English Reading Report Assignment

828 Words2 Pages

Then by Morris Gleitzman is a war fiction novel about the life of two children, Felix and Zelda during wartime Poland. Then is first published in 2008 and is printed in Australia. Morris Gletizman’s message in the book allows readers to remember and relive the memory of the unforgettable history period of the Holocaust and the Nazis. Gleitzman wanted to show the rare kindness of people during wartime and the effect it had on children like the main characters, Felix and Zelda.

The book Then is set in Poland during the period of the Holocaust and Nazis in 1942. The book is about the two orphans, Felix and Zelda, who escaped from a train that travel to a Nazi death camp for Jewish people. They struggled to survive without food or water. They met Genia, a farmer who became their guardian and provided a shelter and kindness to the two children. Felix and Zelda embarked on a terrifying journey to disguise their identity, escape from sinister Nazi soldiers and overcome challenges and suspicions of Genia’s neighbours.

There are three main characters in Then, they are Genia, Zelda and Felix. Felix is a ten year old Jewish orphan whose parents were killed by the Nazis. Although Zelda is not his family, he is very protective and cared a lot about Zelda. This is illustrated when Felix thought “if I was twelve I could carry Zelda on my back” and this also showed Felix’s love for Zelda. He is also very intelligent, a quick thinker and very brave. He did a poo in his pants to avoid Cyryl and his gang pulled down his pants and discover his Jewish identity. He made a hiding hole for Zelda in the barn, digging the hiding hole under the dog, Leopard’s kennel; once again this proved Felix’s intelligence. Felix also idolised Richmal Crompton, an Eng...

... middle of paper ...

...e children’s point of view to reveal the plot allowed readers to sympathise the children quickly.

Overall, Then by Morris Gleitzman is an excellent novel and combines real historical events with a touch of fantasy and adventure. By using interesting characters, exciting plot, distinctive use of engaging language and imagery, Morris allowed readers to imagine the suffering and pain Jewish children experienced in the period of Holocaust. Although there was probably over repetition of the word “Then” at the start of each chapter, Then allowed readers to think, remember and respect Jewish people who suffered at war and explored touching and difficult themes with a beautiful, intriguing, captivating and exceptionally written plot. Then allow the reader to feel and grasp the unimaginable.

Show More
Related

  • A Spring Morning Ida Fink Analysis

    277 Words  | 1 Pages

    It is interesting to read the connections of Night, by Elie Wiesel because they include the experiences of the Holocaust from other people's’ points of views. In A Spring Morning, by Ida Fink, it is shocking that the innocence has been stripped away from the child as the speaker reveals, “Fire years old! The age for teddy bears and blocks” (Wiesel 129). This child is born innocent, she has not harmed anyone, yet she has to suffer. Reading about the Holocaust is difficult, I wonder how others had the motivation to live during it. The description of a little girl getting shot is heartbreaking as the speaker explains, “At the edge of the sidewalk lay a small, bloody rag…. He [Aron] had to keep on walking, carrying his dead child” (Wiesel 133).

    Read More

  • Alicia My Story, Book Summary

    1341 Words  | 3 Pages

    The main character in this story is a Jewish girl named Alicia. When the book starts she is ten years old, she lives in the Polish town of Buczacz with her four brothers, Moshe, Zachary, Bunio, and Herzl, and her mother and father. The Holocaust experience began subtly at first when the Russians began to occupy Buczacz. When her brother Moshe was killed at a “ Boys School” in Russia and her father was gathered up by German authorities, the reality of the whole situation quickly became very real. Her father was taken away shortly after the Russians had moved out and the Germans began to occupy Buczacz.

    Read More

  • Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys

    681 Words  | 2 Pages

    Lina Vilkas is a fifteen year old girl who is the protagonist of this story. She was taken, by the NKVD, from her house with her mother and brother to exile. Later in the story she meets Andrius and falls in love with him. She marries him after the war while moving from place to place. Andrius uses his misfortune as a fortune to help others. He takes care of Lina and her family as best he can. Nikolai Kretzsky is a young NKVD officer who helps Lina and her mother even after Lina insulted him. Mr Stalas is a Jew who is deported with the other people. He wanted to die with dignity. He is often referred to as The Bald Man. He confesses that he was liable for the deportation. Janina is a starry-eyed young girl who likes to help others and to talk to her "dead" doll. When few selected people are brought to the North Pole for more suffering, dozens of people die from cholera and pneumonia. Lina however, survives and manages to save Jonas and Janina with the help of Nikolai Kretzsky.

    Read More

  • Three Aspects of Night by Elie Wiesel

    514 Words  | 2 Pages

    Many different responses have occurred to readers after their perusal of this novel. Those that doubt the stories of the holocaust’s reality see Night as lies and propaganda designed to further the myth of the holocaust. Yet, for those people believing in the reality, the feelings proffered by the book are quite different. Many feel outrage at the extent of human maliciousness towards other humans. Others experience pity for the loss of family, friends, and self that is felt by the Holocaust victims.

    Read More

  • Montana 1948

    726 Words  | 2 Pages

    Throughout the novel the characters are put in these situations which force them to obtain information about the people they thought they knew. The center of finding out who everyone is was brought into play through the death of Marie. The story is told by David, only twelve years old, who sees his family an community in a different light for who they truly are under there cover. By doing his own little investigations, often times eavesdropping, David saw through the lies, secures and betrayals to find the truth.

    Read More

  • Chapter Summary of I Have Lived a Thousand Years, Growing Up in the Holocaust by Livia Bitton-Jackson

    3706 Words  | 8 Pages

    Elli talks about daily life in her neighborhood. Her mother does not show any compassion for her. When Elli complains of this, her mother brings up excuses that are unconvincing. Elli believes her mother does not care for her and that her brother is the favorite. Hilter’s reoccurring radio broadcast give nightmares to Elli, whos family is Jewish. The nights when the Hungarian military police would come and stir trouble did not provide anymore comfort for Elli. One night, her brother, Bubi, comes home with news that Germany invaded Budapest, the town where he goes to school. But the next morning, there is no news in the headlines. The father sends him back to school. He learns the next day that a neighbor’s son who goes to school with Bubi has said the same. The day after, the newspapers scream the news of the invasion. Bubi arrives home, and the terror begins.

    Read More

  • Night By Elie Wiesel And Maus Analysis

    991 Words  | 2 Pages

    Jane Yolen once said: “Fiction cannot recite the numbing numbers, but it can be that witness, that memory.” Preserving the memories of the horrifying incidents of the Holocaust is the best way to ensure nothing like it ever occurs again. Authors use their novels to try and pass these memories down through generations. Examples of this are the novels Night by Elie Wiesel, and MAUS by Art Spiegelman. The main discussion in these novels revolves around the Holocaust and the violence against Jews. Both have captivating stories and are worthy of recognition, but MAUS is a better novel for educating students. This is because unlike Night it discusses the familial guilt faced by the families of Holocaust survivors. In addition, MAUS gives a visual

    Read More

  • The Use Of Humor In Art Spiegelman's Maus

    1269 Words  | 3 Pages

    In Art Spiegelman’s Maus, the audience is led through a very emotional story of a Holocaust survivor’s life and the present day consequences that the event has placed on his relationship with the author, who is his son, and his wife. Throughout this novel, the audience constantly is reminded of how horrific the Holocaust was to the Jewish people. Nevertheless, the novel finds very effective ways to insert forms of humor in the inner story and outer story of Maus. Although the Holocaust has a heart wrenching effect on the novel as a whole, the effective use of humor allows for the story to become slightly less severe and a more tolerable read.

    Read More

  • Response To Night By Elie Wiesel

    962 Words  | 2 Pages

    In this tiny novel, you will get to walk right into a gruesome nightmare. If only then, it was just a dream. You would witness and feel for yourself of what it is like to go through the unforgettable journey that young Eliezer Wiesel and his father had endured in the greatest concentration camp that shook the history of the entire world. With only one voice, Eliezer Wiesel’s, this novel has been told no better. Elie's voice will have you emotionally torn apart. The story has me questioning my own wonders of how humanity could be mistreated in such great depths and with no help offered.

    Read More

  • The Change of Perspective in the Author of Sky High

    791 Words  | 2 Pages

    middle of paper ... ... ity going in the last paragraph. The structure of the passage helps the responder to clearly see the changed perspective of the author. The passage starts with the child’s perspective; the writing has almost a curious and flighty feel to it. This feeling is empathized through the use of verbs, adjectives, similes, metaphors, imagery and descriptive and emotive language.

    Read More

  • Maus Two by Art Spiegelman

    444 Words  | 1 Pages

    Art Spiegelman's Maus II is a book that tells more than the story of one family's struggle to live thought the Holocaust. It gives us a look into the psyche of a survivor's child and how the Holocaust affected him and many other generations of people who were never there at all. Maus II gives the reader a peek into the psyche of Art Spiegelman and the affects of having two parents that survived the Holocaust had on him. Spiegelman demonstrates the affects of being a survivor's child in many ways throughout the book. Examining some of these will give us a better understanding of what it was like to be a part of the Holocaust.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of The Lost Childhood By Yehuda Nir

    1062 Words  | 3 Pages

    Childhood is a powerful and important time for all humans. As a child, the things one sees and hears influences the choices and decisions they make in the future. “How a child develops during early and middle childhood years affects future cognitive, social, emotional, language, and physical development, which in turn influences their trust and confidence for later success in life” (Early and Middle Childhood). Yehuda Nir’s, The Lost Childhood is a first person memoir based on the life of a youthful Jewish child who survived the Holocaust. Taking place from pre-World War II 1939, to post-World War II 1945, this memoir highlights the despicable things done during one of the darkest times in modern history. Prior to being published in October

    Read More

  • Free Color Purple Essays: It Was the Worst of Times

    613 Words  | 2 Pages

    This novel was set in the early 1900’s.  During this time, the black people were oppressed by white people.  They were abused and taken advantage of.  Not only were the black people were oppressed but also women were oppressed.  They had little freedom and were unable to be self-sufficient.

    Read More

  • Sophie's Choice

    1575 Words  | 4 Pages

    Sophie was a Polish women and a survivor of Auschwitz, a concentration camp established in Germany during the Holocaust in the early 1940s. In the novel we learn about her through her telling of her experiences, for instance, the murder of her husband and her father. We also come to learn of the dreadful decision she was faced with upon entering the concentration camp, where she was instructed to choose which one of her two children would be allowed to live. She chose her son. Later we learn of her short lived experience as a stenographer for a man by the name of Rudolph Hoss, the Commandant of the Auschwitz concentration camp. During her time there, Sophie attempted to seduce Hoss in an attempt to have her son transferred to the Lebensborn program so that he may have been raised as a German child. Sophie's attempt was unsuccessful and she was returned back to t...

    Read More

  • The Boy In The Striped Pajamas Narrative Essay

    730 Words  | 2 Pages

    Imagine waking up on a normal day, in your normal house, in your normal room. Imagine if you knew that that day, you would be taken away from your normal life, and forced to a life of death, sickness, and violence. Imagine seeing your parents taken away from you. Imagine watching your family walk into their certain death. Imagine being a survivor. Just think of the nightmares that linger in your mind. You are stuck with emotional pain gnawing at your sanity. These scenerios are just some of the horrific things that went on between 1933-1945, the time of the Holocaust. This tragic and terrifying event has been written about many times. However, this is about one particularly fascinating story called The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne.

    Read More

More about English Reading Report Assignment

Open Document