Why are there so many books, movies, documentaries, etc. about the Holocaust? Why do we keep retelling this story>

I think that there are many things about the Holocaust because people want us to realize that this should never happen.  To show that these things should be prevented from happening.  I don't think that this event was retold over and over again to criticize the German, or to show how inhumane people could be sometimes; i think it was just a lesson for us to learn.  And it is unfortunate that millions of people had to die for the lesson/ message to get across.  The Holocaust delivered a very special message to me, and that people are very special.  And you can't treat people just because you think of a particular way of someone.  6 million lives shouldn't have been lost because of one man's mistake.  

Question 5m

If you could interview survivors from the Holocaust, what would you ask them?

1. What was it like living in constant terror?

2. With whom did you know to put your trust in? (Such as Miep and Kraler)

3. Why couldn't the Jews just tell the Nazis that they weren't Jews?

4. How did you react when you had found out that they were moving you to concentration camps after the ghetto?

5. What was it really like at the concentration camps?

6. How did it feel at the concentration camps that one by one they were dying? For example, once you had made a friend, they would die.  

7. How did you feel towards the Nazis afterwards?

8. How did you feel when you had realized that you were few of the many people the survived?

9. Did you forgive them for what they did?

Question 5K

During the crisis in Act Two, Scene 3, Mr. Frank says, "We don't need the Nazis to destroy us.  We're destroying ourselves."  What does he mean here?  are the Annex inhabitants crueler and more destructive than when they first went into hiding?  How would you describe the forces destroying the characters from inside?  Do you think, given their desperate situation, that such behavior was inevitable?  Give examples from the text to support your answer.  

Mr. Frank is saying that even without the Nazis trying to come and destroy them, the inhabitants are doing so themselves.  They are going at each other with comments and each of them are getting on each others nerve.  They tear each other down with the bickering at each other.  Because as time passes by, everyone is getting frustrated with each other, they are crueler than how they were before.  Everyone of them is getting irritated by the little things they do.  Because they are locked in a smaller room, i think it is even worse.  The force that are inside the characters i think is want.  The wanting to get out of the room and breathe fresh air.  They have been locked in the room for about a year and a half and i bet that being in a small room in the attic could get claustrophobic.  I think that their behavior was predictable.  Such as when Mr. Van Daan steals food, and Mrs. Frank tells him to get out of the house.  Given the situation they were in, it was crucial to have food for the family.  Yet, Mr. Van Daan decides to get out of bed and steal food.  Mrs. Frank blows up.  It is normal for her to behave that way, but they were tearing each other down.  They were bickering at each other to stay alive.  Even without the Nazi's tearing them down physically, they were doing so themselves mentally.

Question 5f

Describe how the Hanukkah celebration in Scene 5 is interrupted.  What does Peter do to make matters worse?  According to Dussel, how will this incident lead to their discovery by the police?

Hanukkah is interrupted by the presence of the thief.  The Franks and the Van Daans instinctively think that it is the police, however, later realize that it was just a thief.  Peter makes things worse by his cat, Mouschi.  Mouschi makes noises when he walks and Peter jumps at him to make him quiet, which makes the thief suspicious of things.  And according to Mr. Dussel, the Franks and Van Daans would get discovered because of the thief.  The thief would go to the gestapo and tell them that, if they let the thief go, he would tell them where some Jews are hiding.  This actually does happen i believe.  The thief was the one who betrayed them.  I'm not sure, but if i was the thief, i would have just kept my mouth shut.  I really don't know how people could trade in themselves for other people's lives.  

Question 5B

What do you think would be the hardest part of life in the Secret Annex: the fear of discovery, the need to keep silent for hours at a time, the sharing of cramped quarters with strangers, or some other aspect? Explain.

I think that the hardest part of living in the secret annex is the fear of discovery.  You are living in constant terror, and you never could let that down, because once you do, you think about all the things that may lead you to discovery.  You would be always worrying about what could happen to you if you got discovered such as the concentration camps.  By this time, the residents of the secret annex would have probably known the punishments for those who had helped the Jews, and those Jews in hiding.  The Franks and the Van Daans were risking other people's lives as well.  Everyday you would constantly have to wonder if you would be caught or not.  Every time you hear boots approaching, the bookcase knocking, you would wonder if you ever get caught or not.  And i guess, the scariest part of the secret annex was when they knew that they were going to be caught.  When the guards were knocking on the door, and while i was watching the movie, the fear that were in their eyes was really sad to watch.  It was like they knew it was over, and after all the time that they had survived, they were being caught.  

Question 5A

"But always remember this, Anneke.  There are no wall, there are no bolts, no locks that anyone can put on your mind."

I think what this statement means is that, nothing can keep you from using your mind.  Your mind is a place of your own, and whatever they do physically to you, they cannot hurt you inside.  In your mind, you can do anything.  Although you may need to obey people, inside your head, they can't do anything.  It is you that makes the decisions; they cannot make the choices for you.  I would have to say that i agree with this statement.  Whatever you think is free.  Your mind cannot be put into a room and be locked.  Even if it is, it is free to roam wherever pleased.  Such as, in the movie, when Peter is in his room and feeling down, Anne tells him that, she sometimes imagines herself outside in the park.  Although they are in hiding, and technically speaking cannot go out and walk in the park, Anne's mind is able to go outside and walk with her father.  I think that this is a very powerful statement.  It would have given strength to many of the victims of the Holocaust.  No matter what youre going through physically, your mind would always be free.

Dramatic Irony

Something that we know Anne doesn't know is that she nor many of her family members survive.  It somehow makes me feel so bad.  Because we know this and she doesn't Anne is hopeful that she'll live to see the day the war is over.  I guess, it is heartbreaking that this isn't a happily ever after story.  The Franks and the Van Daans try so hard to stay alive.  They are hopeful.  Just the thought that they are in hiding, and haven't been discovered yet is perhaps heartening to them.  Despite all the trouble that they go through, in the end, they still are terminated.  I guess for me, i think it would have been better for the Franks and the Van Daans to be caught, instead of living in misery and hope for so many months, and later realize that they are going to die anyways.  Anne is such a vibrant young girl, and she seeks for the day that she may go out and live normally again, but we know, there would be no such day.  

Theme

I think that the play's theme was freedom.  We take freedom for granted, and obviously think that it is not a right to be free.  

Anne Frank: She wishes to go out and live life once again.  I think that all she truly wants to do is to go outside and to visit her friends and walk in the park.  She has realized that she took most of the things for granted.  She feels so locked up in the annex, and with everybody always against her, she longs to go to a place where she can be alone and let steam off.  

Margot Frank: She wants to go out and find someone to talk to.  She wants a companion like Anne and Peter.  

Mrs. and Mr. Frank: They just want everybody to get along as they used to?.. 

Mr. and Mrs. Van Daan: Her fur coat, she keeps it safe until the day she can wear it out again.  Mr. Van Daan really as well wants to return to normal.  He wants to be able to eat well again.  

Peter Van Daan: He wants to let off his steam, and be able to let off steam normally;; such as his parents bickering, he wants to deal with it in a normal way, not just shutting himself in a room. 

Mr. Dussel: Wants to just get out of the house

What is Prejudice? Where have you seen it and what are the effects?

Prejudice is a racial/ religious/ national/ etc. discrimiation without knowledge. Basically prejudice is judging a book by its cover, without really reading it. Prejudice is seen almost everywhere; wheter it happens in a nation, a community, or even a school. I think prejudice is mostly seen amongst individuals. At school, on the first day of school and there are new kids, you judge them by the way they look, and their first impression on you. After they react a certain way, you decide thats how they usually are, and if you dont like it, then you dont bother talking to that person. Even though that i do that sometimes, i think that its wrong. You never know if they act a certain way because they are nervous or maybe they have a 'problem' in their family or something. The effect of prejuice is a chance. A chance to meet new people and different personalities. You might miss your chance of a good friend. By being prejuice, you are taking that chance.

What do i know already about the Holocaust?

I would say, i know fairly well of the subject. Last summer, when i had visited D.C. i had gone to the Holocaust museum and really felt what the Jews had gone through. I would have to say the subject intrigued me in a way that people could treat each other so brusquely. I think that this event whenever it is told, it is very 'emotional'(?) for people to hear because of all the things that the Jews went through. I think back, and i think of if i was in that situation what would i do; i couldnt find an explanation of what i would do. Now as i think of what people went through as their everyday lives, i think of how lucky we are. When i think of the times that i get angry over things, i realize that there are more important things in life than what i get angry over. The books that i have read about the Holocaust have given me a clearer picture of what they had gone through and what they did even before the reselttlement. For example how the Nazi put the Jews in the "ghetto" before they actually sent them to the camps. How they treated them so unsympathetically, and them later on, treat them even more brusquely. It was really inhumane. How they could kill people without any emotion of regret(?). The main thing that i would really like to learn more about is how the Jews lived on right after the resettlement camps. Would they view life differently? People?

Red Scarf Girl (Character Development)

Ji- li was once this girl, who understood very little of her family. She once believed that nothing was more important than being a child of Mao. She totally supported the cultural revolution and nothing was going to stop her from being a part of it. Yet, in the story, what happens her to makes her doubtful of what is right in the world. From ji-li i guess i could say that i had learned alot from her. Over the past few days while i was reading, i was really..amazed by the courage she had, and i wish i had at least half of that. When i look back on my post about courage, it was nothing like the one she faced. Ji-li wasnt very couragous from the beginning, but as time wore on, she was. She developed into an adult over the past year. She had been forced to see reality as it was. She could have ignored everything, but she had decided to face everything that had been layed out infront of her. I know that what she had gone through couldnt have been easy. Besides the problem in her family, because of her family, she had to be looked down upon. it would have been easy to walk away, but hse didnt. Everybody knows that its hard to take humiliation, even when you know you dont deserve it. But, she was able to stand up tall and show everyone that she was strong and brave. Anyway, overall, i though that this was a good book, and you really can learn what is more important, the outside world, or the people who have stuck with you in no matter what situation.

red scarf girl (plot)

From my last post, i talked about just the basic and how the family had a secret. WELLLLL the secert was that the family had a political problem that made it so that it was hard to get realyl involved witht he cultural revolution. It was that the Jiangs were landlords. Chariman mao didnt allow that, so you were considered into the black category if you were any fourolds. In my opinion, its not fair. It wasnt your plan for you to be born into a certain family, and just because you were, doesn't mean you should be treated differently. Ji li goes through several events that make it hard for her to get involved in the cultural revolution because of her family background. I think that during this time period, Ji li had the most trouble because she was the one to make a new choice. And there were other childeren, but Ji li really understood what was going on. This showed that she was courageous. It was amazing how she really balanced both of them out, and how she was able to go through everything. It must have been tough for her, but she went through it. When her family was having a hard time, she was there. and even so for the cultural revolution. She joined the group to support it. I think that Ji li is the perfect example of how you can be courageous even in the hardest times. SO, a question for YOU! Would you choose your family or your country? :)

red scarf girl setting

SO, in this book, red scarf girl, it is about a girl, Ji-li, during the cultural revolution. Up to this point, her life is like a fairy tale. Shes top at everything, and anyone would be jealous of her. Shes smart, her family is in a good position, she was happy, and as well as beautiful. This book takes place in China. Up to now, chairman Mao, is taking action in the cultural revolution. He is trying to get rid of the old ways, and hange them into new ways. Even though this book just started, Ji- li is having disputes amongst her classmates becuase who is doing what old way and such. Ji-li is picked to join the Central Liberation Amry Arts Academy, but cannot go because of some politial reason. hmmm Im curious to find out!! hehe :)

Secrets

Once, i had this best friend in 2nd grade. Somebody had told me not to play with her because she always nagged and was really childish. Even though she was my best friend, i was young, and usually, when youre young, you believe everything anyone tells you. So hearing this, i had decided to distance myself from my best friend. This was the secret i did not tell her. I had avoided her all day, and didnt tell her why. First of all, I didnt tell her because i didnt want her to find out i wasnt playing with her, and second, because i didnt want to be the bad person who just left their best friend for something somebody else had said. I guess that could reveal a thing about my personality. I dont tell people things, becasue either i get hurt or somebody else does, and i dont like the feeling of that. Then, by the end of recess, all the girls in the class knew that i couldnt, or wouldnt play with my best friend. (there were only like 5 girls in the class) So by this time, my best friend knew somthing was wrong, and sensed that i had been avioding her. My secret had been revealed in class right after recess when my best friend asked me why eveybody was treating her differently and why i was being so mean to her. Then, had no choice but to tell her, so i told her that somebody had said that she nagged and was really childish. It was pretty shocking at first for her, but it as well made me feel bad becasue i had said it infront of the whole class as well as the teacher. Of couse, by the next day we were best firends again, and everything was fine, it still left a memory in the back of my head; although the secret had only lasted about an hour, but it was the worst hour of my life. I had avioded my best friend because of what somebody else told me. That was what i learned about my personality that day, i believed anything what people said, and as well as listened to other people. I dont listen to myself, but care about what other people think, and take it into thought. Even though i know it is not right, becasue other people tell me so, i do it. Through this experience, i had learned that, dont keep secrets from your friends because you never know when or how you can hurt them. And make decisions on your own, dont let anyone make them for you.

Courage

When I was younger, I used to take speech lessons and every once in a while, there used to be a speech contest. It was my first time speaking infront of a larger group of people because usually in my class, I only spoke in front of a small amount of people. But this was different. I had to speak infront of parents, other students, and the judges. The most terrifying part of this experience was that we were getting judged. Then, after weeks of preparing, the day had finally come to present my speech. Of course, all I had to do was recite the memorized paper, but at this point Korean was my 2nd language, and it hadn't been long, since I had first moved. It was like memorizing a speech in Italian and getting judged for it. It was sort of frustrating in the beginning. I was embarrassed most of all, of how people would think or say if i messed up. But, since i had already signed up and agreed to do it, I took the chance. It wasn't easy going up on stage with an audience of people starring at you. It was quite nervewrecking. But once i got on the stage, it was really, a good feeling. I had presented my speech "almost" fluently with only a few mistakes here and there. After I was finisehd i was proud of myself. Even though it was something tough to go through because i was young, and as well was speaking a foreign language, i went through it. And now as i look back, im glad i did because when i did take that chance, i felt alot braver. I had confidence in myself. This contest was a huge benefit for me because this taught me to say what i wanted and how to say it, professionally. This competition lead onto more chances for me, and later in 5th grade, i had the opporotunity to recite a speech in english. I guess from this experience, you could tell about my personality that I'm a person that i say i dont want to do it, but inside, i know iwant to. And im also afraid of what people really think of me. This experience for me, was the definition of courage because i did something that was really brave to me, and i had accomplished it.