For this project we were asked to pick a historical fiction book about a post WWI conflict. The conflict that first occurred to me was the Holocaust, and not long after I decided to read the Boy in the Striped Pajamas. In this book a young boy, named Bruno, is told he must leave his hometown of Berlin for a house right outside the Auschwitz concentration camp (mispronounced by Bruno as Out-With) after his father is promoted to a higher position in the Nazi Party. While at Out-With Bruno manages to find a friend in Shmuel, a prisoner in the Auschwitz camp, and learns about what is actually going on with the Holocaust. However this book not have a happy ending, this is because at the end of the book Shmuel and Bruno form a plan to get Bruno inside the camp to do some exploring, but this results in both children getting marched to the gas chamber, and inevitably killed. This brings me to the point of this post, which is the question of why this book matters. I think the reason why this book matters is because it teaches the vital idea of friendship. This is proved as throughout the book it continuously refers back to Bruno and Shmuel’s friendship. It shows how thanks to Shmuel, Bruno is able to be happy and enjoy his life at Out-With, which he used to despise. However it is also Shmuel who caused Bruno’s demise as it was because of Shmuel that Bruno was even in the camp, and it was because of Shmuel that Bruno was sent to the gas chamber and mercilessly killed along with the other Jews. Because of this I believe the most valuable takeaway from this book and the reason why it matters is that it basically educates the reader about the pros and cons of friendship. By this I mean that it shows the ways friendship can be great, exhibited by how Bruno and Shmuel’s friendship causes Bruno to enjoy his time at Out-With. But it also shows the way friendship can blind us, as is shown when Bruno in his desperation to help Shmuel completely ignores all signs of danger in the camp to his well-being and only focuses on helping Shmuel find his father. This still matters and in fact is very important in today’s society for many reasons. One of those reasons is quite simple but it’s because we live in a generation of social media, and photoshop where everything always seems perfect and beautiful. In this generation it can very easy to get wrapped up in the pretty side or the pros of a new thing, such as a new friendship, and kind of ignore the bad or the cons. This book is a cautionary tale to anyone venturing into something new, especially a friendship, it teaches you that you should accept the pros,a new thing, and be willing to do certain things to help said thing succeed . Such as how Bruno accepted the fact that he no longer hated living at Out-With because of his friendship with Shmuel, and at one point when he noticed they were starting to get into an argument he suggested they change topic. This is proved in the book when Bruno says “Poland,’...‘ That’s not as good as Germany, is it?’ Shmuel frowned. Why isn’t it?’he asked. ‘Well, because Germany is the greatest of all countries’...‘ We’re superior.’...Bruno felt a strong desire to change the subject...the last thing he wanted was for Shmuel to think that he was being unkind.” But it also cautions you to not let it blind you and to have some limitations about what you are willing to do for said thing. Like how his friendship blinded Bruno from the obvious danger to his well-being in the camp and all because he was trying to help Shmuel find his father, though this later led to Bruno’s death. This is supported in the book by this quote, “ Instead there were crowds of people sitting together in groups, staring at the ground, looking horribly sad…’I don’t think I like it here,’ said Bruno after a while…’I think I ought to go home,’ said Bruno...Shmuel stopped walking and stared at him. ‘But Papa,’ he said. ‘You said you’d help me find him.’ Bruno thought about it. He had promised his friend that and he wasn’t the sort to go back on a promise…‘ All right,’ he said, although he felt a lot less confident now than he had before.” This book teaches you to enjoy the good, but also to remember there is a con to everything, also to be cautious and have limitations for what your willing to do for someone or something, and to enforce said limitations.
0 Comments
For this project I chose to read The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne, a historical fiction book set during WWII and the Holocaust. In this book the son of a Nazi general, Bruno, meets and forms a friendship with one of the children in the concentration camps, Shmuel. Though it may not seem like it, there are many connections between the event this book is about, the Holocaust, and today’s society. One of those such connections is the continued dislike and torment of those who are different. During the Holocaust it was the Jews, the Gypsies, the disabled, and basically anyone who differed from the “perfect race”. In today’s society it’s lgbt (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) people who are intensely discriminated against, simply because they are different and don’t follow the “normal” rules of relationships or gender-identification. Another example of this continued intolerance is how people are discriminated against everyday because of the religion they believe in. Like how many Muslim people in the U.S. are on many occasions criticized for their personal religious beliefs.
The book that I am reading is “The Boy in the Striped Pajamas” by John Boyne. This book is set in Poland during the Holocaust, in real life at the time when the book is set WWII and the Holocaust were occurring. Compared to the real life historical facts about this event, the book skips over some very minor details here and there. For example, in the book the main character, Bruno, and his new friend Shmuel (who is a prisoner in the concentration camp) meet and socialize on opposite sides of the fence surrounding the concentration camp, however in real life this would not be possible as the prisoners were not allowed within five meters of the fence. Also, there would always be guards patrolling the fence in real life. The perspective of the people in Poland at this time was mainly the perspective of those who were imprisoned in the camps, who obviously hated it. But it is in this aspect that the book differs from that, in this book you can read about the perspective of a prisoner in the camps, but you also get to hear the point of view of someone who was only ever exposed to pro-Hitler ideas and therefore didn’t know about the horrors of the camps. Finally, some other connections that are made between the book and the historical facts of the event are the connections between how the soldiers and other Nazi members behaved towards the Jews. Also, the connection about how the Nazi members thought of Jews as not being people, and the connection of certain names of character and locations such as Führer (which was the title that Hitler was commonly known by, as it means leader or guide, also the name that Bruno, the main character, accidently mispronounces as Fury).
Have you ever seen a homeless animal on the road? Would you help it because it doesn’t have a home? Most people wouldn't. Because of this we need to help end animal homelessness. Ignore it? Did you knew that there are over 7.6 million homeless animals?"Too many animals enter the shelter system for reasons that are completely preventable."(Matt Bershadker, ASPCA President & CEO, 2018) They need things like food, water, shelter, and most important they need love and a family. There are so many things we can do to help and end animal homelessness. But we have done nothing about these poor helpless animals.
You might think that animals are just animals but really they are just like us because they also need to eat and drink to live. They can feel pain everyday of trying to fight to stay alive. Imagine going to bed every night and not knowing if you're going to wake up tomorrow. So what do we do about it? Nothing but that’s going to stop today. We will stand up for animal homelessness. Please help, because together we can change animal homelessness. “Overpopulation is one of many problems of animal homelessness. Fact: In just raleigh 222 of animals are stray on the streets (Animal Humane Society 2017).homelessness is a major problem in our world today.” Every year hundreds of thousands of pets are homeless or euthanized come lost forever (No voice unheard 2017)”. while most are never found: nationally, only 16% of lost dogs and 2% of lost cats are claimed from shelters by their families.(No voice unheard 2017)”. Too many breeders don't sell all there pets and they don’t get a home as that creates homeless animals . theized (NC Department of Agriculture and Consume Service , 2018).”Statistics indicate that an animal is lost every 30 seconds, and that at some point in their lives, one in five animals will b population of homeless animal increases and the community has problems with it. Sometimes when you surrender your pet it makes things even worse more and more pets will lose lives from being euthanized. This problem will not solve itself. The Humane Society Of the United States says that 1636 animals were brought or taken to the shelter and 1559 animals out of the shelters 59 of those dying most from euthanizing ,(Animal Humane Society, 2017),this is in one shelter. This is not okay. what are others doing to prevent the killing of innocent animals? Here is what people are doing: When people see a lost pet or animal they save its life by bringing them to an animal shelter. People are trying to find the perfect families for the animals people are rescuing. People are volunteering to spay and neuter animals so that shelters won't be overflowing with homeless animals and babies.“one unspayed female dog and her offspring can create 67,000 dogs and one unspayed female cat and her offspring can produce 420,000 kittens in seven years, (Watauga Humane Society, 2015).And most importantly people are adopting animals.” . As you can see the people in our community that care are doing what they can to help the homeless animals that are struggling. Even if all those people are doing something it won't be enough we need more people to step up and help the animals that need it. It isn’t enough for people to look back at the world problems and not do anything about them. They say others are helping but that isn’t enough. That’s why animal homelessness is still a problem. I believe that we all have to join together against animal homelessness, however there are tons of things that I can do all by myself. For example I personally can do things such as donate dog leashes, pet toys, etc. I could also volunteer at local shelters with my friends. In addition I could help build fences and dog houses for animals so they don’t have to be stuck in cages. Or I could simply go to nearby pet shelters and pet and cuddle them, ‘’Set a day and time each week to volunteer at your local animal shelter for 1 or more hours to play with the cats and kittens. Pet them, talk to them, sit with them and give them attention. They are stuck [in cages 24/7 while they wait and hope for adoption. When you spend time with them regularly, you enrich their lives, bring a little happiness and therefore boost their chances of adoption into a great home. ’’ (Bull City Pet Sitting, 2017). These are just a couple of ways that I personally can help with this If we were given the opportunity to help with this problem, we would probably try to fundraise for local shelters. A possibility could be to do a field day type activity and donate the funds to Second Chance Pet Adoptions. What I mean by this idea is that we could borrow some games from the gym ( such as bean bags for a bean bag toss) and then set up a couple different activities on the field. But then instead of it being a basic field day the students would need a specific amount of tickets for each activity and the tickets could be like a dollar or so per ticket. Also we could have a system where at each activity once a student does an activity once they get a little paper wristband so they can go back to it again and again without having to pay for it multiple times. We could have it occur from so all three grade levels could get a chance to enjoy it, and since those are the lunch periods food and drinks would be available for like a dollar per drink, or something along those lines. Our goal in doing this is to raise money for Second Chance Pet Adoptions and hopefully make a difference in some animal’s life. We will know we have succeeded in our goal if we are able to raise at least a hundred dollars and help a animal in need even if it’s only one. In order for this to succeed there are several things that the teachers and administrators need to know. First of all you would need to know that we would need to borrow the equipment necessary for at least five different games and activities such as bean bag toss or a relay race. You would also need to know that we would need at least one supervisor/chaperone for each game/activity so they can collect the necessary amount of tickets for that activity and so they can supervise and make sure no one is cheating. In addition you would need to know that we would little paper tickets and that each ticket will be worth a dollar but the actual activities will probably cost from three to five tickets per person. This is all that we would need for this to be a success. I know it may seem impossible but if we all work together I have every hope that we can accomplish our goal. Works Cited Bershadker, Matt. “Homelessness issues.”ASPCA. 2018, 29 January 2018 <https://www.aspca.org/animal-homelessness> “Public accountability.” humane society. 2017, 29 January 2018 <https://d3td2int7n7fhj.cloudfront.net/sites/default/files/media/files/2018-01/2017%20Public%20Accountability%20Statis Cardiff, emily. “10 ways to help end pet homelessness.”one green plant. February 25th 2014, 30 January 2018 <http://www.onegreenplanet.org/animalsandnature/10-ways-to-help-end-pet-homelessness/> Pepelko, kristina. “12 alarming facts about pet homelessness.” one green plant. February 20 2014, 29 January 2018 <http://www.onegreenplanet.org/animalsandnature/12-alarming-facts-about-pet-homelessness/> Thornburg, jen. “50 ways to help homeless pets in our community.” bull city pet sitting. July 17 2018. 30 January 2018 <https://bullcitypetsitting.com/2017/07/17/almost-50-ways-to-help-homeless-pets-in-your-community/> Second chance pet adoption.”support us.”.2017. 31 January 2018 <https://www.secondchancenc.org/support-us/?src=menu_sub> On July 15, 2015 it was announced that the Wake County Animal Center had run out of room. According to the article the center put up a sign saying that they were full and that if you were taking pet there the risk of euthanasia was very high. I was very interested in this article because I have an immense love for animals off all kinds and it breaks my heart everytime I hear about things like these happening in our society. Sadly this is not an isolated event and it has been happening to shelters all over Raleigh which have been forced to euthanize over half of their animals simply because they don’t have enough space. Though it may not seem like it this problem affects us all whether you own a pet or not. This case affects us all because at this rate shelters are going to have to keep euthanizing animals before they even have a chance at getting adopted. This also means that shelters will be forced to turn away even more pets which means they will probably end up on the streets where they will most likely die of hunger or cold. In addition it’s not just dogs and cats that will end up homeless its all kinds of animals from snakes to hamsters to birds. Though it may seem like there is nothing we can do that will make much of an impact there is and in cases like these everything and anything helps. For example we could collect money to donate to shelters so they can expand and have more space for the animals. Another option could be to take in animals that you see on the streets. But a way simple way that anyone who just recently adopted a pet of some sort, don’t just give them back at the first sign of trouble. Because keep in mind that you don’t know where the animals came from or what they have been through. for all you know a lot of these animals could have been abused, or they could have been living on the streets since they were born. Basically what i’m saying is just that if you’re considering returning a pet because of something they did like maybe they bit you or they don’t listen to you keep in mind that these animals have been through a lot and you should just try to stick with them a bit longer. Finally to all of you who are considering adopting an animal realize that it is going to be a major commitment and you need to make sure you are prepared to offer hours of your days to your pets.
I believe there is a right way to get through middle school
For some people middle school is just a weird limbo between childhood and your teenage years. For others it is the place where you grow from a child to a teen/young adult. For me it is one of the most impossible tests of true friendship. In my opinion middle school is the place where you discover who you are and the kind of person you want to be. You see in my mind if your friendship can make it through those three years where you as a person change so much then it can make it through almost anything. When I first started middle school I was excited, yet terrified at the same time. I was scared about what people would think of me, would the classes be really hard, when I was done with it would I be able to look in the mirror and be proud of the person I’d become. But I was excited because I knew that no matter what happened I wouldn’t be alone, I would have my friends right by my side. Although sixth grade was difficult it was nothing compared to what was waiting for me in seventh grade. Because in seventh grade is where I experienced not only my first crush, it’s also where I experienced my first heartbreak, and my first really bad fight with one of my best friends. One moment during seventh grade in which I really realized how much I needed my friends was right after my crush had rejected me for the second time. I was at home crying and I knew that there was only one person who would make me feel better, my best friend. See what happened is that earlier that year on the first day of school my friend had completely stopped talking to me. It was until the first school dance that I found out what was wrong. After she told me I got really mad and said some things I shouldn’t have said. Then she said some things she shouldn’t have said and the next thing I knew my ex-best friend and I were refusing to talk to each other. It was a couple weeks after that, that I realized I had a crush on this kid in my class. I had so many feelings and the only person I wanted to talk to was her, my best friend. Not long after that I told the guy that I liked him...twice. It was only after the second time that I realized just how much I missed my best friend. Luckily at the end of the year we realized how dumb we were being and made up. What this whole experience has shown me is that middle school is hard no matter what happens, but having friends there to help you makes it all worthwhile. That’s why I believe the right way to get through middle school is with your friends by your side. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
May 2018
Categories |