How Hans and Sophie Scholl Wrote for Change

What My Heroes Taught Me About Writing

by Rochelle Melander

 “Even when you’re sure everything is falling to pieces, the moon is always right back in its usual place the next evening; the birds are still singing the next day as sweetly and eagerly as ever. And whether or not their singing is of any use, they never give that a thought.”

—Sophie Scholl

“Despite all the powers closing in, hold yourself up.” —Hans Scholl

During this extraordinary time in history, I am comforted by reading about people who navigated difficult times with courage. Today’s post tells the story of Hans and Sophie Scholl. Hans’s birthday was September 22.

As children, Sophie and Hans Scholl were members of Hitler Youth.

But some events shifted Sophie’s opinions. Her good friend was not allowed to join the league because she was Jewish. Some of her favorite books disappeared from the library. A favorite teacher was removed from the class and sent to a concentration camp for speaking out against the Nazis. Sophie’s whole family was arrested because her brother met with an anti-Nazi group. (Called a clan arrest.) They were released.

The family began to question Nazi party and left the Hitler Youth movement. The boys joined another group. The girls couldn’t join that group, so they created a secret reading circle that read banned books. “They even printed a small newsletter of forbidden literature. The texts they printed were concealed anti-Nazi messages intended to share their political views.” (Sophie Scholl: Student Resister and Anti-Nazi Activists by Michelle McIlroy)

As a university student, Sophie discovered an anti-Nazi leaflet under her desk. At her brother’s room, she found evidence that he was involved in a group called the White Rose. They wrote and distributed pamphlets that encouraged readers to passively resist the Nazis.

Sophie joined the cause. “She took responsibility for copying leaflets, gathering supplies from a variety of locations in order to avoid suspicion, mailing leaflets, distributing them among members in the university, and managing all of the finances for the group.” (Sophie Scholl: Student Resister and Anti-Nazi Activists by Michelle McIlroy)

While distributing pamphlets at her university in 1943, Scholl and her brother Hans were arrested. They were charged with treason and sentenced to death.

After their deaths, the White Rose Leaflets spread widely. “The white rose leaflets made their way throughout Germany and occupied Europe, bringing hope into the cells of condemned prisoners and into the last arena of humanity itself—the concentration camps.” (Sophie Scholl and the White Rose by Annette Dumbach and Jud Newborn)

A Writer’s Takeaway

+As teenagers, Sophie and Hans Scholl were open to changing their minds. When they didn’t like what they saw, they chose a different path. A strong sense of purpose drove their action. What matters to you? How does it drive you to act?

+Both Sophie and Hans Scholl created their own communities. Sophie created a book group with her friends. Hans created a resistance group. Together, they were able to create change. Who are you connecting with? How are they supporting you in creating change?

+Sophie and Hans Scholl did not wait for a publisher to recognize and promote their work. They did it themselves. As a teenager, Sophie’s study group made tiny newsletters. Hans’s White Rose Movement wrote leaflets to support the resistance. What steps can you take to put your work into the world?

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