The Irony of the Nazis' National Organization for Young Germans
Hitler is hypocritical and selective. The youths in Germany, especially the students in both high schools and higher learning institutions, are made to believe that their future is bright. They are taught Nazism ideologies and they are made to consume them as natural milk every day. However, it is ironic that the promising future discriminates against the German Jewish youths, young gyps, communists, Jehovah ‘s Witness and the Handicapped youths. These category of the youths are referred to as low-class citizens and Hitler assumes that they are Jews. The author writes:
"But if you were a young gypsy, a communist, or Jehovah's Witness, or if you were handicapped in any way your future was not promising. To the Nazis, you were Untermenschen (low-class-citizen). Worst of all, the Untermenschen in Hitler's eyes were the Jews."
The Irony of the Alfons’ Grandfather
The first time Alfons' grandfather hears that Adolf Hitler's Nazi party has taken the power, he frowns that the country cannot be hand power to a crazy Austrian. He does not love him and there is no single point he can love him. However, two years after Hitler took over, things started changing for better all his critics including the grandfather were his die-hard supporters. Ironically, Alfons' grandfather starts singing good things about Hitler after two years into power. The narrator writes:
“Less than two years later my grandfather and nearly all our neighbors were solidly behind Adolf Hitler.”
The Irony of Herr Becker
Hitler orders that all German schools not to be overcrowded by passing the law "The Law Against Overcrowding of German School." He knows that most of the students in the German schools are Jewish so he wants to punish them by ensuring that they do not get the promised future. However, it is Ironic that teach Herr Becker decides to single the Jewish students and give them special treatment. The reader expects all the Jewish students to leave but Herr does the contrary. The reader is also astonished that Teacher Herr does not fear the orders of Hitler who is described as a no-nonsense leader. The reader asks himself, what will happen to this teacher if Hitler discovers that he is disobeying orders? The Narrator says, “The Jewish kids had been singled out by for special treatment by our teacher, Herr Becker, who we all feared very much.”
The Irony of the Jewish Noses
Teacher Becker seems to give the Jewish special treatment as compared to the Germans and other students. He does not whip them because he gives them simple punishments when they make mistakes. The reader does not understand fully why he does so, but it is probably the fear of the Lord. The reader does not expect the teacher to talk ill of the Jewish students because he treats them as specials. The teacher is both a Catholic and a Nazi. When it comes to teaching 'racial science’ Herr uses nasty descriptions to refer to the Jewish. For instance, he says that their noses are formed like an upside-down 6. This is a demonstration that teacher Becker wants other children to look down upon the Jewish kids. The narrator says:
“One week we had a ‘racial science’ class where we learned how and why the Jews are different. ‘Just look at the shape of their noses, if they are formed like an upside-down 6, that shows their Jewishness.”
The Irony of the Quiet People
When Hitler rises to power, not everyone loves or likes him. Some decided to remain quiet because they do not want their opinion to be known. As much as Hitler condemned communism and advocated for National Socialism, there is a segment of Germans in Wittlich town who are silent supporters of communism. Additionally, not all people accepted the ideology of discriminating against other races while considering the native Germans as the chosen people. However, it is ironic that when Hitler is passing Wittlich, even those who have been quiet all along today are shouting their lungs out, 'Heil Hitler!’ The narrator says:
“Even the people who were usually quiet and usually they were shouting their lungs out, ‘Heil Hitler!’ Here is the man who is building for us a new German, a proud country that would once again find its place in the world.”
