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?
Dear Mrs. Albright,
ReplyDeleteAbigail, Steven, Rylee, and I appreciate you reading our response to blog #1 about the novel, Refugee, by Alan Gratz. In the novel, Gratz writes about three characters, Josef, Isabel, and Mahmoud. All three characters experience the comfort and the dangers of being invisible.
Blog #1
Being invisible resulted in both negative and positive outcomes for Josef. He had many negatives ‘when he wears the cloak of invisibility’. For example on page four, Gratz explicitly stated, “‘ I’ll be a man soon enough’ Josef told them.’” On the same page, Gratz stated, “‘Perhaps you’re close enough that we should take you to a concentration camp too, like your father.’” For speaking up and being visible, Josef almost went to a horrible place where he would have been treated terribly and could possibly have been tortured to death. Even further, Gratz wrote on page eighteen, “ No porters rushed to help them with their bags. No station agents stopped to ask if they need help finding their train. All the station agents and other passengers gave them a wide berth, flowing around them like water around a stone. The people chose not to see them.” This textual evidence proves that people in this world can be very cruel. To treat people as they do not exist is just plain cruel because it makes people feel like they have no importance. When people feel like they have no importance, it can negatively impact their self-worth or self-dignity. In our opinion, this is what Hitler wanted; he wanted anyone different from what he considered the ‘pure German’ gone. Unfortunately, it worked because he led by fear. Abigail, Rylee, Steven, and I can infer that dictators do not care about their people, and all they want is power. Hitler, Castro, and Assad were cruel. To make matters worse, Assad is still in power so we are confident that many people today in Syria today remain invisible.
Even though Josef experienced negatives when it came to being invisible, he also had positive experiences. On page fifty-eight, Gratz explicitly wrote, “‘First’ Josef said, ‘we need some soap.’’ Then, Josef, Ruthie, Renata, and Evelyne rubbed soap on the door so that a steward could not open the door, and his whole tray crashed down. The four children laughed because they were being children and enjoying the moment. On page fifty-nine, Gratz explicitly stated, “As Josef dried his eyes, he realized he hadn’t played like this, hadn’t laughed like this, for many years.” This textual evidence proves that being visible was when Josef was happiest. We can infer that being visible is so relaxing, because one can be himself/herself and do not have to hide from everyone. This is what everyone wanted to feel, but because the dictators were so cruel this feeling was a dream for people like Josef.
ReplyDeleteTo continue, Isabel was visible, and that could be positive and negative. It can be great to stick up for one’s friends, family, and himself/herself like she stood up for her father. On page twenty-eight, Gratz explicitly stated, “The policeman raised his truncheon to hit her father again, and Isabel jumped in between them. ‘No! Don’t! Please!’ she cried”. But, it can also be negative. For example, if Iván’s older brother was not there when she stood up for her father, then she would have been hit by the other police officer. On page twenty-eight, Gratz stated, “He reared back to hit Isabel, and she flinched. But the blow never came. Another policeman caught his arm! She recognized the new policeman. He was Luis Castillo, Iván’s older brother”. Another danger of being invisible is that people do not notice one another, even if something dangerous happens to someone. People might not realize until it is too late. But, citizens do not want dangerous people, like Castro and his regime to notice them. Therefore, invisibility can be positive and negative, depending on the situation.
Even further, Mahmoud being “invisible” has its positives and negatives. To start off, Abigail, Rylee, Steven, and I would like to refer from the novel, Ashes of Roses, by Mary Jane Auch. Rose’s family traveled to Ellis Island for medical inspections before admission to the United States. If the doctors noticed something out of the ordinary for their standards at that time in history an immigrant coughing could be sent back to where he/she came from. To prove this, check out this link. https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/goldman-immigration-and-deportation-ellis-island , From the first paragraph from this link, the author states, “Public Health Service doctors looked to see if any of them wheezed, coughed, shuffled or limped.” So, being invisible was key in this situation because if one was to blend in, he/she most likely was able to enter the U.S. This is similar to Mahmoud’s situation in Refugee; it is how Mahmoud survives. On page seventeen, Gratz explicitly stated, “Head down, hoodie up, eyes on the ground. The trick was to be invisible. Blend in. Disappear.” This textual evidence backs up our claim by proving that in Mahmoud’s situation, if he blended in, he may survive. On the other hand, if Mahmoud always blends in, he will fade and never stand out. This is a problem because if something is truly wrong where people are being hurt, standing out is key to change; therefore, survival is key!
ReplyDeleteIn the end, the fear of being killed from visibility drove people to try their best to be unseen in order to survive. The three dictators, Hitler, Castro, and Assad, used fear to force the obstacles from their people’s visibility to disappear...this was their power. So, what is Gratz telling his readers? Abigail, Rylee, Steven, and I believe Gratz is telling his readers if someone is in this situation, it is understandable to be invisible at times, but for change to happen, visibility may be needed.
I agree with the group in believing that Gratz is telling us that at times you need to be invisible. This was the case for Josef, Isabel and Mahmoud. They had to do that at times just to survive. The characters realized that being visible could cause not only hardship, but their lives. I also agree with your group that in order for change to happen you must be visible. Last week we had a holiday that celebrated the life of an individual that made himself visible in order to create a change in our country. Does it take a brave person to make themselves visible? or Does it simply take just an individual who then is considered brave because he made himself visible?
ReplyDeleteThank you Mrs. Albright! Abigail, Rylee, Steven, and I appreciate you reading our first blog.
ReplyDeleteHere is the answer to your question:
It takes someone brave to be visible. Yes, it would be scary especially in a dangerous situation, but for positive change to happen, people need to stand up, stand out. Abigail, Steven, Rylee, and I believe that it takes courage to put oneself in danger to help others. We hope that if we were ever in a situation that required courage, that we would stand up, stand out!
It sounds like the four of you are on the right track to becoming amazing adults!
DeleteBlog 2
ReplyDeleteDear Mrs. Abright,
Abigail, Rylee, Steven, and I appreciate you reading our first blog. We hope you like our second blog as well.
Alan Gratz included the interactions with the Hitler Youth, Mr. Nasseer, and the tourists at the Bahamas, so the main characters could encounter the other characters who understood their position and the pain that they had to endure. In Refugee, Gratz clearly stated on page 177, “Before they could get the engine restarted, one of the tourists tossed down a bottle of water to Seńora Castillo. Soon the rest of the tourists were hurrying back and forth to the cafe buying bottles of water and bags of chips, and tossing them into everyone's hands in the boat.'' This textual evidence supports our claim by showing that the tourists understand that they do not have enough food and water to survive. We could infer that the tourists saw Isabel’s friends and family’s desperation to get to land, only for them to find out that their journey had ended. Because of this, the tourists wanted to help. Most likely, they empathized with Isabel and the families especially from one mother to another. Since the tourists helped, it shows that a little bit of kindness can go a long way.
Even further, Mr. Nasseer showed kindness to the Bashara family. On page 126, Gratz explicitly stated, “‘My house is too small for all of you,’ the man said, ‘but I have a little car dealership, and you can stay in the office.’” Mr. Nasser is so important to the novel because just like in real life even though someone may be going through dark times, there may always be light. For the Bashara family, their light was Mr. Nasser who showed a little bit of hopefulness to their family. It really teaches us that there are people who may be willing to help in desperate times.
Lastly, on page thirty-four of Refugee, Gratz clearly stated, “They came to the door of the Jewish train car and the Hitler Youth spun Josef around. He glanced over his shoulder to make sure no one was listening. ‘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. ‘Do you understand?’” This textual evidence proves that the Hitler Youth did not believe in Hitler. The Hitler Youth understands how Josef is wrongly attacked for who he is. We could infer that the Hitler Youth knows that Josef is not commiting a crime for who he is, but the Hitler Youth must protect himself too so that is why he quietly helps. This quietness makes the difference for Josef and his family so this tells us that there are people who care but have to be careful themselves.
Abigail, Steven, Rylee, and I believe that Alan Gratz wants you to know that not everyone was selfish. In fact, these characters were selfless. What do you think?
I agree that even when it seems that all of humanity is cruel there is still hope and kindness. Alan Gratz does a good job of showing us that along side the evil of the world there can always be hope. I am not sure that I would use the word selfless to describe the characters. If they were selfless then I feel like they should have all done more then what did. I do believe that they were empathetic to what Josef, Isabel and Mahmoud and their families were going through.
DeleteBlog #2 Response
ReplyDeleteThank you for responding.
Blog 3
ReplyDeleteDear Mrs. Albright,
When refugees are far away and ask for help, the people from other countries can easily ignore them. But when the refugees are right in front of them, they cannot ignore them anymore; they are not invisible anymore. Their differences are making them visible. On page 214 of Refugee, Gratz clearly stated, “When they stayed where they were supposed to be in the ruins of Aleppo or behind the fences of a refugee camp- people could forget about them.'' This textual evidence proves that people are ignoring them when they’re in danger. Abigail, Steven, Rylee, and I can infer that people are ignoring them due to the fact that they don’t want to put themselves in danger. The point Gratz is trying to teach the readers is that it only takes one brave person to make a difference.
I do agree with your group that it is easy to ignore things when we are not looking at it everyday. Mahmoud makes the statement on page 214 that if "no one saw them, no one could help them". Maybe Gratz is trying to make the point to society in general that we should all be paying attention to things that are not necessarily on our front steps. If everyone became a brave person think of how much change we could accomplish in the world.
ReplyDeleteMrs. Albright,
DeleteWe agree that society should be paying attention to things that's not necessarily on our front door steps. If we open our eyes a little more, we would have a better understanding of others.
Thank you for your response! We appreciate your thoughts and look forward to blog 4.
Mrs. Albright,
ReplyDeleteWe agree that society should be paying attention to things that's not necessarily on our front door steps. If we open our eyes a little more, we would have a better understanding of others.
Thank you for your response! We appreciate your thoughts and look forward to blog 4.
Blog 4
ReplyDeleteHave you ever done something that you regret and did not have a chance to fix it?
Abigail, Steven, Rylee, and I believe that many of us do not get those opportunities, but in Lito’s case, he did. Lito regrets not going back to help the Jews on the St. Louis because he could have given them a better future...a better maňana. On page 277 of Refugee, Gratz clearly stated, “Maňana had never come for the Jewish people on that ship, Isabel realized. Would maňana never come for Isabel and her family either?“ Lito didn't give the Jews maňana, but he had the chance to give maňana to his family so he took it. He could not let the past repeat itself. From this evidence, we can infer that you can not sit and wait for things to change on their own all the time. You may be able to create the outcome on how things will happen. In Lito’s case, he jumped off the boat to distract the Coast Guard from sending his family to Cuba. He realized he had to do this in order for his family to reach Miami. Gratz is telling his readers in order to help those in need, try to be visible or otherwise...you may be living with regret. Abigail, Steven, Rylee, and I believe that when opportunity arises, you should take it!
I totally agree! However I believe that this is much easier said than done. It can be difficult when you see someone being bullied by a friend and you have to make the decision to let it go on or not. I know that I have had times where later I tell myself "why didn't I just..." I think that Gratz has made us all think about what the right thing is. I would like to thank all of you for doing an amazing job. I have reading and replying to your blogs. I would love to go to your debate however I will not be able to attend. Enjoy the rest of your 8th grade year. Stop by my room anytime when you get to RHS. Thank you again.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Mrs. Albright, for reading our blogs and stating your opinion. We appreciate you giving time in your day to read to respond. We can't wait to meet you at RHS.
ReplyDeleteWe have one more blog question left so don’t send us on our way quite yet.