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. Beals,
ReplyDeleteNathan, Marisa, Elizabeth, and I appreciate your time and effort to volunteer to write us responses and help us throughout our project. We have decided to set it up in two evidence-based responses in order to help us be able to focus easier on each individual question.
Blog #1
Negative
How would you feel if you were treated like dust...unseen, unheard of, and powerless? Although you might not want to be treated this way, it was the reality for Josef, Isabel and Mahmoud.
The characters, Josef, Isabel, and Mahmoud, were forced to be invisible, and it affected their daily lives drastically. In the novel, Refugee, by Alan Gratz he explicitly stated on page three, “‘...you have continued to practice law despite the fact that Jews are forbidden to do so under the Civil Service Restoration Act of 1933. For this crime against the German people, you will be taken into protective custody.’” On page six, Gratz also stated that they were told to leave Germany immediately. This evidence backs up our claim by explaining how Josef’s father became detained from his family for only trying to provide for his family. Therefore, Josef and his family were forced to become invisible and leave everything they had known. On page eight Gratz stated, “Isabel loved tagging along on trips to Havana to stand on a street corner and play her trumpet for pesos.” But the only people who could afford to give her pesos were tourists.” Gratz stated on page seven about how the kitten was starving and frail. This kitten is a true representation of the Cuban people. This justifies our claim by showing the starvation and the weakness that can accompany invisibility. It also gives a prime example of how poor and helpless the Cuban people were because of Fidel Castro separating them from the rest of the world. Gratz even gives us an example on page sixteen about how Khalid and Mahmoud were visible and that in turn were bullied which also made them have to separate and no longer be friends. On page seventeen Gratz wrote, “Mahmoud watched as these boys attacked the boy with the bread.” This evidence backs up our claim by justifying how since the people of Aleppo have to be constantly invisible that the second they become visible they are put in a dangerous situation. Nathan, Marisa, Elizabeth, and I can infer that by being invisible it put these characters through many hardships and losses. They were treated like dust and up to this point in the novel, they lived their lives unseen and unheard.
Positive
ReplyDeleteImagine being in the midst of the dark ocean water without a sanctuary for one’s necessities. This is how Josef, Isabel, and Mahmoud lived their daily lives. They all had to share a common motivation which was their survival skills and determination to live. In the novel, Refugee, by Alan Gratz, he explicitly stated on page four, “‘Don’t be so quick to grow up, boy,’ the Brownshirt told Josef. ‘We’ll come for you soon enough.”’ For Isabel on the other hand on page eight Gratz explicitly stated, “But nobody was going to eat this cat. ‘You'll just be our little secret,’ Isabel whispered.” In Mahmoud's situation, Gratz explicitly stated on page seventeen, “A year after that, Khalid had died in an airstrike anyway.” He also stated on the same page, “Head down, hoodie up, eyes on the ground. The trick was to be invisible. Blend in. Disappear.” On pages sixteen and seventeen, Gratz further stated, “And he had been beaten up as badly as Khalid. From that day forward, Mahmoud and Khalid were marked.” Then, Gratz stated, “That's when Mahmoud and Khalid had learned how valuable it was to be invisible.” This evidence backs up our claim by proving how these characters adapted to overcome horrendous situations while trying to save their lives. We can infer that Josef, Isabel, and Mahmoud had to adjust to the world around them in order to save themselves and their families. Common sense tells us that Josef, Isabel, and Mahmoud’s willingness to make sacrifices in order to survive will lead them to a better path in life.
Nathan, Elizabeth, Marisa, and I look forward to reading your response.
Group 32 (AKA the best group),
ReplyDeleteWhat a great response you have given to the first question! I have read through it several times, and will give you some of my feedback on your response; but first I would like to give you some of my own thoughts. At this point in the novel, we have been introduced to three characters, along with their families, who are all facing crisis situations. As a former history teacher, I have either read or studied about the historical situations going on in each country during the time periods in which this novel is set. However, up to this point, I had never thought about what it would be like to be a young person in these settings. Another point that came to my mind when a read the novel along with this first question was about Mahmoud’s cloak of invisibility. It made me think about the Cloak of Invisibility in the Harry Potter novels. In that series, it offered protection to Harry and his friends. In Refugee, invisibility offers not only protection, but places our protagonists in danger as well. The final thought I wanted to share is that as I read the opening chapters, I felt as though Gratz was “setting us up” to think these characters would ultimately be safe if they could just blend in and stay invisible until they reach safety. For example, as explicitly stated on page 6, Papa “had been released on the condition that he leave the country within fourteen days.” In other words, become invisible by leaving or face becoming invisible in Dachau and likely be killed if they stay.
As far your responses, I really liked the evidence you provided about Mahmoud’s need to be invisible. “Head down, hoodie up, eyes on the ground” was how he learned to survive his horrible circumstances. Do you think we have students here at NMS going to lengths to make themselves invisible? Obviously we don’t have a wide-spread issue like the Holocaust or a civil war occuring; but, what do you think our students might be “hiding” from? What could we do to identify them and help them?
One of your responses that I would like to hear more about was Josef’s father continuing to practice law. You gave this as an example of a negative of being invisible. However, when I read the passage you are refering to, I felt it was more about the danger of making oneself visible rather than a negative about being invisible. Does that make sense or are you thinking that those two things are the same? I was curious if you could relate to me your thought process of choosing this particular passage as your example.
Once again, great job! Not only do I look forward to discussing question number two with your group, but look forward to your continued discussion on question one.
We are so happy to have a former history freak teacher and Harry Potter fan as our community member. Many of us are history freaks and Harry Potter fans too!
DeleteWe agree that Gratz is “setting us up” and foreshadowing events to come. Since we have read further in the novel, this has come up in class discussions.
To answer your first question, yes, we do believe there are students here at Nuttall Middle School that go to lengths to make themselves invisible. There could be several reasons why they would go to such lengths to be invisible such as the fear to say the wrong answer and to be embarrassed in front of others, or it could be other reasons that come from their home life. We feel there is no real way to identify a person who is trying to hide. An example would be that someone is the most outgoing person during the school day, but inside they are truly invisible, and if you were to say a certain trait was a sign of invisibility that would be stereotypical. To answer your second question, we believe that the danger of making oneself visible and the negative about being invisible are the same ideas. Our thoughts on choosing this particular passage was that we believe how Joseph’s father continued to practice law in secret led to him being detained and separated from his family, therefore him trying to be invisible with his law practices resulted in him being in deep trouble. We thank you for your response and we look forward to seeing your response to blog #2.
Blog #2
ReplyDeleteAlan Gratz included the interactions between Josef and the Hitler Youth, Mahmoud’s family and Mr. Nasseer, Isabel’s family and Iván’s family with the Bahamian tourists because he wanted to show the readers that even in hard and trying times, some people still have kindness in their hearts. On pages thirty-four and thirty-five Alan Gratz, author of the novel Refugee, explicitly stated,”’Put that on. And don’t ever do that again’, the Hitler Youth told Josef. ‘Do you understand?”’ He also stated,”’ I-Yes,’ Josef stammered.’Thank you. Thankyouthankyouthankyou.’” Gratz explicitly stated on page seventy about how the rebel soldiers helped Mahmoud and the rest of the Bishara family with the best route from Syria to Turkey without running into the war zones. On pages 127-128 Gratz told us about how the tourists at the Bahamas gave Isabel and Iván’s families crucial supplies including food, water, and medicine. The official also warned them not to step onto land, or they would be deported. Gratz even stated on page 178, “Just a moment’s kindness from each of them might mean the difference between death and survival for her mother and everyone else on the little draft.” This textual evidence just given backs up our claim by justifying the fact that some people have enough love in their hearts to show kindness and go out of their way to help others who are struggling. One can infer that people truly cared and wanted Josef, Isabel, Mahmoud, and their families to live and accomplish their goals because of the generosity, care, and warnings they have provided. Common sense tells us that the world may be in a state of war and suffering, but there may be people who will sacrifice their utilities, time, and money to save the lives of other people.
What do you think?
Blog #2
ReplyDeleteAlan Gratz included the interactions between Josef and the Hitler Youth, Mahmoud’s family and Mr. Nasseer, Isabel’s family and Iván’s family with the Bahamian tourists because he wanted to show the readers that even in hard and trying times, some people still have kindness in their hearts. On pages thirty-four and thirty-five Alan Gratz, author of the novel Refugee, explicitly stated,”’Put that on. And don’t ever do that again’, the Hitler Youth told Josef. ‘Do you understand?”’ He also stated,”’ I-Yes,’ Josef stammered.’Thank you. Thankyouthankyouthankyou.’” Gratz explicitly stated on page seventy about how the rebel soldiers helped Mahmoud and the rest of the Bishara family with the best route from Syria to Turkey without running into the war zones. On pages 127-128 Gratz told us about how the tourists at the Bahamas gave Isabel and Iván’s families crucial supplies including food, water, and medicine. The official also warned them not to step onto land, or they would be deported. Gratz even stated on page 178, “Just a moment’s kindness from each of them might mean the difference between death and survival for her mother and everyone else on the little draft.” This textual evidence just given backs up our claim by justifying the fact that some people have enough love in their hearts to show kindness and go out of their way to help others who are struggling. One can infer that people truly cared and wanted Josef, Isabel, Mahmoud, and their families to live and accomplish their goals because of the generosity, care, and warnings they have provided. Common sense tells us that the world may be in a state of war and suffering, but there may be people who will sacrifice their utilities, time, and money to save the lives of other people.
What do you think?
I think I am very lucky to be working with this group! I agree the the evidence you pulled from the text. I was curious about your group’s reaction to page 35 where the Hitler Youth “breathed hard, his face red like he was the one in trouble.” Why do you think the Hitler Youth reacted this way? What consequences might he have faced for his actions?
ReplyDeleteI think you might have made an error with the page citation for the Bahamian tourists - pages 127 and 128 are dealing with Mr. Nasseer, but your point is well made. The tourists, with very little time to help, offered as much assistance as they could.
Great job once again. I look forward to discussing the next question with you.
Response to Blog #2
DeleteThank you for your response. You asked us the following questions.
Why do you think the Hitler Youth reacted this way. The Hitler Youth reacted this way because he knew if he was caught that he would be severely punished for standing up against Hitler.
What consequences might he have faced for his actions. The Hitler Youth could have been beaten, thrown in jail, tortured, or killed.
Blog 3
ReplyDeleteHave you ever walked into a room and thought people were criticizing you? Well, most people in their lifetime have had this same exact feeling. But, if you think about how you felt that day, were you feeling depressed, livid, empty, or embarrassed? This is what Gratz is trying to portray with Mahmoud and his situation on the ferry. He was praying, and this was not well received by a few tourists. Gratz explicitly stated on page 213-214, ”The vacationers dropped their voices, and even though Mahmoud couldn’t understand what they were saying, he could hear the disgust in their words.” This evidence proves that there are some people who are not civilized enough to understand other religions or customs. Gratz wanted to make the point that not everyone is the same, and there is nothing wrong with being different. People need to learn to tolerate each other and learn about each other before making a rash judgement. In contrast, have you ever received sympathy, affection, or graciousness? In this situation between Isabel and the tourists at the Bahamas, Gratz is trying to incorporate what a simple act of kindness can have an affect on an individual. Isabel’s situation was different from Mahmoud’s when dealing with a few tourists. Gratz stated on page 177, ”Before the engine restarted, one of the tourists tossed down a bottle of water to Señora Castillo. Soon the rest of the tourists were hurrying back and forth to the café, buying bottles of water and bags of chips and tossing them into everyone’s hands on the boat.'' Here, the tourists actually witnessed the struggles of Isabel and the families, and this may have made a difference. Sometimes viewing a problem places it into perspective. Gratz is trying to tell the readers to walk a mile in someone else’s shoes before you make a judgement.
I am glad the you included the evidence of the kindness of the tourists in the Bahamas! I think that says a great deal about your maturity and empathy for others. Young people take a great deal of grief in today’s society for a variety of things. However, I strongly believe that your generation is much more tolerant and understanding than mine. When I was in junior high and high school, Much of the humor, joking, making fun of, and bullying was directed towards people or groups who were different than “us”. Sadly, this behavior led to many of my peers having mindsets about certain groups. I feel fortunate that I was able to “grow up” and leave this behind. Unfortunately, I still feel some embarrasment for some of the things I said and did when I was your age.
ReplyDeleteI believe that, in part, Gratz is trying to make the point that sometimes it is easier to see the ways people are different from ourselves. Sadly, it is often human nature to view these differences as a bad thing. In addition, based on what you cited about the tourists in the Bahamas, he is pointing out that showing kindness can be done through simple acts. I also believe that Gratz may have chosen to write about the tourists helping Isabel’s group because the tourists were able to sympathize with their plight. The idea of freedom for the Cuban refugees allowed the tourists to see past any differences between the refugees and the tourists. Gratz does not explicitly state this, but he does clearly show they were willing to help.
Mr. Beals,
DeleteWe thank you for your response and for openly admitting to your past mistakes. We know that many adults would try to cover it up and deny anyone who asked instead of admitting it. We again want to thank you for your courage. We all make mistakes and can learn from them.
We look forward to blog 4.
Blog #4
ReplyDeleteHave you ever felt regret because another person lost his/her life and you could have possibly prevented it? Lito has, and Gratz wants us to learn a lesson from it. The lesson Gratz wants us to learn is to trust what your gut thinks is right so you do not have to regret it in the future. In Lito’s case, it was on page 221 when the author of the novel, Refugee, Alan Gratz, explicitly stated, “‘I wish from the bottom of my heart that you will land soon, Little Man’”, Officer Padron later said again, “‘I’m sorry. I’m just doing my job.’ Officer Padron just looked away.” This textual evidence backs up our claim by explaining how Officer Padron did not give Josef and all the other refugees on the MS St. Louis “mañana”. Also, on page 276, Gratz stated, “‘How many of them died because we turned them away? Because I was just doing my job?’” This textual evidence tells us that Lito feels failure and regret traced back to his decisions on the MS St. Louis. Right before Lito jumps in the ocean to distract the Coast Guard so Isabel and the rest of the people on the boat could reach Miami, Lito rights a wrong and says, “‘Mañana is yours, my beautiful songbird. Go to Miami and be free!’” Hindsight is 20/20 as Mrs. Fuller and Mrs. Thompson referred to this section of the novel. It means looking back to see your mistakes and to recognize what you should have done differently. When you have this understanding, you can pass on what you learned to others. One can also infer that Gratz wants to teach the readers a lesson about trusting your gut feeling and to do what you believe is right. Lito shows regret throughout the novel, and he wanted to right a wrong after all the regret he had. To recapitulate, Gratz wants us, as the fourth parallel, to not have this feeling of failure and regret as Lito had.
I think you are correct, Lito is inferring that he regrets his previous decision about the passengers on the MS St. Louis. Beyond that, I think Lito is inferring (as well as Gratz) that we need to take responsiblitiy to change things in our own lives and not what for others to take care of us. The statement “It didn’t. Because I didn’t change it. I’m not going to make the same mistake twice.” shows us that Lito is taking personal responsibility for what happened in his life. No longer is life going to be something that happens to him. He is going to change the course of the rest of his family’s lives. Gratz wants us to realize we can do the same thing as well. I am glad to hear your class is thinking about a fundraiser to help refugees! This is a great way for all of you to positively change the course of the lives of others and I am so proud of your class for thinking of this idea.
ReplyDelete