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 Mr. Oxford,
ReplyDeleteLindsey, Anna, Emerson, and I look forward to working with you.
Blog #1
Being invisible has positive as well as negative aspects to it. In the novel, Refugee, by Alan Gratz, the characters Josef, Isabel, and Mahmoud were presented with situations where they could choose whether to be visible or invisible. Throughout the novel, the characters will learn about the positives and negatives of being invisible.
To begin, invisibility can be a positive aspect for Josef, Isabel, and Mahmoud. For Josef, he easily blended in when he removed his Star of David armband. On pages twenty-one and twenty-two, Alan Gratz explicitly stated, “The man at the concession stand sold newspapers and Josef took one and put a coin on the counter. The concession stand man smiled. ‘Buying a paper for your father?’ he asked Josef.” This textual evidence backs up our claim by proving that when nobody knew that Josef was Jewish, he was treated normally. This was the vision that Adolf Hitler created trying to convince many people that any other race or any other religion other than what the Germans followed was inferior. One can infer that in the train car, Josef realized that he looked like every other German when no one could see his armband. Everybody left Josef alone when he removed his arm band. In Isabel’s story, it was easier for her to escape to the United States if she was invisible. On pages nine and ten of the novel, Refugee, by Alan Gratz, he explicitly stated, “Fidel Castro, the man who ruled Cuba as president and prime minister, wouldn't allow anyone to leave the country- especially not to go to the United States - el norte as Cubans called it.” This evidence proves our claim by showing that being invisible was a necessity to Isabel’s escape. During this time period, Cubans were not legally allowed to leave with Castro as leader. Lindsey, Anna, Emerson and I infer that if Isabel was going to flee Cuba, she must remain invisible. Similarly to Josef and Isabel, invisibility is crucial to Mahmoud’s survival. On page seventeen of Refugee, Gratz explicitly stated, “If the bullies didn’t notice you, they didn’t hit you.” This textual evidence proves our claim by explaining how imperative it was to be invisible in Syria, 2015 and even now. Our inference shows how Mahmoud used invisibility to keep himself safe and secure. To summarize, it is vital in many cases to be invisible to others in order to escape. Invisibility makes fleeing substantially easier.
On the contrary, being invisible may negatively affect a refugee more than being visible would. In Berlin, Germany in 1938, invisibility was lousy. On page eighteen, Gratz, explicitly stated, “All the station attendants 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 provides proof for our claim by showing that the Star of David on the armbands was made to make the Jews feel inferior. One can infer that when German citizens who followed Hitler saw the blazing yellow star on the armband of the Jews, they avoided them and thought lesser of them, without having met them. Not only did Josef feel invisible, but Isabel also felt neglected. As explicitly stated on page seven, “The kitten wasn’t too different from her, Isabel realized: thin, hungry, and in need of a bath.” This supports our belief by showing how Fidel Castro, the leader of Cuba in 1994, ignored his citizens and left them to fend for themselves. To infer, Isabel and her family, among the many other Cuban residents, were ignored and neglected by the government. In Mahmoud’s story, invisibility was a major part of his life. On page seventeen, Gratz explicitly stated, “That’s when Mahmoud had realized that together he and Khalid were bigger targets; alone, it was easier to be invisible.” This evidence backs up our claim by proving that being invisible can destroy a friendship. One can infer that when he/she is invisible, it is more difficult to make friends because they do not interact and they may not trust one another. Overall, invisibility may have negative effects such as being ignored, neglected, or making friends.
ReplyDeleteIn the end, Alan Gratz wants his readers to understand that being invisible has positive and negative aspects in certain situations. In the situations of Josef, Isabel, and Mahmoud, being invisible helps them blend in and escape. In addition, there are many pros of being visible. Being visible means one is able to make change by protesting or speaking up. But mainly, a choice needs to be made...be alive or be forgotten.
Lindsey, Anna, Emerson and I look forward to your thoughts.
My apologies for being so late to post. When I first opened the blog there was nothing there which led me to believe another email would prompt me to check again.
ReplyDeleteAs far as Josef and Mahmoud, you substantiated your thoughts with good text to reinforce your statements. When it comes to Isabel though your comment confuses me. Castro did open a window of time they could leave, on page 41, and not be stopped which is when she and her family fled. It is quite apparent the citizens of Cuba were neglected but how is she showing she is invisible when fleeing the island? Weren't there several others on the beach leaving as well? Initially, I am curious and would like you to elaborate on your last comment of the first section specifically how 'Invisibility makes fleeing substantially easier'.
In the second portion of your response I am understanding you to say the armband made Jewish people feel inferior and in Mahmoud's story invisibility destroyed his friendship and these instances are how invisibility negatively affected these refugees? Again I am thrown off with Isabel because you state she is neglected, which I will not argue, but how does the neglect and invisibility correlate here? You have some good supporting text in your response and keeping three characters and their stories flowing consistently is not an easy task. Having finished the novel, Mr. Gratz did an outstanding job of this.
Thank you for your response. You made good points that really made us think about what we had written, but at that point in time, we had not read page forty-one or any page thereafter. The evidence we had selected only applied to the time period before Castro allowed Cubans to legally leave. Therefore, at that part of the book, invisibility would have been a key role in her escape, but later in the novel, it is discovered that invisibility is no longer necessary for their escape. This explains why we had previously selected that piece of evidence to support our claims.
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DeleteDear Mr. Oxford,
ReplyDeleteLindsey, Anna, Emerson, and I look forward to reading your response.
Blog #2
Alan Gratz included the interaction between the Hitler Youth and Josef, Mr. Nasseer and the Bishara family, and the Fernandez family, Castillo family and the tourists in the Bahamas to show that there are many people who are empathetic and want to lend a helping hand. This is proven in all three stories, beginning with Josef and his family. In the novel, Refugee, on page thirty-five, Alan Gratz stated, “The Hitler Youth breathed hard, his face red like he was the one in trouble.” This textual evidence proves our claim by showing that the Hitler Youth member risked severe punishment to protect Josef and his family from being sent back to Berlin, Germany under the watchful eye of Hitler and his supporters. One can infer that this interaction had a meaningful impact on the path of Josef’s life because if he had been caught, there may not have been a future for him and his family.
In Isabel’s story, Gratz explicitly stated on page 178, “By the time they finally restarted the engine and Amara swung them around to leave, they had more food and water than they had brought with them to begin with.” This textual evidence shows the kindness and compassion presented by the tourists. We infer that with the courage to become visible, the tourists may have strongly impacted the Castillo and Fernandez family’s chances of reaching their final destination... el norte. If they had not received help, who knows how far they would have made it?
In Mahmoud’s story, Gratz explicitly stated on page 127, “‘I will take you to it.’ Mr Nasseer said, ‘and if it is not there, you can come back and stay with me.’” This evidence supports our beliefs by showing the compassion and empathy from Mr. Nasser. One can infer that with the kindness and assistance from Mr. Nasseer, Mahmoud and his family were offered asylum and a safe place to rest. Because of this, the Bisahara family may not have survived.
To summarize, Alan Gratz included all of these interactions to demonstrate that during times of crisis, there were some people who did not believe in all of the negative stereotypes about refugees. There were people who had empathy for refugees, but most importantly, there were people who gave refugees hope.
You all have done a great job citing specific instances in the book when Mr. Gratz placed interactions to show real compassion from others to the refugees. This book is very heavy, in my opinion, but I had trouble putting it down since one bad thing after another kept happening to the three families. The drive to continue the book was hope~hope that they would receive help and find a safe place to live. If we as readers did not have that hope for good, would we keep reading the book or put it down and forget about it? Thankfully I have only read a few books which ended hopeless.
ReplyDeleteHow do you all feel about these characters who came out to help? Some would say they were invisible because they stayed in their countries perhaps under some form of duress. It appears to me they were very visible and took substantial risks of their own to reach out and help those refugees. It takes a lot of courage and will to reach out to strangers and help them as these individuals did. Could they have made it without them?
Thank you for your input. For your first question, Lindsey, Emerson, Anna, and I feel that these helpful characters showed bravery and compassion. In Isabel’s story at the Bahamas, not all of the tourists came to aid the Fernandez and Castillo family, though several stood up to the law enforcement to help create a better chance of survival for the refugees. This shows that the tourists who chose to help became visible in a way. We also believe that the member of the Hitler Youth risked the most out of all the characters in helping a refugee, which was Josef. If Josef had been noticed by almost any other officer or Hitler Youth member, the outcome would have been drastically different in a negative way. And finally, Mr. Nasseer played a small role in Mahmoud’s journey, but his kindness was not forgotten by the Bishara family. He was welcoming to their family while they were in a difficult situation and treated them with compassion that most people might not have offered. As your second question mentions, Lindsey, Anna, Emerson and I suggest that they all might cease to exist without the help of these kind characters. Without the tourists, Isabel and her fellow boat members would surely have run out of food, medicine, and drinking water without their assistance. Josef and his family may have been sent to a concentration camp or receive severe punishment without the help of the Hitler Youth member and his bravery. Although Mr. Nasseer did offer a safe shelter to rest, he did not significantly increase Mahmoud and his family’s chances of survival.
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DeleteBlog 3
ReplyDeleteDear Mr. Oxford,
Lindsey, Anna, Emerson and I look forward to reading your response.
In the novel, Refugee, by Alan Gratz, on page 214 he uses the quote, “They only see us when we do something they don't want us to do.” to show readers that some people may be scared of different cultures and beliefs to which they are not accustomed. This can be proven by page 213, when Alan Gratz stated, “But he couldn't help notice the uneasy looks the tourists were giving them. The frowns of displeasure. Like Mahmoud and his brother and this man were doing something wrong.” This textual evidence backs up our claim by showing how judgemental people can be when they do not understand different customs. In this case, the tourists are ignoring the refugees until they see something they find to be unusual. The tourists are somewhat afraid of the refugees because they are outsiders. This can also be proved on page 214, “This wasn’t what the tourists had paid for. They were supposed to be on holiday, seeing ancient ruins and beautiful Greek beaches, not stepping over filthy, praying refugees.” One can infer that the refugees are seen as illegal aliens to a foreign country, and the natives and wealthier tourists refuse to put themselves in the refugees’ shoes because they do not want their daily life to change. To conclude, Gratz is trying to show how refugees are mistreated and stuck in certain stereotypes.
Once again you all have done a great job substantiating your statements with textual evidence. Here are some thoughts I would like to toss to you: Aren't the 'tourists' actually also outsiders and strangers to the lands they are visiting? Don't you think the locals turn their noses up at times to the actual people who are paying to be there? Those tourists are actually no different than the refugees, except they are spending a lot more money to be there. I imagine we would all be hard pressed to say we have not had 'frowns of displeasure' and not been aware of it when we witnessed something of which we were unaccustomed. Actually in the last few months I have found myself in some situations where I was uncomfortable and realized I was actually affirming my beliefs. Gratz did well showing how refugees can appear 'undesirable' and be treated poorly.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your response. We understand what you are saying but we believe that the refugees are very different from the tourists because the tourists have chosen to travel to that specific country and want to be there, while the refugees are running away from an obstacle or problem for their safety. They do not want to be in a foreign country fleeing for their lives. What they most likely desire is to be back in their home country without prejudice or war. The tourists may be outsiders, but most people are more accepting of tourists. Also, these tourists most likely have much more money than the refugees if they have enough to spend on a vacation. We do not know this for certain because we have never been refugees ourselves, but this is how we perceive their feelings to be. Again, thank you for your response.
ReplyDeleteBlog #4
ReplyDeleteDear Mr. Oxford,
Emerson, Anna, Lindsey, and I thank you for your thoughts and advice.
On page 277 in the novel, Refugee, Lito is telling Isabel that she should not make the same mistakes he made when he was younger, and that she should stand up for what she believes in. Lito pushes Isabel to learn from her mistakes and to not repeat his own mistakes, such as on page 277 when he tells her, “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.’” This textual evidence proves our claim by showing how Lito regrets the choices he made in the past, and how he is trying to show Isabel how to be a better person than he once was. To infer, Lito feels terrible for not helping on board the St. Louis, so he knows that this may be his last chance to right his wrongs. Lito is also trying to show Isabel how to avoid making decisions that she may possibly regret in the future, such as his decisions that he made aboard the St. Louis. Overall, Lito is proving to the readers that becoming visible and taking a given opportunity is better than sitting back and letting other people's actions have all the power in your life. To summarize, what happened on the St. Louis with the Jews has haunted Lito his whole life, and as he saw history repeat itself, he saw a shot at redemption...and took it.
These would be easier and there would be more to say if I could disagree more with you all. Once again I concur with all your thoughts. Lito say an opportunity not to repeat a previous mistake and took it. What stands out to me here is the bravery he exhibited. Perhaps it took all those years festering inside him to boost him to the level of courage he demonstrated. Regardless he took a leap to help others probably more self conscientiously due to the magnitude of his choice. We all make choices everyday, however there are occasions whereas those choices require significant amounts of courage to embark upon and fulfill. Good luck to you next week with the Great Debate, it is my intention to observe a class.
ReplyDeleteWe completely agree with you. Thank you for your feedback and support.
ReplyDeleteI hope you are all well and healthy during our school closure. It is sad this project can not be completed. What an awesome opportunity Mrs. Fuller and Mrs. Thompson provide for you in their curriculum and I am thankful to be a part of it.
ReplyDeletePlease stay healthy during these historical times and good luck to all of you during the remainder of the school year. Remember this too shall pass.