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. Aydt,
ReplyDeleteJonas, Chase, Madison, and I would like to thank you for volunteering your time to assist us in our project. We look forward to working with you.
Blog #1
In the novel, Refugee, by Alan Gratz, he introduces his readers to a twelve year old German boy named Josef, an eleven year old Cuban girl named Isabel, and a twelve year old Syrian boy named Mahmoud. In Gratz’ novel, the theme of invisibility is very common in all the characters’ situations. Invisibility can either put them in a positive or a negative position. With each scenario comes a different outcome.
In Mahmoud’s situation, his capability to be invisible is the difference between life or death. On page twelve, paragraph one, Gratz explicitly stated, “Mahmoud Bishara was invisible, and that’s exactly how he wanted it. Being invisible was how he survived.” This evidence backs up our claim by helping us understand how important invisibility is to Mahmoud’s well-being. Jonas, Madison, Chase, and I can infer from this evidence that this is an essential skill to Mahmoud’s survival. In some cases, people’s lives may depend on their ability to disappear.
While some people depend on being invisible for survival, Josef and Isabel prove to us how invisibility is not always something that one has to choose. Alan Gratz further proves this point on page eighteen paragraph two, “The people chose not to see them.” This supports our claim by explaining how Josef did not decide for himself whether he wanted to be visible or invisible. We can infer that other people's judgement clouded their vision and made them see only what they wanted to see. In some cases, like this one, being invisible also means being forgotten and being forgotten makes these people completely powerless and vulnerable to danger.
Invisibility is a diverse concept, which could prove to be a positive or negative matter, depending on the circumstances. For each of the characters’ situations, invisibility proves to be the difference between life or death. From what we have learned, invisibility can put people in dire situations, in which they must behave out of the ordinary and do what it is essential for survival. Each character must accept the cards life deals them, but once they are dealt, it matters only how they play these cards.
Jonas, Madison, Chase, and I look forward to your response and any input you may have.
Hello all! I’m excited to be a part of this project. I enjoyed your response. I like how you noted the differences in characters choosing invisibility versus having invisibility thrust upon them.
ReplyDeleteI can’t imagine how isolating it would feel to be invisible. While not to the same degree (life and death) often people around us feel invisible- like they aren’t appreciated, understood, or heard. Can you think of anyone who may experience this now in 2020? Maybe we all have felt invisible at some point?
Which character do you think was affected the most from these feelings of invisibility? What do you think would have happened if these characters had chosen to make themselves visible?
DeleteThank you, Mrs. Aydt, we appreciate your input. We too could not imagine the feeling of isolation these characters must experience throughout these horrific and traumatic events. We can also agree that too often people around us are all too familiar with the feeling of invisibility and underappreciation. Even today similar situations like Mahmoud, Isabel, and Josef’s are happening around the world and even close to us. These types of problems are still an issue in today's society. Not only that, but even small struggles can put us into a state where we feel helpless or like we cannot be seen or understood. Furthermore, even at our own school there are no doubt fellow peers that feel invisible and underappreciated. In our class discussion, we talked about how even the smallest gesture, like a smile, could change someone's day and help them feel visible and appreciated.
Gratz uses these different characters from different areas to show us that even though you may be across the world from someone or in a different time period, we all can have obstacles we have to face in our lifetime. We all have more than likely felt the same emotions of helplessness and uncertainty at some point in our life but maybe not to the same extent as Mahmoud, Isabel, and Josef. Isabel, like Mahmoud, had to act as an adult and take charge in times of crisis and we believe that much like Isabel and Mahmoud, we too, have had to take responsibility even when we did not have a choice and even when we felt that we could not.
In our opinions, we feel that Mahmoud was affected the most by the feeling of invisibility. He was put into multiple situations where he had to decide for himself whether he needed to be seen or not in order to survive. In Mahmoud’s situation, he was not the only one who struggled within themselves with the feeling of invisibility. We feel that each character has similar conflicts due to the era that their stories are staged in. Mahmoud and his family experienced these events together. They were all put into life threatening situations in which they had to depend on one another in order to survive. If they had chosen to become visible then their chance of survival would have more than likely decreased. Mahmoud learned very quickly what happens to people when they spoke or acted out so he adopted the act of invisibility in order to stay alive.
We look forward to working with you on blog question two.
Blog #2
ReplyDeleteThroughout the novel, Refugee, Alan Gratz wrote about interactions between the Hitler Youth and Josef, Mr. Nasseer and the Bishara family, and the Fernandez family, the Castillo family, and the tourist at the Bahamas because he wanted to show that there is a light in a place where there is so much darkness. Refugee is a very down-to-earth novel, but with that there comes a lot of sadness because these characters’ situations can be so heartbreaking, but the reality of it is that it could happen to any of us at any time. Therefore, Gratz uses these characters to show that there is hope when it seems that all is lost.
The Bishara family felt defeated after being lied to over and over again and having to walk for miles after being kicked out of the mall where they were staying. They started to lose hope until Samih Nasseer offered them a ride and a place to stay. Mr. Nasseer was a refugee just like the Bishara family so he felt empathetic for them and showed kindness. On page 127 paragraph three Gratz explicitly stated, “‘You are Syrian, yes? Refugees?’ the man asked. ‘I know what it's like. I am refugee too, from Palestine.’” This evidence supports our claim by explaining how people have gone through similar experiences, and they know what it is like therefore giving people like Mahmoud, Josef, and Isabel a hand when no one else would. We can infer that these people acted as a light at the end of the tunnel for these refugees who needed just a glimmer of hope to keep on going and pushing through their struggles.
Isabel and Josef have similar encounters with people who have the same intentions to lend out a helping hand. Isabel meets tourists at the Bahamas who try to help Isabel’s family and the Castillo family. These people make a small gesture, but it could also be the difference between life and death for the members of the boat. Gratz uses these interactions to show that those of us who struggle through hard times are not alone and that there are people who are willing to give out a helping hand. These encounters were used to show that there is hope in an era of darkness. Gratz gives out a powerful message that not everyone is alone and ordinary people like you and me could lend out a helping hand when someone is in need and change someone’s life for the better.
I love that phrase ‘light in so much darkness’ - I agree, I think Gratz wanted to show the reader that not everyone is only good or only bad or that just because the characters were being persecuted didn’t mean EVERYONE felt that way about them. Even when you feel all alone there is always someone out there to lend a hand.
ReplyDeleteI also think Gratz wanted to show that maybe we’re all not that different. The moment with the Hitler Youth shows a brief moment of kindness. I think many of these kids were forced to join the Hitler Youth because themselves and their families were afraid of Hitler and what would happen if they didn’t support him. I think in this moment maybe the Hitler Youth imagines that Josef is not much different than he is so decided to keep quiet and allow Josef to go back to his seat.
I think once we have experienced hard times ourselves we are more empathetic towards others which was definitely illustrated by Mr. Nasseer. In your last response you discussed that even the smallest gesture- a wave, smile, etc. could make a huge impact on someone. I think these 3 different scenarios demonstrate that. With the Hitler Youth it was just giving Josef a pass and not turning him in, with Isabel it was the tourists providing water and supplies, with Mr. Nasseer it was providing even more. But no matter the size of the gesture all the characters were greatly impacted.
Blog #2 Response
DeleteDear Mrs. Aydt,
Thank you for your response. Jonas, Chase, Madison, and I enjoyed reading it, and we agree with the different points you made. We are looking forward to working with you on the following blogs!
Blog #3
ReplyDeleteIn the novel, Refugee, Mahmoud realized the following thought, “They only see us when we do something they don’t want us to do.” The point Gratz is trying to get across to his readers is that refugees, like Mahmoud, were invisible to tourists or anybody else unless they did something that did not fit the image that the people had for them. Gratz was trying to tell his readers that no matter what people say or think, do and stand up for what you believe in.
Mahmoud and the other refugees were practicing their daily prayers which the tourists may have seen as an outside religion of which may have been commonly frowned upon. The people touring the country in which the refugees were in, want them to act and be a certain way but once the refugees step out of the imaginary boundaries that they have placed, they are condemned. On page 214 paragraph one Gratz explicitly stated, “ They were supposed to be on holiday, seeing ancient ruins and beautiful Greek beaches, not stepping over filthy, praying refugees.” This evidence interprets our point by explaining how the tourists perceived the refugees. We can infer that the tourists thought very little of the refugees just because of their appearance and their beliefs. They looked down on them because they were different and different to them is not accepted.
Gratz was also trying to get across to his readers that everyone should stick up for what he/she believes in, no matter how another may see him/her. Mahmoud and the other refugees were acting upon their beliefs and even though other people did not agree or approve of what they were doing, they still continued to stand up for their beliefs. Gratz is trying to tell his readers that even though other people may try to knock you down, as long as you have hope in what you believe in, you can overcome any obstacles that life throws at you. He encourages his readers to never give up and fight for your goals.
Alan Gratz wants his readers to see that these characters have fought against impossible odds. He shows his readers that there is real hatred in the world, but that should not stop us from doing what we think is right. Some people may think that what you do is wrong because it is different but different is not always wrong. He wants to teach us that just because you may be different in the eyes of other people, that does not mean that you should let it stop you from reaching your goals.
ReplyDelete‘They only see us when we do something they don’t want us to do.’ Like what we talked about in the first question, often our characters felt invisible unless they did something the majority didn’t like. I think often the refugees were invisible but when they were seen- it wasn’t usually for a good reason.
I think that as a teenage refugee it would have been easier to remain invisible instead of calling attention to themselves by praying on the streets. However Mahmoud’s faith was strong and he chose to do something that others didn’t want him to do instead of remaining invisible.
I think your interpretation of Gratz encouraging everyone to stand up for what they believe in is very good. It’s also a message that can carry over to every day life- not just for these refugees. Can you think of a time where you’ve been seen doing something others didn’t want you to? (Just think about it- no need to respond with specific examples). It’s always hard to stand up and be seen making the unpopular choice.
Thank you, Mrs. Aydt, for your your response to our blog #3. We really appreciate the input, ideas, and your perspective of the novel and our blog responses. We can agree with you that refugees were invisible but when they were seen-it wasn’t usually for a good reason. We believe that the refugees in Gratz’s novel, and even today, are treated with much disrespect and very unfairly.
ReplyDeleteIn Mauhmoud’s situation it would have been very easy for him to remain invisible instead of drawing attention to himself by praying on the streets. But he did not give in to the easy way out and instead stood up for his beliefs.
We can all think of a time where we were seen doing something others may not want us to do, but after reading Gratz’s novel we can all agree that no matter others opinions, we should continue doing what we love and what we believe no matter anyones judgment. Gratz shows us that we do not have to fit into a certain category, we can be our own person with our own opinions, beliefs, and preferences. Wouldn’t the world be a boring place if we all were the same? It can be hard to stand up and be seen making the unpopular choice, but more times than not the reward is greater than the challenge.
Blog #4
ReplyDeleteIn Gratz’s novel, Refugee, Lito, the grandfather of Isabel, expresses his past regrets. He explained to Isabel how he made mistakes earlier in his life that he wishes he could take back. On page 227 Lito says, “‘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.’” This evidence supports our claim by explaining how Lito regretted his choices and wants to right his wrong. He made a sacrifice for his family because he was not willing to make one in the past. On page 275 and 276 Lito says, “‘There was a ship-a ship full of Jews, from Europe. And we sent them back. I sent them back! Sent them back to die when we could so easily have taken them in! It was all politics, but they were people. Real people. I met them. I knew them by name.’” This evidence backs up our claim by showing how Lito deeply regretted his choice of not lending these desperate people a hand. Now that Lito and his family are in the same position as the refugees on the MS St. Louis, he realizes how much a helping hand could do for them. Lito wanted things to change his whole life, but they never did because he never changed them. He needed to be the voice he longed to hear. Lito risked his life to come to the United States, but he still wanted more change. He is realizing that he does not want to settle anymore and he does not want his family to settle for less than what they deserve, he wants them to make a difference, speak up for what is right, and for what needs to change for things to get better. Gratz uses Lito in this part of the story to show what will happen later in life if you do not take risks and stand up for what is right. Lito deeply regretted his decisions and Gratz is trying to say you should not look back on your life regretting what you did or did not do. You should live your life to the fullest and be that change for the better.
Hey group! I think your response to this question is perfect! Lito is sending his granddaughter a powerful message about being the change we wish to see. If each person helped another when faced with a tough position this world could be a lot different. Sometimes people think it’s impossible to change the world. But what if we each started by just doing one thing. We may not be able to fix world hunger by ourselves but what if we helped those who are hungry in this town?? What if we helped improve one persons life?? Wouldn't that be worth it? In the end nobody wants to live life with regrets. Stand strong, be brave, and make the right choice!
DeleteThank you, Mrs. Aydt, for your response.
ReplyDeleteWe agree that Lito is sending his granddaughter a powerful message about being the change we wish to see. We understand that Lito wanted his granddaughter to understand that she should make a change in this world. The world would be a lot different if we all helped another when faced with a tough position. If we all started to do our small part in this world to make a change it would be a lot better place to live in. If we improve just one person's life and make their life less challenging, it would definitely be worth it. No one wants to live life with regrets. We agree that we should ALL be strong, brave, and make the right choices in life. You need to be able to stand up for what is right and for what you believe in in order to see the change that you want.