Discuss “Evil doesn’t live here anymore…You can’t judge a person by their language or their place of origin – though it seems that each new generation insists upon learning that lesson for itself.”

As Eva leaves the plane in Berlin she’s at first taken aback by everyone speaking German, reminding her of her past fear of German soldiers. She calms herself by thinking, “Evil doesn’t live here anymore…You can’t judge a person by their language or their place of origin – though it seems that each new generation insists upon learning that lesson for itself.” Do you think either part of this statement is universally true? Why or why not?

I definitely think it's true that "you can't judge a person by their language or their place of origin." In my opinion, the second statement, that each generation insists on learning that lesson, is becoming less true over time (at least, I hope that's the case). I'd like to believe that over the decades people become more humane, and as technology improves and we become more connected, that it helps us better embrace our differences rather than fear them.

That said, there are certainly still people out there that try to get others to fear those who are different, and those who buy into that mindset. Hopefully the percentage of people who can be persuaded to follow folks like that diminished with each subsequent generation.

I agree that you can't judge a person by their language or their country of origin...or their weight, race, gender, affiliations, etc. but humans aren't the quickest learners and we have a long way to go to erase stereotypes.

Before addressing the content of the statement, I'd like to address the "feel" of the statement. Eva must have been overwhelmed with so many conflicting emotions when she arrived in Berlin. However, there was a "larger picture" for her and that's what drove/encouraged her to keep going, despite legitimate fears.

Language and/or place of origin in no small measure define a person. This does not mean though that it is destiny.

And every generation has to learn its own lessons, however difficult and unfortunate.