The Rose of Treason

Last night the high school’s theatre ensemble group opened their winter play, The Rose of Treason. Set in World War II Germany, it is a play based on the true story of university students, Hans and Sophie Scholl, and their resistance group called The White Rose. From that web page, this paragraph stood out:

They [Hans and Sophie] also knew that open dissent was impossible in Nazi Germany, especially after the start of World War II. Most Germans took the traditional position, that once war breaks out, it is the duty of the citizen to support the troops by supporting the government. But Hans and Sophie Scholl believed differently. They believed that it was the duty of a citizen, even in times of war, to stand up against an evil regime, especially when it is sending hundreds of thousands of its citizens to their deaths.

The article goes on to say:

Today, every German knows the story of The White Rose. A square at the University of Munich is named after Hans and Sophie Scholl. And there are streets, squares, and schools all over Germany named for the members of The White Rose. The German movie The White Rose is now found in video stores in Germany and the United States. Richard Hansen sums up the story of The White Rose:

In the vogue words of the time, the Scholls and their friends represented the “other” Germany, the land of poets and thinkers, in contrast to the Germany that was reverting to barbarism and trying to take the world with it. What they were and what they did would have been “other” in any society at any time. What they did transcended the easy division of good-German/bad-German and lifted them above the nationalism of time-bound events. Their actions made them enduring symbols of the struggle, universal and timeless, for the freedom of the human spirit wherever and whenever it is threatened.

As the article states, the story is universal and timeless. It is powerful and tragic. Hans and Sophie, along with other friends and resisters were tried, convicted, and executed for treason. Just kids.

The lad plays the role of Hans in the play. His Dad went to the opening performance and came away deeply startled. He reported that there was a terrible pause as the performance ended, with many people in the audience openly crying. And then came the thunderous applause.

I’m going to tonight’s performance and I must say that I’m a little nervous. I know how it ends and seeing my child executed is not something that’s on my list of life goals. The story’s parallels are a little too close for comfort.