Touch Wood
Touch Wood is based on the author¹s own life when she was growing as a Jewish girl during the German invasion of France. In 1940, Renée and her family were living in Alsace, France, where nothing ever changed. No one expected anything unusual to happen. Then one day, a war with Germany is announced on the radio. The Germans wanted to annex Alsace and forced the Jews to leave. France was split into two zones- the Free
Zone and the German occupied zone. Renée¹s father chose for them to move to Paris, because it is a big city where he can find work, and also because Renée¹s mother has childhood friends there. So, Renée, her parents, her two younger sisters, and their blind grandmother move into a crowded apartment in the German-occupied zone.
Renée was disappointed in Paris when she arrived. She finds that everything seems to be smaller in Paris. Eventually, her new neighborhood becomes more of a home and helps Renée to miss Alsace a little less.
Renée¹s parents had left Poland and then Hungary to find a freer, better life. They settled in France and thought they¹d be safe. Then Adolf Hitler, a German man who hated Jewish people, started trouble all over again. First, seven synagogues were blown up. Then, the Germans created a curfew prohibiting Jews to go during certain hours. Any Jew
caught in the street after curfew would be taken as hostage. Also, all Jewish people must wear a Star of David on their shirts. An ordinance is created requiring all Jewish firms to be registered. Then the Jewish are forbidden to go to most public places, and they are only allowed an hour to grocery shop.
Suddenly, their family¹s Jewish neighbors are being taken away one by one. Renée¹s family becomes fearful. At one point, they have to hide from the police. Renée¹s parents decide to take action. They have friends who know Mother Superior. They send Renée and her sisters to a Catholic residence in Normandy until the war is over. Their father
emphasizes for them not to tell anyone that they are Jewish. When they arrive in Normandy, they find a cozy bedroom, appetizing meals, and friendly people. Renée has to deal with a nosy housekeeper, who could possibly uncover their secret. Renée and her sisters love their new school, which is much more spacious and modern than the one in Paris.
On their way to the village they are stopped by Nazi soldiers who says they must come with them to be relocated. Hannah is the only one who knows what is actually about to happen. She tries to explain why they must not go with the soldiers but the adults explain that they have no choice. They are loaded in trucks and drove off to a train station where they are gathered into cars with barely any room to breathe. The ride on the train lasts for days and several children and infants do not live
They stayed here during the winter while Alicia still searched for food, in the process, making many friends. News came one day that the Germans were beginning to fall back from the Russian fronts and Germany’s grip on the Jews in Poland was weakening. This news made Alicia and her mother move away from the old man who helped them.
When Marie tries to ask the protagonist to take a walk, this action shows that she is trying to achieve Pauline’s dream by getting her outside of the house. Therefore, she could finally feel the true meaning of freedom. Nevertheless, Pauline’s mother’s response demonstrates that she wants her daughter’s safety more than anything. The mother tries to keep Pauline away from the danger, so the protagonist can at last have a healthier life. However, Agathe’s reply shows that her mother is willing to sacrifice Pauline’s dream to keep her secure.
Throughout the book Melinda is having troubles with everybody , Teachers,Friends, and especially her parents. Melinda’s parents do not care about her. Her family does not communicate with each other. Melinda's spanish teacher only speaks spanish,and Melinda thinks that her art teacher Mr. Freeman is weird. Students are making pig noises and she is being picked
Dad, Deb and I hiked up the steep hill to the venerable old hotel, Chateau Laurier, to be sure it was okay to dock for the night where we had tied up. We also made dinner reservations at Madame Burger’s across the Ottawa River in the town named Hull that has since been renamed Gatineau. A cab drove down to the Consuelo and took us to dinner. We stopped into the Chateau Laurier for a nightcap before retiring to the boat for some much needed sleep.
When the American Commodore Perry arrived and forced the Japanese to open up trading with the Americans in 1853 it caused a massive shift in the way Japan was run. The shogun could not deal with the looming threat and began a campaign of anti-foreignism “’Toi!’ (Expel the Barbarians!)” . The shogun eventually capitulated and began to allow foreign ships into Japan; this sparked the anti-foreign element, created by the shogun, to remove the shogun and reinstate the Emperor into power: “’Sonno’ (Revere the Emperor) was added to their mantra of ‘Toi’ to represent the old system where the Emperor was like a god. The Emperor took power back into his hands and renamed himself Meiji meaning “Enlightened Rule.” However, the Emperor did not expel the ‘barbarians’, instead he saw them as a method of creating a better Japan and began a campaign known as the ‘Meiji Restoration’ to modernize the nation. Japan needed to modernize because the western countries had forced the Tokugawa shogunate to sign unfair treaties that greatly favoured the western countries, notably the United States of America, Russia, Great Britain and France . One of the key events of the Meiji Restoration was the decline and fall of the samurai class in Japan. This essay intends to show the reasons for the decline of the samurai at the beginning of the Empire of Japan through the policies enacted during the Meiji Restoration. This will be shown through the military, cultural, political and social reforms enacted by the Japanese government.
Annemarie is a normal young girl, ten years old, she has normal difficulties and duties like any other girl. but these difficulties aren’t normal ones, she’s faced with the difficulties of war. this war has made Annemarie into a very smart girl, she spends most of her time thinking about how to be safe at all times “Annemarie admitted to herself,snuggling there in the quiet dark, that she was glad to be an ordinary person who would never be called upon for courage.
Jansen, Marius B.. "Japan Between the Wars." The making of modern Japan. Cambridge, Mass.: Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 2002. 495. Print.
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.
was inclusive of 250 lords whom had annual outputs of 50,000 or more bushels of rice. These upper strata people took part in expensive rituals, elegant architecture and landscaped gardens, noh drama, patronage of the arts and tea ceremonies. Below these lords, there were three other social groups. Peasants were next as the rice crop that they grew for a living was taxed to support the needs of the class on the upper strata. Artisans and craftworkers were beneath the peasant on the social hierarchy as they produced non-agricultural goods. Lastly, the merchants were placed as they are not involved in production. These strata were inconsistent with social realities as many merchants benefitted and became extremely rich even though the strict social hierarchy prevented them from using their reaping to improve their power position or status.
Harootunian, Harry. Toward Restoration: The Growth of Political Consciousness in Tokugawa Japan. Los Angeles: University of California Press, 1970.
Jeannette and her siblings were left without a proper education due to the fact of their parents' weird way living. The Walls children were always moving from place to place because of Rex and Rosemary. Parent interaction in their children's educational learning has a big effect in the ending. If a parent is involved, asks about their child's schoolwork, how their day was, etc., the child will do better in school because their parent actually cares. On the other hand, if a parent rarely shows interest in their child's school studies, the child may believe that they do not have to try hard in their studies because the parent will no...
She graduates and is able to become a governess for a french girl, and later a headmistress of her own school. In taking that position, she becomes truly self-sufficient. She needs to do this, because it is a part of her becoming an adult, but also because it is something she feels she needs to achieve before she achieves self-assurance. She searches for true freedom and wants desperately to be seen as an equal by others. She falls in love for the man she works for and is hesitant
They move to Spanish Town with Aunt Cora. Antionette attends a convent school. She learns about womanhood.
After the invasion the Frank family went into hiding in the “Secret Annexe” with the help of Mr. Franks colleagues. This is where her two-year journey of fear begins for Anne. I am sure that such repression and fear of life would make almost any teenager completely depressed and miserable. However, Anne managed to keep her hope for a better tomorrow and man...