The fact that an encyclopedia about the world doesn't have information on the history of Armenia isn't surprising to me considering that many people haven't heard of the genocide. On the first day of class, it was apparent that half the class didn't know about it, I even asked my parents at home, and they didn't know what it was. This was shocking because as I learn more and more about it, it seemed to me that it was just as important as the Jewish Holocaust in the size of its atrocity and the impact it had on a group of peoples. Why wasn't it passed down through generations just as the Jewish Holocaust was? Turkey and Germany both committed genocide but why is one covered up and the other is not? Armenians definitely know and have not forgotten what happened in 1915. In the quote, Mr. Balakian was disappointed when he saw the lack of Armenian history shown in the encyclopedia, the Armenian families knew, but the world didn't. Was it because Turkey didn't admit it had happened? What made Turkey and Germany so different?
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
"Not much on Armenia"
"The next day I went to the World Book and found the entry on Armenia. About 200 words and a picture of an Armenian girl in a checked dress sitting at a schoolroom desk with an open textbook. I remembered my father's disappointment when he purchased the encyclopedia in 1960. 'Not much on Armenia,' he said to my mother..." (99).
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Sophie, I was wondering the same exact thing myself. I feel like the attitudes towards the certain persecutors is different. During the wake of WWII, almost everyone of earth hates the Germans, thus making them feel compassion for those being oppressed by the Germans, the Jews. The rest of the world really did not have a problem with the Turks oppressing the Armenians because the Turks were on decent terms with everyone else in the world. The Turks also did a great job of masking the atrocities they committed.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with both of you. Not only to many people not know about the attempted extermination of the entire Armenian race, but in fact some even deny the genocide ever took place. A document I found online explains that the Republic of Turkey publicly denies the actions taken by the Ottoman empire against the Armenian people, stating that the number of Armenian deaths is probably exaggerated and many Turks died during that period as well. I feel that their attempts to mask such a tragedy is a crime even in itself. Additionally i believe that in agreement with one class discussion topic, a public acknowledgement or apology by the Turkish government may be a solution to help Armenian's let go of the events that took place. It may be part of the answer to the extended mourning that still takes place to this day.
ReplyDeleteOne difference between the Holocaust and the Armenian Genocide is that there are laws in many countries, including in Germany, that make denial of the Holocaust illegal. So, in this case, masking the events that happened during the Holocaust is a crime.
ReplyDelete