies. The tattoos are defining objects of concentration camps because they were a way of dehumanizing the camp prisoners. The Nazis did not care who you were because to them you were nothing but a number.

Bunks

jdwyer8 — 2015-03-26 15:06:36 UTC

The bunks in the camps were tightly packed, making it easy for disease to spread. Often times the prisoners were not provided mattresses or blankets, so they were forced to sleep on the cold hard wood. A bed built for one person typically held up to four prisoners. There was little lighting or insulation in the rat infested barracks. The bunks are defining objects of concentration camps because they convey how horrible the living conditions of the prisoners were. The Nazis didn't care about the health of their prisoners whatsoever. They provided their captives with as little as possible.

Identification Badges

jdwyer8 — 2015-03-26 18:28:34 UTC

Prisoners wore ID badges on their uniforms that signaled the reason for their imprisonment. Officials were able to identify prisoners by the shape and the color of their badges. For example, a red triangle was assigned to political prisoners, while gypsies wore a brown triangle. Jews were assigned double triangles or stars. This extensive identification system is representative of all of the minorities that were wrongfully targeted and placed into the camps. The ID badges are also representative of the dehumanization of the prisoners. To the Nazis, these people were no more than a number and a badge. The dehumanization process contributed to the officials abilities to commit the atrocities that took place in the camps.

Nazi Medical Tools

jdwyer8 — 2015-03-26 18:31:02 UTC

These tools were used to help experiment on the prisoners in the camp. The Nazis wanted to test new medical discoveries and had basically an unlimited supply of people to use. These tools are a symbol of the torture that the people in the camps had to go through. The prisoners did not get a choice in these medical experiments. Nazi doctors tested different sterilization techniques on their victims. They often simulated battle wounds on the prisoners in order to develop treatments for the Nazi soldiers. Prisoners' bodies were subject to extreme conditions, such as below freezing temperatures for long periods of time, so that doctors could study how the body recovered. Nazi doctors were also very interested in examining twins because they wanted to figure out a way to increase the birth rate of Aryan citizens. This is another example of the unfair treatment that the prisoners went through.