In this picture, a Nazi soldier is about to kill a Jewish woman and her child during the Holocaust. There are two aspects of loyalty represented in the photograph. The Nazi soldier displays loyalty to his country while the Jewish woman exhibits loyalty to her family.
The soldier, despite possible personal objections, is following the leaders of his government. Hitler in particular, was severely racist and discriminative. He called for millions of innocent people’s deaths for no legitimate reasons other than personal bias. I believe that loyalty to one’s government must always be checked and balanced. Nazi soldiers obeyed orders to commit cruel and unusual acts to the Jewish people simply because the differing color of their eyes, skin, and hair. The Holocaust, and all the destruction that resulted from it, is a prime example of how citizens must be cautious when blindly remaining loyal to leadership, whether it be the government or another authority figure.
The Jewish mother shields her child in her arms, trying to protect him while their lives hang by a thin string. Despite there being limited to no chance of survival for the two, the woman is fighting until the bitter end to save her child. The loyalty she has to her family as a mother is commendable. When a woman becomes a mother, she is committing her life to her children. She is making an unspoken pledge to her children to shelter, provide for, and love. I believe that this extent of loyalty is what all people should strive for. The woman’s loyalty to her child is fulfilling her commitment to protect him, even though their fate is completely out of her hands.
