Holocaust Unit: Key Question and 'Life is Beautiful'

How are victims, villains and heroes of tragedy and trauma valued and given a voice?

We need to apply this key question to Life is Beautiful:

1. What is a tragedy? A drama or literary work in which the main character is brought to ruin or suffers extreme sorrow, especially as a consequence of a tragic flaw, moral weakness, or inability to cope with unfavorable circumstances
2. How is Life is Beautiful a tragedy? Life is Beautiful is a tragedy because it shows that in the time of the war and it has a tragic ending because Guido, main character, is killed because he was tring to find and save his wife. 
3. Could it also be a comedy? Life is Beautiful could also be a comedy because there are lots of funny scenes in the first half of the movie and also Guido is also a very funny comedian.
4. What is a villain? What is a hero? What is a victim? Give examples of each both from real life and from fiction. A villain is and evil or wicked person. A hero is a legend with great courage and strength and a victim is a person who is harmed or killed by another person. 

Villain

• Darth Vader 
• DR Octopus (Spider Man 2)

Hero

• Guido 
• James Bond

Victim

• Jews
• Guido's Son

1. Who are the villains, victims and heroes? Villains = Germans!!, Victims = Guido, Giosuè (son), Wife, Other Jews at camp, Heroes = Guido, Amercian army
2. What value do each of these characters play in the movie? Guido = most, Giosue= medium, wife =least  What role do they play in the plot? guido plays the victim and the hero and giosue and his mum play the victims of the war. What role do they play in connecting the movie to history? ^ What role do they play in evoking a reaction from the audience? (List the important characters in the movie and label them as either villains or heroes. Villains = Germans!!, Victims = Guido, Giosuè (son), Wife, Other Jews at camp, Heroes = Guido, Amercian army Then, in dot points, list the important role they play in regards to plot, history, and to the audience.)

• Guido = most, 
• Giosue= medium, 
• wife =least