The Early Settlers by Ken Chau

1. How does this title refer to two groups of ‘settlers’? Who are they?

The two groups are the ones who are foreign and arriving now such as the great-grandfather and the early settlers who have branded the new arrivals.

2. How is the first line of the poem successful at being ‘forceful’ regarding the Great-Grandfather’s presence in Australia?

It shows his position in the socio-economical status within the two settling classes, him being an outsider in the early settlers guild.

3. What action are the ‘early settlers’ doing that gives them equally a strong presence?
They are branding the new arrivals with very derogatory terms such as 'devil' and 'terrorist'. This shows there dominance and there ability to make people feel uneasy about there lifestyle.

4. How is the intention of the Great-Grandfather juxtaposed to the beliefs of the ‘early settlers’?

He juxtaposes the early settlers because he is branding them as well by calling them 'bastards' but by saying it in his own language shows him as an outsider standing up by hypocritical means.

5. What action does the Great-Grandfather do that ties him both to the ‘early settlers’ and to his own culture?

The great grandfathers brands others in much the same way the early settlers do, with derogatory terms such in the way the great grandfather brands 'bastard' upon someone which ties in with the early settlers branding people with 'foreign devil' and 'potential terrorist'. By the great grandfather branding in his own language he ties back in with his culture and his way of life

Chapter 13

1. How does the initial paragraph frame Bruno's state of mind?

The initial paragraph frames Brunos state of mind as that he is beginning to like and adjust to his new life away from Berlin, and that schmuel has made up for the loss of his old friends.

2. What does the question Bruno asks Maria show about his development?
Bruno asks Maria about Pavel and if he really did use to be a doctor or is he a waiter for the family. By asking this it shows that bruno is seeing people from a different perspective to the people around him, the nazis, and his sense of exploration is allowing him to seek the truth allowing him to see the 'big picture'.

3. What is important about Maria's reaction to Bruno's question?

It is  important to the story because for the first time gives another point of view of family and also shows more juxtaposition within the story (i.e. Kotler and Maria) and another division of the family.

4. Why does Bruno want to tell Shmuel about Pavel? What does this highlight about Bruno's understanding of what is going on?

Bruno wants to tell Shmuel about Pavel because he wants to know if schmuel and his family were the same, if they had lives before they've become workers or 'farmers'.

5. What do the boys argue about? Who does Bruno defend? Who is right/wrong? Why?

Shmuel and Bruno begin to argue about the soldiers and whether or not they are good or bad. Bruno does think that some soldiers are bad, but also good because he thinks his father is good. Shmuel however thinks that all the soldiers are bad. I believe that they both are right because they would be some good soldiers that Shmuel may have not meet (not assigned to deal with the jews) but there is undoubtedly bad soldiers. Also, the point of view is heavily based upon there nationality as well for example, a proud Nazi thinks they are good and that the Holocaust is good as opposed to a jews point of view.

6. Shmuel says 'You don't know what it's like here.' and Bruno reacts by saying 'You don't have any sisters, do you?' He says this to avoid an answer to Shmuel. What does this show about Bruno's understanding of what is happening?

Bruno is beginning to understand the darkness behind the fence and wants to hold on to the innocence he has but it is beginning to fade. This also shows that he is getting more information, a key aspect which is hid for most Germans to conceal the darkness of the camps. He also doesn't want to get involved with his father and his work because he also suspects his dad is involved.

7. What connection do the boys have regarding Lt. Kotler?

The boys connections to Lt. Kotler is that both believe that he is a bully and a mean person. They are also frightened of him a and that he is a generally bad man.

8. What has changed in the the way Bruno sees Pavel?

Bruno begins to notice Pavel as a person and everything he does around the house such as waitering for the family, rather a  'slave'. He also, rather than looking past him and never notice him, begins to notice everything he does in detail. He also begins to view Pavel over a week to week basis.

9. What important words are used to describe the way the father eats and addresses Bruno? What makes them important? How do they relate to the scene and the father as a character?

Bruno's father's way of eating is described as 'attacking a leg of lamb' which shows the way in which he approaches factors in his life. Not only did he 'attack' his food but he also pointed with a knife and shrugged his shoulders which are both considered in-polite. This shows the authority of Bruno's father and that he is has no rules within there household.

10. We learn Lt. Kotler's first name - 'Kurt'. What is it about the sounds in his full name that are important?
'Kurt Kotler' By giving the name 'Kurt' to Lt. Kotler it adds upon the metaphor of him being the perfect Nazi German as he already has blonde hair, blue eyes and now has a alliterate name.

11. What do we learn about Kotler's father? What is Bruno's father's reaction/suggestion regarding Kotler's father leaving Germany for Switzerland?

We learn a very important fact about Kotler which is that his father is a teacher who moved out of Germany to Switzerland in 1938. Bruno's father's reaction is that he feels insulted and that Kotler's father would leave Germany and even during a time of her uprising.

12. What happens to break the tension at the dinner table? What does Kotler do and what are everyone's reactions? What does Bruno decide regarding disagreeing with anyone anymore after seeing what happens to Kotler? What does this relate to historically in regards to the Nazis?'

A wine bottle is dropped by Pavel which breaks the tension at the table. Most of the wine is spilt over Kotler and he gets very angry and beats him up which causes Gretel to go white and Bruno to start to cry. Bruno then decides that he not disagree with anyone or complain to anyone anymore. He does this because he thinks that he would get yelled at like Pavel by Kotler or similar and decides better keep his mouth shut. This historically relates to the Nazis and there contempt with power over the Jews and that even other Germans fear powerful military based Nazis.

The Relative Advantages of Learning my Language by Amy Choi

1. The author opens the story with an anecdote. What is the anecdote and what effect does it have on the reader?
An anecdote is a story within a story which adds meaning and information to the original story. It can resolve any complications or confussions that the reader may have from the story.

2. What is the author’s view of the Chinese language in the 2nd paragraph?

The author thinks it's useless in a country that speaks english as they speak English all day, and watch television in English

3. What is symbolic about the house that the Grandfather mistakes for his own? What does it say about the assimilation of his family into Australian culture? What does it say about his understanding of Australian culture? What is ironic about the inhabitants of this house?
The grandfather mistakes the house for being his which symbolises the similarity and uniformity of living standards within Australian culture. It also shows that all migrants are treated the same way seen through the Chinese background of the main family and the Pakistani background of the other family. It is ironic that they are both of asian descendant and that they have similar living standards i.e. the same, or similar looking house.

4. What does the death of her grandfather inspire the author to do?
The death of the authors grandfather encourages and motivates her to get to know people more and to learn about there culture through the fact that she is trying to learn chinese.

5. Why is she motivated to know Chinese? What is it she wants to ensure she is able to, regretting that she couldn’t do it with her grandfather?

She is motivated to learn Chinese because she wants to be able to talk to an elderly relative next time they see them to learn about their life, which she wasn't able to do with her grandfather and regrets.

Conversations with my Parents by Oanh Thi Tran

1. What is ironic about the way the author and the father become close? What has to happen to the father?
It is ironic because the became closer over an event that is seen as being terrible, and pretty much over the fathers pain and suffering

2. How would you characterise the conversation that the author has with her parents?
They could be characterized as brief and maybe even awkward to some extent

3. What is it that worries the author most about these conversations?

The author worries about how she never tells their parents that they love them.

4. There is a gap between the author’s need to express feelings common in western countries and her family’s lack of desire to express their feelings verbally. How does the family still express their feelings for their child, just not verbally?

The family expresses their feelings through trying to show the author how to live their life, and trying to make them feel needed.

Teenage Dreamers by Phillip Tang

1. What are the first two sentences of the story and how do they create a tension in the story?

They create tension as they talk about a 'sixth sense' witch allow you tell when somebody is going to die. This creates the basis and tension within the story because it sets-up the thought that someone is going to die within the story.

2. What has happened to the author’s father as a result of his wife’s death?

The authors father looked for someone who they could care for like he did his wife, and he developed a fear of death

3. How does the description of the father removing his hands from his face as ‘unmasked’ related to the seriousness of his following statement?

it shows by describing that he removed his hands from his face by 'unmasking' them that he is showing his full emotion which he rarely does.

4. Consider how the father lives his life and conducts himself and the other people in the theatre for the film the author and his father are watching. How does this relate to the title of the story?

The father lives his life and conducts himself much like a 'teenage dreamer'. This is seen through his passion for an actor/musician who is popular at the time. He also begins to cry like teenagers (the other people in the theater) when confronted with a idol in pain. He also gets very emotional when he doesn't get what he wants, shown through the author saying 'no' to going to Honk Kong to go to a predict funeral.

My First Kiss by Lian Low

1. How does the author describe Malaysia in regards to showing affection?

She's says that people in Malaysia don't tend to show affection to each other in public. She states that she has never seen two people kissing, maybe meaning that it isn't something that is done in Malaysia to show public affection towards two people

2. What happens to the author when she hits puberty?


When the author hits puberty she finds that her ideal of being a tomboy was starting to come to an end. She started to relise that she was a woman, and she started to move further apart from her male friends and liked to be by herself more.

3. What is the author’s experience at school when she first arrives to Melbourne?


The author experianced a sense of almost "pack mantality" where the people of different races didn't seem to mix, only asains like her approached her mostly and she was put into lower classes or higher classes judge on where she had come from

4. What is it that made the author feel that she wasn’t Australian even though she spoke English fluently?


She felt like she wasn't apart of the culture and that she never will be because of her origins and her family.

5. What else was it about the author that further alienated her from her peers?


She felt like because she was a tomboy in some kind that she wouldn't fit in with all the other girls around her.

6. What does the use of description like ‘crash hot’ do to the audience’s perception of the author?


It showing how she is still a young author and she is trying to describe how it's happening.

7. What opportunity does university give the author? What is it about university which would allow her to express herself more freely?


University gives the author the oppertunity to learn and interact with people who share the same interests as her, and she'll be able to express herself more freely because of the people that she will encounter

8. What role does creativity play for the author? Why do you think that creativity would be so important to her?

Creativity plays an important part of the authors life because it gives her an outlet to her otherwise discriminated homosexuality. It is so important to her because without it she would have to 'bottle up' her emotions rather than express them freely.

Pigs from Home

1. How does the author start this story which is in direct contrast to the title of the story? What effect does this have on the reader and their expectations of the story?

The author begins the story by stating different positives about pigs and there presence in the world. It is a contrast to the title because it states pigs in situation that are away from home. It than goes on to tell the negatives about pigs and illustrates to the reader that pigs would make horrible house animals.

2. What core Vietnamese value is instilled in the author?

 The core Vietnamese value that is instilled in the author is that 'any good Vietnamese family was a self-sustaining one'.

3. What is humorous about the mother’s ‘flair for natural medicine’ in regards to her personality?

It is humorous that the mother has a flair for natural medicine because she is a hypochondriac and is very pedantic and always thinking she is unhealthy and has an unhealthy obsession with her house.

4. How does the description of the killing of pigeons continue the style utilised in the introduction of the story?

It is humorous that the mother has a flair for natural medicine because she is a hypochondriac and is very pedantic and always thinking she is unhealthy and has an unhealthy obsession with her house.

5. What is the author’s opinion of pigs? Give two quotes to support your conclusion.

The authors opinion of pigs is that they are unimportant and only used for food 'no pig has ever been a friend of mine' and that she thinks they are greedy.

6. In the paragraph on pgs 53-54, give two examples of alliteration employed by the author.

 'blowing raspberries on the bellies of babies' and 'feeding frenzy'

7. On pg 54 what simile is used to describe pigs? How does this simile work for the situation it is used?

A pig is like an ocean is the simile used and it works because you can't turn you back on the ocean or you will get dumped by the wave and can't turn your back on a pig because it will bite you.

8. What simile does the author use to describe her mother sunning herself? How does this relate to the core focus of the story?

'She suns herself by standing in the drive way and slowly rotating like a rotisserie chicken'. This relates to the core focus of the story which is killing animals for food.

9. What does the author describe as ‘the divide between the old world and the new’? What do you think is meant by this statement?

She began to see the harshness of killing animals for food and what happens in order to save money and not waste food.

10. What is the author’s reaction to the slaughter of the pig at night? What statement does the author make about the neighbours which displays the way he feels about the whole experience? What is important about including this statement?

The author feels shocked by the slaughtering and the brutality of the task and the blood spurting out of its neck. 'I thought about our neighbours, the girls who caught the school bus with us, and wondered if hey had heard all the commotion'. This is important because the author believes that the situation was down wrongly and to harsh as well as the fact that the author didn't want anyone else to be involved in the murder.

11. Why don’t the parents have pigs anymore? How does this relate to the description of the burial of the last pig they owned?

The parents don't have pigs anymore because they have a neighbour who is a pig farmer. This relates to the final description because the pig is killed by a snake and was buried and the people wouldn't want other pigs to die and not for them to be able to eat them.

12. How would you characterise the description of the mother’s treatment of the pig’s blood? Is it appetising?

I would describe it as a lot of effort for a very unappealing, unappetising add in to dishes.

13. What is ironic about the way the author has a popular Vietnamese dish? What is it about the way the author describes the experience of having pigs that makes it ironic?

 It is ironic that the dish is made of beef which is the only animal that wasn't on the farm. It is also ironic that the worst situation of the pigs that the author experienced which was the blood is something that the author carries on with and enjoys.

14. How does this story relate to the title Pigs from Home?

The author eats soup with pig's blood which reminds him of the cooking done by his mother back at his home.

15. Why do you think this story is in the Battlers section of the book?

 I believe it is in the battlers section of the book because it shows a situation where they have trouble and battle certain situations such as the slaughtering of the pig by the neighbours.

Growing Up Asian in Australia: Intro

  Introduction by Alice Pung

1. What were Asian-Australians referred to as when the author was growing up?

Power - points

2. How does she interpret this title?

She interperates it as them acknowledge that they were smart and nerdy.

3. What did this title actually refer to? Did the author find this demeaning? Why/why not?

It refered to the shape of the Australian powerpoint as you can see above ^

4. ‘All that untapped potential! All that electrifying brain power!’ What techniques are being employed by the author? How does they highlight her misunderstanding?

Exaduration, It highlights her misunderstanding as it shows that she truly believed that that's what it ment.

5. What did the teen author take away from teen fiction? What did she feel that she needed to do? Why? What does this say is essential to fitting in to a culture?

She took away from teen fiction that she needed extensive plastic surgery to fit in because all of the people in the stories are perfect and you have to be this way to be accepted.

6. Who are the authors that she turns to? Why?

Marsden and Robert Cormier instead because they right with raw honesty and real feelings about coming of age.

7. In the third paragraph how does the author use repetition. How does it highlight the focus of this book?

She repeats the theme of 'firsts' when you are young and this is the focus of the book because 'growing up is a funny time'. 

8. What metaphor does the author use to highlight the writers and the writing style in the third paragraph?

The author uses the metaphor 'they are not distant observers, plucking the most garish fruit from the lowest-hanging branches of an exotic cultural tree. These writers are the tree, and they write from its roots'. This highlights the fact that people who write about the stereotypes and the struggles of an asian growing up in australia does not have the true story but rather a bias one based on there intension with the article/story, and by people with first hand experience writing it, it gives a more honest truth the the experience.

9. Why does the author use a quote in the 4^th paragraph? What does it say about her reaction to the stories in the book?

The author uses the quote 'Strine' within the forth paragraph to show the way that she looks at the stories, she views them as bing jocular stories that poke fun at the Australian society and the way in which both the asians and non-asians react to each experience.

10. On page 2 the author talks about the themes that she loosely choose for the collection. What are they and why is it ironic that they show up in this book?

She uses the three loose themes 'the Battler, the Pioneer and the Legend'. It is ironic that she uses them because they describe key terms about non-asian Australians and the accomplishes of them be it the battling in war, the finding of Australia or the Legendary traits of Australia.

11. At the bottom of pg 3 on to page 4 the author says that sociologists have described Asians as the ‘model minority’. What is meant by this? What difficulties arise out of this label for young Asian-Australians?

By saying 'model minority' the author is proposing that all Asians follow the same stereotype of working hard, education, money, career and are models to how to work hard but fit into the minority of Australia as well as fitting in the background. This can put pressure on young Asian-Australians because it pressures them to be stereotypical and fit the criteria of working hard and drifting into the background.

12. What are the editor’s hopes for the collection of stories?

The editors hopes for the collection of the stories is that it will bring to the forefront the identity, place and perspective of Asian-Australians growing up in australia and there difficulties.

Holocaust Art: "It Takes But One" by Elizabeth Denholm and Alyssa Dziurlaj

What visual techniques are employed in this painting?

The visual techniques displayed in this painting include; the light differences between the two sides of the vertical painting, the vector of the larger hand, and the darkness of all the other people with one person standing up and out to help.

How do these visual techniques highlight major thematic elements of holocaust art and literature?

I'm unsure what is actually ment to be repersented here in this painting, but i'm pretty sure that the artist behind this painting was trying to repersent the difference that one man can make out of everyone else in the world, and how if just one person stood up it would of made a large difference. The elements shown in this painting highlight major thematic elements by the colours and expressions used.

Chapter 11 & 12

Chapter 12
Q:when the fury came to dinner, how did eva show a side of the furry that couldn't of been seen without her?
Q:How did brunos innocent react to the furry compared to how it impacted on eva?
Q:Bruno didn't quite understand what was going on when the furry came to dinner, if he had would it of changed his judgment?
Q:What steryotype is potrayed by the furry and Eva?

Chapter 11
Q:How does brunos innocent and his lack of knowledg of what is going on, effect what he says about the symbols?
Q:How does Bruno feel for shmuel? does he feel sorry for him?
Q:Does the theme of equality play a role in this chapter?
Q: What emotions are expressed in this chapter?

Writing letters

Write a letter from the mother to the father upon leaving to move back to Berlin without him.


Dear father.
I wish i didn't have to write this letter to you, but sadly times have changed and things happen and i believe this to be the best way. I'm writting this letter to inform you that i have tking the kids and are moving back to Berlin, without you. As i write this letter i am regretting every word, but i know it is for the best. Since you have got yor promotion you have changed. You've become so obsessed with striving t o gain power that you've lost sight of what actually should matter to you and that's your family. This new house is full of secrets and death, and i can't live in a house hold like this. Our children are being introduce to horrors of the world i never wanted them to have to see, and you and this house are significantly to blame. Everywere i go, I have this black cloud over me thinkning about the horible things happening less then fifty yards away. I know that what your doing is the right thing for Germany, but i hope you'll understand that until your prospectives change i believe moving back to Berlin without you is the best choice for us, and for our family. This letters intention isnt to say that I want a divorce, it's just to let you know of how i feel and what I am planning on doing because of this. I hope we will meet soon in the not so distant future when the war is over.


Write a letter from Gretel to Bruno after he went missing.


Dear Bruno,
Bruno it's been over 4 months now since I saw your playful happy face. I know that over the years i haven't been the nicest sister to you, and if i could i would probably take a chance to change some of the things that i've done. As the saying goes, 'you don't know what you've got till it's gone', I really didn't know how much a great brother you were until you've gone missing. Mum and Dad aren't doing too well... Mum and I have moved back to Berlin leaving Dad behind. They haven't seem to talk to each other in ages and i'm not sure what's going to happen. We all miss you greatly and we want you back. I hope that we can see you again soon. I really miss my little brother.
Love, Gretel

Holocaust Poetry #2

Homeland
Lois E. Olena

It was Christmas eve
and there was no room in the inn,
the Oswiecim inn,
so the Arrow Cross
took the children,
barefooted
and in their nighties,
out to the Danube
and filled their little bellies
not with bread
but bullets
flipping them
like tiddlywinks
into the congealing, icy river below.

It was the Red Danube
that night,
choking on the blood
of orphan Jews
whose little Blue faces
floated downstream
touring even all of Europe
until they washed up
on the shores of Eretz Yisrael (Jewish homeland)
and came back to life,
their little blue and white
bodies
raised high,
flapping in the wind.
How is imagery used in this poem?
 Imagery is used in this poem through setting the scene early telling the audience what time of year it was, giving them time to think about what that time of year means to them, then alliterating and telling them what it was to the people in the poem.  
Discuss the effect of the simile in this poem.
 The simile in this poem "flipping them like tiddlywinks" effects the poem as tiddlywinks is a game were you flick little pieces of plastic into a cup, almost reffering to the bodys of these people as little pieces of meaningless worthless plastic, and how their deaths were seen as a game.    
How is alliteration used in the poem? What is the effect?
 Alliteration isn't used in this poem  
How does the author juxtapose the innocence of the children to the cruelty they experienced?
 the author shows at the beggining the innocents of how they were just looking for a place to stay and they were brutaly murdered  
What is meant by 'touring all of Europe'?  it means that they traveled a great distance. 

Chapter 9

1. (pg95-96) How is Lt Kotler portrayed? Why is he portrayed this way? (remember that 'how' is asking about literary techniques)
   
   He is portrayed as being a man who is the most important person in the world because he wears his black polished boots. But when he isn't doing work for father he is outside talking to Gretel consiquently giving bruno the impression that there are two sides to Kotler in a way. He is portrayed in alliteration with the black boots.
   
   
2. What is Herr Liszt going to 'change' for Bruno? (98)
   
   He is going to change what Bruno is reading, and pretty much by doing s, change the way Bruno looks at life. He is sort of going to take away his imagination and by giving him books on history, it may possibly change or take away some of his innocence.
   
3. (100) What connection does Bruno make between the people in the camp and the people that come and visit his house all the time?
   
   He makes the connection that none of the people in pajamas ever come to visit them, only soldiers are seemingly allowed to come to his house. he also notices that the only person who he has seen up close in pajamas is Pavel,  and he just peels the potatoes.
   
4. What some of the things that Bruno begins to take notice of regarding the relationship between the soldiers and the people in 'pyjamas'?
   That the ones in uniforms are a lot more sharper than the ones in pyjamas and that the ones in pyjamas do what the ones in uniforms say.

Chapter 7

1. How is the mother's defence of Herr Roller entirely ironic?
   It's ironic because she is defending on innocent man, were she is surrounded by hundreds of Jews being tortured and killed, and she's doing nothing for them.
   
   
2. What role does Kotler represent historically in the novel? (think beyond being a soldier)
   
   Kotler represents the role of a typical man, who was bounded by the restraints of compulsorily warfare and forced to kill innocent people.
   
   
3. What character is Kotler juxtaposed with in this chapter? What effect does it have on understanding each of these characters?
   
    The Juxtaposition is in  this chapter is Bruno's childhood and Kotler's childhood. Bruno's childhood was happy, except there was a war going on and he didn't even realize whereas Kotler's was without war, a better childhood before the war where he didn't have to move because of his fathers work for the Germans
   
   
4. How would you compare the interaction Bruno has with Pavel to all the other interactions Bruno has had with adults?
   
   The interaction between Bruno and Pavel compared to the interactions between Kohler and Pavel are drastically different. Bruno treats Pavel like he treated Maria after hearing about her life and treats him like another person juxtaposed to how Kohler treats him. Kohler treats him like dirt, whereas Bruno treats Pavel like a good friend
   
   
5. Why is juxtaposition a key technique employed in Holocaust texts? How has it been used in The Boy in the Striped PJ's?
   
   Because in itself the Holocaust is a juxtaposition on one hand you have the mighty Germans who are the epitome of the perfect human. Whereas the Jews are poor and defenseless.

Chapter 6

1. 
   On pg 60 Bruno reveals a radical shift in his perspective and understanding of Maria. What is this radical shift? What does this show is developing in Bruno?
   It shows that Bruno is becoming empathetic, and this radical shift is that he realizes that Maria is just like him, she is no different to him but she is the same.
   
2. Compare how Bruno and Gretel treat Maria.
   Bruno is very kind to Maria, and Gretel is being extremely rude and snappy ordering her around like she is a slave and not a person who has feelings.
   
3. (pg 65) What is Maria's advice to Bruno about 'keeping safe'? Why do you think that she gives this advice? Do you think that it is good or bad advice?
    'Just keep quite about it, Bruno. Don't you know how much trouble you could cause' is the advice she gives Bruno. She is trying to keep Bruno advice but what is ironic is that she is the maid, and she is giving him advice instead of vice versa. She is practically telling Bruno that if he keeps quiet than he will be safe.
   
   
4. (65-6) What is Bruno's reaction to his new thoughts/feelings? Why do you think that he reacts this way?
   
   He is suprised at the feeling. He felt as if he was going to cry, he caught Marias eye and got the impression that she was going to cry too. He reacted in this way as he didn't feel like he needed to cry but his emotions were taking over. 

Chapter 10: The Dot That Became a...

1. (105) What does the progression of 'dot' to 'boy' tell us about the role of exploring and meeting the people in the camp? What does this represent about how other Germans view the Jews?
   It shows the progression of how Bruno see's these people, he first saw them as nothing but 'dots' from his window wondering who these people were and what they were doing, and then now after he's been talking and building a friendship with a Jew, he has relised that they're people, and now seeing Shmeul as a boy and not just a dot, among all the other dots. It is also a microcosm, using Bruno as a representation of the whole German empire, and Shmuel representing the Jews, showing that Germany at first only saw these people as 'dots', insignificant and not needed, but then they started to relise that the jews were people too. 
   
2. (109) What effect does the boys both having the same birthday have?
   The effect that came with the information that shmuel and bruno both had the same birthday was shock. It also allowed Bruno to relise that these people weren't so different, infact this person in particular even shared the same birthday.
   
   
3. (113-4) What do Bruno and Shmuel 'argue' about? Why does Bruno decide to stop the argument?
   Bruno and Shmuel were arguing about which of their home countries was greater. Bruno stated that Germany was the superior country as he over heard his father and grand father discussing it. and Shmuel quickly defended poland. Bruno relises that he doesn't actually believe what he was saying about Germany being the superior race, and has a sudden desire to change the topic.
   
4. (115) What does Bruno's last question reveal to Shmuel? What do you think Shmuel thinks of Bruno because of asking this question?
   "why are there so many people over the fence, and what are you doing there?" It reveals to shmuel that Bruno really also doesn't have a clue to whats happening, he's just a boy with a sense of adventure and exploration

Holocaust Poetry

1. What is your initial reaction to this poem?
   
   My initial reaction to this poem is empathy and a sense of reverence towards the children in that are being described in this poem.
   
2. How does the author use 'we' in this poem?
   
   The author of this poem uses we to signify that it wasn't just one person it was alot of people involved. It also adds to the emotion  that as it puts her in the picture, not just talking about other people.
   
3. What are the verbs used in the first sentence?
   
   Played, laughed, loved
   
4. What are the verbs used in the second sentence? How do they contrast with those used in the first sentence?
   
   It's the complete opposite. In the first sentence they were talking about happy emotions, where as the second sentence lets  you see the worse side of it.
5. What effect does the listing of 'lawyers, rabbis, wives, teachers, mothers'? What is it meant to signify?
   
   It signifies their dreams, and puts  a face onto what these people were like, they all had dreams too. 
   
6. What simile is used in the poem and what effect does it have?
   
   "We were taken away, in the dead of night like cattle in cars, no air to breathe smothering, crying, starving, dying." It makes you realise how inhuman it all actually was.
   
7. How has the poet represented herself in the last sentence?
   
   She places herself as a victim and she leaves us off with a statement making us remember her.

Chapter 5

1. What does it say that we only actually meet the father in the book in Chapter 5 even though he is the one causing much of the action in the book?
   
    It makes the father seem a bit mysterious, because he had done so much in the book so far, moving house, bringing the fury in, though we haven't really had a good description of him yet. As well as a mysterious feel, if it wasn't for him then Bruno wouldn't have had to move and none of the complications for Bruno wouldn't have happened
   
   
2. the mother says: ‘We should have never let the Fury come to dinner. Some people and their determination to get ahead.’ What theme does this introduce regarding the role of ambition and causing harm?
   
   It shows that the mother thinks that the father is becoming to wrapped up in the whole Nazi regime, and she wants to go home.
   
   
3. How does Bruno's father speak to him? Give an example to support your answer.
   
   He speaks to him very basically trying to make sure that he doesn't lead Bruno's mind to wander down a path that he doesn't want him to.
   
   
4. How would you compare the way Bruno speaks about the world to his father's? Do they both comment about what is going on around them the same?
   
   Bruno is much more direct and to the point, he says exactly what he sees. Whereas his father speaks like a politician, he doesn't get to the point quickly and he likes to beat around the bush. He rationalizes what is going on and speaks around the truth and almost convinces himself that he is doing the right thing for the good of Germany. His ambition has clouded his judgement.
   
   
5. How does the father rationalize every concern that Bruno has?
   
   He rationalizes it to make sure that Bruno can understand it and not go asking questions
   
   
6. What is ironic about what the father says when he comes around the desk and talks to Bruno about his childhood?
   
   He says tho make the best out of a bad situation, like when his father said to him to do so. It is ironic because he is saying to do the right thing when he is working for the Nazi's and killing Jews
   
   
7. Do you think that the father really cares about Bruno? Why/why not?
   
   I think that Bruno's father does care about Bruno, I think that the only reason that he is Staying in Auschwitz is for Bruno and Bruno's future.
   
8. Do you think that Bruno understands what he is saying when he says 'Heil Hitler!'?
   
   No I don't think he does because he doesn't even know who Hitler is. And yet he is saying Heil Hitler.
   
   
9. How is juxtaposition used in Bruno's description of their boarding the train to Auschwitz?
   
   It is used because of the fact that there are two trains going the same way, Bruno's train has plenty of room whereas the other train is crowded.
10. What is Bruno's reason for not saying anything to the Jews on the crowded train? How is this a representation of the greater German population?
    Because he does not want to make his mother and Gretel angry. It is a good representation, of the greater German population because of the fact that none of the Germans want to enrage Hitler.

Chapter 4

2. (pg 31) How does the author continue to use juxtaposition in regards to the two housing situations? (the Jews and Bruno's family)
   
   Bruno's old house was big, and fun to be in, and had heaps of space. But when Bruno looks out the window to the Jew's houses/huts, they were only one story tall, and they weren't close together and they didn't look very friendly. In Berlin, Bruno had freedom, but here it feels like he was trapped behind the tall fence.
   
3. What is it about the children that makes it difficult to understand exactly what they see through the window and just how bad it is?
   
   The narrator doesn't describe them very well, you don't know what they look like, what there wearing, why there there and if there actually Jew's or not. There's no description.
   
4. Summarise how Gretel describes what she sees.
   
   She sort of focuses on the land more than the people. She see's a table where she can read in the sun and flowers and makes you feel like that its not so bad. But then, when she looks past the fence, there's no grass, no flowers, and makes the reader feel dark and cold. she see's huts in the distance, and buildings and that there is a 'sand like substance'.
   
5. What does Gretel attempt to do when she sees the Concentration Camp? How does she attempt to understand what she sees?
   She squeezes her lips and squints her eyes to make her brain work better.
   
6. Is her attempt successful? Does she convince Bruno that she understands? What does she eventually give in to? What does she say/or not say? (pg 32)
   
   She almost convinces Bruno that it is the country side, that there are farms out here and this could be there holiday house. But then Bruno starts to ask questions about if this was a farm, where were the animals, where were the plants, the food and that the land isn't good enough to be growing crops. She gives into Bruno's statements that she is wrong and she agree's with him.
   
7. What can't the children do when they see the Concentration Camp that the adults seem to be able to do? Which group can understand what they see? Why do you think that this is the case?
   
   They can't shout at them or push them around, they don't have to wear those PJ's and they don't have to carry spades and shovels. It separates the groups like a hierarchy, the adults are at the top, Bruno and Gretel are in the middle, and at the bottom are the boys and men in the PJ's
   
8. How does the author use understatement through the children's description of the Concentration Camp?
   
   He shows that the children don't really know what's going on, it sort of lets the reader know that this could be a concentration camp, but your not really sure until Bruno see's the PJ's

Chapter 3

1. Describe how Bruno and Gretel's relationship is introduced in the chapter. 
   Bruno and Gretel's relationship is introduced by the narrator describing how Bruno feels about his sister and how he is secretly scared of her. Gretel's feelings is that Bruno is annoying and whiny.
   
2. List quotes that show how the new house is described. 
   It was very cold and lonesome and hollow and he decided that he better not go jumping around the house too often or it might collapse. 
3. What is Bruno's reaction to the new house? 
   Bruno's reaction to the old house is that he still doesn't like the house very much, and he would stay here for a few weeks and then leave without a fuss.
   
4. How does it compare to their old house? 
   It is very small and not very interesting whereas the old house had places to hide and explore with a lot of people outside and there was always something to do.
   
5. How does Gretel relate to her father?
   Gretel relates to her father by controlling her brother and talking to Bruno in the same way that her father does.
   
6. Does Bruno understand where they are? What makes you believe this? 
   He doesn't know where they is because he doesnt understand what his father does, why they had to move and what the children outside the house were wearing and why they were wearing it.
   
7. Does Gretel understand where they are? Explain. 
   Gretel does understand where they are but doesn't know what the children are doing there. She knows who her father works for but I don't think she understands the seriousness of it.
   
8. How is Bruno's description of 'Out-with' represent a motif? What is darkly ironic about this?
   Bruno's description of 'Out-with' represents a motif as he described and says what he thinks about the house which is written about throughout the book and is darkly ironic because he does not like the house compared to his old one and everything about him makes him nervous which is exactly like what Auschwitz would feel like when the concentration camp was there.
   
9. Read pgs 27-29. How are Bruno's and Gretel's reaction to 'the children' Bruno sees through the window different? What does this tell us about these two characters and their perception/understanding of where they are? 
   Bruno's reaction to the children is completely different to Gretel's reaction to 'the children' as Bruno is curious and does not know much about the children whereas Gretel is frightened and worried at the though of children being out in the landscape. This tells us that Bruno's perception and understanding is one of innocence and has no real idea why they would be there whereas Gretel appears to have knowledge about the children which takes away her innocence on the matter.

Responding to a Poem

Holocaust
by Barbara Sonek

I read, I heard,
I felt your pain.
I see you for who you are, and what you've become,
your innocent life ruined by the worlds problems of your time you were nothing more than a child. 
History tells us of your misfortune, the price you payed for an innocent life disicion made for you by your generation before you. The dreams that were taken from you, the life you could of lived if it was so injustly ripped away from you. 
We will remeber you. You the children of the past, the children unjustly accused for a basic life decision of faith. 
We will remeber you.

The Boy in the Striped PJ's - Chapter 2

• Using quotes, how is the new house described?
  
  The house is described as being small, and boring, "the exact opposite of the other house". Bruno dislikes the house and feels less secure here as he did at his old house.
  

• How does it compare to the house in Berlin? How is this an example of juxtaposition?
  
  The house in Berlin was large and Bruno felt free there, a place were he could be himself, where as the new house is smaller and boring. It is an example of juxtaposition as Bruno compares the two houses differences and similarities in his mind, to pick out which one he likes better.
  

• How is Bruno's reaction and discussion of the new house taken by the other characters? What is ironic about the way people treat Bruno's comments regarding the new house?
  
  Bruno doesn't like the new house. He expresses this to the other characters in the book but is rejected. The irony in this is that the other characters feel the same way but they don't/can't speak up about their opinions.
  

• Do you feel empathetic towards Bruno's new home? Why/why not?
  
  In a way I do feel empathetic towards Bruno as he has been forced to move out of his home were he felt safe and comfortable to move to a place fall of death and despair 

• Consider the use of vectors, line, contrast, composition, colour, and perspective (there are more techniques)
  
  This picture uses a contrast of black and whit colours, the sky is full of white and blue to be seen to even let in a tiny bit of the sun. The snow all around the camp is showing that it would of been freezing cold. The lines of the fence that are straight and almost as if it blends in with the other shapes that are straight and give the impression of structure and prison like.
  
• How can the visual elements in the photo evoke empathy and reverence from a viewer?
  
  In this photo you can almost visualize all the Jewish men and woman who were there. The vector of the fence that you can see traveling on, almost forever, as you never see the end of the fence line. This gives you a true feeling of empathy and deep respect for these people who had to deal with this in their lives. You can see that the all shapes  are ridged and structure. It was a place for murder and you can see this, this would of been torture for these innocent people.
  
• How is Auschwitz represented in this photo?
  
  It is represented in this photo as being a cold, heartless place, built for only torture, murder and despair.  
  
• Find another photo of Auschwitz that you feel has an important representation of this place that caused so much pain and destruction. Analyse the use of visual techniques which make it particularly engaging. How does it represent this location?