Dinner with Nazis: A Reflection by Michael O'Shaughnessy

Setting the Scene

• Dinner with various members of the Nazi party
  • Nazi soldiers in gray uniforms
  • SS officers in black uniforms with red armbands
  • Civilian Nazis in suits and ties

Michael's Disguise

• Michael O'Shaughnessy dressed as a member of the Hitler Youth
  • Wore a red armband with a black swastika
  • Felt compelled to pretend to be a Nazi
• Expression of internal conflict
  • Hated pretending to agree with their views
  • Fear of consequences (concentration camps) if discovered

Comments on Michael's Background

• Compliments from a woman at the dinner about Michael's German
• Michael's father is the Irish ambassador to Germany
• Family's experience in Berlin since 1937
  • Initially enjoyed living in Berlin
  • Change in atmosphere by 1943; loss of cheerfulness

Reference to Historical Context

• 1937: Michael's family moved to Berlin; Hitler was Chancellor
• 1943: Germany is deeply entrenched in Nazi control
• Initial perceptions of Germany's power and glory versus later realization of horror

Father’s Role

• Father’s pride in Michael’s language skills
  • Described as having a good head for languages
  • Adults at the dinner react positively but with underlying tension

Disturbing Conversations

• Conversation with Obersturmführer Trumbauer
  • Discusses raiding a home for hiding a Jew
  • Impact of a son reporting his own parents
  • The fate of the captured Germans and the Jew
• Michael's emotional reaction to the conversation
  • Glass breaking symbolizes his shock and horror

Closing Reflection

• Michael's realization of the true nature of the Nazis
  • Flashback to a pivotal night four years ago
  • Contrast between past innocence and present awareness of evil

Key Themes

• The duality of identity and survival
• The impact of war on personal and societal values
• The horror of betrayal and its consequences
• The loss of innocence in the face of overwhelming evil.