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. Dart,
ReplyDeleteAva, Isaiah, Chayse, and I are very eager to share our thoughts with you!
Blog #1
When one is a refugee, is it safe to be invisible? To answer this, one must know the negative and positive parts in being invisible. In the novel, Refugee, by Alan Gratz, he discussed three different characters, how each character is invisible and visible more than once, and how it turns out for them in the end. Invisibility for refugees is difficult and visibility is dangerous. But, if refugees are not invisible, change may never come!
To begin, invisibility could be positive. In the novel, Refugee, by Alan Gratz, he wrote how the strategy of invisibility could protect someone from harm. Gratz explicitly stated on page seventeen, “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 being invisible kept people out of harm's way; in fact, it may have kept them alive. Ava, Chayse, Isaiah, and I can infer that people would want to be invisible for their own safety because it gives them a chance to possibly live another day. This was the case for Mahmoud because he purposely tried to stay unnoticed, and he was able to carry on. Common sense tells us that this strategy was smart in this situation, and it shows how street-smart Mahmoud really was.
On the other hand, invisibility can be negative because this could cause people to have no allies and have no power. This is awful because people in this situation like Mahmoud had hardly anyone his age to relate to or understand the situation the citizens of Syria face everyday. In the novel, Refugee, Gratz, explicitly stated on page seventeen, “That’s when Mahmound 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 proving that people were alone during these tough times. We can infer that people would try and be invisible to protect themselves and their loved ones from harm, leaving themselves possibly alone and powerless. This is exactly what these dictators probably wanted because if the people gained the power, the dictators may lose their power. Therefore, leading by fear worked, and it kept some people in the shadows.
As one can see, being invisible has its ups and downs. The hardships that refugees face in real life are very similar to the novel, Refugee, by Alan Gratz. He wrote three different perspectives to show his readers the struggles that refugees may come into contact with daily. Even further, Gratz may be trying to say that there is a light at the end of the tunnel, and it is acceptable to feel scared but do not hide from who one is supposed to be. What do you think?
Ava, Chayse, Isaiah, and I look forward to your response.
Before I give my response to this particular blog question, let me state how BLESSED I feel to be living the life I am living…a life of freedom! Also, if one does not have a heart that breaks open with compassion for these three characters, then I would certainly be wary of that person. OK, so on with my response to the question you asked, “What do you think?”
ReplyDeleteI think your group did a fine job. I can tell your response is well-thought out, and it has been delivered with readable ease. Your group gave me much to think about. I appreciate what you said in these sentences: “Invisibility for refugees is difficult and visibility is dangerous. But, if refugees are not invisible, change may never come!” That really made me think. You gave such good arguments for the positives and negatives of invisibility that the statement could have read this way: Invisibility and visibility for refugees are both difficult and dangerous. But, if refugees are not both invisible and visible, change may never come! So, when your group stated “Being invisible has its ups and downs.”, you hit the nail on the head!
I think, being invisible in Josef’s, Isabel’s, and Mahmoud’s situations can be positive in that they would be left alone and unbothered, which would be ideal because their families would be able to lead their own lives. However, when these families are invisible because they are being ignored, it is harmful. Being ignored when one is in need can make one feel lonely, powerless, and unnecessary. That is hurtful. And if you are demeaned when you are noticed, like these families are, that is devastating.
Your group pointed out that the hardships that refugees face in real life are very similar to the novel. The hardships that I have read in this novel are hardships I truly hope and pray NONE of us will ever have to endure! Reading about these hardships has brought me to tears, and realizing that others HAVE endured these hardships is simply unfathomable, don’t you think? I certainly hope the “light at the end of the tunnel” that you wrote about is shining bright when I finish this book!!
I look forward to your next post.
Dear Mrs. Dart,
ReplyDeleteAva, Chayse, Isaiah, and I are very thankful for your response!
Ava, Chayse, Isaiah, and I do agree that “Being ignored when one is in need can make one feel lonely, powerless, and unnecessary.” Hitler, Castro, and Assad treated their citizens truly awful, and one should never be treated the way these refugees were! We hope to share our thoughts with you again very soon!
I just finished reading our book…NO SPOILERS…but after the story, the author has a section on “WHAT YOU CAN DO”. I want to share with you that I did it! And I feel very good about it. I look forward to your thoughts on Blog Question 2.
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ReplyDeleteDear Mrs. Dart,
Ava, Isaiah, Chayse, and I are once again excited to share our new, exciting opinions about the conflicts we are currently reading.
The novel, Refugee, written by Alan Gratz includes the interaction between the Hitler Youth and Josef to show that not all Germans stood with Hitler. On page thirty-four, Gratz explicitly stated, “‘What were you thinking?’ the boy whispered. Josef couldn’t speak. The boy thrust the arm band at Josef’s chest. ‘Put that on, and don’t do that again,’ the Hitler Youth told Josef. ‘Do you understand?’” This textual evidence backs up our claim by proving that not all Germans believed in the same beliefs as Hitler did. We can infer from the evidence provided that the Hitler Youth had to be invisible in order to survive. But, the Hitler Youth tried to quietly help. This quietness may have saved his life. So, this tells that even the smallest help can make a big difference. Gratz wants us to help make a difference too, even if it is quietly done.
Even further, there are those who try to help loudly; some even defied authority. In Isabel’s situation, tourists from the Bahamas intervened because they had compassion. On page 177, Gratz explicitly stated, “Before they could get the engine restarted, one of the tourists tossed 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.” This evidence backs up our claim by proving that there are people in our world who will be visible to help others. This is what Gratz is pointing out. Even in what may seem like a hopeless situation, there may be some who are willing to defy in order to save others.
In Mahmoud’s situation, there are people who can relate to others’ plights and these people may help too. Nasseer was a refugee too, so he understood the struggles that refugees face. That is why he helped. Gratz explicitly stated on page 127, “‘You are Syrian, yes? Refugees?’ the man asked. ‘I know what it’s like. I am a refugee too, from Palestine.’” Gratz states further on page 127, “‘Maybe,’ Mahmoud’s father said. ‘If it’s there.’ ‘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 proves beyond a doubt that those who can relate may be more empathetic. So, those who feel this way, can make change; they can be visible in people’s lives.
In the end, Gratz is telling his readers that being visible, demonstrating compassion, and trying to relate can make all the difference. Gratz is telling us that helping others can change someone’s life for the better. It is about being a human being. What do you think?
Mrs. Fuller said your group has had absences due to illness, so I hope my response to Blog question 2 finds each of you healthy. Can you believe less than 3 months of school left?????
ReplyDeleteEach of the interactions you refer to in the story shows the empathy, compassion, and the humanity of others. When Josef got caught by the Hitler Youth, I thought, “how on Earth can he possibly get out of this predicament?” And then just a bit of compassion seeps into the story as the youth takes Josef back to his train car instead of reporting him. Talk about letting out a sigh of relief!!! And your group thought Gratz is wanting us to help make a difference even if it is quietly done. Well said. We can be helpers even if there is no “glory” to be claimed.
When the tourists helped Isabel and her family/friends, I literally put my book down and said, “yes!” I was overjoyed when the people started helping them. It did seem like such a helpless situation. I’m not sure the tourists actually “defied” anyone because I didn’t think they were really at risk of punishment because of their choice to help. They could have ignored the situation, but the compassion they showed made a big difference!
And in Mahmoud’s situation with Mr. Nasseer, I totally agree when your group writes “those who can relate may be more empathetic.” Any time I even barely imagined one of my loved ones in a situation like Mahmoud’s, Isabel’s, or Josef’s, I had to stop and refocus because it was unbearable. I thought that Mr. Nasser was such a good guy. What compassion he had! I was so hoping the boat wouldn’t be there so Mahmoud’s family could stay with Mr. Nasseer.
I couldn’t agree more with you when you write that Gratz is telling his readers “…demonstrating compassion…can make all the difference.” Having empathy is worthy, but demonstrating compassion really can make all the difference!
In nature we understand “survival of the fittest”. The predator devouring the prey. No compassion there, but nature is not evil—we may see it as often times cruel, but nature, of itself, is not evil. As humans, however, there must be more from us. It should not be “survival of the fittest”. I think humanity calls for us to be not only human beings, but humane in our role as human beings! Hitler, Castro, and al-Assad were/are human beings. I do not see them as humane. So rather than just “being a human being”, I think perhaps it is more about being humane.
I hope each of you; Isaiah, Chayse, Ava, and Maddy; are showing compassion to others in your everyday lives. No one in your school is being persecuted as Josef, Isabel, or Mahmoud (THANK GOODNESS!). However, many are in need of compassion…please…choose to help whenever or wherever or however you can! I will strive to do the same in my everyday life. Bye for now.
Blog 2 Response
ReplyDeleteDear Mrs. Dart,
Greetings! Ava, Chase, Isaiah, and I appreciate your response! Thank you so much for your concern about our health! The year really has gone by quickly. It feels like just yesterday we were learning how to write a basic response to a question. You were right about how there are people in our school who need to see that there is kindness in the world. While you strive to be kind and helpful in your everyday life, we will strive to do the same. We look forward to your response for Blog Question 3 and hope to hear from you again very soon!
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Dear Mrs. Dart,
Ava, Chayse, Isaiah, and I are once again ready to blow you away with our new, extraordinary thoughts on the situations we are currently reading in Refugee!
The point that Alan Gratz, the author of the novel,Refugee,is trying to make to his readers is that some people believe that since one person is not like them or act as they do, they may not be treated as one should be treated. On pages 213 and 214 Gratz explicitly stated, "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 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.” This textual evidence backs up our claim by proving that Gratz is trying to show his readers that there are people out in the world who are truly hateful and will not be sympathetic or understand how refugees feel until they go through something as tragic as they do. One could infer that some people think that refugees are inferior; refugees are judged based on appearance and actions. Gratz also explicitly stated on page 267, “‘We don’t want your filth here, either!’ the guard yelled in Arabic.” This textual evidence proves that some people thought all refugees were and still are filthy animals that should be treated like nothing, but what they were thought to be. Gratz is trying to tell his readers that “ Sometimes you have to kind of die inside in order to rise from your own ashes and believe in yourself and love yourself to become a new person” as Gerard Way quoted. This quote relates back to the being invisible or visible topic. The message behind both the quote and Refugee is that you are unique and you should never hide the true you!
And once again, you have indeed blown me away with your extraordinary response!! Your quote of Gerard Way truly blows me away. As a mother to two daughters and a son, now 19, 27 and 31 respectively, I was not allowed to enjoy the music of “My Chemical Romance”. It was always, “Mom, stop. You are not cool.” Anyway, I suppose I am more of a “livin’ on a prayer” kind of person. I wonder if my oldest daughter still has her My Chemical Romance t-shirt. I still have my BonJovi concert t-shirt. LOL!
ReplyDeleteYou got right to explaining what point you think Gratz is trying to make when he writes, “They only see us when we do something they don’t want us to do.” For me, the phrase “don’t rock the boat” comes to mind. It means don’t cause trouble. If they did, they would surely be noticed. You wrote that you believe the point he was trying to make was for the reader to realize “some people believe that since one person is not like them or act as they do, they may not be treated as one should be treated.” I don’t disagree with this, but my quandary is this. How should one be treated if that person is not like me or act as I do? I think Gratz is clear in what we should not do, but not so clear in what to actually do because it isn’t that simple.
I can agree that Gratz allowed each of the characters to kind of die inside, and each did seem to rise from his/her own ashes and believe in him/herself and love him/herself and each perhaps became a new person. Do you suppose Gratz was a fan of Gerard Way? I could also say Gratz portrayed each character as livin’ on a prayer. So maybe he was a BonJovi fan. Who knows?
You concluded with “The message behind both the quote and Refugee is that you are unique and you should never hide the true you!” Yes, we are unique, but we’re all alike too. You should never hide the true you, but yet we explained in blog question #1 that there are positives to invisibility? Life is full of contrasts, isn’t it?
I really enjoy being enlightened by you all! Keep up the good work! Bye for now.
Dear Mrs. Dart,
ReplyDeleteWe do not know this particular Bon Jovi song (Mrs. Fuller almost stopped working with us after finding out this information, and she had me listen to it!), but Mrs. Fuller said she is an “It’s My Life” kind of girl.
Ava, Chayse, Isaiah, and I are once again happy to read your response! We hope we can answer some of your questions. To start off, if someone is different than us, we should treat them with kindness. We agree that Gratz was not clear on what to do in situations. He left it open ended. Maybe with the hope of class discussions?
Mrs. Fuller votes that he was more than likely a Bon Jovi fan.
We will be sharing more thoughts with you very soon.
Dear Mrs. Dart,
ReplyDeleteWe hope the day is treating you well! We have came up with some new thoughts that we think you will be interested to hear!
Blog #4
What is the meaning behind Lito’s statement on page 277? “‘I see it now, Chabela. All of it. The past, the present, and 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 that mistake twice. Take care of your mother and baby brother for me.’” The meaning of this statement is that the only way that there can be a difference in the world is if people would be visible enough to make the change or difference himself or herself. On page 275 Gratz explicitly stated, “”When I was a young man, I was a policeman,’ Lito said, his eyes wild. ‘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 easily have taken them in! It was all politics, but they were people. Real people. I met them. I knew by name,’”Gratz also stated on page 221, “‘I wish from the bottom of my heart that you will land soon, Little man,’ Officer Padron said again. ‘'I'm sorry. I'm just doing my job.’” This textual evidence backs up our claim by showing that Lito regrets not making himself visible and helping other people in need. Had he been visible and stood up for the Jews, he could have made a difference and saved hundreds of Jews lives instead of leading them to their deaths! One could infer that Lito feels that since he could not give Josef’s family mañana, he could give his family mañana by giving himself up to the Coast Guard, so his family could have time to reach the beach of Miami.
Lito is wanting Isabel to learn from his mistake of not speaking up and helping others. Because of Lito’s selfless act, Isabel saw the true meaning of being visible.
We found a similarity between Lito’s message and Bon Jovi’s song, “It’s My Life”. Do you agree?
My response to your March 5 response
ReplyDeleteAhhh, it is good to know Mrs. Fuller still appreciates music she quite possibly heard first in 3rd grade!! And I, like Mrs. Fuller, ALMOST stopped working with you when you admitted you did not know THE song. So what now?...Are you going to tell me you don’t know Elvis or The Beatles either??? Yikes, kids these days!!!!!!! �� Oh well. I don’t even know you, but I already love you.
I agree that Gratz has probably written much in his works to promote discussion. I’m glad it has been successful. I whole-heartedly agree that treating someone who is different than oneself with kindness is the best way to go, but the idiom (not the song) “kill ‘em with kindness” comes to mind. Even kindness can get a bad rap.
On to my response to your blog referring to Question 4…
I do agree that Lito did live with much regret as to what transpired in Cuba with the MS St. Louis passengers. To add to the evidence, on page 188 when Lito said, “…Something I haven’t thought about in a long time.” This is when I believe Lito realized that he was now in that same type of dreadful situation that each of those Jews on the MS St. Louis had been in. He understood their despair, it became REAL to him, it wasn’t “just his job” anymore. He was, as the saying goes, “in the same boat.” And remember Lito’s boat name suggestion on page 207?
I like when you said Lito thought he probably could have made a difference if he had been visible and stood up for the Jews. But in all honesty, Lito does not know if a change in his actions would have made any difference, or if it would have simply got him killed. And let’s not forget that in all his interactions with the Jews, Lito WAS being kind…something to think about. Lito was a kind, imperfect (like us all) human put into two unimaginable situations. What I take from this is that Lito DID learn from his regret. He DID take action at a time when his actions could truly make a difference. In our own lives, rather than live with regret, let’s turn that regret into positive action that can truly make a difference. So my response to what is Lito inferring… “it’s now or never, I ain’t gonna live forever!”…so… YES, I agree there is a similarity between Lito’s message and BonJovi’s song. I was practically singing it while I read those pages!!!!
Bye for now!
Dear Mrs. Dart,
ReplyDeleteAva, Chayse, Isaiah and I are once again grateful to share our thoughts with you! Mrs. Fuller told us that she was in your 3rd grade class. Hopefully she was not too much trouble! In fact, we have heard of Elvis and The Beatles!
We too agree that Lito realizes that he is in the same situation as those on the St. Louis. When we read page 207, we connected the boat name to the M.S. St. Louis. The sad feelings that he felt on the St. Louis, he was experiencing now. Also not only does the song “It’s My Life” relate to Lito’s message, but it also goes back to the visible theme. In the song the lyrics “You better stand tall when they're calling you out Don't bend, don't break, baby, don't back down” is what relates back to the visible theme. We feel as if this theme comes up throughout all of our topics don’t you?
With all these song references, maybe Mrs. Fuller could make a Refugee song unit!
Thanks!
OK, mind blown, again! I certainly think Group 33 should be consulted for the soundtrack to REFUGEE, THE MOVIE!!
ReplyDeleteThe importance of Gratz’s obvious theme of visibility throughout the novel should give evidence that visibility should be obvious in each of our lives. Let people see your kindness; let people see that you are willing to help; let people see that you care; let people see that you learn from your mistakes. Don’t bend, don’t break, and baby, don’t back down!! Jon Bon Jovi has a Soul Kitchen that feeds “in need” individuals and families. He has certainly made himself visible as much more than just a music rock star. (Yeah, I’m a fan; you get that, right?)
Just so I know you know…the Tommy and Gina reference in “It’s My Life” is in reference to THE song that ALMOST caused us to part ways! Lol! And I’m SO relieved that you have at least heard of Elvis and The Beatles. Have you heard of Coronavirus??? (Ok, now I’m just being silly, and I’m not trying to be obnoxious.) Bye for now! Oh wait…Mrs. Fuller was NO trouble in 3rd grade, pure joy, and SUCH a hard worker. Always participated in class, always did her homework, and always was KIND!!!…that’s my story, and I’m sticking to it! Bye for now!
Dear Mrs. Dart,
ReplyDeleteAva, Chayse, Isaiah, and I are once again happy to hear back from you! Also, we may have heard of the Coronavirus once or twice. Mrs. Fuller is also the same hard working woman she was back in the third grade, times ten. We hope to hear back from you again soon!
Awwwww, you all really want an A in this class, don't you??!! Keep up the great work! Enjoy the weekend!
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