"We thrust our fingers into our ears to stop its moan; but it was no good; the cry cut like a drill into our heads, dragging minutes into hours, hours into years. We withered and grew old between those cries"

This quote by Ernst Toller paints a vivid image of the despair and vulnerability felt by those who go through an unrelenting and oppressive force. The images of thrusting fingers into ears to shut out the noise of a cry that "cut like a drill" conveys the intensity of the circumstance and the futility of trying to leave it. The cry is so powerful that it seems to extend time, dragging minutes into hours and hours into years. The quote talks to the power of the oppressor and the toll it handles those who are subjected to it, as they are required to "wither and age" in its existence. It is an effective pointer of the need to withstand oppressive forces and to eliminate for justice and freedom.