“For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.”
~ John 3:17–18
“The wicked man flees though no one pursues, but the righteous are bold as a lion.”
~ Proverbs 28:1
Rainer Hoess was just a boy when he discovered that his grandfather was Rudolf Hoess, the Death Dealer of Auschwitz. Hoess was in charge of Auschwitz Concentration camp from 1940 to 1943. Under his tenure an estimated 2.5 million people were executed. Rudolf Hoess, then, was history’s greatest mass murderer, the architect and SS Kommandant of the largest killing center ever created, the death camp Auschwitz. To Rainer’s father, though, Hoess was a mild-mannered, happily married Roman Catholic who enjoyed normal family life with his five children, despite his view of the crematoria chimney stacks 150 yards from his bedroom window. At peak efficiency Auschwitz had the capacity to murder and to burn ten thousand people in 24 hours.
What is poor Rainer Hoess to do?
No matter who our family is, who we are, in Christ we are new creations!
Rudolf Hoess’s final letter to Rainer’s father before he was executed in 1947:
You, my dear, good children!
Your daddy has to leave you now. For you, poor ones, there remains only your dear, good Mommy. . . .
The biggest mistake of my life was that I believed everything faithfully which came from the top, and I didn’t dare to have the least bit of doubt about the truth of that which was presented to me. Walk through life with your eyes open. Don’t become one-sided; examine the pros and cons in all matters. In all your undertakings, don’t just let your mind speak, but listen above all to the voice in your heart. . . . Once more from my heart I ask you all, my dear good children, take to heart my last words. Think of them again and again.
Keep in loving memory, Your Dad.1
The Jewish Children of Izieu
The number of children killed by Hitler and his Nazis is not fathomable and full statistics for the tragic fate of the children will never be known. Estimates range as high as 1.5 million murdered children during the Holocaust. This figure includes more than 1.2 million Jewish children, tens of thousands of Gypsy children, and thousands of institutionalized handicapped children.
One particularly tragic story is the story of the children of Izieu. In 1944 the Nazis from Lyon sent three vehicles to the tiny French village to exterminate the children of the orphanage known as La Maison d’Izieu. Here 44 Jewish children in age from 3 to 18 were hidden away from the Nazi terror that surrounded them.
On the morning of April 6, 1944, the little children were deported to the Nazi death camp Auschwitz and murdered immediately upon arrival. Of the 44 children kidnapped by the Nazis in Izieu, not a single one survived. Hoess was not present but the concentration camp he built murdered the children of Izieu.2
???Are you reading 50 to 100 pages a day???
Writing Style
Which version is better? Why?
A. It will not be impertinent nor unnatural to this present discourse, to set down in this place the present temper and constitution of both Houses of Parliament, and of the court itself, that it may be the less wondered at, that so prodigious an alteration should be made in so short a time, and the crown fallen so low, that it could neither support itself nor its own majesty, nor those who would appear faithful to it.
B. And now, in order to explain, as far as possible, how so prodigious an alteration could take place in so short a time, and how the royal power could fall so low as to be unable to support itself, its dignity, or its faithful servants, it will be of use to set down here, where it comes most naturally, some account of the present temper and composition, not only of both Houses of Parliament, but also of the court itself.3(Edwin A. Abbott, How to Write Clearly)
Agreement
Find the problem in these sentences and identify by the letter(s).
- (A) Cells in your body (B) needs vitamins.
- Roger (A) drove (B) their car (C) into the ocean.
- (A) According to Plato,(B) nobody except evil people (C) rejoice at the misfortune of others.
Essay Scoring
Two trained readers — I call them “English teachers with attitude” will score your essay. The readers will use a detailed scoring guide to evaluate your essay. This guide uses a 6-point scale, with 1 being the lowest and 6 being the highest. The scores from your two readers are then combined for a total score of 2 to 12.
Study Guide ACT Essay Scoring Guide
(property of ACT)
6 = Effective
Critical Thinking: The essay takes a clear position on the subject and critically examines it from different perspectives, considers the implications of the topic, and/or responds to counterarguments. The writer uses specific, detailed examples to fully develop the argument.
Organization and Focus: The essay is well organized and stays focused on the topic. Ideas are logically and clearly developed, and paragraphs are carefully constructed and organized. The essay is a unified presentation of the thesis and has a clear introduction, body, and conclusion.
Use of Language: The writer has versatility and mastery in use of language and a comprehensive vocabulary.
Sentence Structure: The writer uses variety in sentence structure to enhance communication.
Grammar, Usage, and Mechanics: The essay has very few if any errors that detract from meaning.
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5 = Competent
Critical Thinking: The essay takes a clear position on the subject and critically examines it from different perspectives, considers the implications of the topic, and/or responds to counterarguments to some extent. The writer uses specific, detailed examples to fully develop the argument.
Organization and Focus: The essay is well organized and focused. Ideas are logically developed. Paragraphs are generally well developed and unified. Transitions are effective though they may be simple and predictable. For the most part, the introduction and conclusion are clear and well developed.
Use of Language: The essay demonstrates competent use of language and vocabulary.
Sentence Structure: The essay generally uses a variety of sentence structures.
Grammar, Usage, and Mechanics: The essay has only a few minor errors.
4 = Adequate
Critical Thinking: The essay takes a position on the subject and may examine the implications of the topic and respond to counter-arguments. The writer adequately develops the argument.
Organization and Focus: The essay is generally well organized and focused. Ideas are logically developed for the most part. Transitions are generally effective though most are simple and predictable. The introduction and conclusion are clearly stated and somewhat developed.
Use of Language: The essay demonstrates adequate use of language and vocabulary.
Sentence Structure: The essay uses some variety in sentence structure.
Grammar, Usage, and Mechanics: There are occasional minor errors, but they do not interfere with meaning.
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3 = Inadequate
Critical Thinking: The essay takes a position on the subject but does not examine the implications of the topic. It may respond to counterarguments, but the development is limited.
Organization and Focus: The essay may be somewhat arbitrarily organized or lack focus. Ideas may be organized in sections of the essay, but transitions are not effectively used to provide overall coherence. The essay does contain an introduction and conclusion, but development is inadequate.
Use of Language: The essay shows a basic grasp of use of language.
Sentence Structure: The essay uses somewhat varied sentence structure.
Grammar, Usage, and Mechanics: Errors occasionally interfere with meaning.
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2 = Seriously Limited
Critical Thinking: The essay may not take a position on the subject or may fail to support the position. Counter-arguments are not adequately addressed. Development of the topic is weak.
Organization and Focus: Some organization exists, but transitions are simple and sometimes incorrectly used. Focus on the general subject is evident but may not be apparent on the specific issues. The essay contains an introduction and a conclusion, but development is minimal.
Use of Language: The essay uses simple word choice.
Sentence Structure: The essay uses simple sentence structure.
Grammar, Usage, and Mechanics: There are frequent errors that sometimes interfere with meaning.
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1 = Fundamentally Lacking
Critical Thinking: There is either no sustainable position on the subject or a lack of examples or reasoning to support the position. Development is minimal.
Organization and Focus: The essay contains little or no organization. Use of transitions is rare. Focus on the general subject is evident but may not be apparent on the specific issues. The essay may contain an introduction and conclusion, but development is minimal.
Use of Language: The essay uses simple word choice.
Sentence Structure: The essay uses simple sentence structure.
Grammar, Usage, and Mechanics: There are frequent errors that significantly interfere with meaning.
Word Problems
1. An army was drawn up with x men in front and y men deep. How many men were there in the army?
2. In how many minutes will a train go x miles at the rate of a miles an hour?
3. How many apples at x cents apiece can be bought for b dollars?
Reading for Detail
No mind retains consciously everything that has ever impressed it. It is necessary that it put aside what ceases to be of importance or value and make way for new impressions. We found early in our study that the subconscious never forgets, but harbors the apparently forgotten throughout the years, allowing it to modify our thinking, our reactions. But the conscious mind cannot be cluttered with the things of little importance when the more essential is clamoring. So there is a forgetting that is very normal. We forget numberless incidents of our childhood and youth; we may forget the details of much that we have learned to do automatically; but the subconscious mind is attending to them for us.
Do you know how to skate? and if so, do you remember just how you did it the first time? Probably all you recall is that you fell again and again because your feet would slip away from where you meant them to be. When you glide over the ice now it is as natural as walking, and as easy. You cannot remember in detail at all how you first “struck out,” nor the position of your feet and arms and legs, which you felt forced to assume. At the time there was very real difficulty with every stroke — each one was an accomplishment to be attempted circumspectly, in a certain definite way. All you remember now is, vaguely, a tumble or two, soreness, and lots of fun.4
The main idea of this passage is:
- People forget things as they get older.
- The unconscious mind prompts us to do involuntary learned activities.
- We forget a lot of things.
- None of the above
Suggested Vocabulary Words
In spite of the fact that Germany had one of the best democracies in world history, the Weimar republic, Germans enthusiastically embraced totalitarianism during the period between the two world wars. Both the fear of communism and the hope of economic prosperity drove Germans into the Nazi Party.
The Nazi Party was one of the many right-wing parties formed by the monarchist reactionaries who supported the Kaiser’s rule and conversely hated the Weimar Republic. Many of these right-wing parties disappeared in the 1920s, but the Nazi Party was an exception. Under the brilliant leadership of Adolf Hitler, it grew as an important political party. It appealed to the unemployed masses and the nationalistic industrialists.
Ironically, the leader of Nazi Germany was an Austrian. Adolf Hitler, born in 1899, was the son of an Austrian minor customs official. Hitler was an undistinguished boy. After unsuccessful attempts to become a student of art in the Vienna College of Fine Art, he failed in many jobs.
During the First World War, Hitler served in the German army. He fought bravely and was awarded an Iron Cross for his bravery. He was wounded and while he was recovering in the hospital, he learned of Germany’s defeat. He believed that the defeat was due to betrayal by Jewish people.
When he was discharged from the hospital, Hitler joined the National Socialist German Workingmen’s Party (abbreviated as Nazi). By his skill as an orator and organizer, Hitler became the führer (leader) of the Nazi Party in 1921. The party adopted an emblem, a salute, and a greeting as its distinctives. It had a newspaper through which Hitler fiercely denounced the Treaty of Versailles and the Jews. He also organized the Stormtroopers (S.A. or the Brown Shirts) to disrupt the meetings of opposition parties. In November 1923, Hitler and his small party tried to overthrow the government. He failed. In April 1924, Hitler was put on trial and was sentenced to five years’ imprisonment. While in prison he wrote Mein Kampf.
Hitler was an able leader. He was able to convince the Germans that he was a man of action and of ideals. Hitler promised everything to everybody. To the landowner and the industrialists, Hitler promised to stop communism. To the middle classes, he promised to abolish the Treaty of Versailles and relieve them of the burden of reparations payment. To the army, he promised military victory. Hitler was also a gifted orator. His speeches, though they contained little truth, always made successful appeals to the masses. Moreover, the Nazi Party, with its huge parades, attracted the younger generation. Most Germans followed Hitler with religious fervor. By 1933, Hitler was firmly in control.5 (James Stobaugh, World History)
Details
Which facts below can be supported by the above passages?
- Adolf Hitler was a murderer.
- Adolf Hitler came to power by supporting the middle class and industrialists.
- Adolf Hitler was an Austrian.
- Adolf Hitler was an effective chancellor.
- I
- II
- III
- IV
- None
- All
- I and IV
- II, III, and IV
Go to Answers Sheet