The article The Woman Who Loved Children is rather moving and inspiring. It tells the story of Irena Sendler, a Polish woman who managed to rescue 2,500 Jewish children from the Nazis in her country. It was previously unknown until three schoolgirls did research on her for a project and created a play that would later make Sendler’s story famous. The following text will explain why the depicted events may be interesting for present-day readers.
Primarily, Irena’s story is rather motivational, as it depicts the tireless dedication and bravery that was involved in rescuing the children. The woman’s heroism takes roots in the time when her father treated Jewish people during a typhoid outbreak, having succumbed to the disease when she was only seven. As the woman explained, she valued helping the oppressed because she “was taught that if a man is drowning, it is irrelevant what is his religion or nationality” (Attoun 95). This provides context behind Sendler’s deed of saving the children.
What may surprise the readers is Irena’s modesty, in spite of having received recognition and awards. Sendler did not see herself as a hero because “a hero is someone doing extraordinary things” (Attoun 104). The woman did not perceive her heroic deed that way and was more motivated to help others. One of the kids she had rescued returned the favor by taking care of her in a nursing home.
The history required to understand the story predominantly revolves around Polish history and Nazi persecution and torture of the Jews in ghettos and sending those who could not escape to concentration camps. While the article itself already provides some of the necessary historical context, such as the depiction of the Nazis forcing 350,000 Jews inside the ghetto and how the “torment of the people locked inside intensified”, extra information could emphasize the odds the woman risked while saving the children. Thus, the story is not only a tale of selfless heroism but a valuable moment in history as well.
Work Cited
Attoun, Marti. “The Woman Who Loved Children.” Ladies Home Journal, December 2001, pp. 94-104.