The Ethics of Remembrance
Documentary filmmaker Claude Lanzmann has accused Steven Spielberg’s film Schindler’s List of trivializing the holocaust by attempting to represent what cannot be represented. Philosopher Richard Kearney defends Schindler’s List in his essay, “Narrative and the Ethics of Remembrance,” arguing that narrative representation is essential to cultural identity.
Write an argument on your own position on the representation of the Holocaust. Can the Holocaust be represented in a way that honors the unimaginable suffering of the victims? Cite Kearney, Lanzmann, and other authors, as appropriate.
Lanzmann, C. (n.d.). Schindler’s List is an impossible story (Links to an external site.). Retrieved from http://www.phil.uu.nl/~rob/lanzmannschindler.shtml