In the beginning chapters of the novel, Refugee, Alan Gratz introduces his characters, Josef, Isabel, and Mahmoud, as well as their current situations in their homelands at specific time periods. Gratz specifically writes about Mahmoud blending in as a cloak of invisibility to help him survive his situation. He writes about Josef and those who wear the yellow Star of David armbands as being invisible and how the Cubans were unseen, forgotten and starving. How could it be positive and how could it be negative to be invisible in these situations?
Throughout the novel, Gratz writes about interactions between the Hitler Youth and Josef, Mr. Nasser and the Bishara family, and the Fernandez family, the Castillo family, and the tourists at the Bahamas. Why did Gratz include these interactions?
Blog #1
ReplyDeleteDear Officer Brinkman,
Thank you for blogging with us. Kaitlyn, Korbin, Skylar and I really appreciate it.
It is positive for Josef, Isabel, and Mahmoud to be invisible so they are not possibly harmed or caught by the enemy. On page twenty-four in the novel, Refugee, by Alan Gratz, he explicitly stated, “That afternoon, a group of Hitler Youth were waiting for Josef outside the school. They fell on him, hitting and kicking him for being a Jew.” This textual evidence backs up our claim by visualizing that, at that time in Germany, Jews were hated, and it was better for Jews to be invisible rather than to be noticed. For Isabel, going unnoticed meant not being sent to prison. Gratz explicitly stated on pages nine and ten, “Fidel Castro, the man who ruled Cuba as president and prime minister, would not allow anyone to leave the country—especially not to go to the United States—el norte, as the Cubans called it. The north. If you were caught trying to leave for el norte by boat, Castro would throw you in jail.” This backs up our claim by showing the danger of being noticed by Castro because one may disappear with no warning and little chance of coming back. From our understanding, Fidel Castro was a very controlling person; he controlled the people in a way that sent fear through their minds. When the people left, so did his power. He would do anything to keep them in his country, no matter how cruel. Even further with Mahmoud, Gratz explicitly stated on page seventeen, “That’s when Mahmoud had realized that together, he and Khalid were bigger targets; alone, it was easier to be invisible.” This textual evidence backs up our claim by referring to the fact that staying invisible is better than being visible for that moment in time. One can guess that at their point in time, Josef, Mahmoud, and Isabel needed to stay invisible until they knew what was going on and what to do. The plus side of invisibility was possibly staying alive and possibly avoiding the troubles of being injured; that was their best option!
Kaitlyn, Korbin, Skylar and I also know that there are negative possibilities to being invisible. Gratz explicitly stated on page twenty-six, “Freedom! Freedom! chanted some of the rioters.” This evidence backs up our claim by proving that the rioters would not have had the courage to rebel if they chose to stay invisible and not draw attention to themselves. Gratz also explicitly stated on page eight, “Without Russia’s gas, they could not run the tractors to change the fields over to food, and without the extra food, the Cuban people began to starve.” This evidence backs up our claim by proving that if Isabel was invisible, she would have starved with the rest of the Cubans. Furthermore, Gratz explicitly stated on page three, “Two of the Nazis yanked Josef’s father to his feet and dragged him toward the door.” It continues on page four. “He leaped to his feet, grabbed the arm of one of the men carrying his father, and tried to pull him off.” This textual evidence backs up our claim by proving that if Josef was invisible, he would not have stood up against the Nazis. Anyone can infer that Isabel, Josef, and Mahmoud could not be invisible all the time, and invisibility is not always the best choice. Invisibility can have great effects but also can bring harm to the people who use it.
What do you think? Could Korbin, Kaitlyn, Skylar, and I be correct? Thank you for reading our response. We look forward to reading yours!
Dear Aaron, Korbin, Kaitlynn and Skylar,
ReplyDeleteFirst let me say Thank You, for allowing me to hear your thoughts and views on this book. I look forward to hearing what you have to say. The more I think about this I would have to say I agree with you, it can be positive to be invisible. To blend in with the crowd and not be noticed can be a good thing. Have any of you ever tried to blend in and not be noticed? When Mrs. Fuller or Mrs. Thompson are asking a question of the class, and you don’t know the answer, do you try to blend in hoping they won’t call on you. Can you imagine having to wear a star on your shirt every day, to be ridiculed, assaulted, beaten, maybe even killed because of what you believe in? Can you imagine not having enough to eat? I pray none of you ever have to know hunger like that. I also pray you never see a time when your home Is blown up around you, while lawlessness runs wild and there are threats around every corner. I am a firm believer in standing up for what you believe in, I think that is obvious by my profession. I am not however supporter of rioting. Protesting yes, rioting no. The problem with riots is that people will do things they normally would not. They do so under the anonymity of the crowd. They raided stores, taking things they wanted. Is it fair to the shop owner who lost everything? Can that shop owner afford to fix his store? Will the Shop owner have food for his family that night? When you stand up for what you believe and you stand out of the crowd it does often make you a target. It can be very scary and alone but many times it is the right thing to do for change.I believe the great Dr Martin Luther King had the right approach.
I want you to think of your own family. Could each member of your family survive the journeys Josef, Isabel and Mahmoud faced? How would you deal with it in your family?
Dear Officer Brinkman,
ReplyDeleteThank you for responding to our Blog #1.
Here are the answers to your questions:
1.You asked if we have tried to not be noticed and the answer is “yes”. Korbin, Kaitlyn, Skylar, and I have tried to not be noticed because if we do not know the answer and we should know the answer, we feel embarrassed. We worry that we could be in trouble and/or we worry that our classmates will make fun of us.
2.For the second question, Korbin, Kaitlyn, Skylar, and I all think that if we had to go through the beatings because we had a star on our shirts, we would go berserk because we would be beaten for essentially nothing.
3.As far as not having enough to eat, Korbin, Kaitlyn, Skylar, and I cannot even imagine. We are lucky to live in America where there are resources for people who have food insecurity.
4.For question four, Korbin, Kaitlyn, and I do not think that it was fair for the shop owner to lose all of his supplies because of the riot. The shop owner would not be able to afford to fix it because they are in Cuba where the economy had failed. This person will have no money; therefore, he won’t be able to feed his family. We also think that the riot was a poor choice for the rioters.
5.Our families could probably not make it through the journey that Josef , Isabel, and Mahmoud had to travel. We are so used to having all our technology and other luxuries. Because of this, we do not believe our families would be prepared. It teaches us that we probably need to talk to our families about being prepared for a crisis.
6. With trying to deal with it, we would have to work together and fight until we couldn’t anymore. We would have to work as a family or a team.
Thank you for responding. We hope you like our reply.
Blog #2
ReplyDeleteKaitlyn, Korbin, Skylar and I think that Alan Gratz included these interactions to tell the reader there is some good in the world and to tell his readers to be visible and to stand up. In the novel, Refugee, Gratz explicitly stated on page 126, “‘My house is too small for you,’” the man said, ‘But I have a little car dealership, and you can stay in the office.’” Also, on page thirty-four Gratz explicitly stated, “‘What were you thinking?’ the boy whispered. Josef couldn’t speak. The boy thrust the armband at Josef’s chest. ‘Put that on and don’t ever do that again,’ the Hitler Youth told Josef.” Also, he explicitly stated on page 177, “ Before they could get the engine to restart, one of the tourists tossed down a bottle of water to Seńior Castillo. Soon the rest of the tourists were hurrying back and forth to the cafē, buying bottles of water and bags of chips and tossing them into everyone's hands on the boat.” All of this textual evidence backs up our claim by proving that Gratz tells the readers there are people in the world who will help the hurt and will want to be visible because they feel sympathy and/or empathy for them. Anyone can infer that these people stood out, became visible, and helped the families in distress because they did not believe in families being separated and falling apart. Unfortunately, some of these people had to appear to follow others’ rule of law in order to move forward in their lives.One can conclude that Alan Gratz is telling the readers to look out for people who need help and help them. Stand up for what you think!
Do you agree with us? Could we be correct? Kaitlyn, Korbin, Skylar and I look forward to our response.
Group 2,
ReplyDeleteI agree with you in that there are always good people. Many times it takes a bad situation to bring out the good in people. I wonder what it was like to be the young man who was a Hitler Youth. Knowing what was right but also knowing what it meant to be caught doing the right thing. Would he have been sent to a concentration camp if caught?
I think the old man with the dealership had very good understanding what it was like being forced from his home country. He said he too was a refugee. Would you be willing to offer complete strangers access to your business?
From what I have witnessed in my life doing good things can be contagious. I think that is represented by Mr Gratz when he talks about tourists throwing the water and food down. If the first person had not thrown a bottle of water down would anyone? It takes one person being brave enough to start an action for others to follow. I challenge each of you to be someone who leads. To be someone who is brave enough to stand up for what they believe in and take that first step.
ReplyDeleteBlog 2 Response
Dear Officer Brinkman,
Kaitlyn, Korbin, Skylar, and I think that the Hitler Youth would not have been sent to a concentration camp, but punished severely right then and there. We all also said that we would not trust the refugees and would not let them into our business. They may steal something in the shop or destroy it. Korbin thinks that the tourists would still have given them food and supplies even if the one person did not. Kaitlyn, Skylar, and I think that the tourists would have an idea to do it but would not do it.
Blog #3
ReplyDeleteDear Officer Brinkman,
Gratz is trying to make the point that some people recognize others. They don’t pay attention to them until refugees do something to them. On page fourteen Gratz explicitly states, “ When they stayed where they were supposed to be- in the ruins of Aleppo or behind fences of refugee camps people could forget about them but when refugees did something they didn’t want them to do- when they tried to cross the border into their country or slept on the front stoop of their shops or jumped in front of their cars or prayed on the decks of their ferries that’s when people couldn’t ignore them any longer.” This evidence backs up our claim by proving that most people ignore the problem until it comes to them because they don’t want to worry about it. One can infer that Gratz is telling us to not just recognize them when they are here, but when they are in trouble too because that is what people should be doing. Gratz is telling us to accept and notice people all the time since that is what good people do. We tell our children to be nice, respect people, but yet, the adults are the ones not doing it. Kaitlyn, Korbin, Skylar, and I can conclude that this world ignores the problem until it comes to them. We need to stop this and notice people in the situations they are in.
Do you think Kaitlyn, Korbin, Skylar, and I are correct? Do you think that is happening in our world? Kaitlyn, Korbin, Skylar, and I look forward to your response.
ReplyDeleteGreetings everyone,
I think you’re totally right. I think that we as a society tell our kids how to act but we fail to show them by example. I offer for example poverty and homelessness. Everyone talks about how horrible it is. How many have opened their homes and helped a homeless person get back on their feet? I have a feeling you will see it with 2019 Corona virus. I also think that your answer is spot on when you say “We need to stop this and notice people in the situations they are in”. If you were to do that and always help each other, not just when it’s convenient to do so, you would be well on your way to making this world a much better place. I challenge each of you to do random good deeds. I am asking these deeds not be limited to your classmates. Do good deeds for random strangers and maybe just maybe they will pay it forward.
Dear Officer Brinkman,
ReplyDeleteWe conferred in our group, and we have all done something nice for the community. For example, picking up someone's grocery bags for them, sweeping up the kitchen without being asked. These seemily little acts of kindess can truly change a person’s day. We all agree that we will try to help more in the community.
I have done the LTC foreign exchange program. It was very fun and nice to know about different people. Plus my family is thinking about being a foster family. Korbin has done volunteer club for two years. Kaitlyn was once in the volunteer club. Skylar took a stand in class for what he believed was right and as a result, he made a postive impact in a teacher’s day. We have all done something good, but we know that we can do more. Kaitlyn, Korbin, Skylar and I thank you for responding to our blog.
Blog #4
ReplyDeleteLito is inferring that you need to be visible and make the change rather than wait for it. In the novel, Refugee, by Alan Gratz, he explicitly states on page 282, “It was better to be visible. To stand up. To stand out.” In addition, on page 204, Gratz explicitly stated, “When will we get there?’ Ivan asked. He was bobbling in the water just ahead of Isabel, hanging on the hull like she was. ‘Tomorrow, hopefully.’ Señor Castillo said from inside the boat. It was the same thing he’d said yesterday and the day before that.” Next, on page 277 of the novel, Refugee, Gratz explicitly stated, “I see it now, Chabela. All of it. The past, the present, the future. All my life, I kept waiting for things to get better. For the bright promise of mañana. But a funny thing happened while I was waiting for the world to change, Chabela: It didn’t. Because I didn’t change it. I’m not going to make the same mistake twice. Take care of your mother and baby brother for me.” He also stated on page 276, “The Jewish people on the ship were seeking asylum, just like us. They needed a place to hide from Hitler. From the Nazis. Mañana, we told them, we’ll let you in Mañana. We sent them back to Europe and Hitler and the Holocaust. Back to their deaths.” Even more, on page 221 Gratz explicitly stated, “I’m sorry, I'm just doing my job.” These textual evidence sentences backs up our claim by proving that Lito is telling Isabel to stand out and make the change. One can infer that too many people go invisible because they are scared and do not want people to see them if they were to stand out. The world will not change if people sit and wait. The world needs to be visible, stand out, and not hide in the shadows so the people can make the changes needed. The world will not change on its own. We must stand up, fight back. Ultimately, standing up may lead to survival.
Do you think Kaitlyn, Korbin, Skylar and I are right about the world? Do you think the people in this world need to step up so we can make changes? Do you think the world will make changes? Kaitlyn, Korbin, Skylar and I look forward to your response.
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteGreetings,
ReplyDeleteFirst let me begin by saying yes I think people need to stand up and at times stand out. I agree thisis the way to change things. I draw your attention to Dr Martin Luther King. I think Dr. King was a prime example of standing up for what you believe and not backing down because it was unpopular. There is a quote I like; it has many variations attributed to many people but it goes something like this “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men should do nothing.” This version of the quote is attributed to Edmund Burke and was even used by the Late President John F Kennedy in a speech. I also believe that Senor Castillo was trying to reassure everyone in the boat when he said tomorrow. People can handle a lot and not give up as long as they have hope. Once they have lost hope it is much harder to continue on. Have any of you ever lost hope in something? How did it affect you? I ask what you think of the connection between Josef and The Castillo family. What is Gratz trying to tell you, trying to show you? Is it only what we have discussed or is there more to it. Could it be a form of Six degrees of separation?
You said “may lead to survival” I ask you what survival is? Was Josef’s father a example of survival? I ask that because he physically survived the horrors of the Holocaust but did he mentally?
I challenge each of you to be a champion for your beliefs. If people with beliefs close to yours do not stand up and fight; your beliefs will become lost. There is always someone else who has counter beliefs to your own. Do you agree or disagree with me?
Dear Officer Brinkman,
ReplyDeleteKaitlyn, Skylar, and I agree that we have all given up on something and lost hope. We all were affected by feeling like we are done, who cares, giving up.
Between the connection of Josef and the Castillo family, we agree that one act of kindness can go a long way into the future. We had not heard of “six degrees of separation” so we looked it up and discussed it with Mrs. Fuller. We do feel like Josef and the Castillo family could have been connected in some way. We think that survival is living through a tragedy and not giving up. We do not think that Josef’s father is an example of survival. He survived the concentration camps phycially, but he did not survive mentally. Josef’s father gave up and did not try, but this was due to the mental abuse that he endured while in the concentration camp. We feel that had he not experienced the concentration camp, he would not have behaved the way he did. Kaitlyn, Skylar and I agree along with you that there is always a person that will not agree with you. You need to fight for your beliefs or it will be lost.
Thank you very much for reading and responding to our blog. Korbin was absent the day we responded so that is why his name is not included.