The Relative Advantages of Learning my Language by Amy Choi

The Relative Advantages of Learning my Language by Amy Choi

1. The author opens the story with an anecdote. What is the anecdote and what effect does it have on the reader? The anecdote the author uses to open the story is when she's watching TV with her brother and her grandfather with bad English walks in and as he does the author says to her brother, 'I hope he doesn't sit,' but the grandfather understood that and walked away.The effect is that it makes the reader sympathetic towards the grandfather. 

2. What is the author’s view of the Chinese language in the 2^nd paragraph? The author's view of speaking the Chinese language is that it's redundant; she speaks English at school, watches English TV and lives in a country where the spoken language is English. 

3. What is symbolic about the house that the Grandfather mistakes for his own? What does it say about the assimilation of his family into Australian culture? What does it say about his understanding of Australian culture? What is ironic about the inhabitants of this house? What is symbolic about the house that the Grandfather mistakes for his own is that it was owned by Pakistanis. This shows how Australian culture is very multicolored. The irony is that the couple were friendly since Pakistan has been at war for a long time.

4. What does the death of her grandfather inspire the author to do? The death of her grandfather inspires the author to learn Chinese as her Grandfather tried to teach her. 

5. Why is she motivated to know Chinese? What is it she wants to ensure she is able to, regretting that she couldn’t do it with her grandfather? She is motivated to know Chinese because it was the language her Grandfather spoke. She wants to ensure that wherever she goes, she can communicate with people that speak her own language, regretting that she didn't spend the time to do this with her Grandfather. 

The author makes us consider what it really means about understanding someone's language? What basic human skill/ability is the author highlighting that cuts across all cultures? Communication

 Describe a time when you were at fault for not communicating with someone because of your own selfishness or lack of compassion. I met this chick I really like and we went out for a day. At the end though when she gave me her number I never called her. 

Holocaust Poetry #2

Homeland
Lois E. Olena

It was Christmas eve
and there was no room in the inn,
the Oswiecim inn,
so the Arrow Cross
took the children,
barefooted
and in their nighties,
out to the Danube
and filled their little bellies
not with bread
but bullets
flipping them
like tiddlywinks
into the congealing, icy river below.

It was the Red Danube
that night,
choking on the blood
of orphan Jews
whose little Blue faces
floated downstream
touring even all of Europe
until they washed up
on the shores of Eretz Yisrael (Jewish homeland)
and came back to life,
their little blue and white
bodies
raised high,
flapping in the wind.
How is imagery used in this poem? Imagery is used in this poem by, in the opening paragraph, the author talking about  Christmas and giving lots of other nouns to create a basic scenery. No description is used to allow the reader to fill in    the blanks with his/her imagination, creating a clear, unique description to each individual reader. 
 
Discuss the effect of the simile in this poem. The simile uses immense irony and creates a horrifying image by the simile being used to describe death being 'tiddlywinks;' a game that cheerful children play. His huge play on irony makes the    children  in this instance all the more weak and their deaths all the more cruel.
 
How is alliteration used in the poem? What is the effect? 
Not bread but bullets and the affect is that that instead of this kids getting a meal for Christmas they were killed
 
How does the author juxtapose the innocence of the children to the cruelty they experienced? The author juxtaposes the innocence of the children to the cruelty they experience by using both extremes; the family, bliss and peace of Christmas and the death, pain and suffering of war. These two examples are exact opposite ends of the spectrum making the other seem a lot better/worse than it actually is
 
What is meant by 'touring all of Europe'? What is meant by 'touring all of Europe' is how the Nazis went all over Europe to find more Jews to torture and/or kills

Writing Letters

Choose two of the following and put them in ONE blog post indicating which ones you have chosen:

• Bruno to his Grandmother right before going on his final adventure (imagine she was still alive)
• Pavel to his family regarding living in the camp and working for Bruno's family.
• Shmuel to his family back in Poland (if they were still alive) about his life in the camp and his best friend Bruno.

• Pretend that the father resigned when Bruno couldn't be found. What would the letter to the 'Fury' be like?
• Write a letter from the mother to the father upon leaving to move back to Berlin without him.
• Write a letter from Gretel to Bruno after he went missing.

Dear grandmother,

I miss you and grandpa a lot

I don't know too much about the war right now but it can't be good if it means i can't see you two

I guess I'm just glad that daddy is making a difference in this war so i can see you again soon. 

War must be bad if it means I can't see you. 

I hope you and grandpa are all right because I know mummy and daddy aren't;

They had a big fight last night so they decided it would be if we spent the rest of the war away from out-with,

which I thought I'd be happy about, only when we first came to out-with I sneaked out the back of the house where it's out-of-bounds-at-all-times-and-no-exceptions and walked down the road there to a camp and made a friend on the other side of the fence called Shmuel

I know it's a funny name and I know shouldn't even have met him, 

but you would love him grandma. 

He's such a nice boy and he's a good friend.

And we were born on the same day!

Anyway I'm going to see him now; one last time before we leave out-with

I hope to see you again soon and that you and Grandpa are okay.

Promise me you'll visit us when we finally move out of out-with

Your loving Grandson

Bruno

To our inspiration leader Adolf Hitler,

As I'm sure you've heard the devastating fate of my son Bruno,

it is with a heavy heart that I must resign from my job to be with my family at this trying moment.

As a family, we need to heal from the trauma of losing our boy.

As there are many competent soldiers that would very willingly take my position and who are loyal to you, 

I feel our country won't be at a loss. 

I've served for many years and have done my bit for this country and I firmly believe it's my time to resign

I have served more years than my share and lost sight of the reason I joined the Nazis to begin with;

To help and serve my family.

I felt that through serving my country I could help protect my family and we'd be stronger and closer because of my achievements through the Nazis

I lost sight of that through my ambition and let my guard down.

Now my son is dead and my family is suffering; 

Through my actions I have hurt the wrong side in this war

To conclude I am finished with the Nazis and am moving on with my loving family who needs me right now

May your reign be long and successful

Kind Regards

Ralf

Jacob evalutation

Chapter 12
Jacob evaluation:

Solid contribution, made good points on "The significance of the comparison of symbols."
Asked good question, "What was the quote at the end of the chapter and what dos it represent?" Raised a good conversation, made good points in this discussion and used important historical points and themes. Also made good comments on Hitler's goal in controlling the German population. His comment on the discussion of Bruno meeting Shmuel was good; he made strong, relevant points. Forgot a closing comment and ended a good discussion badly - seemed to be trying a little too hard to get his points across, but remembered it in the end, though the point he raised had already been made - he should've paid more attention there. He called out too many times, but made good points. Had good thoughts on the extended metaphor, (the houses)
In summary, a good contribution to a good discussion
7.5/10

Chapters 11+12

What are the main themes of the novel so far? A main theme is innocene - what they don't know won't hurt them - keep the population ignorant for control - plays on Bruno's innocence. 

What are the main techniques? Main techniques in book so far are Juxtaposition, x, y & z. Juxtaposition is making a comparison of two things. In war there are always two sides which are commonly juxtaposed by other countries choosing who to side with. In the holocaust, the two sides were the Jews and the Germans. Juxtaposition is used throughout the book to compare the two sides. Some of the few examples Bruno compares the two sides by are their dress, their presentation, their authority and their clothes. As there are many things two sides and be compared two, juxtaposition is definitely a key technique in the book 

Think of 5 important questions for each of these two chapters about how important motifs and themes play a role in each chapter.

Chapter 11 questions: 

1. What is the significance of the 'Fury' coming to dinner? The significance of the Fury coming to dinner is that he is very powerful and in charge of Germany, "He runs the country, idiot," this quote is something Gretel said to Bruno in reference to  'the Fury.' Realistically the Fury plays a massive historical role - it's Hitler. At that time having Hitler come to your house would be the same as having Julia Guillard over for dinner; that sought of stuff doesn't happen and is a very big deal. 
2. What is the effect of father inviting Bruno and Gretel into his study to give them rules for the night? The effect of having father invite Bruno and Gretel into his study for dinner to give them rules for the night is that this is the first time they've ever been in there, "the study was out of bounds at all times and no exceptions," this quote was said by father when he got the study. Now He's letting them in. This makes tonight a big deal, so much so it literally goes beyond an exception.
3. What technique is used in reference to the fury and Father? What does it do for us (the readers)? (Page 121) The technique used in reference to the fury and Father is Juxtaposition. What it does for the reader is help describe to us what Hitler's build is - small. This helps us learn more about the main anitagonist in the Holocaust as it has historical meaning. 
4. "'The Fury has something he wants to discuss with me,' said Father, who was allowed to interupt Mother eve if no one else was." What does this quote show about Father's want for power? How is it symbolic of what all Germany was trying to achieve in the Holocaust? This quote is symbolic of how father would kick out his own rules to get his points across; to have power and authority. This is symbolic of how the Germans acted in the Holocaust by them throwing their rules and laws by killing millions so they could have more power and land. Just as Father was willing to throw out his own rules to get his point across as he felt it important, Germany was willing to go against their laws to become more powerful as they felt it important. This is important in understanding Germany's goal and the whole reason the Holocaust came to be in the first place. 
5. What silent message is said when the Fury sits in Father's seat? How does this sum up what how he treats the Jews? (page 122) The message that is said through the Fury sitting in Father's seat is that he deems himself more powerful and in charge despite the fact that he doesn't live at the house. This is immensely relevant in how the Jews were treated because despite the fact that he wasn't the parents of children he decided their fates and he wasn't a President or Prime Minister of Poland, but he still decided what their people would do. This want for power is what propelled the Nazi pursuit. Hitler and the Nazis however wouldn't have been told what to do. The do as I say not as I do theme is and underlying statement in the Holocaust along with the want for power - it's what fueled the war.

Chapter 12 Questions: 

1. What is significant about the two boys symbols? The significance of the two boys' symbols is that they're the symbols of the Jews and The Nazis. Bruno's symbol that is on Father's uniform is the one of the Nazis and Shmuel's symbol is the one of the Jews; these symbols represent the two sides in the war and plays a pretty big deal being the colours of either side. 
2. What is completely ironic about how the boys compare the two symbols?  What is completely ironic about how the boys compare the two symbols is that when they show each other their symbols, Bruno thinks Shmuel's is better and vice versa and they have a pleasent exchange of the two. What happened when the Nazis met the Jews however was they didn't exchange and casually chat about their symbols, the Nazis started taking Jews into captivity. This is also a form of dramatic irony as the boys don't know or understand this. The comparison of the two symbols is also an example of juxtaposition
3. How is the comparison of the train rides representative of the two sides? (page 129) The comparison of the train rides are representative of the two sides in that one of the trains was small and full of people (Jews) and the other was large and empty (Germans). The Germans have so much land and are so powerful that they can have few people to a lot of land whereas the Jews have many people to a little land. The power comparison is another example of Juxtaposition and how much strength each side possessed. 
4. How does the example of how much chocolate each of the boys have juxtaposise their upbringings? The example of how much chocolate each of the boys have juxtaposises their upbringings by Bruno having had a wealthy German family that could afford to by him lots of chocolate whereas Shmuel had a poor Jewish family that couldn't afford to buy him chocolate a all (he'd only ever had it once). This example of juxtaposition is another example of how much wealth the two sides had. 
5. What does Bruno notice as Shmuel walks away? How does it show how the Jews were treated in contrast to  the Germans? What Bruno notices as Shmuel walks away is how skinny he is. This shows how the Jews were treated in contrast to the Germans by Bruno walking home to a "beef that was roasting in the oven" whereas Shmuel wouldn't have had any food for dinner because the Jews weren't given much if any food in Auschwitz. This is another example of Juxtaposition and the immense different in power in the Holocaust.