Writing Resources
The Ultimate Apology How does one begin to apologize for what is arguably the greatest genocide in human history I Express My Shame by Gerhard Schröder was delivered directly to the people that were the subject of unimaginable horrors in an attempt to bravely face the repercussions of the Holocaust head on This joined many great speeches made before his by creating a sense of forgiveness and understanding through his syntax and humble reasoning The liberation of the concentration camps scattered across nations conquered by germany marked the end of Hitler s reign of terror and the ethnic cleansing that ensued under his leadership The horrors that occured in these work and death camps were being realized by outside governments and populations during WWII but it wasn t until the voices of those who actually survived these camps were heard that the world truly understood the magnitude of dehumanization that took place This speech occurs in front of holocaust survivors and and assortment of politicians exactly 60 years after the liberation of the infamous Nazi death camp Auschwitz Chancellor Gerhard Schröder a known advocate for immigrant rights green power and reducing the rate of unemployment delivers this speech in the hopes of furthering the journey to healing between all who suffered in the holocaust and the germans Schröders diction is used in such a way that he invokes all the emotions associated with those times sorrow pain regret and even strength while still maintaining the utmost respect for his audience the victims of Germany s past We bear this burden with sadness but also with a serious sense of responsibility
