Prisoner B Blog
Yanek is a young boy who is forced to experience the horrors of the Holocaust. He is determined to survive. He lives through ten different camps, learning as he goes. I think the theme of survival is crucial to the point of this book. Survival marries points in the book that we can reflect on in our lives. I find it most interesting when someone in the 21st century can relate to a foreign individual suffering in the Holocaust.
Survival is a part of all of our lives. Whether it's making it through a common cold or battling stage 4 cancer, we all take a chance at survival. Yanek is placed in a position where survival is slim to none. A teenager's biggest problem today is trying to find their phone charger, yanek's biggest problem was trying to find a way to evade death. Survival is the very spine of this book and motivates Yanek to keep going. Despite our differences, we can relate to the trials Yanek faces in life.
We all make moral decisions, whether they be to suit ourselves or suit others, we do. We find Yanek yearning to be heard, to be know. However, he knew that "they must not notice me... just like everyone else, silent and still as the man beside me was ripped apart" (71). I can compare this part of the story to any high school setting. A child wanting to stand out, to be known and accepted but being silenced and beaten by insecure bullies. We have all struggled with a time in our life where we felt that we weren't understood or accepted. The fact that we can share the same emotions with a 13 year old victim of the Holocaust is so amazing. At the beginning of the book, Yanek says that "if [he] had know what the next six years of his life were going to be like"(2) that he would have acted differently. We ALL can compare to this quote. If we had known how things would have happened six years later we all would have done something differently. The stakes are much different, but a Polish teenager from the 40s looks back on hindsight like we all do in 2017.
Yanek is a very smart boy and I was pleased with his ability to adapt so quickly to his environment. A lot of people looked down at this trait and deemed it as a flaw, but I don't think these people have ever had to deal with a life altering situation before. They'd be surprised at how quickly you have to adapt when life hits you unexpectedly. Eventually, when life has been constantly knocking you off your feet, you get back up without having to think about it. The way Yanek moves on so quickly and keeps looking ahead is rather accurate. There's no time to cry about it, unless you want to be killed.
I personally loved this book and felt it was very easy to read. This is a definite for teaching in a classroom. Students love learning about the Holocaust, and I think Yanek's perspective is a great way to convey the message in the classroom. Though it is not my absolute favorite Holocaust text, it is very permiable and conveyed feelings in an understandable way.
Survival is a part of all of our lives. Whether it's making it through a common cold or battling stage 4 cancer, we all take a chance at survival. Yanek is placed in a position where survival is slim to none. A teenager's biggest problem today is trying to find their phone charger, yanek's biggest problem was trying to find a way to evade death. Survival is the very spine of this book and motivates Yanek to keep going. Despite our differences, we can relate to the trials Yanek faces in life.
We all make moral decisions, whether they be to suit ourselves or suit others, we do. We find Yanek yearning to be heard, to be know. However, he knew that "they must not notice me... just like everyone else, silent and still as the man beside me was ripped apart" (71). I can compare this part of the story to any high school setting. A child wanting to stand out, to be known and accepted but being silenced and beaten by insecure bullies. We have all struggled with a time in our life where we felt that we weren't understood or accepted. The fact that we can share the same emotions with a 13 year old victim of the Holocaust is so amazing. At the beginning of the book, Yanek says that "if [he] had know what the next six years of his life were going to be like"(2) that he would have acted differently. We ALL can compare to this quote. If we had known how things would have happened six years later we all would have done something differently. The stakes are much different, but a Polish teenager from the 40s looks back on hindsight like we all do in 2017.
Yanek is a very smart boy and I was pleased with his ability to adapt so quickly to his environment. A lot of people looked down at this trait and deemed it as a flaw, but I don't think these people have ever had to deal with a life altering situation before. They'd be surprised at how quickly you have to adapt when life hits you unexpectedly. Eventually, when life has been constantly knocking you off your feet, you get back up without having to think about it. The way Yanek moves on so quickly and keeps looking ahead is rather accurate. There's no time to cry about it, unless you want to be killed.
I personally loved this book and felt it was very easy to read. This is a definite for teaching in a classroom. Students love learning about the Holocaust, and I think Yanek's perspective is a great way to convey the message in the classroom. Though it is not my absolute favorite Holocaust text, it is very permiable and conveyed feelings in an understandable way.
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