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One Survivor Remembers- Answered Questions

A lot of the scenes were powerful for me while watching this movie. One of those scenes was when Gerda got separated from her mom, and she tried to escape the truck she was in. It also stuck with me how they yelled across to each other to say goodbye for the last time. Another scene that was powerful for me was when Gerda was showing Kurt the building where all those women laid, most of the dead. It just stuck with me how horrible that was, and how she was so used to it that she didn’t even explain it as disgusting or horrible. One message I received from these scenes was how horrible the Nazis were for separating children from their mothers and having them suffer that pain. Also, it sends the message that the Germans didn’t care about the Jews, even if they were dying, and how they were able to just let them sit and die in a building without caring.

The Nazis dehumanized Jews in many horrible ways. One of those ways was separating them from their family members, making them feel alone and powerless. They also gave them very little food, which could make them feel starved and sick. Everyday, the Jews were forced to work at factories and if they didn’t do what they were told, the officers there would abuse them- both physically and mentally. Even though these circumstances were hard, Gerda found a way to overcome them.  She survived by doing what she was supposed to do and never giving the officers a reason to harm her, even if she was tempted to. Also, she survived using her imagination. When times were really hard, she imagined what it would be like to be home, or a party she would hold when they got back home. Even though these dreams never really came true, it helped to keep her mind off her situation and pass the time. She was helped by a couple people to deal with the dehumanization. These people were her friends, who kept her company so she wasn’t alone, and also helped her imagine life back home. She was also helped by her officer at the camp, who was actually a nice person and got her out of trouble once or twice.

If everything were taken away, I’d fantasize about a lot of things. I think I would mostly fantasize about my family, and spending time at home and doing simple things. I would also imagine being with my friends, where I’m usually happy and entertained. I would maybe even fantasize about the junk food that I eat everyday, because even if I were fed at the place I went to, it wouldn’t be the kind of food I usually eat. In addition, I would imagine being on the computer or watching TV, or using any electronic, because those things are such a part of my daily life. Electronics are also one of the things I think I take for granted, among other things. I think I also take for granted my family, friends, and food, like I said before. I could also take for granted much bigger things like freedom or the ability to stand up for myself.

Today, people are persecuted in some similar ways as they were in the past. People of certain groups are beat up, harassed verbally, discriminated in public places, and not treated with the same respect as other groups (among other things). Some specific groups that are being targeted are the people in Darfur, and homosexuals or people of different races. The people in Darfur are being persecuted by militias from Sudan, who are going into villages and killing the people of Darfur, and forcing them to flee their homes. That’s not the only example; in schools near here, there is persecution too. Some groups that are being persecuted are homosexuals and people of different race. These people are being harassed just because they are different than “normal” people. Some of the ways they are persecuted is by verbal and physical actions against them. We can work against these intolerances by accepting those people and choosing not to harass them, then tell others to do the same. If it’s a bigger issue than bullying, we can contact the president or someone with power, telling them about the issue. If people listen, we could have a world where everyone accepts everyone, even if they’re different.

In this film, Gerda’s heroes are mostly her friends, and even two officers. Her first hero was an officer that was present when she was separated from her mom. As she was on the truck being brought away from her mother, she jumped off of it, thinking that would save her. But, the officer pushed her back onto her truck, knowing that if she went on the other one or stayed behind, she wouldn’t have lived. Her next hero was a woman that was in charge at the concentration camp. One day, when Gerda was sick and stayed behind in her barrack, some of the other officers were going to check on the room. Before they came, Gerda’s second hero came into the room, grabbed Gerda and two other girls and dragged them into the factory. She forced them to work. This saved her life because if she hadn’t gone to work, she would’ve been found staying behind in the barrack, which would’ve resulted in her death. Her last heroes were her close friends during her journey through the concentration camps and death marches. These friends helped her survive by providing her with company during the terrible times, and they helped her hope for the future after the war. Her final survivor, and most important, was the young man who came up to her in the town after the death march. He only came up to her because she was standing against the wall, alone. If he hadn’t seen her, and talked to her, she probably wouldn’t be alive right now. These people made me hopeful because they showed that even though some people didn’t care about the lives of the Jews, some people did. They also showed me that with some bravery and kindness, anything can happen.

The Book Thief- Entry #5

In the story, The Book Thief, Liesel lives in Germany and is involved in many of their traditions. One of these traditions was burning any books that the Nazis felt were “un-German.” This event usually occurred on May 10^th, which is the anniversary of Martin Luther’s “95 Theses” (rules/ideas about following Christianity). This is because these ideas were created in a castle inside Germany. This was also because the Germans felt so strongly about religion.

            This event wasn’t just the burnings of the books. There was also a parade, where the Nazi Party and students that were part of the “Hitler Youth Group” would march and sing. Then, the children (or the Nazis) would throw the books that people gave, into the fire. They didn’t just burn books; they would also burn things like Plays written by Jewish people. Even though not much happened at this “parade,” many people would stay and watch the burning. This was because the book burning, to Germans, is something very symbolic and meaningful.

Citation:

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. “Book Burning.” Holocaust Encyclopedia. http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/?ModuleId=10005143. Accessed on 12/1/11.

The Book Thief- Entry #4

The protagonists of the books Sarah’s Key and The Book Thief both lived during the horrible events of the Holocaust. They were both little girls, age 10, but went through very different experiences. The main character of Sarah’s Key, Sarah, lived in Paris. She was Jewish. One night, she was taken away as part of the Vel’ d’Hiv roundup that took place in 1942. She was lucky enough to escape the Concentration Camp and ended up with an old couple, who took her in as their daughter. In The Book Thief, the protagonist is a girl names Liesel, who lived in Germany. She supported Hitler, though didn’t know much about him, or what he did. She didn’t have very strong opinions of him. She wasn’t affected much by the Holocaust until her father allows a Jew to live in their basement. We don’t know the outcome, but it will probably become a big part of the story and change Liesel’s opinions on a lot of things.

            As people, Sarah and Liesel are very much alike. At the beginning of both stories, the protagonists start out as innocent little girls who are very naïve. Neither of them knew the horrors of the years to come and what they would have to go through. They also share their love and dedication to their family. In Sarah’s Key, Sarah risks her life to try to save her little brother, who she locked in the cupboard in their house. In an attempt to save her brother, she escapes the Concentration Camp, and forces her new parents to take her to Paris to free him. In The Book Thief, Liesel’s mother gives her away to her foster family, with no explanation. After close to a year with no word from her, the girl sends her multiple letters. Even though she gets no response, she keeps sending them until she realizes that her mom will never recieve those letters. Both of the girls are brave and mature, too. When Sarah was sent to the Concentration Camp, and even after she was separated from her parents, she stayed strong and acted much older than her age. And, she makes the life-threatening decision to escape the Camp, making it out alive. Liesel was strong too. At school, she couldn’t read as well as the other kids, and was made fun of. When one of the kids laughed at her, she beat him up. Also, she steals things, risking her life. But she almost never gets caught.

            When both Sarah and Liesel make the decision to do those brave acts, they had much motivation to do so. The main motivation in Sarah’s case was her family. She escaped from the Camp because she wanted strongly to rescue her brother and see him alive. In Liesel’s life, she stole things such as food because she is poor and sometimes hungry. Her motivation to steal books, though, is her love for reading and her desire to learn how to read better. For both of them, they did things like lie or act strong, for their families, to show that they shouldn’t be worried.   

The Book Thief- Entry #3

The book I am reading, The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, is about a 10-year-old German girl, Liesel, who lived during the Holocaust. In the few pages of the book, you learn that the book is narrated by death itself. He talks about how he’s encountered this girl several times, and seems to be interested in her and her life. Next, death narrates the current life of Liesel. We learn that her mother gave her and her brother away to a foster family. And, on the way to their new family, her brother dies. When she visited his grave for the last time, she stole a book from one of the gravediggers and keeps it with her to remember him. His death causes much pain for Liesel, and she has nightmares every night about it and wakes up crying. Those nights, her foster Dad, Hans, comes in and comforts her until she can fall back asleep. Later on in the book, they spend that time teaching Liesel to read. Hans is much nicer than her foster Mom, Rosa, who bosses Liesel around and complains to her all day. Deep inside, she loves her very much. For Christmas, they bought her two books, which was probably the best present she could’ve gotten. Liesel loved reading, and books, but at the beginning of the book she couldn’t read at all. After many sessions with her dad, her reading skill started to improve. Soon she might be able to read in front of her class and prove them wrong. She also spends time with her close friend, Ruby, who is also her neighbor. He always sticks up for her, and they are starting to become best friends. Where I am in the book, she is wondering where her mom is, why she gave her up, and why she isn’t answering her letters.

This book is set in 1940, during the Holocaust. Liesel lives in Germany, and supports Hitler, though doesn’t really have big opinions on him. She hears a lot about Jews, and what the Germans think of them, but doesn’t know why. Her foster parents, Hans and Rosa, don’t discuss the issue very much so she doesn’t know too much about what’s going on.

The main characters in this story are Liesel, Hans, and Rosa. Liesel is 10 years old and was adopted into her foster family. As a person, she is very brave and loving and seems very innocent. One of the things she likes to do is to read, even though she is only learning and isn’t very good. Because of this, she steals a couple books, just so she can read them. Her foster parents are good people overall. The mom, Rosa, is strict and gives a lot of orders. She isn’t a totally bad person though; at times she can be nice and loving. But, the dad is almost the complete opposite and is so kind and loving to Liesel; they have a very good bond.

There are a few problems present in this story. One of the issues is that Liesel’s real family isn’t doing so well. As a child, her father left her, her mother, and her brother. Now, her brother’s dead and her mom gave her away to a foster family. There is also the fact that Liesel doesn’t know what happened to her mom, or why she even gave her up in the first place. Another problem is that Liesel is having trouble learning in school and fitting in with the other students. At the beginning of the book, she was so uneducated that they sent her to go learn with the little kids. She started to slowly learn how to read and write from her father, and has gotten much better. There is still the present issue that she’s not as good as her peers, and they make fun of her for that. The last issue is that they are living in an awful time, even though they’re alive and okay. They still have to feel the pressure of Hitler and the Nazis and see others suffer.

Sarah's Key - Entry #2

The book, Sarah’s Key, leaves me with a lot of questions and inferences. My first inference I can make about this book is that Sarah, the little girl during 1942, will never be able to rescue her brother from the locked cupboard back at her house. At this point in the story, Sarah and her mother and father are being taken from the stadium, where they were living for days in inhumane conditions. They are now being taken from the Stadium, to a concentration camp. During their journey towards the camp, Sarah realizes they are going to be far away from Paris, and her little brother in the cupboard. While Sarah was talking to her father, she cries, “’Papa, I didn’t know, I thought we were coming back, I thought he’d be safe.’” (Pg. 57) The only reason that the little boy is locked in the cupboard is because Sarah thought it would be safe to leave him there. At the time, she thought they’d be coming right back, she had no idea. Some questions I have are; will Sarah find a way to escape and come back home? Will she be able to rescue her brother? Will her brother die?

As I was reading, I made another inference. I inferred that there are going to be problems in Bertrand and Julia’s marriage. They love each other, but Bertrand’s sense of humor is dry, so his jokes are sometimes rude. He likes to make fun of Julia for the fact that she is American, but moved to France when she was in her 20s. She’s lived there for about 20 years and just wants to fit in. Julia asks herself, “Why did I put up with him, again and again? Because you’re crazy about him, right? Ever since you met him, even if he’s bossy, rude, and selfish?” (Pg. 51.) For the almost sixteen years that they’ve been married, Julia put up with his rude comments, and didn’t let them bother her that much. Now, though, she’s starting to realize just how bad his behavior is, and doesn’t want to put up with it anymore. Some questions I have about this inference are; will Julia ever confront him about this issue? Will Bertrand ever realize how rude he can sometimes be and change that? Will their marriage last?

Sarah's Key - Entry #1

During the first 22 pages of Sarah’s Key, not much happens, but we learn what is going on in the story. The first family we learn about is a family of a mother, father, a girl, and a little boy. One night, the police arrive at their house to take them away. The little boy refuses to go, and insists on being locked in the cupboard in the closet. The others leave him there, the girl thinking they’ll be back soon to let him out. In the second family, set in present time, is a family of a mom (Julia), dad (Bertrand), and a girl (Zoe). At the beginning, we learn that they are moving into this apartment that used to be owned by Bertrand’s grandmother. They go to their new house and start looking around, planning renovations to it. Also, Bertrand makes some rude comments about Julia being American that start to bother her. 

            The setting of this book is in Paris (for both families). The first family is set in 1942, during the Holocaust. The second family is set in 2002. Both of the families in this story lived in the house that the first family lived in before they were taken away; the same house that the little boy was trapped in in 1942.

            There are a couple problems in this book so far. The first problem that occurs is that the first family is being taken away from their home by police officers, and they are probably going to be captive for a long time. Another problem is that the little boy is trapped inside the cupboard, and might not be rescued from there for a while. This means he could die before the family comes home. In the second family, the problem is that Bertrand is rude to his wife, Julia, and she’s starting to dislike it.