On our first full reading class two weeks ago, I forgot to
bring post-it notes to comment on, so my notes begin on page 32, which makes it
difficult to remember what happened, much less what I was thinking while I was
reading. I guess I could have written my thoughts on a piece of paper and
indicated page numbers. Oh well, live and learn! Now that I am using post-it
notes, I find it difficult to pay close attention to what I am thinking while I
read. I get too involved with the story! But using post-it notes is very
useful, and reading them reminds me of what was happening at that point in the
plot, without having to reread.
So far, at page sixty-two, Elie and his family have been
taken away to a concentration camp, and have spent several weeks there. Right
away he was separated from his mother and sister, but has remained by his
father’s side. Right now, Elie and his father have it easy, working in an old
warehouse, sorting and counting spare parts.
Many of my written comments have to do with how positive and
strong Elie is being. I also have two post-it notes regarding the book and
movie, The Boy In the Striped Pyjamas, by John Boyne (I loved the movie so
much, I had to buy the novel! The Holocaust really interests me for some
reason, apparently!). The first being about the electrified fences in Night,
versus the plain fences in the movie The Boy In the Striped Pyjamas. Which is
true? I want to lean towards Night being more accurate, since it is a true
story, written by someone who lived through it. As I was reading through Night,
I came across a paragraph where some German guards starting flirting with “young
German girls” who were watching through the fence. This immediately reminded me
of the attraction between Lieutenant Kotler and Gretel in The Boy In the Striped Pyjamas.
So far I have really enjoyed writing in a blog as opposed to
on paper. It is much more convenient for me, I don’t have to lug around binders
from school to home, I can access it anywhere, and I type much faster than I
write. It is also easier to manage and edit what I write before posting. I am
up to date on mostly everything, but I could definitely be making more personal
additions. I’ve really only made one, about The Magic Tree House! I am not huge on doodling, really, and on my
Listography photos, you can see that I did not draw much at all. But if we do
this again, I will make sure I do more. I am not sure what I would like to do
next as a writing project, but I’m sure whatever we’re handed out will be fine
with me.
"I want to lean towards Night being more accurate, since it is a true story, written by someone who lived through it."
ReplyDelete- This is a great observation about writing style. What is it about books set in the Holocaust that grabs your attention? I have the book called "The Annex" which tells the story of Anne Frank but from the perspective of Peter (who has also living in the Secret Annex with Anne Frank). I just bought it, and haven't yet read it. Are you interested?
I think I find the Holocaust interesting because... it really happened. We talk about it like some "thing" that just was, and we leave it at that. But the things done to the Jews were very real. I don't know how else to describe it. It is such a recent event too, which is sick, and disappointing, but it completely fascinates me.
DeleteI know practically everything about Anne Frank, I dressed up as her for an oral book report (The Diary of Anne Frank) in elementary school, and since then, I've been hooked. I went to the Holocaust museum when I was seven, and the mountain of little black shoes has been ingrained into my mind since. I would love to read The Annex!
I meant "The Diary of A Young Girl," but I can't edit the comment!
ReplyDelete