stasiland text response- feedback please!

[upandgo]

i think this essay was the first one i wrote so i apologise if it sounds like an absolute mess!
any feedback/suggestions would be greatly appreciated  thanks everyone!

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‘You know, they just want to stop thinking about their past. They want to pretend it all didn’t happen’. How does Funder show that thinking about the past is necessary to move on with the future?

One’s past must not be dismissed if movement into the future is to be achieved; however, a prolonged fixation on previous experiences may inhibit one’s ability to move forward altogether. In her investigative journal, Stasiland, Anna Funder explicates the notion of acknowledging the past in order to progress into the future. Through her exploration of the events that unfolded behind the ‘Iron Curtain’, Funder conveys the psychological repercussions of the failed German Democratic Republic (GDR) on both its victims and perpetrators. Funder’s guidance, coupled with the victim’s personal stories, demonstrates that recalling past events is pivotal to not only learn from our past mistakes, but to advance unburdened into the future. In direct contrast, the ‘Ostalgie’ expressed by Communism’s most avid supporters, as a result of frequently contemplating their pasts, prevents them from resuming with the present.

The myriad of emotions that arise when previous memories are recounted dissuades individuals from sharing their stories. The reluctance of Funder’s boss, Scheller, to publicise stories centred on East German individuals indicates the hostile attitude of German society towards their past, along with their insistence to have their country’s history ‘swept under the carpet’. Scheller’s emphatic assertion, that Anna won’t find ‘the great stories of human courage’ she is searching for, exemplifies his desperation to deny the suffering inflicted by the regime. Additionally, Uwe’s perceptions of ‘the whole Stasi thing’ as ‘sort of… embarrassing’ highlights the humiliation the Stasi’s actions left on it’s people.  The anguish and distress witnessed in Frau Paul as she reads from ‘the notes on her own life’ implies that her past is still raw in face of the time that has elapsed. Depicted as ‘weeping’ and ‘overflowing’ by Funder, it is evident that Frau experiences difficulties in verbalising her ‘terrible, uncertain time’ in East Germany. Frau’s ‘lonely and teary’ disposition, coupled with Funder’s likening of her to a ‘mournful Magdalene’, illustrates the ‘little distance’ between Frau and her past despite her painstaking attempts to suppress it. Julia’s demeanour throughout her interview with Funder implies that she resorts to avoiding conversations pertaining to her past. Due to the ‘truly terrifying’ nature of her former experiences, she is ‘disturbed’, ‘depressed’ and ‘psychologically damaged’. Through the manner in which Julia conducts herself, paired with her idiosyncrasies, it is apparent that discussions regarding her past educe desolation and misery. Julia’s catchphrase, ‘long story’, indicates her unwillingness to divulge the extreme details of her past, and would rather ‘whisk back into [her] shell’. Curling herself by ‘stretching her jumper’ into a ‘small black ball’, portrays Julia as a ‘hermit crab’ who conforms to self-enclosure at the slightest memory of her past, and is hence unable to ‘go forward into her future’. Miriam also experiences trauma, despondency and misery upon reflecting on her past, however her discussions with Funder permitted her to revisit her past whilst ‘fad[ing] her scars’, Miriam’s initial ‘strange little tics’, as well as her grief for Charlie, impeded her capacity to make headways into the future; ‘curling her legs under her’, during her interviews suggests that her past in East Germany was too painful to move on from. Although Miriam is still searching for clues pertaining to Charlie’s death at the closing of the text, it is manifest that articulating her past has propelled her into the future.  The grief and pain characterized by her ‘long black sweater and pants’ is replaced by ‘loose white pajamas’ that symbolise the tranquillity and peace within her. Funder’s portrayal of Miriam’s ‘white’ attire, paired with the ‘white, light and comfortable’ atmosphere of her apartment, reinforces the notion that the nature of our forthcoming experiences ultimately depends on our ability to consider the past.

From her observations and personal commentary, Funder postulates that the elements of the past must be ‘kept alive’ to prevent the same mistakes from being reiterated. As Funder conducts her investigation, she discerns that the ideology of merely disregarding the past is ubiquitous in German society. The ambivalence of German citizens to burn or keep the Stasi files, and whether the Palast der Republik should be converted into a ‘memorial warning’ or to demolish it and risk ‘doing it all again’ highlights the internal conflict faced by the resistors of the dictatorship to either ‘remember or forget’. The renaming of street signs, in an ‘act of ideological redecoration’ conveys the eagerness of citizens in German society to repress their country’s past. Moreover, Funder’s discovery that relics belonging to the regime are ‘put behind glass’ in a museum despite the intangible ramifications being ‘not yet over’ encapsulates her views and values. Through Hagen, a ‘lone crusader against forgetting’, Funder’s contention is reinforced. Unlike other individuals in the text, who succumb to abandoning their pasts, Hagen deems the Wall to be ‘the thing that defined him’. By sustaining ‘the sense of the Wall’, through souvenir stalls and preserving ‘historical monuments’, Hagen expounds the concept of remembering and learning from our former adversities, rather than focussing solely on ‘rework[ing] our past’.

Funder’s ability to cope with the loss of her mother demonstrates that in order to progress untroubled into the future, a thorough consideration of the past must be undertaken. Departing from her investigation to address her despair proves to be effectual; envisaging Berlin as a ‘perfumed city’, perceiving the trees as ‘huge and lush’ and detecting the ‘heady sweetness’ of flowers upon her return communicates the remarkable shift in Funder’s outlook. Resolving the matters in her past released Funder from the ‘cage’ of grief encircling her into a brighter, happier future. Alternatively, the testimonies of select individuals show that a protracted emphasis on previous occurrences elicits ‘Ostalgie’, which anchors them to their pasts. Despite the collapse of the GDR and its communist ideals, Herr Winz denounces the capitalist system and fervently awaits a ‘socialism revolution’ instead of withdrawing from his memories of the former communist era. Similarly, the preservation of Herr Bock’s ‘covert location’ in his upstairs bedroom indicates his sentimental attachment to his former life as a Stasi officer, along with a refusal to concede that his past is over. Furthermore, from Funder’s encounter with Professor Mushroom, it is unambiguous that the effects of ‘Ostalgie’ have ‘coloured a cheap and nasty world golden’. His fascination with collecting mushrooms, paired with his inebriated state, depict him as unconventional and eccentric. However, from his reminiscence, it is apparent that life was ‘so much better before’; his occupation as a ‘tailor’ and a ‘voluntary fire brigade’, paired with the cheap and affordable living prices, portrays Professor Mushroom’s existence in the former regime as pleasant, in comparison to his current situation. Funder’s criticisms of Professor Mushroom’s lifestyle, accompanied by his lack of sobriety casts doubt over the veracity of his past memories; yet, his fond recollections allude that he is ultimately consumed by his wistfulness for his old life, and thus is unable to adapt in New Germany.


Indeed, it would be remiss to conclude that one’s past experiences should be abandoned in fear of being trapped in our distorted perceptions of what truly was. Rather, one’s past should be addressed and sufficiently considered, instead of filing it away ‘under subject headings’.