Blog #6 – One Survivor Remembers

The most powerful scene for me was when Gerda was separated from her family. It was very moving to see how families were ripped apart so easily. It also showed me how little respect the Nazis had for Jews and their families. I think the message of the scene is that family is so important and should never be taken for granted.

The Nazis dehumanized the Jews in many ways. Some of the horrors that Gerda endured were the lack of food given to her and the slave work she had to perform on a daily basis. Other events that Gerda didn’t endure was shaving their hair off and marking them with a numbered tattoo like cattle. Gerda overcame these horrible things done to her by dreaming up her fantasy life. During her near death march she was daydreaming of a banquet she was to have and what glitter dress she would wear. Gerda believed that if you did not do this that you did not have a chance at life at all.

If I were taken away from my family like Gerda, I would also think about spending a normal day with my family. I would think about everything I took for granted. I think the biggest regret I would have was taking my family for granted. It is so hard to think about being taken away from your family.  It seems like something that is not possible. I think Gerda also thought this before she was taken from her family.

I think if something like the Holocaust ever occurred again, Muslims, gays, and lesbians could be a target.  Since 9/11, many Americans view of Muslims has changed. However, most views are wrong. The people that we should hate are actually a very small percent of all Muslims.  To prevent Muslims being targeted people need to become educated on what real Muslims are like. They need to learn they are not bad. I also think that those who are gay and lesbian could be targeted because they are still a minority.  Even though they are becoming more accepted into the community there is still a chance that they could be discriminated against in such a way. To prevent this, people need to learn the facts and realize everyone is the same.

The two heroes I see in this film are Gerda and her father.  Gerda was a sign of hope to her fellow Jews while in the camp.  She was always a strong person. Gerda rarely thought of death and when she did she always thought of her promise to her father, to stay alive. She followed through with her promise. She is now a living symbol of resilience and is able to share her stories for the world to hear and to see. I think her father is also anther hero in this story because he also went through the entire process.  I infer he was even a hero during his death. Even though we did not learn much about him, we know now that he was very close to his daughter. Gerda’s father was killed in Auschwitz.  Gerda always had respect for her father and they will someday be reunited for them to share their wonderful and horrific stories. 

Blog #5 - The Boy in the Striped Pajamas

I read a few short biographies of children from the Holocaust. The one that interested me the most was the biography of a young Jewish boy named Abraham Beem. Abraham lived in Poland when the Germans invaded. He was sent to a small village pretending to be a Christian. Many other children did the same as him in the area. When the Germans realized that many children were in hiding their search became more thorough and intense. They bribed people living in the area, asking if they knew of any Jews in hiding. Someone eventually admitted that Abraham was a Jew and he was sent to Auschwitz. He was killed upon arrival.

This primary source document relates to my story because Bruno is also living through the Holocaust. The two boys were murdered by Nazi soldiers. Having researched my book I have learned that it is written to describe a child’s innocence in war and the Holocaust. Both Abraham and Bruno were innocent during the entire process of the Holocaust. These two stories taught me that you didn’t have to do anything wrong to be affected or killed during the holocaust.

http://www.graceproducts.com/fmnc/main.htm

Blog #4 - The Boy in the Striped Pajamas

            Both Elie from Knight and Misha from Milkweed have a lot in common. They are both Jewish and are affected by the Holocaust. Misha and Elie are oblivious to the danger that surrounds them. They both were oblivious towards the holocaust because most people who experienced it didn’t survive to tell their story. In both books the Nazi soldiers were directly affecting both of them. Elie was taken to a ghetto and then a concentration camp by the soldiers and Misha was taken to a ghetto by soldiers but later escaped.

Elie and Misha had very dramatic experiences, when there most important motivation was their life. When Elie was walking through the concentration camp he wanted to live very dearly but also wished not to suffer. When Misha was living in the ghetto he did everything he could possibly do to survive even if it meant risking his life. They were both also motivated by their families’ welfare. When Elie was taking his possible death walk he looked back to make sure he was with his father. When Misha fell asleep at night he made sure everyone in his family was safe and sound before going to bed.

A huge conflict that both characters posses is that they are both Jews. Since they are Jewish there is no way around the Holocaust. At this time they are being discriminated against and are living a life they never thought was imaginable. The only route for them was escape or death.

I have a lot of questions about Elie and Misha. Knowing that Elie is writing the memoir of himself today, I wonder how he escaped? Did he somehow get away from the guards and under the fence or was he released somehow because of the war? For Misha I wonder what happened to Jania and if she made it safely somewhere? Both books made me come up with really good questions.

Blog #3 - The Boy in the Striped Pajamas

During the starting pages of my book, The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, the author introduces many characters. The one character that we learn the most about is the protagonist, Bruno.  We meet Bruno as he is marching up the staircase in his large home.  He finds his maid, Maria packing his belongings. He does not understand why they have to move but is told that it is because of his father’s very important job. When Bruno’s father is mentioned it is always in a very formal manner. Using these clues from the text we can infer that his father is a high ranking Nazi solider. One hint that we acquired was that his father had dinners with the Fury who can be inferred to be Hitler. We do not know much about Bruno’s sister Gretel except that the two do not get along very well. Bruno refers to his sister as the “hopeless case”. The two have a first moment without fighting while looking out a window of their home and looking toward a concentration camp. They are in awe, and believe that they are neighbors. They don’t realize their fathers’ soldiers are putting their ‘neighbors’ to death.

The story begins in Berlin, at Bruno’s large fancy home. He is only here for a short time while packing his belongings. Bruno and his family are then taken to their new home. It is right outside a fence that is surrounding a concentration camp. As soon as Bruno arrives at his new home he is quick to compare it to his old home. He hates his new home. There are no friends to play with and the house is too small. Bruno is obviously very spoiled coming from such a wealthy family. He also does not realize the scale of what is happening just a short distance away from his home. Since Bruno is so curious I can predict that he will soon explore his new surroundings. He will find the camp and the horror it holds.

Bruno and his understanding of the concentration camp is the main problem in the story so far. Bruno and his family had to move near it as a part of his father’s job. Bruno does not understand the purpose of the concentration camp. I can infer that the camp will affect Bruno in a negative way. I think he will somehow end up near the concentration camp and be in danger.

MilkWeed - Blog #2

Blog #2 – Milk Weed

Since my last post a couple of important events in the book have occurred. Misha continues to not recognize the danger that is all around him. The German soldiers are continuing to invade his town, burning down buildings and taking supplies on their way.  Misha and Uri have been living in the basement of an abandoned barbershop.  They run away from this home because they were afraid of being found by the jackboots. These events lead me to make some inferences about this book.

Throughout the beginning of the book Misha is unaware of the danger that surrounds him. I infer that the jackboots will directly affect Misha at some point in the story. As the soldiers take more and more control, they are also becoming more powerful and violent.  If the soldiers see a Jew out past curfew they are shot. If a shop owner is a Jew the soldiers paint a big yellow star on the window. They also paint the shop owner to make sure nobody shops at a Jewish owned business. This inference makes me wonder when and how the jackboots will affect Misha. I am also curious to find out if Misha will survive the encounter.

While the German soldiers continue to become more powerful, less food and supplies are available. I infer that survival for Misha and Uri will grow harder. Many stores are burnt down or abandoned because of the owner’s religion and or appearance. In the story Spenelli writes,  “I was shocked. On the shelves against the wall there was no bread at all, only one single, sad round roll.” (p.50) As there is less and less food I wonder how long Misha and Uri will survive. With this amount of sparse food Misha and Uri will need to try to find a new home.

At the beginning of the book, Misha befriends a young Jewish girl, named Janina. Their friendship becomes stronger, but is it too good to be true? This makes me conclude that the soldiers will soon take Janina and her family away. From prior knowledge and the context of this story I can infer that there were not many second chances or happy endings in the Holocaust. I wonder when Janina and her family will be taken away. I also wonder how Misha will react.  It just does not seem like Janina and Misha will live happily ever after.