Please respond to three of the following questions. Remember to compose your answers in complete sentences and to ground your ideas in specific details from the text where appropriate. Your responses should be posted by Wednesday, May 6th.
- What did you learn from this story that you did not previously know about life in Nazi concentration camps?
I learned that there were catholics who were sent to the concentration camps. From my previous knowledge I though Jewish people were the only people sent to the concentration camps. But, now thinking about it makes sense that anyone against the government are prosecuted as bad people and being sent to the camps. It made sense because all dictators want the power over the people and even within there own circles they want that infinite power over people, populations and nations.
- A tall, grey-haired woman who has just arrived on the “transport” whispers, “My poor boy,” to our narrator. What does she mean?
She means she feels bad for the treatment has to go through as well as unloading the transports. Seeing the scared people, people being shot, having stayed in the same camp for a year the people being transported just got to camp , the old woman and new transports were just transferred there.
- “Are we good people?” asks our narrator. What is this exchange about? What do you think?
He wants his mind to be in good conscience, not have a weight on him. But throughout the time transporting he sees thing he didn’t think he would be exposed to and yes the camps were terrible but he didn’t see the harsh treatment that he saw of how the officers treated the jews. He starts to analyze if he really is a good person and how this “initiation” has changed him and how being in the camp has changed him.
How do you think the narrator would answer his own question “are we good people?” Do we see him commit any cruel acts? What did you think of Henri’s response?
He would answer yes because he is already in the frame where he tells Henri that he “You see, my friend, you see, I don’t know why, but I am furious, simply furious with these people”, he is fed up with his situation but also is clouded in his judgement because due to were he is he’s in this survival mode. He doesn’t commit cruel acts but he’s kind of just being passive similar to the the “first they came” for poem , it is not his issue so he does not want to help the jews. Henri is in the same situation it’s not his problem he is looking for anything that will benefit him kind of like a rat , scouring for scraps and taking any praises her receives.