“At Auschwitz dying was so easy. Surviving was a full time job.”(Eva Mozes Kor) Eva and Miriam Mozes were only ten year old twins that had been separated from their family, home, and safety. Their own lives were turned around and after persecution of their Jewish culture began, they were thrown into a cattle car and brought to Auschwitz. The months spent in the camp changed the girl’s once innocent and perfect lives. They endured death, disease, brutality, and hunger in a way that would leave them with one question: How hard would they work to make it through this time? Eva Mozes Kor writes about her months spent in Auschwitz, speaking freely about how she survived, and how it changed her, and what we, as the public, can learn. Eva Mozes Kor doesn't shy away from the truth as she writes about her and her sister’s experiences. Blunt statements and simple words are used to state the scenario and they made the story clear, and especially hard hitting for the reader. The book definitely challenged me to visualize how awful the conditions were in Auschwitz. People were unable to drink water because of how unsanitary it was. Even harder to understand was that so many people were killed because they did not fit the “perfect race” that the Nazi’s believed in. It made me rethink my simple problems, and challenged me to understand real problems others have. Personally, I feel that I learned about the specific emotions that the prisoners of Auschwitz, and all concentration camps, went through. It is hard to imagine yourself in such a situation, so it really paid off to have the author tell their own stories with what they drew from the terrible happening. It made it that much more real, which was hard for me to grasp. Surviving the Angel of Death taught me of the unbelievable struggle all the people persecuted by the Germans faced during World War II. I realized that these people were denied simple necessities. The sanitary conditions in the camp caused so many deaths from diseases. These young twins were brutally experimented on, even though they did not understand the situation. I can appreciate so many things now, knowing that my wants and needs are in fact separate. Things I have had my whole life like clean water, food whenever I want, good medical attention, kind caretakers(teachers, parents, etc.). I think that I may grow to be more helpful to others lacking necessities because of this book and the vast contrast I can see between my life and theirs. By Katherine S.
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The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, is a fictional account of a young privileged boy named Amir and his numerous struggles, surprising encounters, and conflicted relationships. Amir grows up in a very wealthy household in Kabul, Afghanistan with his father Baba. As Amir is growing up in Kabul, he witnesses Afghanistan’s last peaceful years with his friend Hassan, before its revolution and invasion by Russian forces. Throughout the book, Amir narrates this story in a powerful, impactful way. He describes gut wrenching experiences, beautiful friendships, mournful losses, and raging wars. As the years go by, Amir’s personality, life, and relationships change drastically. As I read this book, I noticed the many conflicting relationships between the Amir and other characters, and decided to investigate their source. To my surprise, I found Amir’s privileged life was the source of all his struggling relationships. His relationship struggles persist with his father, friend Hassan, and other local Afghan citizens. At the source of all three of these conflicting relationships is Amir’s sense of selfish entitlement because of his privileged and sheltered childhood. This advantaged childhood let him think he had right of possessions, good reputations, working relationships, and didn’t have to sacrifice anything for relationships, which ultimately, ruined them. That is why I think a sense of entitlement can forge conflicting relationships, yet if bound by an awareness to your surroundings and others emotions, feelings, and actions, can be healthy. Once a relationship is lost to entitlement, it might never be regained again. Before I read The Kite Runner, I would pick up a book, glance at the cover, read the back, and judge the book. I would judge if it was good, boring, relatable, exciting, well known, or a classic. I mostly read realistic fiction because I could relate the stories to me. Now, after reading The Kite Runner, my eyes have been opened to new genres of books. These books may still be fiction, like The Kite Runner, but a different type of fiction. The Kite Runner is a type of historical fiction, which has now broadened my horizons to the idea that other genres of books can be interesting to read. I will now be able to develop a newfound compassion for different types of characters, found in different parts of the world, representing or going through many different things. This compassion will help me throughout my life in understanding the news, relating to people and groups, and connecting these stories to my different classes in school. This type of reading has also helped me travel to a place where I forget about my busy, stressful life, and step into the Amir’s completely different life. It gives my mind a break, and I tell myself, “I am so lucky to have the privileged life that I have.” By Brooke B. Religion is personal. The book I chose to read for this challenge is called, “Religion” by Margreet de Heer. This book is a complete overview of the authors’ definition of religion and different types of religion. Right away in this book she makes it clear that she is aware of the risks of writing a book about religion. She states all of the possibilities of writing one with negative feedback such as death threats, hate mail, and angry mobs. She follows up with stating how this book is written through her personal experiences and beliefs. That way no one can argue with her if she isn’t stating that they are facts. A very strong quote I picked from the book is “Religion is personal! And that’s why it’s such a delicate subject.” Religion is a very controversial topic and writing a book on it is like walking on eggshells.I picked this book because this is something I know absolutely know nothing about and not to mention I really never had a drive to learn it. I have always read books about sports. That is pretty much the only category I can read and enjoy. I am very picky about books so this was difficult to read something I wasn’t necessarily interested in. It is also a format that I have never read. Usually I read the same old traditional books but this book is a comic book. Right off the bat that sounds like a kid book or a very easy read. If you ever read this book yourself you will quickly realize it isn’t either of those. It has a very high vocabulary and there are a lot of religious terms that are hard to understand. It felt like reading in a second language. Although it was short, if you read it once and you honestly and fully understand it, I will applaud you. I had to read some parts three separate times to “sort of” understand it. Reading something you have no interest in and know nothing about is tough. You have to be extremely open minded. Reading this book really did show me how there can be so much controversy in one topic. I never understood how so many people could have so many issues about one topic. It is not a small topic, religion is very broad and there are many aspects of detail you need to touch on when writing a book on it. After reading the book it ties a lot of strings when you hear people talk about religion like it is a different language. I am not saying I understand it completely but I could carry a decent conversation on it. Never could I debate with someone about it. By Luke Iranian Escape The book I chose to read for the reading without walls challenge was The Complete Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi. I chose this book because it is about a character who doesn’t look or live like me, it is about a topic I knew very little about, and it is in a format I don’t normally read. Persepolis is a fairly long graphic memoir about the author, Marji, and her lifelong challenges stemming from her Iranian family. Marji was born in a dangerous time in Iran and went through her childhood facing war and frequent bombings. As she grew up, she began facing more and more legal challenges as a woman in Iran. She was forced to wear a long head-scarf, baggy pants, and clothes that left everything to the imagination. People in this time were not allowed any freedom for expression, and even simple things from music to alcohol to makeup and nailpolish to certain types of clothing and shoes were banned or frowned upon. Parties and fun gatherings were strictly prohibited and women were largely repressed. At about the age of fourteen, Marji’s parents decide it is best to send her to Vienna, Austria to keep her safely away from any bombings and allow her to be more free and expressive. Both during and after finishing her high school education, Marji faces many struggles against drugs and ends up homeless until she finally returns to Iran. Once home, she believes things will become much easier for her, but it ultimately just becomes more and more difficult for her. Reading about Marji’s life in a setting thirty years in the past and seven thousand miles away gave me an entirely new perspective. I used to know next-to-nothing about Iran, but after seeing the detailed description and images that Marjane provides in her story, my understanding has grown quite significantly. According the Persepolis, Iran is often a place that faces war and has nearly since its creation as a country. This story surprised me quite often with the unfair and claustrophobic laws that were getting updated and changed almost every day, and how living in a compressed society where everyone is expected to live almost exactly the same. Since I didn’t know very much about this topic, it very much changed my outlook on many things. The women in Iran were almost always fighting a war of their own, in which men of higher power were suppressing their creativity and hiding their true appearances with sexist laws that even said that women weren’t allowed to testify in a court of law. As many people would expect this to be happening very far in the past, laws like these were still in place and even still getting added to in 1990. This story brought me a whole new perspective about the ways that people should be able to express themselves, and the importance that feminism has even in our modern society. “Why is it that I, as a woman, am expected to feel nothing when watching these men with their clothes sculpted on but they, as men, can get excited by two inches less of my head-scarf?” - Marjane Satrapi By Maddie |
AuthorSTenth grade students at Decorah High School share how they're reading outside of their own experiences and how it has changed them. Categories
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