If This is a Man by Primo Levi – Lesson Plan

Lesson Plan: If This is a Man by Primo Levi

• Time: 2-3 class sessions (each 60-90 minutes)

Objective:

• To analyze the major themes and global issues in If This is a Man.
• To explore Levi’s use of language, structure, and style.
• To develop skills for textual analysis and essay writing.
• To connect the novel’s themes to IB global issues.

Session 1: Introduction to the Text and Context

Learning Outcomes:

• Understand the historical and biographical background of the text.
• Analyze the relationship between the Holocaust and themes of identity, power, and dehumanization.
• Identify key symbols and motifs.

Activities:

1. Starter Activity: Historical Context Presentation
   • Brief presentation or video on the Holocaust and Primo Levi’s life. Highlight how Levi’s experiences in Auschwitz inform the text.
2. Discussion: Themes of Dehumanization and Survival
   • Introduce the concept of dehumanization and survival, linking to IB themes such as power, justice, and identity.
   • Students discuss initial reactions to the opening of the text, focusing on Levi’s detailed depictions of life in the concentration camp.
3. Close Reading (Excerpt Analysis)
   • Distribute an excerpt from Chapter 2 (or a similar passage) and conduct a guided close reading.
   • Focus on Levi’s narrative voice and his objective, almost detached tone in describing the horrors of the camp.
   • Highlight the contrast between the brutality of the experience and the calm, reflective prose.
4. Group Work: Symbolism and Imagery
   • Divide students into small groups and assign each group a different symbol or motif (e.g., the camp, the prisoners, food, work).
   • Ask students to present how these symbols illustrate broader themes of survival, dehumanization, and power.

Homework/Assessment:

• Read Chapters 3-5 and prepare a journal entry reflecting on how Levi constructs his identity through memory and language.

Session 2: Language and Structure

Learning Outcomes:

• Analyze Levi’s use of language and narrative structure
• Evaluate how language reflects the psychological and physical trauma of the Holocaust
• Explore how Levi uses memory as a literary device

Activities:

1. Starter: Review of Key Themes
   • Brief recap of themes from the previous session. Ask students to reflect on their journal entries and share insights on Levi’s depiction of identity and dehumanization.
2. Close Analysis: Levi’s Narrative Style
   • Provide an excerpt that highlights Levi’s plain yet powerful style (e.g., a scene describing the camp’s daily routines).
   • Have students annotate the text, focusing on Levi’s word choice, sentence structure, and tone.
   • Discuss how Levi’s minimalistic style reflects the emotional desolation and moral degradation experienced by the prisoners.
3. Mini-Lecture: Language and Power
   • Present how language can act as a tool of control and dehumanization in the camp. Analyze how Levi struggles with the loss of language and how this represents the stripping away of human dignity.
4. Interactive Activity: Memory as a Tool for Survival
   • Ask students to reflect on how Levi uses memory to preserve his sense of self and humanity.
   • Discuss the role of memory in creating a counter-narrative to the dehumanization imposed by the camp system.

Homework/Assessment:

• Write a short reflective essay on how Primo Levi uses language to resist dehumanization, drawing examples from the text.

Session 3: Global Issues and Comparative Analysis

Learning Outcomes:

• Connect the themes of If This is a Man to IB global issues such as justice, power, and human rights
• Develop comparative skills by linking the text to other works or contexts

Activities:

1. Starter: Group Discussion on Global Issues
   • Break students into groups to discuss how Levi’s experience reflects broader global issues like injustice, the abuse of power, and human rights violations.
   • Have each group present their findings, drawing connections between the text and modern issues (e.g., genocide, refugee crises).
2. Comparative Task: Text-to-Text Analysis
   • Ask students to compare If This is a Man with another IB text they have studied that deals with similar themes (e.g., Night by Elie Wiesel, The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood).
   • Discuss how different authors use literary techniques to explore themes of oppression, survival, and resistance.
3. Essay Writing Practice
   • Provide an essay question related to the text’s global issues (e.g., “How does Primo Levi use language to resist dehumanization in If This is a Man?”).
   • Students draft an outline for the essay in class, focusing on developing a clear thesis and supporting arguments with evidence from the text.

Homework/Assessment:

• Write a comparative essay exploring the theme of power in If This is a Man and another IB text studied.

Additional Resources:

• Excerpts from Levi’s interviews or lectures to provide insight into his perspective as a survivor and writer
• Documentaries or films about the Holocaust for a deeper contextual understanding (e.g., Shoah by Claude Lanzmann)

Differentiation Strategies:

• Provide additional scaffolding for students struggling with Levi’s complex themes, including guided questions and structured essay outlines.
• Offer advanced students opportunities for independent research or creative projects, such as a presentation on the ethical implications of Levi’s testimony.

Historical Background

• Fascist Italy and Anti-Semitism: In 1938, Italy enacted racial laws that discriminated against Jews, echoing Nazi policies in Germany.
• World War II: The book is set during the period of World War II, particularly focusing on the Holocaust, which resulted in the genocide of six million Jews.
• Deportation of Italian Jews: In 1943, after the fall of Mussolini, German forces occupied Northern Italy, leading to the deportation of Italian Jews to concentration camps like Auschwitz.
• Auschwitz-Birkenau: Levi was sent to this camp, which was part of the Nazi’s network of extermination and labor camps, responsible for the deaths of over a million people.
• The Final Solution: The memoir takes place within the context of the Nazi regime’s policy of the “Final Solution,” aimed at the systematic extermination of the Jewish people.
• Concentration Camp Labor: The prisoners were forced into slave labor in the camps, a key element Levi discusses, particularly in terms of the psychological toll it took on prisoners.
• Soviet Liberation of Auschwitz: Levi was liberated by Soviet troops in January 1945, marking the defeat of Nazi Germany and the exposure of concentration camps to the world.
• Nazi Racial Ideology: The Nazis dehumanized Jews and other minorities, an ideology Levi confronts in his exploration of humanity and survival in the memoir.
• Post-War Rebuilding of Europe: Levi wrote the book during the post-war reconstruction of Europe, a period when many survivors began to tell their stories.
• Holocaust Testimonies: If This is a Man is part of a broader body of Holocaust literature that emerged in the post-war period, aiming to document and analyze the atrocities.
• Delayed Reception of Holocaust Narratives: Initially, many Holocaust survivor testimonies, including Levi’s, faced resistance or indifference from publishers and readers in post-war Europe.
• Cultural Silence About the Holocaust: In the immediate aftermath of the war, there was a reluctance in some parts of Europe, including Italy, to confront the full horrors of the Holocaust.
• War Crimes Trials: The Nuremberg Trials, which began in 1945, helped bring Nazi war criminals to justice, reinforcing the importance of survivor testimonies like Levi’s.
• Italian Resistance Movement: Levi’s involvement in the Italian Resistance during WWII reflects the broader anti-fascist movements across Europe.
• Auschwitz’s Infamy: By the time Levi’s book gained recognition, Auschwitz had become synonymous with the Holocaust and its horrors.
• Nazi Occupation of Italy: After the fall of Mussolini in 1943, German forces occupied Northern Italy, which led to the arrest and deportation of thousands of Jews, including Levi.
• The Allied Victory: The eventual defeat of Nazi Germany by the Allied forces plays a backdrop to Levi’s liberation and the end of Auschwitz as a functioning camp.
• Survivor’s Guilt: In the years following the war, many Holocaust survivors, including Levi, grappled with a sense of guilt for having survived when so many others did not.
• Reconstruction of Holocaust Memory: Levi’s book was part of a broader movement in Europe and beyond to ensure the atrocities of the Holocaust were not forgotten.
• Rise of Fascism and Nazism: Levi’s work reflects the consequences of the rise of totalitarian regimes, underscoring the dangers of fascist and Nazi ideologies.

Biographical Background

• Primo Levi’s Jewish Heritage: Levi was born into a Jewish family in 1919 in Turin, Italy, shaping his experience during the rise of fascism in Italy.
• Education as a Chemist: Levi earned a degree in chemistry, a factor that influenced his survival in Auschwitz, where he was assigned to work in a laboratory.
• Resistance Activity: In 1943, Levi joined an Italian resistance group fighting against fascism, which led to his arrest by Italian Fascists.
• Levi’s Arrest and Deportation: After his capture, Levi was handed over to German authorities and deported to Auschwitz in early 1944, where he remained until liberation.
• Life in Auschwitz: Levi’s experience as a prisoner in Auschwitz is the central focus of his memoir, where he describes the inhumane conditions and daily struggle for survival.
• Surviving Auschwitz: Levi attributes his survival to a combination of luck and his scientific background, which allowed him to be assigned to less physically demanding work.
• Liberation and Post-War Experience: Levi was liberated in 1945 by Soviet forces, but it took him months to return to Italy, an experience he later chronicled in his follow-up book The Truce.
• Emotional Aftermath of the Holocaust: Levi struggled with survivor’s guilt and depression after the war, feelings that influenced his writing and reflections on his experience.
• Writing as Testimony: Levi saw his memoir as a way to bear witness to the atrocities he had seen and experienced, fulfilling what he felt was a moral duty to tell the world.
• Initial Publishing Struggles: Levi had difficulty finding a publisher for If This is a Man, and it was initially published by a small press in 1947 with limited success.
• Breakthrough in 1958: The book gained greater recognition when it was republished by Einaudi in 1958, establishing Levi as one of the foremost chroniclers of the Holocaust.
• Scientific Approach to Writing: Levi’s background in chemistry influenced the detached, rational style of his writing, a tone that helped convey the brutal realities of camp life without melodrama.
• Survivor’s Guilt and Depression: Levi’s later life was marked by bouts of depression, possibly related to his experience in the camp and the weight of bearing witness to such atrocities.
• Philosophical Reflections on Humanity: In If This is a Man, Levi reflects deeply on what it means to be human, using his own suffering to examine the dehumanizing forces of Auschwitz.
• Levi’s Role in Holocaust Literature: As one of the first Italian Holocaust survivors to write a memoir, Levi helped lay the groundwork for subsequent Holocaust literature and testimony.
• Impact of Levi’s Chemical Work: His assignment to a chemical lab in Auschwitz not only helped him survive but also provided material for his later works, including The Periodic Table.
• Survivor Community: Levi was part of a community of Holocaust survivors who worked to ensure that the memory of the atrocities would not be erased or ignored.
• Cultural Identity and Intellectualism: Levi used literature, philosophy, and his Jewish heritage as a means of holding on to his humanity during his time in the camp.
• Legacy of If This is a Man: Over time, the book became a cornerstone of Holocaust literature, recognized for its unflinching portrayal of suffering and survival.
• Levi’s Death: Levi died in 1987 under ambiguous circumstances, with some suggesting suicide due to lingering trauma from his experiences during the Holocaust.

1. The Journey

• Primo Levi is arrested by Italian Fascist forces.
• Levi is transported to Auschwitz in a packed cattle car.
• The train ride lasts several days, without food or water.
• Levi witnesses a mother trying to calm her children.
• The prisoners’ belongings are taken from them.
• A selection process begins upon arrival at Auschwitz.
• Levi feels detached and numb as he enters the camp.
• Men are separated from women and children.
• Levi undergoes a degrading process of stripping and shaving.
• He is tattooed with a number: 174517.
• Levi feels dehumanized by this branding.
• The prisoners are forced to wear striped uniforms.
• Levi realizes the brutal reality of the camp.
• The SS guards shout orders, treating the prisoners like animals.
• They receive watery soup as their first meal.
• The prisoners struggle to sleep on overcrowded bunks.
• Levi feels a deep sense of isolation.
• He questions his faith in humanity.
• Levi observes the first signs of sickness among prisoners.
• He understands survival will require abandoning hope.

2. On the Bottom

• Levi becomes aware of the camp’s hierarchy.
• Kapos and prisoners with privileges dominate the weak.
• He experiences the physically demanding labor imposed by the camp.
• Levi develops sores and blisters from the harsh work.
• The constant hunger and malnutrition weaken the prisoners.
• He observes the brutal punishments for disobedience.
• Levi meets Steinlauf, an older inmate who insists on maintaining dignity.
• Steinlauf argues that self-respect is key to surviving Auschwitz.
• Levi struggles to keep his mind active amidst the monotony.
• The freezing cold becomes an unbearable challenge.
• Levi sees inmates die from exposure and exhaustion.
• He is assigned to carry heavy beams, an impossible task for his weakened body.
• The camp’s medical unit is a place of death, not healing.
• Levi reflects on the psychological torture inflicted by the Nazis.
• He notices prisoners slowly lose their humanity.
• Men fight over scraps of bread, furthering the camp’s dehumanization.
• Levi feels his body and spirit deteriorating.
• He learns about the gas chambers and the fate of the weakest.
• Levi wonders how long he can endure this existence.
• Levi’s sense of identity continues to erode.

3. Initiation

• Levi is transferred to the Buna work camp, part of Auschwitz.
• Buna’s conditions are marginally better, though still harsh.
• Levi struggles with the physically grueling labor.
• He notices the Buna workers look slightly healthier.
• Levi meets Alberto, who becomes a close friend.
• The two form a pact to help each other survive.
• Levi reflects on how small acts of kindness sustain hope.
• Levi learns the importance of resourcefulness in the camp.
• The endless labor and hunger take their toll on the prisoners.
• Levi notes the complete lack of privacy in the camp.
• He observes how different prisoners cope with the brutality.
• Levi discovers the corruption and bribery among prisoners.
• The black market becomes a vital means of survival.
• Levi and Alberto find ways to trade and barter for extra food.
• Levi encounters the concept of “Muselmann,” those who have given up.
• He feels pity for these men who have lost the will to live.
• Levi suffers through severe illness, fearing death is near.
• He is assigned lighter work in a chemical lab due to his scientific knowledge.
• This new assignment offers some relief from the physical labor.
• Levi begins to see a small glimmer of hope for survival.

4. Ka-Be

• Levi is admitted to Ka-Be, the camp’s infirmary.
• Ka-Be offers a temporary reprieve from work.
• He is grateful for the chance to rest, despite the terrible conditions.
• Levi meets different prisoners, all with stories of suffering.
• He befriends Schmulek, a fellow inmate in Ka-Be.
• Levi reflects on the arbitrary nature of survival in the camp.
• Illness is both a curse and a blessing: escape from work but near death.
• Levi witnesses doctors performing cruel experiments on prisoners.
• He experiences the camp’s medical care, which is minimal and inhumane.
• Levi feels conflicted about his relative “luck” in Ka-Be.
• The ward is filled with the dying and the severely ill.
• Levi fears that once he leaves Ka-Be, the harsh labor will kill him.
• The days in Ka-Be feel endless, a waiting room for death or return to the camp.
• Levi observes how some prisoners use Ka-Be as a refuge.
• He contemplates the thin line between life and death in Auschwitz.
• Levi’s time in Ka-Be gives him time to reflect on his situation.
• He grows weaker physically, but his mind remains sharp.
• Levi starts to mentally prepare himself for the future.
• He is discharged from Ka-Be and sent back to work.
• Levi feels a deep sense of dread as he returns to the camp.

5. Our Nights

• Levi describes the nights in Auschwitz, filled with nightmares and fear.
• Prisoners talk in their sleep, reliving traumas of their past.
• Levi struggles with insomnia due to the harsh conditions.
• The cramped barracks make it impossible to rest comfortably.
• Levi reflects on the mental toll the camp takes on prisoners.
• Nights become a time for reflection on the horrors of the day.
• Levi witnesses frequent roll calls at night, often lasting hours.
• The fear of random punishments keeps everyone on edge.
• Levi tries to escape the camp’s reality through fleeting dreams.
• He often dreams of food, warmth, and family.
• The constant hunger plagues his thoughts day and night.
• Levi fears losing his sense of self in the darkness of the camp.
• Nighttime punishments are particularly brutal, with prisoners beaten or killed.
• Levi observes the camp’s internal hierarchy even during the night.
• Kapos and overseers retain control, even as prisoners sleep.
• Levi forms a closer bond with Alberto during these long nights.
• They discuss their lives before the camp, trying to keep hope alive.
• Nighttime conversations offer a brief reprieve from the day’s horrors.
• Levi feels time becomes meaningless in the endless darkness.
• Night is both a time of terror and reflection for Levi.

6. The Work

• Levi describes the grueling work in the chemical laboratory.
• He meets Jean, a French-speaking Pikolo, who becomes his new friend.
• Levi feels fortunate to be assigned lighter work, though it is still exhausting.
• He realizes the importance of using his intellect to survive.
• The laboratory provides some shelter from the bitter cold outside.
• Levi struggles with the unfamiliarity of the work, but he learns quickly.
• There’s intense competition among prisoners to secure a spot in the laboratory.
• Levi reflects on how prisoners fight for even minor privileges.
• Despite the lighter work, the hunger remains unbearable.
• Levi notes that even in the lab, SS guards enforce their power harshly.
• The inmates are constantly reminded of their expendability.
• Levi sees how prisoners cling to life through small acts of defiance.
• Jean teaches Levi French, offering a brief intellectual escape from the camp.
• Levi and Jean develop a bond over their shared desire for survival.
• The workday is long, and breaks are almost non-existent.
• Levi observes how quickly prisoners weaken and are replaced by new arrivals.
• He feels conflicted, knowing that his relatively “safe” position came at others’ expense.
• Levi contemplates the ethical dilemmas faced by prisoners trying to survive.
• He experiences moments of hope and despair as he works in the lab.
• The pressure to meet impossible quotas adds to the physical and mental exhaustion.

7. A Good Day

• For the first time in months, the sun comes out and warms the camp.
• Levi feels a rare sense of optimism as the weather improves.
• The guards are less cruel on this day, allowing prisoners a brief respite.
• Levi and his fellow inmates bask in the warmth of the sun.
• The prisoners enjoy their watery soup a little more than usual.
• Levi reflects on how such small pleasures have become monumental.
• He observes that even the SS guards seem slightly less hostile.
• Levi feels more connected to his fellow prisoners in this moment.
• There is less work to be done on this particular day.
• The warmth provides a temporary escape from the usual misery.
• Levi and his friend Alberto share a rare laugh, a moment of humanity in the camp.
• Levi is reminded of the world outside the camp, where life continues.
• He feels a renewed sense of determination to survive.
• Levi notices how the prisoners’ spirits lift, even if just for a few hours.
• He is reminded that survival is not just physical but also mental.
• The sun represents a fleeting but significant reprieve from the camp’s brutality.
• Levi recognizes that such moments of relative peace are extremely rare.
• He vows to hold onto this memory as a source of strength.
• The day ends with a harsh return to reality, but Levi clings to the brief joy he felt.
• The contrast between the good day and the usual horrors of camp life sharpens Levi’s awareness of his fragile existence.

8. This Side of Good and Evil

• Levi describes the black market within the camp.
• Prisoners trade goods, such as bread and soup, for small luxuries like extra clothing or tobacco.
• Levi participates in this economy, understanding that survival depends on such exchanges.
• He reflects on how the camp has its own twisted sense of morality.
• Acts that would be considered immoral outside the camp are necessary for survival.
• Levi observes how prisoners justify stealing from each other.
• The camp’s harsh conditions blur the lines between good and evil.
• Levi becomes more resourceful, learning to barter for essential items.
• The camp’s corruption extends even to the guards, who participate in the black market.
• Levi sees how power dynamics are constantly shifting within the camp.
• Prisoners with access to extra food or favors are in positions of relative privilege.
• Levi acknowledges that he too must compromise his morals to survive.
• He meets prisoners who have lost all sense of right and wrong.
• Some prisoners, called “Prominents,” collaborate with the SS for better treatment.
• Levi questions whether he could ever justify such collaboration.
• He realizes that survival often means abandoning moral principles.
• Levi encounters prisoners who exploit others to secure their own survival.
• He notes that even in a place like Auschwitz, moments of kindness still occur.
• Levi tries to maintain a sense of personal integrity, despite the camp’s moral decay.
• He reflects on how the camp forces everyone to make impossible choices.

9. The Drowned and the Saved

• Levi distinguishes between the “drowned” (those who have lost all hope) and the “saved” (those who survive).
• The “drowned” are prisoners who have given up mentally and physically.
• Levi notices the blank expressions of those who have stopped trying to survive.
• The “saved” are prisoners who have found ways to endure the camp’s horrors.
• Levi reflects on the psychological resilience required to survive.
• He observes how small acts of willpower keep prisoners alive.
• Levi discusses how some prisoners are able to maintain a sense of dignity.
• He sees the importance of forming alliances with other prisoners.
• Levi notes that the “saved” often rely on each other for support.
• He meets prisoners who continue to defy the camp’s dehumanization.
• The “drowned” are often abandoned by other prisoners, as they are seen as lost causes.
• Levi contemplates how survival often depends on luck as much as strength.
• He reflects on the moral compromises the “saved” must make to stay alive.
• Levi feels pity for the “drowned,” but he knows he cannot help them.
• The camp’s cruelty accelerates the process of drowning for many prisoners.
• Levi describes how the SS guards treat the “drowned” with utter contempt.
• He feels a deep fear of becoming one of the “drowned” himself.
• Levi realizes that mental endurance is just as crucial as physical strength.
• He struggles to retain his sense of humanity amidst the camp’s brutality.
• Levi recognizes that surviving Auschwitz is a daily battle against despair.

10. Chemical Examination

• Levi is selected for a chemical examination to assess his skills.
• He is tested on his knowledge of chemistry, a subject he studied before the war.
• Levi feels a sense of hope, believing that his scientific knowledge could save him.
• The examination is nerve-wracking, as failure could result in harsher labor assignments.
• Levi performs well and is offered a job in the chemical laboratory.
• He is relieved to escape the brutal physical labor in the camp.
• The lab offers slightly better conditions, including more regular meals.
• Levi meets other prisoners working in the lab, many of whom are educated professionals.
• The lab workers are treated with marginally more respect by the SS guards.
• Levi realizes that his scientific background is a valuable asset in the camp.
• He feels a renewed sense of purpose, even though the work remains difficult.
• The chemical lab provides some intellectual stimulation, which helps Levi stay mentally sharp.
• Levi observes the other prisoners in the lab, many of whom are from different backgrounds and nationalities.
• The lab workers form a small community, sharing knowledge and resources.
• Levi’s new job gives him a brief respite from the horrors of the camp.
• He feels conflicted about the privilege he now enjoys compared to other prisoners.
• Levi knows that his position in the lab is still precarious, and a single mistake could cost him his life.
• He observes how the SS guards treat the lab workers with suspicion, knowing that they possess valuable knowledge.
• Levi reflects on how the camp’s power dynamics constantly shift based on the prisoners’ usefulness.
• Despite the relative comfort of the lab, Levi remains haunted by the suffering around him.

Short Essay on Use of Language

Primo Levi’s If This is a Man is a powerful exploration of survival amidst the horrors of Auschwitz, and his use of language is central to his resistance against dehumanization. Levi employs clear, measured prose to reclaim his identity and humanity in a world designed to strip both away. By narrating his experience with such detachment and precision, Levi not only bears witness to the atrocities but also maintains his sense of self, showing that even in the most brutal conditions, language can serve as a tool of resistance.

One of the most striking ways Levi uses language to resist dehumanization is through his detailed, almost scientific, descriptions of camp life. For example, in describing the routine of the prisoners, Levi does not resort to emotional outbursts but instead offers a cold, objective account of their daily suffering: “We are slaves, deprived of every right, exposed to every insult, condemned to certain death.” This restraint in tone contrasts with the chaotic and violent environment, showing Levi’s refusal to let his captors dictate his inner life. By maintaining control over his narrative voice, Levi resists becoming what the Nazis sought to reduce him to: a nameless, voiceless victim.

Levi also uses language to reconnect with his humanity through memory and reflection. Throughout the text, he recalls his life before Auschwitz and reflects on his experiences with a philosophical lens. In Chapter 2, for instance, Levi compares the prisoners to animals, stating, “Our language lacks words to express this offense, the demolition of a man.” This acknowledgment of the insufficiency of language is itself a form of resistance. Levi confronts the limits of words while simultaneously insisting on the necessity of using them to bear witness. In doing so, he preserves the complexity of his human experience, refusing to let his identity be reduced to mere suffering.

Moreover, Levi’s use of cultural and intellectual references throughout the memoir is a subtle yet profound way of asserting his identity. Even in Auschwitz, he remembers passages from Dante’s Divine Comedy, particularly the Canto of Ulysses, using these literary allusions to connect himself with the larger human experience of endurance and survival. These references serve as reminders that Levi, and by extension all the prisoners, are more than the numbers tattooed on their arms—they are individuals with intellect, culture, and history.

In conclusion, Primo Levi’s use of language in If This is a Man is a powerful act of defiance against the dehumanization imposed by the Nazi regime. Through his measured prose, reflective tone, and intellectual allusions, Levi resists the forces that sought to reduce him to nothing. His memoir is not only a record of suffering but also a testament to the resilience of the human spirit, asserting that even in the face of extreme brutality, language can be a means of preserving one’s humanity.