Young Writers Society

I'm getting into a bit of a struggle, and I'm not sure how I should do this. For those who don't know, my NaNoWriMo is about SS officers working in Auschwitz. I'm trying to characters one of them specifically, and the word hate comes to mind a lot. The problem comes up when you realize I do not condone hate, and try my best not to hate anyone. Hate isn't acceptable to me; you dislike. Hate is the polar opposite of love, all consuming. I obviously can't say, "So and so hates the Jews" but how do you ... express hate? Characterize it? I realize that I don't have to explain the hate, everyone knows they hated, but how do I ... make it a believable hate?

Sam was saying how it's going to be hard. I'm going to have to put every emotional I've felt into it. I'm not sure I've felt enough to understand it. Suggestions, please?

I think when people do horrible things to others, consciously knowing what they're doing, and consciously wanting to hurt them even more, you're getting closer to what hate is. Though I like this quote: "Hate is a power of inaction." (from www.cosmicledger.com/glossary/h)

When in doubt, go to the dictionary! I went to Google dictionary and here's what I found: http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=de ... gle+Search

The Princeton wordnet link (first def'n, I believe) is especially helpful when getting to the root of words. Happy etymology-izing ... and such XD


EDIT: here's a good v. evil compilation that might be of some use: http://everything2.com/index.pl?node=EVIL

Hey Clau, I agree with Sam, it's going to be difficult.

Hate: okay, we have this enigma that probably very few of us have ever truly felt. Certainly we've perhaps had fleeting instances of strong emotion, but not approaching an intense hatred.

In writing, hatred must be shown by action. NEVER express hatred through inner monologue, exposition, etc. The hater must receive an action that the hated is perpetrating. Even if it is speaking. And don't actually use the word 'hate' (there may be exceptions to this, such as in dialogue, but even then it must be done right). And for your story, please don't cut down on the power of hate because you don't condone it. It is a real entity, so please don't pretend it doesn't exist for the sake of political correctness.

Also, you might want to explore some options with your use of emotion here. Not all SS could hate, could they? They were taken from among the population, so not all of them could hate the Jews. Surely, they were fed ideas that were crude and demeaning, but would that create hate in everyone?

I guess what I am saying here is that these powerful emotions (which very few of us have ever experienced) are going to be tough to pull off. The Holocaust is a favorite of amateurish authors because they feel they can get a free check with the emotional aspects of their writing. Quite the opposite: their writing will be scrutinized much further than they thought possible. After all, what business does such and such a person have writing about if they've never even come close to such horrors? I'm not saying it can't be done, I just think that it better be perfect. Focus on the personal and I think you'll do better. And lots of research will be necessary. Read about actual events that took place (horrible ones) and use them as a guideline. Make sure you gauge their emotions while these are happening.

I'm sure you already know most of this, Clau, so I won't go on and on about it. Just make sure your writing is not relying on the association of the Holocaust to make it emotional. You should create events/stories that contribute to why the Holocaust was so horrible. It's a fine line, but it means the difference between praise and spit at your feet.

Both of you have amazing advice! Thanks for the big talk, Tri

It is a real entity, so please don't pretend it doesn't exist for the sake of political correctness

Ah, I could never do that. I don't condone it, but to leave it out all together...? That would be horrible.

Not all SS could hate, could they?

That's actually what my story is about. ^_~ My MC is an SS who feels some strange form of guilt-not-really-guilt. I'm actually working on the other character, Ludger, who I've come to call the "evil angel on his shoulder" to use that old, odd metaphor.

And, I've done so much research. >_> It's one of those things where I know my research will never truly be complete, because there is so much out there. But I'm trying to be inspired by history, influenced by it. Thankfully, I happened to find a very good book on Auschwitz, which apparently is a companion book (so they call it) to a 6 hour BBC documentary (it is now on my Christmas wish list). XD

I think everything you said I already knew, but it's always better to hear it in someone else's words. I can believe and understand better that way.. So, thank you very, very much. And your opinions at the end were good to hear. Hopefully I'll be good, and not a complete flop!

I'm not sure exactly how to help you. I think one way to show that the character hates would be to show them expressing this hatred. Find the reasons for the character's hatred and have the character perform an action or say something that is caused or reflects this reason. I want to recommend Schindler's List, but from what I remember it looked less like hate and more like dehumanizing. Also, if it's antisemitism, I recommend researching the history of it to find out how it started and developed, hopefully giving you a better understanding of it. (If you haven't/don't already! ~_^)
Hmm, if this character acts on his/her hate, don't show the character enjoying the release. If it's a violent act, escalate the energy the character is releasing and then end with them partially exhausted (or just panting) but grimly satisfied. Example: Hitting something faster and harder until they stop and just walk away. Or they could do a little more to what they were hitting. Point is, the character is serious as they release the rage the hatred causes. If you show the character enjoying releasing their hatred, they become maniacal, twisted.

These are just my thoughts, mainly based on what I have seen and what I think, not what I've read. I can't think of a good example of hatred from what I have read...

I hope I've been helpful! ^-^

Believe it or not, hate might not be the best action here. The Germans didn't hate the Jews, so much as they were doing what they were told to do for someone that promised greatness. It's an interesting problem though. You can try showing how the character enjoys causing pain. Emphasize his glee at hurting them.

You can try showing how the character enjoys causing pain. Emphasize his glee at hurting them.

See, I don't know if that's such a good idea. I don't think there's much glee in hatred. It's too taxing to be. I think hatred is an exhausting, obsessive emotion with little enjoyment.

If you're trying to show hatred on the other end of the spectrum, this might work, but it still seems a shallow tactic. I believe that one of the most complex feelings is taking a character that doesn't seem all that bad or evil, give him/her some good traits, but make them do evil things. What is there to make of such a person? He is not thoroughly evil, like most human beings, but it shows we can be just as capable of such actions.

You can try showing how the character enjoys causing pain. Emphasize his glee at hurting them.

That's more like being sadistic.

Hatred has been compared to like a slow fire. It burns you through without you realising it. Don't have him think, "I hate Jews/these prisoners". Show it in the way that he thinks about them. Like, if he's looking at people that he hates, then show it in the descriptions, showing the way he think about them, so it comes across in the way he would describe them. If we like something, then we want to use words that are tender, and that show them in a good light. If not, then it's the opposite.

Say I'm going to describe a baby. I'd use words like "soft", "small" "delicate", "new", "warm", "tender", etc, etc. This shows how I feel about a baby.

Use this to show how he thinks about these people. Dare I quote?

I touched the baby's face again. It felt so soft and smooth, and... new. New in a way I had not felt before. The baby was waiting for life to touch it, to leave its mark; its unblemished face reflected that. Its face was perfect, right down to the curve of the eyelashes resting on the rounded cheek. Balanced by the small nub that was its nose. Softened by the flush along its cheekbones.

All those adjectives show the baby in a very good light.

Anyway, sorry, rambling about babies when you want help with Auschwitz prisoners...


Read "The Hiding Place" by Corrie Ten Boom. That's the story of her experiences in a concentration camp; she was in Ravensbruck, and one of the things she deals with in that and her other books is hate. The hate the guards felt and showed towards everyone.
There is another book that my brother read called "Auschwitz", and that's a biography of what it was like to be a guard there. At least I think it is, I'm not sure, but it would be worth a look.

Who was the Auschwitz book by? I've been reading one by a guy who works with the BBC (I can't recall his name right now...)

Twit, though, that was excellent help. Using adjectives to enforce the feeling of hate... I would have never thought of that. Thank you.

I suppose now I'm wondering how to make him seem dynamic, he can't be all hate. Like someone above said, I have to show him being nice, too. I think I might just do that in general... he can't actually be nice to the prisoners, because he's me "evil" character, so to speak.

I really need to keep in mind that this is NaNoWriMo--it doesn't need to be perfect. oh well! Knock out what I can now, and I'm good.

I'll just give you a few pointers on this, since everyone else has done a pretty good job on the details.

1.) Hate can be described through physical reactions. More often than not, you feel hate, rather than think it. You feel dislike, superiority, or disdain. Being uncomfortable, or holding someone to blame internally when they've done nothing wrong, can be "symptoms" of hate.

2.) Hate can be described through actions. It's true, actions speak louder than words. I think in this case, your characters hate could best be described through him doing something to a Jew or whomever and doing it purposefully. I think winters has a point. I mean, we're all sadistic sometimes; we like to see our enemies get hurt. It's just plain human nature. And also, I think all SS men were crazy. They were sadistic. They were handpicked to be torturers, after all (source).

3.) Hate can be expressed through dialogue. That's pretty self-explanatory.

4.) More than likely, an SS man would have been raised on the white-Arian supremacy crap. It's been drilled into him. He was probably apart of Hitler's Children or whatever it was called. The hate of Jews, for instance, would be totally natural to this guy. It would be completely logical to gas another human being or beat him to death because of his religion/descent.

Hope that helped.

-Kylan

He was probably apart of Hitler's Children or whatever it was called.

Hitler Youth?

As soon as I find out, I'll send you the author, Clau. I think there was another one about this orchestra in a concentration camp that was allowed to play even though they were prisoners, so I'll try and find that one as well. My brother hasn't replied to my text yet.

I suppose now I'm wondering how to make him seem dynamic, he can't be all hate. Like someone above said, I have to show him being nice, too. I think I might just do that in general... he can't actually be nice to the prisoners, because he's me "evil" character, so to speak.

Hate is a very complex emotion. I mean, a person isn't born hateful. Most often, hate stems from feelings of anger or hurt (which is something to keep in mind in order for your character to appear realistic).

You have a point there. "Hate" does not define a person's character. There is so much more a person can be in conjunction with hate. That, essentially, is the key. Personality is an important factor in a person's capability for expressing hate. Your character's hateful actions, expressions, and dialogue are all the more dynamic when used in conjunction with other personality traits.

Hate? A SS Officer? You shouldn't make him hate jews. You should make him believe in the Nazi principles, make him genuinely believe that he is doing good, but don't make him hate them. That's just a cop-out.

Hate? A SS Officer? You shouldn't make him hate jews. You should make him believe in the Nazi principles, make him genuinely believe that he is doing good, but don't make him hate them. That's just a cop-out.

But that's all tied in. The Jews were long time victims of propaganda. Germans were taught to hate them. They were supposedly the root of all their problems. The German national pride was very much based on the hate of the Jews.

I think to some extent there has to be hate involved. Some were just following orders (look at Milgram's experiment to see just how far some people can go to others they wouldn't consider an enemy). But some instances were surely perpetrated by hatred. You just can't escape it.

Okay, well, i have only one tip that comes to mind. we did a pretty extensive chapter on WWII in history last year, and we watched an interview by Elie Weisel (survived a concentration camp.) he said that the Nazis didn't hate him; they just didn't care. They felt indifference, not hate. meaning they could shoot someone and it wouldn't even bother them. Weisel said that indifference is the opposite of love, not hate.

i don't know if that helps or if it just confuses you more lol.