11/1 Reading Response

The Yablonovoskiy family is originated in the Soviet Union. They migrated out of the U.S.S.R in 1977. Leon, the person the excerpt focuses on, was brought up using the the culture and values his family had been following for years. The family also tries it’s best to get rid of any progressive ideals that other nations associated with the U.S.S.R. Leon’s grandfather was a big influence on his life, and how Leon viewed life. Leon’s grandfather was a holocaust survivor, and whenever Leon would complain about how life is hard for him, his grandfather would show him how his life isn’t really that bad. Further on in the story, Leon explains how the show “Nu Pogodi” had helped show a connection between the government in Russia and the show, via the similarities they shared. The government used the show to instill propaganda in the children and show them how to be good citizens. Besides that, Leon’s family actually enjoyed the cartoon, so it wasn’t all politics.

The relationship between Leon and his grandfather stuck out to me. Having family that is from different sides of the world but going through issues really puts me into a spot that realizes that my life isn’t as hard as others. Hearing about other people’s struggles in life really hits home with me. Especially people’s ancestors that survived the holocaust. My family had to move out of Europe and Venezuela because of political issues and money problems. Sometimes when I think of how my life can be hard, my family reminds me that I do not have it bad at all.  I’ve had many conversations with them on that subject, and that’s something I will hold for the rest of my life.