Blog Feb. 23, 2015

Prompt: How do Elie's experiences during the Holocaust change him as a person?

Night by Elie Wiesel

            One way Wiesel changed throughout the book is his belief in God. Toward the beginning of the book Wiesel was very pious. Toward the end of the book he started to question God's existence. The book states, "For the first time, I felt revolt rise up in me. Why should I bless His name? The Eternal, Lord of the universe, the All-Powerful no Terrible, was silent. What had I to thank Him for?" Page 31. This shows that Wiesel had nothing to thank God for, because what was going on was so terrible. At this point in his life he questioned God's existence, because if God was really looking after him then these things that happened to innocent people couldn't have happened. The memoir also states,"Never shall I forget those moments which murdered my God..." This shows that from Wiesel witnessing these horrid events, he felt as if God wasn't doing anything to help. This made Elie's belief for God pretty much dead. It also made Wiesel feel like God has failed him.

Another way Wiesel changed throughout the book was the way he saw himself. In the beginning of the book Wiesel was still human. This meaning that he was still very healthy, and has not yet experienced tragic life changing events. In the book it states, "Never shall I forget those moments which murdered my God and my soul and turned my dreams to dust." Page 32. This shows that because the events he witnessed were so terrible, his soul was gone and he was a different person. Toward the end of the book Wiesel talks about how he looked in the mirror and saw himself as a corpse. This shows that he didn't even see himself as human anymore. Also he said in the book that once he was free they did not think about family at all, but food instead. This shows how the Holocaust changed his life, because he was acting as is he was an animal, and saw his soul as someone who was dead.

Another way Wiesel changed throughout the book is his relationship with his father. The beginning of the the book showed how he was scared to be apart from his father. He was so afraid that him and his father would be separated from each other, because then he would be all alone. This showed that he really was dependent on his father to make him feel safe. Also at this time his father was the only one in his family who survived, and he didn't want to lose his whole family so soon. Near the end of the book he still deeply cared for his father and his father's health, but he felt as if he was only dragging him down. Since Wiesel's father was on the verge of dying Wiesel often felt as if the roles had switched, and now he was the one taking charge and trying his best to keep his father alive. Wiesel even prayed to not become like Rabbi's son who left his father so he could have a better chance of surviving. In the end he almost did turn out like him even though it seemed like he didn't want to admit it. When his father died he was upset, but Wiesel says that he didn't cry. This shows that at that moment family didn't matter as much as getting healthier, and being glad that he was finally free.

Blog Feb. 17, 2016

Night by Elie Wiese

Prompts: Why do you think the author wrote this?

What are two emotions the main character has felt? What made the main character feel that way?

            I think the author wrote this book to show the readers what horrid things went on in the camps and how it changed people's lives. I have always heard stories about how the holocaust scared people's life's and how this event really shaped the person they are today. From reading this book, I can now clearly see the process in which people's lives changed. A lot of the things that the Nazis did to the people in the camps are displayed in the book, and we can learn how people responded to the things the German were doing. It has shocked me to see how many people did not stand up and say what they think, because they were so afraid of what could have happened to them if they did. As I'm reading this book I can see how Elie has been changing. Elie and his family have always been very religious, but ever since they were put in the first camp he has lost hope for God. As Elie's journey continues throughout the book I think he will change even more and will have less hope for getting out from seeing what has happened to innocent souls. This book shows the readers all of the fear the people had through this tough time. 

            One emotion that Elie has faced in this book is fear. He has been fearful for a various amount of reasons, because of what he has seen what the German were capable of. I think the first time he has been afraid during this time was when he was separated from his mother and sister. As they were separated he had no clue on what was happening or if they would ever reunite. He was also scared if he would be separated from his father. He seemed to be worried about not being able to be with his father, because that would mean he would be all alone with strangers. Another time he has been afraid is when he saw the children being thrown in the ovens alive. I think this would have terrified me the most as well. Knowing that he lied about his age, and was still young would make me very scared of what would ever happen if they found out. Elie witnessed many people being killed right in front of his eyes. He has been scared now that he knows what the Nazis are capable to doing to anyone. 

            Another emotion that Elie has felt is mournfulness. Since he has been separated from his mother and sister and put to work he has seemed miserable and dismal. He has felt upset of all of the innocent children dying. He knew that one of those children could have easily been him. Elie has also felt bad for all of the people he saw get hanged. He has lost almost all of his hope for God or for anything in general. He also has no reaction to when his father is beat. You can see how bad the camps affected people by the way Elie didn't feel any emotion watching his father get beaten up right in front of him. It's difficult for him to keep on believing that his sister and mother are perfectly fine. His religious devotion has even went down dramatically so quickly. All of the sadness that was in these people's lives from the camps have been stuck with them to the point where it hurt them so much they only really think of themselves having to survive. 

Blog Feb 12, 2016

Holocaust AOW Impressions

Prompt: Take a moment to reflect upon your impressions of what you have learned from the array of article in at least two well written paragraphs, using evidence from your graphic organizer. 

            One thing I learned from the Holocaust article gallery walk is how different people who lived though the concentration camps had different thoughts and actions toward the Nazis and other people. One article talked about how a man didn't have any hate towards the Nazis even though he witnessed harsh events. His reason for this is because he didn't want to be a hypocrite. The Nazis loathed the Jews, and if he felt the same way toward them it would make him feel the same way the German felt about the Jews, and he knew that wasn't right. Another group of people wanted to help Syrian refugees, because they didn't want those people to experience a similar situation. When these holocaust survivors saw a dead baby on the beach they knew they had to help. The holocaust survivors probably witnesses seeing their loved ones die, and didn't want to see other people having to deal with the same problem. As I was learning about all of these articles I could see that some people had different actions and thoughts after surviving the Holocaust. 

            Another thing I learned from the holocaust AOW gallery walk is how much the Holocaust affected people. Holocaust survivors have a high chance of developing schizophrenia, because of past events. People who faced the Holocaust are more likely to develop schizophrenia than people who were indirectly affected. The people who had been born into the Holocaust have had the highest rates of schizophrenia among all of the Holocuat survivors. People who were indirectly exposed to the Holocaust have a 27% chance of being diagnosed of schizophrenia than the people who actually faced the holocaust. People who were directly exposed to the holocaust have a 41% higher chance than the people who indirectly faced the holocaust. Holocaust survivors have been traumatized with this event. They have seen their loved ones killed in front of them, and had everything taken away from them. From this event people have been dealing with it it many different ways.

Butterfly Project Thinglink

Preparing For The Commission's Visit by Helga Weissová

. . . The commission, because of which a transport left and the three layer bunks were torn down, has departed, and I believe they were satisfied. They didn't see through very much, stayed scarcely a half day, but that seems to have been only a rehearsal. The camp command issued new orders about the "beautifying campaign" that must be finished on two months.

     It's ridiculous, but it seems that Terezín is to be changed into a sort of spa. I don't know why I was reminded of the fairy tale "Table. Set. Yourself!" But that is how everything seems to me. The orders are received in the evening, and in the morning everyone's eyes are staring with wonder, where did this or that thing come from? For three years it never occurred to anyone that streets might be named anything but Q and L. . . But all of a sudden the Germans had an idea, and overnight signs had to be put on every corner house with the name of the street, and at crossroads arrows pointed: To the Park, To the Bath, etc. . . . 

     The school building that had served as hospital up to today was cleared out overnight and the patients put elsewhere while the whole building was repainted, scrubbed up, school benches brought in, and in the morning a sign could be seen afar: "Boys' and Girls' School." It really looks fine, like a real school, only the pupils and teachers are missing. That shortcoming is adjusted by a small note on the door: "Holidays." On the square the newly sown grass is coming up, the center is adorned by a big rose plot, and the paths, covered with clean, yellow sand, are lined with two rows of newly painted benches. The boards we wondered about for so many days, trying to puzzle out what they were for, tuned into a music pavilion. We even have a café with a fine sign "Coffeehouse." 

     . . . They have already got quite far in painting the houses. . . . In two of the barracks some bunks and shelves were painted yellow and they got blue curtains. In the park in front of the Infants' Home they put up a luxury pavilion with cribs and light blue, quilted covers. In one room there are toys, a carved rocking horse, and so on. None of us can explain why they are doing all of this. Are they so concerned about that commission? Perhaps we don't even know how good the situation is.

I commented on Mia's, Evie's, James', Rebecca's, and Nick's blog.

Blog Feb. 3, 2016

Based on our Berlin Memorial Activity today in class, take a moment to reflect on what you learned about the Jewish decrees established during the Hitler years.

Prompts:

1 - What did you learn?

2 - Why do you think this monument was built?

3 - What did you notice about the number of laws passed in certain years?

4 - Which restrictions do you think you would do have the most trouble dealing with and why?

            While learning about the Berlin Memorial, I learned that Jews ended up losing most of their rights that they had before. Most of the Jewish people were forced to lose their jobs, because of new laws that had passed. I also learned that the laws the Jews were forced to follow had gotten worse as time passed. The laws went from losing their jobs, to going into forced labor, to have Jews relocated into concentration camps to get killed. As learning all of this I understood the struggle that Jews had to live through. These people lost families, pets, and their own lives just because people didn't like them. The Jews were treated very unfairly from the laws, and it caused many people to lose their lives because of it. 

            I think the Berlin Memorial was built to remember all of the people who had lived through the Nuremberg Laws. When people see that memorial they can look back at all of the tough times the Jews had to go through. It reminds people of how many people were affected by these cruel laws. Many Jews died during that time, and I think the memorial was built to bring awareness of the people who had lived through it. I also think the Berlin memorial was built to remember this tragic historical event. This memorial shows people who are unaware of this event of how many people were killed from this. It also shows that these people who lost their lives shouldn't be forgotten. The many lives that have been killed and are remembered in this memorial shows that we shouldn't repeat history, because it will affect, and even kill many people just like this event. 

            The number of laws passed in certain years varied from year to year. Some years there were only a few, while others there were more. The laws also seemed to be getting more hurtful to the Jews as the years passed. Comparing 1937 to 1938, a lot more laws were passed in 1938. In some years there were a lot of laws passed like in 1942. In other years only a few passed like 1934. Through the years 1933 - 1939 it seemed as if most of the laws focused on entertainment and occupations. A lot of the Jews couldn't have their jobs anymore, because of these laws. In the years 1940 - 1942 the Jews started to lose most of their freedom. There were laws such as, they couldn't be outside at a certain time, they were limited to their food rations, they were forced to wear certain clothing, and had to preform forced labor. We can clearly see that as the years passed the worse the laws became for the Jews, and the less freedom they had. 

             The restriction that I would have the most trouble dealing with would be not being able to have a pet and not being able to go to school anymore. If you have a pet at home you know that they become part of the family. My family loves our pet, and I know we would all be heartbroken if it was taken away from us. A lot of people get so attached to animals, it's hard to let go of them. In this situation Jews were forced to not have any pets. Pets also give us entertainment, and a loving friendship sometimes. I couldn't imagine how hurt my family would be at the time if we were forced to give our animal away. I would also have trouble dealing with not being able to school. Most kids complain about going to school everyday, including me sometimes. Then you realize that school is where all of your friends are, and the place where you laugh. Without an education (especially at this age) you would have a hard time to find work.

2nd Quarter Reflections

Prompts: 

- In what area do you think you made your biggest improvements in English Language Arts?

- What has been the most challenging part of 2nd Quarter for you and what did/can you do to help overcome this?

- What is something you have accomplished since the new year that you are proud of?

            An area that I think I have made my biggest improvement in English Languge Arts is annotating. Usually when I annotated I would write down whatever came up in my mind. Now I put more thought into it and really think about the topic the piece of writing is informing me about. When reading To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, I annotated so much. Usually I don't annotate in books at all, or when I do it would be a a thought on every couple of pages. Taking out all of the notes I wrote from the book made me realize that I put a lot of effort to understand the book. In articles I use to just highlight things that seemed important and wrote small explanations on why I thought that was important. Now I really think about the important details and write a lot more thought into it. I think most of that reason why I used to not be good with annotating is, because I was just being lazy, and wanted to get it done without much quality.

            The most challenging part of the 2nd Quarter for me was to do all of my assignments and turn them in on time. Eighth grade has been very challenging for me these past two quarters, because of the homework. In seventh grade I would get very little to no homework in most of my classes. This school year I now get loads of homework for each class. It has been a little stressful for me, but then again I have been lazy with my work lately. I've noticed that my work changes from when I take my time to do my work to when I do all of my work at the last minute. Lately I have been putting off my work simply because I don't want to do this. I know I have to break out of this habit, because I am just putting more stress on myself. I want to just finish the homework as soon as it's given instead of waiting for the last day I can work on it. It's like I know that I should do the homework when I have time to do it, but instead I just put it to the side, and think that I have more time to do it. That just makes it worse for me, and I know that, but I still seem to put it off. In the third quarter I will focus of homework before I focus on other things that are not important. 

            Something that I have accomplished since the new year that I am proud of is getting good grades on my vocabulary tests, and other units in this class. Ever since the new grading system I have been nervous to see if my grades would be lower than usual. Since the new year I have busy with after school activities and every week I kept thinking that I wouldn't do good on my tests and in school work, because I didn't have enough time to study. I ended up doing really well on those tests. I think after more and more tests they will become easier, because I will know more strategies to study better, and when the right time to study is. This quarter has been so challenging for me to get good grades and finish all of my assignments, but I managed to do it all, and that's what I'm most proud of. 

Blog Jan. 19, 2016

 

Prompt: What do you think is the most important difference between the written and filmed version? Provide evidence with specific details.

How would you prove that one version of To Kill A Mockingbird is more affective in delivering its message that the other?

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

            There were many differences between the book and the film To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, but I think the most important difference between the written and filmed version of To Kill a Mockingbird is that there were not as many interactions with Boo in the movie than there was in the book. Another difference was how Boo's character didn't develop in the movie as much as the book did. In my opinion I think the book had more significance and importance towards Boo much more than the movie. What I saw in the movie seemed like Boo didn't have much of an impact of the children than the book did. The film displayed him more as a minor character, while in the book he was very important. In the film it didn't show much of the different periods of times when Boo made an impact on the kids, and in the book he wasn't just a kind stranger, like they showed him in the film. The book stated, "'When I went back for my breeches...they were folded across the fence...like they were expecting me.'" This shows that Boo did this to help Jem get out of the trouble he got into. In the book Scout seemed very determined to meet Boo throughout the entire book, while in the movie very few scenes showed how Scout was curious to meet and see Boo Radley for the first time. When the children attempted  to give Boo a note, the book states, "Jem was merely going to put the note on the end of a fishing pole and stick it through the shutters." This shows how the children really wanted to have an interaction with Boo. The film kind of missed the determination the kids had to get the chance to see and meet Boo in person. 

            In the book while Ms. Maudie's house was on fire and it was cold, Boo put a blanket over Scout's shoulders. When Scout noticed the blanket put around her shoulders and was curious to find out how it ended up on her, Atticus told Scout, "‘Boo Radley. You were so busy looking at the fire you didn’t know it when he put the blanket around you.’” This showed that Boo was not the mean, scissor stabbing person people said he was. The little events like this in the book start to develop the reader's vision on what they think about Boo Radley. The film made it seem as if he was really just a friendly person who was being very shy. In the film it did not show this part at all. I think this would have been good to put in the movie, to show how Boo maybe wanted to have friends and how he interacted with the kids more. In the book there were several times when different gifts were left in the knothole for the kids by Boo. The gifts were an important part of the book, because it slowly showed what kind of a person Boo really was, and how the children's view on Boo changed throughout the book. The book stated, "We were walking past our tree. In its knot-hole... we found a whole package of chewing gum...yielded a tarnished medal...a pocket watch that wouldn't work, on a chain with an aluminum knife...'' This shows how Boo was leaving many gifts in the tree rather than just one or two things. The movie briefly mentioned the gifts in the tree and the significance of them. These things have shown the readers that Boo was very misunderstood for who he really was, and it was very touching to see his real character as a friendly, brave, shy, and caring person. 

 

            The book version of To Kill A Mockingbird was a more affective way in delivering its message than the film was. The book had greater detail into the town, the Finch Family, and Boo Radley than the film did. The film seemed to be mainly focused on the Tom Robinson Trial. The book was able to explain all of Scout's thoughts, and actions. It was hard to understand what Scout was thinking and it  missed out on some of her actions in the film. When Aunt Alexandra came to stay at their home, the book states, "'We decided that it would be best for you to have some feminine influence.'" Scout was very angry about this. In the movie they didn't show Alexandra. This was important in the book, because it made it more clear to us that Scout didn't like girly things and liked to be how she was already. In the book as we read along, we can see how our feelings have changed about Boo Radley. In the beginning of the book the characters and the readers saw Boo as a mean, scary person. We made assumptions that he was a bad person by what people have said about him, these were all rumors and later in the book the readers find the rumors to not be true. The message the versions were trying to convey was to get to know someone before judging them. When Cal brought the kids to her church, Lulu stated, "'You ain't got no business bringin' white chillun here-they got their church, we got our'n.'" This scene was also not added to the film. This would have shown the racism in the town, and how all people were affected by it. In my opinion this film didn't do a good job in getting the message across, especially since the message mostly pertained to Boo Radley, and he was seen more as a minor character.