Propoganda

Propaganda is the spreading of ideas, information, or rumor for the purpose of helping or injuring an institution, a cause, or a person. Propaganda can also be ideas, facts, or allegations spread deliberately to further one's cause or to damage an opposing cause.

During the years of the Third Reich, Adolf Hitler appointed Joseph Goebbels as Minister of Propaganda. It was Goebbel's job to spread ideas, information, and even rumors for the purpose of helping the Nazi cause. Goebbels achieved this in many ways, including in the education of young people. (You can learn more about the Nazis' system of education in my book, //Hitler Youth//, Chapter Three.)

Helmuth experiences Nazi propaganda. One important example is the scene on pages 27-30, in which his teacher Herr Zeiger rants to the class that the Jews are trying to bring about Germany's downfall. Herr Zeiger uses bits and pieces of fact in order to spread rumors about the Jews.

In this scene, there's more than meets the eye. On the surface - the textual level or the literal work of the words and sentences - the scene says one thing. But the subtext - the meaning beneath the text, or the meaning that comes from reading between the lines, - says another thing.

For instance, in this scene, Herr Zeiger says that the Jews want to bring about the downfall of Germany. What is Herr Zeiger's true purpose? What does he want to achieve? Why does he (and the Nazis) want to make people fear the Jews and make them suspicious of Jews? How do the Nazis use Jews as a scapegoat? How does Herr Zeiger appeal to the students' emotions?