Rather slow speed please, I need the students to be able to repeat. (still, you don't need to pause after each sentence! ) Feel free to make any correction you consider necessary!
This document is a black and white photograph taken in 1941.It has no title and we don’t know who took it. (= the photographer is unknown / it’s anonymous.) It takes place in a labour camp during World War II.
It depicts an inspection tour of the camp.
On the left, we can see Himmler, one of the leading members of the Nazi Party. Around him, there are German soldiers in uniform.
On the right, there is a prisoner. He is standing up in front of Himmler and the soldiers. He is shirtless but he is wearing trousers and a hat. He looks determined or angry.
Behind him, we can see other prisoners. They are sitting on the ground and looking at the scene. In the background, we can see a long building. It may be the prisoners’ dormitory or some administrative building.
The soldiers and the prisoners are separated by barbed-wire. On the foreground, there is a trunk which forms a parallel with the standing prisoner.
We can imagine that the prisoner is standing in front of Himmler to show his defiance. He doesn’t seem to be afraid, quite the opposite. He is the only prisoner who is shirtless, so we can suppose that he took off his shirt to show that he doesn’t respect the nazi soldiers. I think he is really courageous because his provocation can cost his life! As he is very close to the trunk, we can associate his strong character with the solidity of a tree. I think the photographer wanted to emphasize the bravery of this prisoner.
There are some contrasts in this picture.
First of all, there are physical contrasts. The soldiers are wearing a uniform while the standing prisoner is half naked. We can see his bones, he is skinny. In front of him, Himmler is fit.
His skin is very pale, and it is in opposition with the dark colour of the uniforms.
There is also a contrast in numbers: in the picture, there are more prisoners than soldiers.
But the standing soldier is standing alone, in front of a group of soldiers.
Nevertheless, he doesn’t look scared. Himmler seems to have no reaction.
Finally, this picture symbolizes freedom versus imprisonment and it is delimited
by the barbed wire.
I don’t really like this photograph because it reminds me of the atrocities the Nazi
committed during World War II. It makes me think of pictures we studied during the History lessons. However, I think that the soldier is very courageous and I hope that he survived in this labour camp.
