Niya Cephas-Prisoner B-3087

By -
I can honestly say this is the 2nd book I've really enjoyed reading, first being Absolute Diary. I have read books on the holocaust and know a good bit about the history behind it, but this book was different than the others. The real life struggles of that the young Yanek had to survive through really struck a nerve. I know all about the real life horrific happenings at the time but the way that Alan Gratz put it in perspective of Yanek made it even more intense and heart-wrenching. The vivid details that Gratz gives to the readers add even more intensity to the book as a whole. "We worked all day in the tailor shop doing what we had done in Plaszow, only now there were more SS guards, and we were often beaten for no other reason than because we were Jews. I saw one man struck so hard in the head with a club that he fell off his stool and didn't get back up again."

Although this book is pretty intense the way that Gratz formatted this book is on a level that can relate to adolescents in a great way. They get real life insight into what exactly went on during the holocaust but also at a point of view from a young boy that is around the same age as the readers. As well as being introduce to death basically, throughout the book we see this gradually upbringing of death and how it is inevitable. No matter who you are or where you are it is upon us and no one can escape it. Of course the death that is throughout this book is extremely harsh and cruel, however it was straight up reality for the Jews back then. By students reading this book and getting details on a young boys account during the holocaust it is a very easy way to get a history lesson in while also enjoying the work that they are reading.

As we could tell Yanek faced extreme hardships through this book and came close to death every waking day. Although this was the case and he was basically on his own, besides having his uncle, he persevered on day by day. He remained true to his morals and his fathers teachings in order to survive and not give up on his true self.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Growing Pains - The Symbolism of the Tree in Speak

By -
I have felt the paralyzing pain of internal disease. The kind of trauma that causes your mouth to curl in and swallow you whole. I, like so many other women, are walking the halls in Melinda’s shoes in “Speak.” I thought Laurie Anderson did a phenomenal job of twisting all of the tribulations a high school girl goes through, into the tree that Melinda is. Whether we’re as strong as an oak or weak as a bush, we have all gone through the disease that strikes Melinda from the inside out. Melinda is like a half-dead tree. Some parts of her strive to blossom and create beauty. Other parts are broken and diseased. Like a dead tree, Melinda needs to save herself and “cut off the damage, [so it] is possible for the tree to grow again” (187). The symbolism of a tree is significant in “Speak.” Trees reflect her growing process. In the beginning, Melinda is a sick and lifeless tree. Her view is negative and dark. She’s so far past repair, bursts of sunlight do her no good. Sunlight would be pe
Read more

How Starr Goes from Acting to Embracing in The Hate U Give

By -
In The Hate U Give, Starr Carter is caught between two worlds. She lives in a predominantly black neighborhood, but her father sends her and her brothers to a private school where she is surrounded by white people. She talks about acting differently depending on what group she is around, which can create some identity problems. She says on page 11, "Funny how it works with white kids though. It's dope to be black until it's hard to be black." When at Williamson, she sees white kids that think it's cool to engage in black culture, but she knows they don't understand what she goes through in her Garden Heights community. She witnessed her friend Natasha's death when she was 10 years old, and she sees gang activity in her community all the time. When she is among her black friends, like at the party, they tease her for hanging out with the white kids. This reminds me of a Drake song where he says, "I used to get teased for being black, and now I'm
Read more

Postmodernism in Curious Incident

By -
Before I start writing, I first want to acknowledge that I just really loved this book! It seemed like a lot of the class had trouble enjoying or appreciating the novel because it's so different stylistically, which is understandable, but all of those unique elements helped make the novel more authentic. The main topic I want to focus on (also what I'm writing my paper on) is how a lot of postmodernist elements were used in the novel to make Christopher come to life. While obviously not every postmodern novel is about an autistic kid, I think Haddon really used a lot of these elements to his advantage and they ended up working out really well to characterize Christopher. One of the major postmodern elements which helps this book really craft an authentic portrayal of autism is the fact that it's metafictive. Basically, this means it's a "story within a story." Readers would be extremely limited just reading the parts of the novel which are meant to be C
Read more