Jake Stevens
Period 7
Journal 9
Question: Would you have made the same decision as
Eliezer and his father and evacuate the camp rather than stay
in the hospital? Why or why not? Explain.
Personally, I believe given the situation, I would most
likely have gone with the rest of the Jews. Even though with
Eliezer’s foot, I believe he made the right decision. Given
Hitler’s orders, and his kept promises. I would have believed,
just as Eliezer, that Hitler would order the Jews in the hospital
to be incinerated as the last load of scum. They were in a
concentration camp, so really, I have no idea why they had a
hospital in the first place, however given the situation Eliezer
made the right sensible decision for survival. Even if the Allies
come and liberate them the next day, Eliezer was thinking
logically and tried to think of the Germans next move. Which
was surprising considering he was subject malnutrition and
dehydration.
Journal 10
Question: Do you think the various rumors of good news
that are periodically spread through the story are harmful or
helpful to the Jews? Explain.
I believe, personally, that the rumors are a key reason as
to how so many Jews survived the concentration camps. Even
though the rumors mainly never came true, the rumors gave
the prisoners hope and a reason to push on in the harsh
conditions of the concentration camps. I believe that without
the rumors, Eliezer would not have survived, and this book
would not have been around. When the rumors of Russians
Jake Stevens
Period 7
closing in, and then Auschwitz being evacuated, gave Eliezer
the will to go on in the concentration camp.
Journal 11
Question: Amazingly, the prisoners are able to withstand
a 42 mile march in the winter. What do you think keeps them
going?
Many different reasons could have kept them going, but
really that varied by prisoner. Some could still have faith in
their families form whom they were separated from, others
could have a massive amount of money at home, such as
Eliezer. Or others were just to proud to be defeated by the
Germans. However, scientifically, the adrenaline from the
running and lack of food, along with seeing other people being
trampled and shot, made it so they had a constant flow of
energy and even though they were tired, they continued
because their body did, not them. It was also cold, constricting
the blood vessels making the adrenaline affect last longer. It
also helped them to retain water by closing pores, and cool
their body, I believe running in the summer would have killed
them all.
Journal 12
Question: Do you think Eliezer is wrong to try and force
his father to go on?
No, I believe that it was very sad that his father died that
far into the book as well. Eliezer did everything he could to
save his father. His father forced him to go on, and he was
simply returning the favor. Even though his father was old,
tired, and severely dehydrated and malnutrionized. His father
Jake Stevens
Period 7
had saved his life countless times, and as did Eliezer, except
that that time Eliezer could not do anything to save him that
one time.
Journal 13
Question: When Eliezer grudgingly gives some of his soup
to his father, Eliezer tells himself that he has withstood the test
no better than Rabbi Eliahou’s son. What test was he referring
to? Do you agree with him? Explain.
He was referring to the test of Rabbi Eliahou’s son
abandoning his father to avoid watching him die. He had given
up on his father, and left him to bypass the emotions connected
by watching your father die, and went off on his own. However,
I do not agree with Eliezer. Unlike Rabbi Eliahou’s son, Eliezer
did not give up on his father, he did not officially abandon. He
simply had a thought of survival, a basic human quality. He
took into consideration the words of the SS officer who told
him that in a concentration camp, there were no fathers and
that his father was so sick that he should be eating his rations.
It could have happened to anyone.
Journal 14
Question: By the end of the book, do you think Eliezer is
truly “free at last” from his father? From his captors? Explain
your responces.
Physically, Eliezer is free from all of those problems.
Howver, emotionally, he will be scared by all of those. If he had
chosen to stay, he would have been able to relax, and wait with
his father for the allies to come and liberate them. And that is
most likely stuck with him, even today. And the memories of
Jake Stevens
Period 7
his captors will always be there. And on his arm from his
number, which the Germans gave to him to help identify him.
Journal 15
Question: Frequently in the story, Eliezer describes
himself and his fellow prisoners as no longer being men. In
what ways do the Nazis force the Jews to loose their identities?
How might this have helped the Nazi cause?
The Nazis force the Jews to loose their identities in many
ways. The first way is their name, they take their identities,
then they proceed force them to be slaves, making them the
lowest person on the chain of power. Then, after that, if they
survive the selection, they take their bodies, their muscle, fat,
everything. To a slow agonizing death. While at the same time,
ravaging their emotions with the loss of family and friends.
This did not help the Nazi cause at all, it was all just the racism
of Hitler. And personally, I would have just put them on the
front line to save money, and to kill some enemies, and most of
your Jews in the process.
Journal 16
Question: What do you think that the author wants you to
feel or understand from reading the book? What should you
“take away” from the reading of this novel?
The author, in my opinion wanted to tell a story of his
travels through German concentration camps in WWII. He
wanted his readers to take away an up close POV from an
inmate, and describe in detail what actually happened in the
holocaust. Instead of teachers showing pictures, and saying
1,000 people died. But to describe, making the problem real.