Man's Search for Meaning

Use this activity to engage all types of learners, while requiring that they refer to and incorporate details from the text over the course of the activity.

“Surviving the Holocaust”

In this activity, students will compare and contrast Frankl’s account of his experiences at a Nazi concentration camp with other Holocaust survivor stories.

Frankl’s experiences at a Nazi concentration camp take up much of his book and serve to illustrate his novel conclusions on the nature and motivations of human beings. After the Holocaust, many other survivors also shared their stories, and though many drew similar conclusions, everybody’s experience was unique. Working with a small group, read or listen to a survivor’s account of their experiences in the Holocaust (many such accounts can be found online with a little research). Then, reflect on the following questions:

• How long was the survivor imprisoned in the concentration camps?
• What did the survivors do in the concentration camps?
• How does the survivor explain how they made it through?
• How did the survivor reintegrate into society after their liberation?
• How did the survivor’s experiences shape their view of the world, faith, and/or human nature?

With your group members, present your survivor to the class and compare and contrast their experiences with the experiences and ideas described in Frankl’s book. Your presentation should lead to a critical evaluation of the experiences of Holocaust survivors and the extent to which these experiences were shared while also being unique to each individual.

Teaching Suggestion: The Holocaust Museum’s “Eyewitness to History” page contains various testimonials of varying lengths that students may find useful. As students complete this assignment and during class discussion, encourage students to think about Frankl’s ideas, especially his idea about “tragic optimism.” Were all Holocaust survivors able to find meaning in their suffering? Do some of these survivors have views that are different from or even antithetical to those that Frankl sets out in his book?

Differentiation Suggestion: Visual learners or students with aphantasia may find it difficult to visualize many of the scenes described by Holocaust survivors. These students may benefit from looking at images or footage depicting the concentration camps. Since many such images are extremely graphic and disturbing, it may be best for the instructor to come up with a few curated images that they can present to the class.

Use these essay questions as writing and critical thinking exercises for all levels of writers, and to build their literary analysis skills by requiring textual references throughout the essay.

Differentiation Suggestion: For English learners or struggling writers, strategies that work well include graphic organizers, sentence frames or starters, group work, or oral responses.

Scaffolded Essay Questions

Student Prompt: Write a short (1-3 paragraph) response using one of the bulleted outlines below. Cite details from the text over the course of your response that serve as examples and support.

1. Frankl often reflects that he was very fortunate during his years in the concentration camps.

• In what way was Frankl fortunate in the concentration camps, and how did this good fortune contribute to his survival? (topic sentence)
• Discuss and analyze three examples of Frankl’s good fortune in the concentration camps, highlighting the significance of these examples and how they reflect Frankl’s worldview and psychological theories.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, evaluate to what extent Frankl’s survival was the result of luck and to what extent his survival was the result of his choices.

2. Throughout his book, Frankl highlights three sources of meaning in life: love, achievement, and dignity despite suffering.

• What are the sources of meaning in a person’s life, and how did these sources of meaning contribute to Frankl’s survival in the concentration camps? (topic sentence)
• Discuss love, achievement, and dignity despite suffering as sources of meaning in the context of Frankl’s psychological theories as well as his own experiences.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, reflect on what source of meaning was the most important in keeping Frankl alive and rational during his time in the concentration camps.

3. In his Postscript, Frankl claims that there are two kinds of people in the world, swine and saints.

• What are the qualities of a decent person or “saint,” according to Frankl? (topic sentence)
• Using textual support, elaborate on Frankl’s distinction between swine and saints.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, evaluate Frankl’s claim that decent people form the minority of humanity and reflect on whether you agree.

Full Essay Assignments

Student Prompt: Write a structured and well-developed essay. Include a thesis statement, at least three main points supported by text details, and a conclusion.

1. Reflecting on the difficulty that many Holocaust survivors faced after their liberation, Frankl writes, “We were not hoping for happiness—it was not that that gave us courage and meaning to our suffering, our sacrifices, and our dying. And yet we were not prepared for unhappiness” (Part 1). What does Frankl mean by this? How does Frankl explain the difficulty that many Holocaust survivors faced in reintegrating into society? Do you agree with Frankl’s analysis?

2. In the second part of his book, Frankl discusses the three Viennese schools of psychotherapy, namely the Freudian school, which views humans as motivated by pleasure; the Adlerian school, which views humans as motivated by power; and “logotherapy,” which views humans as motivated by the search for meaning. How does Frankl advocate for his theory of logotherapy as more productive and valid than the other two schools? What are the problems Frankl notes in Freud’s and Adler’s approaches? Which of the three Viennese schools do you find most convincing, and why?

3. In his Postscript, Frankl defines “tragic optimism” as “the human capacity to creatively turn life’s negative aspects into something positive or constructive.” Do you agree or disagree with Frankl about the importance of tragic optimism? How practical is this approach in helping people live productive and happy lives? Do you think that the idea of tragic optimism remains relevant in the face of the issues facing humanity today?

Multiple Choice and Long Answer Questions create ideal opportunities for whole-text review, exams, or summative assessments.

Multiple Choice

1. Why does Frankl say he decided to write about his experiences in the concentration camps?

A) Because he wanted to help people trying to find meaning despite suffering

B) Because he thought it would be therapeutic for him

C) Because he hoped his testimony would condemn what the Nazis did

D) Because he promised his father that he would do so

2. Which quote best reflects the scientific perspective underlying Frankl’s account of his experiences in the concentration camps?

A) “[This book] will try to answer the question: How was everyday life in a concentration camp reflected in the mind of the average prisoner?” (Preface)

B) “A hand pointed to the chimney a few hundred yards off, which was sending a column of flame up into the grey sky of Poland. It dissolved into a sinister cloud of smoke. ‘That’s where your friend is, floating up to Heaven,’ was the answer.” (Part 1)

C) “To discover that there was any semblance of art in a concentration camp must be surprised enough to an outsider, but he may be even more astonished to hear that one could find a sense of humor there as well.” (Part 1)

D) “I shall never forget how I was roused one night by the groans of a fellow prisoner…obviously having a horrible nightmare.” (Part 1)

3. What was the first thing the Nazis did to dehumanize their prisoners in the concentration camps?

A) Call them insulting names

B) Beat them unconscious

C) Give them a huge meal

D) Take their belongings and shave them

4. Why is it significant that Frankl “stood unmoved” while watching a 12-year-old boy be treated for severe frostbite?

A) It illustrates that the guards forbade prisoners from helping their fellow prisoners.

B) It illustrates how prisoners lost the ability to feel emotions such as disgust or pity.

C) It illustrates how cold it always was in the concentration camps.

D) It illustrates that Frankl was uniquely unfeeling for a prisoner in a concentration camp.

5. Why was Frankl fortunate to befriend his Capo?

A) His Capo gave him valuable information on his wife.

B) His Capo helped him escape.

C) His Capo gave him good advice.

D) His Capo looked out for him.

6. To which concentration camp was Frankl transferred after Auschwitz?

A) Gross-Rosen

B) Bergen-Belsen

C) Dachau

D) Buchenwald

7. How did Frankl’s wife help him survive?

A) Her daily messages kept his spirits high.

B) Her delivery of rations kept his strength up.

C) Frankl’s love for her inspired him to keep going.

D) Frankl’s escape plans came from her research.

8. Which of the following quotes best illustrates Frankl’s views on love?

A) “Love goes far beyond the physical person of the beloved. It finds its deepest meaning in his spiritual being, his inner self.” (Part 1)

B) “By means of this insensibility, the prisoner soon surrounded himself with a very necessary protective shell.” (Part 1)

C) “It was born of the hopelessness of the situation, constant danger of death looming over us daily and hourly, and the closeness of deaths suffered by many of the others.” (Part 1)

D) “For the world is in a bad state, but everything will become still worse unless each of us does his best.” (Postscript)

9. What is the “will” Frankl made before he left Auschwitz?

A) He left everything to his wife.

B) He left everything to his parents.

C) He asked his friend to tell his wife he loved her.

D) He asked his friend to survive for his sake.

10. What does Frankl mean by “depersonalization”?

A) An out-of-body experience unique to prisoners in concentration camps

B) A freed prisoner’s feeling of unreality after liberation

C) The process of removing a person’s human qualities

D) The feeling of being very close to death

11. For Frankl, what is the essence of liberation?

A) Financial stability

B) Freedom from fear

C) Living with a sense of purpose

D) Having somebody to love

12. What is the “will” Frankl made before he left Auschwitz?

A) An agreement to leave everything to his wife

B) A quickly written letter that left everything to his parents

C) A request to a friend to relay his love to his wife

D) A plea to a friend to survive the ordeal for Frankl’s sake

13. Which of the following is NOT important in logotherapy?

A) The future achievements of patients

B) Maintaining one’s dignity despite suffering

C) Having somebody or something to love

D) The patient’s childhood trauma

14. What does Alfred Adler’s version of psychotherapy view as humans’ primary motivation?

A) The search for meaning

B) Avoidance of pain

C) Desire for power

D) Desire for pleasure

15. What does Frankl mean when he says that everybody “unmasked themselves at Auschwitz”? (Postscript)

A) Prisoners were stripped when they first entered Auschwitz.

B) Prisoners could not conceal their Judaism in Auschwitz.

C) The Nazis murdered every prisoner at Auschwitz.

D) People revealed their true selves at Auschwitz.

Long Answer

Compose a response of 2-3 sentences, incorporating text details to support your response.

1. How does Frankl explain the existence of humor in the concentration camps?

2. What does Frankl mean when he says that “man is ultimately self-determining”? (Part 2)