Webquest
created by Dennis Masur
"The Police are rhinoceroses. The Magistrates are rhinoceroses. You are the only man among the rhinoceroses. The rhinoceroses ask themselves how the world can have been run by men. You ask yourself: is it true that the world once was run by men?" Eugéne Ionesco, diary entry, 1940.
After reading The Rhinoceros by
Ionesco, you will be ready to embark on your time travel adventure.
Your assignment is to travel through time to learn as much about the rise of Nazism in
Germany as possible. You will have two weeks (present time) to complete your journey. The Time
Traveler machine is already set with the necessary coordinates.... Be sure to become familiar with the two tasks before you
embark...
Good Luck!
We were sitting outside the cafe, my friend Jean and I,
Peacefully talking about one thing and another.
Your task is to:
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Research the rise of Nazism in Germany between the two wars (ca. 1920 - 1940) as well as Ionesco and the Theatre of the Absurd
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Write an essay interpreting the play/short story The Rhinoceros as an allegory for the rise of Nazism.
Upon completion of your task you should be able to do the following
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Identify the conditions that allowed a totalitarian regime to arise and
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Identify the conditions under which a strong German identity was to emerge.
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Identify the process by which Hitler took over Germany.
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Explain the theatre of the Absurd.
When you have completed this assignment you will be able to identify the steps that were taken by Hitler's Nazis and groups sympathetic to his cause which compelled the German masses to conform to his German Ideal and analyze the methods in which the Germans who did not or could not conform were excluded from sharing in his Ideal.
In addition, you will be able to explain the "Theatre of the Absurd" and apply the principals of this genre to the Ionesco's play
The Research
The Product/Essay
"He who joyfully marches in rank and file has already earned my contempt. He has been given a large brain by mistake, since for him the spinal cord would suffice." Albert Einstein
The Research
- Read The Rhinoceros and understand the sequence of the story.
- Investigate the rise of Nazism between the two wars.
- Research the Theatre of the Absurd and the life of Ionesco.
After
researching these topics you should be able to answer the following
questions as well as pose a few questions of your own. Use the questions posed below to help you focus your
attention.
- What were the economic conditions that existed in Germany which lead to the rise of Nazism?
- What were the chronological steps that allowed the Nazis to come to power?
- What were the procedural steps that allowed the Nazis to come to power?
- What were the social conditions that lead to the rise of Nazism?
- What is the theatre of the Absurd?.
- Who is Ionesco?
"It's downstairs, in the doorway.
It seems to be trying to come upstairs."
At that moment a tremendous noise was heard:
the stairs were undoubtedly giving way
under a considerable weight.
"You are a rhinoceros!" I cried.
"I'll trample on you! I'll trample on you!" I (barely) made out these words (as I tried to get away.)
The Product
You will write an essay of at least 7 pages (1500 words) in length. You will include
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An Introduction: Introduce your topic as best you can. In this instance you will state that you are interpret The Rhinoceros as an allegory for the rise of Nazism in Germany. You will state the reasons why you think that this play is an allegory.
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Synopsis: In the next part of your essay, you will give a short overall synopsis of the play. Discuss the characteristics of the theatre of the absurd and how that can be applied to Ionesco's play. If you can try to ty in the concept of the "absurd" with life between the wars.
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Provide Historical background information for both the rise of Nazism as well as the theatre of the absurd (what were their origins)
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Compare and Contrast :You will discuss specific developments and lines in the play that can be interpreted as parallel to the historical developments of the Nazi Party in Germany. You are actually taking the historical developments as you know them and comparing them to the text of the story. Please use specific quotes from the story that compare to the historical developments of Germany between the wars. This will be the longest part of your essay and will consist of several paragraphs. Please remember that every time you make a statement or offer an opinion, you MUST back it up with concrete examples from the text and history. Do not assume that your opinion or statement is common knowledge.
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A conclusion: Tie everything together restating your thesis from the introductory paragraph.
..."I saw a herd of rhinoceroses hurrying down the avenue and nearing, at full speed, the place where I was. If only they had been content to stay in the middle of the street! But they were so many that there was not room for them all there, and they overflowed onto the pavement.
Ionesco and the Theatre of the Absurd
The Theatre of the Absurd: A good definition of absurd.
Die Nashörner: The Rhinoceros in German
The life and times of Ionesco
Good discussion of themes in The Rhinoceros
Interesting links to Ionesco and the theatre of the absurd
The beginning of the absurd
Nazis and the Holocaust
The Perpetrators: Just who were the Nazis anyway?
Many links on the Rise of Hitler
Information on the Hitler Youth
A very good site for general development of the Holocaust
Allegory and how to write an essay
Encyclopedia definition of an Allegory
Another definition of allegory
Click here to view a grading rubric for your essay
I felt I was a monster. Alas, I would never
become a rhinoceros. I could never change!
Now that you have completed your task, I would like you to reflect back on the exercise. Please answer the questions below and any other reflections you might have about the exercise and post them in threaded discussion on Blackboard.com .
- Do you feel that this project gave you better insight into understanding the story?
- Did you have to read the story more closely than usual to be able to write the essay?
- What were the positives of this exercise?
- What were the negatives of this exercise?
- For each questions tell me why you thought this.
- Review this WebQuest, e.g. was it easy to follow, did it make the project more interesting, etc.