POST ONE DUE BY 4/9 AT MIDNIGHT!
Assignment for Break: POST ONE BY 4/9 POST TWO BY 4/12 POST THREE BY 4/15
Research for our next project on Who Is to Blame for the Holocaust?
- Post a blog for three of the following types of people involved in the Holocaust as seen in the book THE BOOK THIEF. FIRST one by 4/9, second by 4/12 and third by 4/15!
- Choices: Nazi soldiers, citizens of small German towns, Hitler, captured Jews
- Discuss the character(s) in each blog who you have met and understood throughout the book for your choice and if they are to blame at all for the destruction of 6 million Jews.
Questions to answer in each blog post
- Which characters from the book are in that type of person (Nazi soldier, citizens of small towns, Hitler, captured Jews)?
- Describe each person and his/her personality, actions and ethics.
- How much should they be to blame for the Holocaust? Why didn't they stop what was happening? Did they try to stop it? What was the consequence?
- For each post, identify if that group of people should be to blame a lot some none.
- Explain why you selected that amount of blame.
Example:
Type of person: Nazi Soldiers
Characters from the book: Joe Smoe, Jack Johnson, Ida B. Well
Joe Smoe was forced into the war. He did not want to be a part of it but had to (131) or else his son would die. He was a doctor who helped the sick Jews.
Jack Johnson was also forced into the war. He also was punished for being a help to Jews and was enlisted into the war. He was a kind man with no children but helped starving Jew....
Ida B. Wells.....
This group of Nazi soldiers should have SOME blame because they were.....However, they also..... Each of these characters..... They did not want to .....but they.....
I selected SOME blame because, as humans, they could have....even though...
Kevin Alonso
ReplyDeleteHonors Humanities 4
Type of Person: Citizens of small German Towns
Characters from The Book Thief: Hans Hubermann, Frau Diller, and Frau Holtzapfel
Hans Hubermann is a kind, caring, generous man. One of Han’s actions that reflect his kindness and generosity is when he decided to paint the window blinds of people for only half a cigarette and for those who lived in poverty who had nothing to give, he painted their blinds for free (354). Han’s painting the windows of the people for practically nothing shows his true self. It displays that he isn’t selfish but actually is caring for others. The decision he took of painting the window blinds of people who lived in poverty was an ethical decision, because although he knew he wasn’t going to receive anything in return, he didn’t walk away from them, instead he made the right decision and helped out the less fortunate. Hans is also kind and caring because he took Max Vandenburg (a Jew) to live in his basement. Hans provided for Max, giving him a place to sleep, protection and food to keep him alive. Hans knowing the threat Max placed on his family, did not reject him instead him took him in knowing that it was the right thing to do since his father, Erik Vandenburg had saved his life in World War I.
Hans Hubermann SHOULD NOT be blamed for the Holocaust because he was a citizen that was against Hitler’s persecution of the Jews. Hans tried to stop the persecution by providing aid to the Jews. Hans helped one Jew in particular, Max, hiding him in his basement so that he would be protected from being caught by the Nazi’s and then being sent to a concentration camp. One important action Hans took that let the German soldiers realize what kind of a person Hans was, is the decision Hans made of giving an elderly Jew a piece of bread (394) Hans couldn’t resist seeing the Jews who were being pushed on to march by the German soldiers, to keep walking with the very little strength they had. He couldn’t bare seeing them suffer this way and he wanted to help them, so he did what he believed was right to do and gave the Jew a piece of bread. In return the consequence he faced was that he was whipped four times by a German soldier and later being sent to Essen to be part of the LSE (Germany’s Air Raid Special Unit). It also lead Max, to leave because of the fear that the house was going to be checked leading to his capture, making Hans feel guilty of what he had just done.
Frau Diller is a strong supporter of Hitler and the Nazi party. Frau Diller has one golden rule. Everyone who walks into her shop must say “Heil Hitler” (49-50). The idea that Frau Diller makes everyone have to salute to Hitler when they enter her shop in order to be attended to shows that she is a strong nationalist as well as demanding. The idea that Frau Diller demands all her clients to do the Hitler salute to gain her respect is unethical because everyone should have the freedom of choosing to salute to Hitler or not. Frau Diller should respect her clients despite if they choose to salute to Hitler or not to salute to Hitler. Frau Diller also expresses her nationalism by having a framed photo of Hitler behind her in the shop showing that she idolizes him, believes in him, his ideas and all his words.
Frau Diller should be blamed A LOT for the Holocaust because she did not do anything to stop it rather she promoted it. Frau Diller helped promote the Holocaust, because when rationing began in Germany, the money she earned from the “hard-to-get” items were donated to the Nazi party (50). This shows that although Frau Diller knew how the Nazi’s were treating the Jews, how they were starving them to death, forcing them to march down the streets of Molching to their concentration camps in Darfur she still continued giving them her strong support.
Frau Holtzapfel is a rude, disrespectful neighbor of the Hubermanns who is a supporter of Hitler and the Nazi party. Frau Holtzapfel is rude and disrespectful due to the fact that she spits on the door of the Hubermanns (44). It is unethical of Frau Holtzapfel to be spitting on the door of the Hubermanns every time she walks past their door because of a decade long argument she has had with Rosa. Even though an agreement is made between Rosa and Holtzapfel in which Holtzapfel agrees no longer to spit on Rosa’s door and Liesel agrees to read for her in exchange for coffee rations she is still a rude person because she screams at Liesel to make herself heard.
ReplyDeleteFrau Holtzapfel should be blamed A LOT for the Holocaust because just like Frau Diller she did not do anything to prevent it, instead she allowed it to occur. Frau Holtzapfel allowed it because she had two sons in the war Michael and Robert who she was proud of, fighting for Germany in honor of Hitler. It is shown that she is a nationalist when she criticizes Hans after he is caught by a German soldier in the incident where he was giving a Jew a piece of bread. Frau Holtzapfel calls Hans “a dirty Jew lover” (401). The derogatory remark Frau Holtzapfel made to Hans reveals that she supports the idea of Hitler’s persecution of Jews. It reveals that she does not like Jews, that she is a racist and that she does not want Jews to be in Germany.
Overall, the type of blame for this group of people, citizens of small German towns is A LOT. It is a lot because in The Book Thief there are more supporters of Hitler then those who are against him. Hans isn’t to blame because he tried to help the Jews in the ways he could, but he couldn’t do much to stop the Holocaust because he was only one man. Frau Diller and Frau Holtzapfel are to blame because Hitler’s use of propaganda persuaded them to idolize him and make them believe that his ideas are right leading them to have the same hatred he has for Jews.
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DeleteI agree that the small German towns should be blamed, but not as much as you claim they should be. Did the support of the German towns give Hitler the power to destroy the Jews? How much do you think their supports help Hitler in causing the Holocaust. I think that he already had this power to cause mass destruction to one race to begin with, but the support of his people only pushed it further because no one wanted to do anything about it. It was like opening a clear pathway for him to proceed with his plans.
DeleteI do think the support of the German towns did give Hitler the power to destroy the Jews; it gave him A LOT of help. The town was a help to Hitler, because Hitler focused on having all his citizens support him, believe in him. Hitler did not want anyone to be against him because he believed that anyone who did not support his beliefs would be a threat to him. In order to insure the support of his citizens he controlled all of Germany’s media. He burned books, monitored television, music and even overheard phone calls to make sure that no one would be against him. His strong methods of propaganda, which included blocking out all viewpoints and only having his own viewpoint present in Germany, allowed him to gain a strong support from his citizens. Hitler was able to gain his power mainly because the vast majority of German citizens supported him. Since everyone in Germany was desperately looking for that one person that would lead them out of the issues and hard times their nation was facing, which had started with the financial crisis, Hitler became a strong liking for them. Hitler was that one man who stepped up and promised German citizens a strong revival of their nation, which allowed many German citizens to be in his favor. Due to the fact, that Hitler was able to gain his power mainly because of the German citizens it clearly shows that the support of the German towns meant A LOT to Hitler because it would later allow him to carry out his persecution of Jews.
DeleteI agree with Kevin because everybody knows that a leader will use some type of propaganda in order to gain support.The people in the German towns let themselves be brainwashed.They could've learned from Hans experience and seen his side of the story and try to figure out why he helped out a Jew.They should've thought to themselves,"What did the Jews do to us? Why are they being punished harshly for something they didn't do?" Even Liesel sees through this and she learns to hate the Fuhrer.Even though she is young,she tried to help out Max when she saw him marching,and we know that Liesel hasn't experienced most of the things Hans has. If she sees this why doesn't anybody else?
DeleteAngela Mendez
DeletePeriod 4
I agree with Kevin because the German citizens could have said something. If the German citizens didn't advocate Hitler, then Hitler wouldn't have a lot a power and wouldn't have killed a lot of Jews.
Even if the German towns were brainwashed, I still don't believe that they should be blamed for causing the Holocaust. Hitler took advantage of Germany's depression after World War I. Although the citizens had the power to stop the Holocaust, they did not realize it would go to such extent. German towns did not help Hitler put this plan into action.
DeleteKimberly, I believe if you were in their shoes you might have not done anything to stop Hitler, it happens in modern times too where people don't realize they are being brainwashed. Or they do not question because their friends want to believe something and they don't want to be the odd one out.
Angela, German citizens COULD'VE said something about Hitler, but are they to blame for the Holocaust because they did not saying anything
I agree with Lok Ting. Hitler caused the Holocaust, not the citizens. The citizens were just scared that no one would stand up for them if they decided to. They were in fear of losing their lives. Hitler brainwashed people to believe that killing Jews was a good and just thing by isolating them from the ethics of the world. The citizens were doing wrong thinking they were doing right by promoting Hitler and the Nazis. However, there were some that still knew the truth, but not all of them acted on it. How were they supposed to stand up and risk their lives knowing that the person right next to them may damn them to hell and kill them? Their deaths would accomplish nothing and would actually help spread fear amongst the citizens instead of helping the Jews. Most citizens did what they could to get themselves out of trouble because they didn't want to die. It was selfish, but is it really wrong to want to live? To hold unto the most important thing a person has? No, the citizens cannot be blamed for the Holocaust because all they were doing is what they thought was right or trying to stay alive.
DeleteI disagree with you, Lok Ting and Samantha. The citizens should have some blame for the Holocaust. Hitler did indeed caused the Holocaust. However, the citizens continued it. The citizens were the ones promoting Hitler and the Nazis. They could've done the opposite and spoken against Hitler. People have to stand up for what they believe is right or else the world will never change and never become a better place to live in. Samantha, you said that "Their deaths would accomplish nothing". I think their deaths could've done the opposite. Their deaths could've inspire other people to go against Hitler. Also, of course it isn't wrong to want to live! However, we have to keep in mind that if the citizens did something against Hitler, Jews wouldn't have suffered as much. Overall, I think the citizens should have some blame for the Holocaust.
DeleteAngela, I agree and disagree with you at some points. The citizens could have stopped Hitler if everyone stood up and put their lives on the line. However, the problem was that some people actually believed the Jews were the cause of all of Germany's problems. Hitler regulated all of what the people in Germany saw. This is why he had everyone isolated from the rest of the world and had books that went against the lies he was teaching burned. Hitler knew that as long as there were some people that would believe his lies and have the lies enforced in schools, posters, homes, etc., people’s revolts against him wouldn't work. There were people that stood up for the Jewish people, but all Hitler needed to do was call them Jew lovers and that they were just as bad as the Jews and that would be the end of it. Everyone that knew the truth was afraid for their lives because they knew Hitler wouldn't hesitate to kill them for standing up for the Jews. He was not the only one enforcing them, and the citizens that enforced them can't be blamed because they were ignorant. Hitler was feeding them lies, and if they knew the truth things might have come out different. However, that is not the case and therefore, the Holocaust is not something the citizens can be blamed for because they did not know what they were doing was wrong.
DeleteLok Ting Hon
ReplyDeletePeriod 4
Type of person: Citizens of small German towns
Characters from the book: Liesel Meminger, Hans Hubermann,Rosa Hubermann
Liesel Meminger is the writer of the book that Death is reading to the audience. She lost her mother and brother on the train, now she lives with foster parents. She is curious about words and this is shown throughout the book by her repeated attempts to get close to books. Words bring her closer to people, but she realizes how harmful they are at the same times. Liesel is an innocent person,however she is aware of her surroundings. Her decisions are not always ethical because she has yet to experience the world. Liesel often steals with her friend Rudy to survive or just for joy, this shows how their ethical decisions changed by their surroundings.
Liesel shouldn't be blamed for the holocaust at all because she even tried to protect a Jew. Liesel tried to stop the Holocaust with a small step, but she was unable to actually do real progress. When the Jews were marching, Liesel saw Max and ran to him. For a little girl, this is a big step to defy the orders of the Nazi soldiers. The consequence was that she was pulled away from him and they were both whipped till they had fallen.
Hans Hubermann is a man who loves to live the moment, but realizes the effects of this after it's too late. When there was a march of Jews in the street, Hans Hubermann saw an old man fall. His emotions were stirred, he walked out onto the street and gives the bread to the old man. He is whipped by the Nazi soldiers, when he gets home it was then he realized he was hiding a Jew in his basement. This caused Max (Jew in the basement)to leave the house, this shows how he does not realize the consequence until it was in his face. Another example is when his life was saved by Erik Vandenburg (Max's father) and in that moment, he promised to go to the aid of his family. However many years later, Hans Hubermann puts his life in danger along with his family to help Erik's son who is running away from Hitler.
Hans Hubermann should not be blamed for the Holocaust. He opposed this policy because his life was saved by a Jew (Erik Vandenburg). This made his son hate him because Hans did not want to join the Nazi Party. Also, Hans Hubermann protected the Jew that arrived at his doorsteps instead of turning him away at the door. He was dragged into war by the Nazis because he offered bread to a Jew on the street. His attempt to offer help to stop this was also effortless. Just like Liesel, he was whipped until he fell to the ground and was looked down upon by the rest of the society.
Lok Ting Hon
ReplyDeletePeriod 4
Rosa Hubermann is a woman who insults the ones she loves, this makes her seem like she does not know how to affection. She is always calling the ones closest to her, "Saumnsch". However she knows what she is doing. A way that she shows that she loves Liesel is when Max woke up, she listened to her daughter. Rosa walks into the school building and starts yelling at her daughter, but reminds her that Liesel told her to do that when Max woke up. She loved her husband, when he went to war she held his accordion until there were prints on her. Rosa is a very loving woman who doesn't show it. Her ethical decisions were not covered because her life was in danger.
She is not to be blamed for the Holocaust because when she was taken by surprise that a Jew appeared on her door. She did not tell him to run away or leave her house. Rosa let her husband make the decisions because that was his business. Although her life was in danger because Max was to stay, she realized how important Max became to Liesel. Rosa tried her best to keep Max alive as she said to Liesel, since Max is under her care, he will not die under her roof. That is determination to protect someone even though it goes through all the rules of the Holocaust. However she did not do anything close to Liesel or Hans to try stop the Holocaust.
Overall, the small German cities should not be blamed. Although many people supported Hitler, I believe that through the power of words, people were brainwashed and not stop Hitler. This makes it clear that they DID NOT provide help to the Holocaust. It seemed they were bystanders or pressured into believing in Hitler. True believers really had no real power in convincing Hitler in what to do. Hitler had to power of words with him in order to do what he wanted. If they were to be blamed, then I would blame them for clearing a path for him to be able to create genocide.
I agree with Lok Ting that small German cities should not be blame since people back then did not have power to stand out and speak out what they believed. Since Hitler was so powerful with words, people were brainwashed and had no choice but to believe what they were told.
DeleteType of Person:Citizens of Small German Towns
ReplyDeleteCharacter from The Book Thief: Liesel, Hans Hubermann, Frau Holtzapfel
Liesel is the protagonist of the story. She is a young girl who lived during the time of WWII and also witnessed the cruel treatment of the Jews during the Holocaust. Liesel's biological mother gave her up to foster parents, Hans Hubermann and Rosa Hubermann, who take good care of Liesel. She was intrigued by words and eventually became attached to books. Throughout the novel, the Liesel is revealed to be a hard-working, honest, and kind-hearted book thief. During times of crisis in the town due to happenings of the war, Liesel's innocence helps others to remain determined and hopeful for survival.
Liesel should receive some blame for the Holocaust. One time Nazi soldiers led a group of Jews through Liesel's town. They were all starving and could barely walk, yet the soldiers forced the people to continue marching. This may have been the first time that Liesel witnessed the cruel treatment of Jewish people during the Holocaust. However she, along with all of the other people in the town didn't say anything nor offer the Jews help, "What good would it be? She understood that she was utterly worthless to these people... see what would happen to those who might try to help them" (393). Liesel was afraid of the consequences and did not want to get involved. She just stood in the crowd along with everyone else to watch the Jews as they marched through the town as if it was some parade. Even though she didn't directly harm the Jewish people, her action of not getting involved only allows the Nazis to continue to hurt the Jews.
Hans Hubermann is Liesel's foster father. He is a good-natured and very humble man who works as a painter. He is also generous and offers to help anyone who desperately needs his help even if they do not have any means to pay him. Hans Hubermann is not someone who is flashy and likes to stand out from the crowd. In the story he ends up having to hide a Jew in his basement. If anyone caught him and reported him Hans Hubermann and his entire family along with the Jew will have to face dire consequences. Hans Hubermann become one of the most important people to Liesel. In a way, Hans Hubermann is Liesel's hero who she depends on greatly.
Hans Hubermann should not receive any blame for the Holocaust. During the same Jewish "parade" that Liesel witnessed, Hans Hubermann was the only person who stepped out and offered one of the Jews some help. One of the Jews stumbled to the ground as he was unable to catch up with the rest of the group. Everyone in the observing crowd just expected the man to die right there but Hans Hubermann decided to help him, "Papa reached into his paint cart and pulled something out. He made his way through the people, onto the road... Hans Huberman held his hand out and presented a piece of bread, like magic"(394). Even though Hans Hubermann was hiding a Jew in his basement, his good- nature stimulated his action to help the Jew. A Nazi soldier immediately rushed over the the "scene of the crime" and punished Hans Hubermann along with the Jew. Hans shouldn't receive blame for the Holocaust because he tried his best to give his aid to the Jews by hiding one in his basement and giving some bread to the Jew who everyone was expecting to die on the road.
Frau Holtzapfel is one of the minor characters who is portrayed as Rosa Hubermann's greatest enemy in the beginning of the novel. She constantly spat at the Hubermanns' door whenever she passed by it. Their relationship become less tense when she hears Liesel read during the time that everyone in town was hiding in s bomb-shelter during a raid. Frau Holtzapfel later gives Rosa Hubermann flour in exchange for letting Liesel regularly read to her.
ReplyDeleteFrau Holtzapfel was someone who was loyal to Hitler and his cause including the Holocaust. When Hans Hubermann helped the Jew who fell to the ground, she immediately became disgusted with him, "Frau Holtzapfel, true to her word, had ceased spitting at the Hubermanns' door, but there was a handy replacement. 'I knew it,' the shopkeeper damned him. "You dirty Jew lover" (401). This character not only did not show any signs of respect for the man who just risked his life as well as the lives of his entire family to help a poor man who was dying, but she called him "dirty" for merely trying to help him. It is people like her who continue to support the Holocaust not realizing how pitiful the Jewish people are that the Nazis are allowed to purposefully harm the Jews.
The citizens in the small towns of Germany SHOULD receive SOME blame for the Holocaust. Most of the people just didn't want to get involved. Since the Nazis were not taking them to concentration camps and being starved and work to death, most of the people didn't care about the Jewish people. It was not them who were suffering, so it didn't matter what happened to those who were. Perhaps a few people did choose to get involved regardless of the consequences to help the Jewish people but the majority did not choose to help. When the Jewish man stumbled to the ground the crowd all expected him to die, "They would all let him, and they would all watch" (393). The citizens of Germans town should receive some blame for the Holocaust because the vast majority chose not to try to stop Hitler and indirectly allowed him to continue to perform unethical persecution and eradication of an entire mass of people.
Type of Person: Nazi Soldiers
ReplyDeleteCharacters From The Book Thief: The recruiters, Hans Junior and Michael.
The recruiters came to take Rudy away because of his athletic and mental abilities. They arrived to Rudy's house to talk with his parents. They tried to convince them that they were bestowing a great honor on them and that they should be proud that their son was selected to be recruited. Rudy's younger sister was afraid of them and she compared them to two monsters. She said that the two monsters had come to take Rudy away from them. Eventually the recruiters left without Rudy, but instead Rudy's father was drafted to the war because he did not allow the recruiters to take Rudy away.
The recruiters had nothing to do with jews, but they still seperated families. They should not recieve all the blame because they are simply following orders and are probably avoiding further consequences. However, that doesn't mean that they aren't doing any harm because they came for Rudy and actually took his father from him. They might not be the reason why the holocaust started, but they weren't the ones that stopped it.
Hans Junior was a Nazi solider who hated his father for not joining the Nazi Party. He insulted his father by calling him a coward and he did not approve of his father not doing anything. He was brainwashed into thinking that Hitler was always right and that in order to be a real man you must be part of the Nazi Party. He also did not approve of Liesel reading any literature that was not Mein Kampf. He thought that Hans was an awful father who was against the Nazi Party and so he left his father.
Hans deserves some blame for the Holocaust, but not all the blame because he was not thinking on his own. He was only thinking what Hitler had indoctrinated on him. He did not think for himself, but that doesn't free him from having no blame. He treated his father badly by giving him the cold shoulder. He was also trying to force his father into joining the Nazi Party. This shows that he fully believed what Hitler said and that he never doubted him. This meaning that he would not question his authority or the Holocaust. Hans Junior should have some blame because he did not oppose of the Holocaust.
I agree with you because Hans applied to join the Nazis and he was a Hitler supporter. Also, he really liked the book Mein Kampf which is a pro Hitler book. I can infer he supported the Holocaust. Great post!
DeleteI disagree because didn't Hans get rejected by his son BECAUSE he wasn't a Nazi. I thought the book explained that he didn't support Hitler because the person who saved his life was a Jew. Doesn't that mean he did not fully support Hitler's actions and he protected Max who was also a Jew. Hans also gave bread to an old man during the march and got whipped for it.
DeleteHow does this help you infer that he had supported the Holocaust?
Lok Ting, Amarelis was talking about Hans Junior. I'm not sure about Giannni, but I think he was talking about Hans Junior as well.
DeleteMichael was Frau Holtzapfel's eldest son. He was a soldier that was fighting in the war back at Russia. He had just arrived home to bring the news that his other brother died. Michael had an injured hand, but he did not want to come home without his brother. He had seen his brother die before his eyes and he watched his death bed while trying to assure him.
ReplyDeleteMichael does not deserve to have blame because he was already tired of the war and he just wanted to come home. He lost his brother and he arrived home to console his mother. His brother and him were expected to return home together, but they didn't. He also appeared to be a good man when he interacted with Liesel. Unlike his mother he seemed to not be as loyal to Hitler. Even though he was a soldier he wasn't always praising him like Hans Junior.
The Nazi soldiers SHOULD recieve SOME blame for the holocaust because they were brainwashed by Hitler. Others were not brainwashed by Hitler, but they followed all commands. They accepeted what they were told to do and none of them showed any sign of rejecting or disapproving what they had to do. They did not question anything nor did they oppose of anything. Therefore, they should recieve blame because they remained silent and their silence was interpreted as acceptance.
I agree with you because they could've turned on Hitler.They had weapons and they didn't show any softness,they enjoyed what they were doing.
DeleteI agree with both of you, Amarelis and Kimberly. The Nazi soldiers should have SOME blame for the Holocaust because although they didn't start it, they continued it. The soldiers could've done something like Kimberly said.
DeleteType of Person: Citizens of small German Towns
ReplyDeleteCharacters from the book: Rudy Steiner, Walter Kugler, Ilsa Hermann
Rudy Steiner is a brave and impetuous teenager. He doesn’t think before he act so he is known for painting his face black and running around a track pretending to be Jesse Owens. He always come up with plans that he never actually accomplish. Some of his plans are killing Fuhrer and trying to steal from the rich Nazis. Those plans didn’t work out because Rudy always give up at the end. Rudy is a good athlete that he wins three out of the four metals for the running events. Rudy’s best friend is Liesel and they always do things together. They steal together at the farm and the mayor’s house. They put breads in the streets for the Jews and they play soccer together along with other kids in Molching.
Rudy Steiner should not be blamed for the holocaust because he tried to help the Jews when the soldiers and the Jews paraded through the streets. The Jews were emaciated and felled constantly. Rudy and Liesel witnessed all the suffers the Jews faced and Rudy decided to give breads to the Jews even though he was hungry. Liesel said “[I] heard his stomach growl- and he was giving people bread” (440). Rudy helped the Jews by providing them food even though he might get caught. He risked his own life just to give food to the Jews that were parading through the streets. He ended up getting chased by the soldiers. Rudy didn’t do anything to harm the Jews therefore, Rudy should not be blamed for the holocaust at all.
Walter Kugler is a fist fighter and Max is his fighting partner. Walter Kugler is a reliable and trustworthy friend. As Max’s best friend, Walter Kugler saves Max from the holocaust. He also helps to arrange Max to go to Hans Hubermann’s house. Walter Kugler is a German but he acts differently compare to other Germans. He treats Max as his best friend even though Max is a Jew. He is still willing to offer help to Max when is necessary.
Walter Kugler should not be blamed for the holocaust because he helped a Jew from getting caught. During the incident that destroyed many Jews which was the night of broken glass, Walter Kugler helped Max to escaped. Max left his family and “he reminded in hiding, in an empty storeroom. It was in a building where Walter had worked in previous year” (194). This showed that Walter Kugler risked his life to help Max by hiding him, bring him news of his family and supplies. Without Walter Kugler, Max was unable to survive. Even though Walter Kugler served in the military to help Germany, he should not be blamed for the holocaust because that was his job and he might have no intention of doing it. Helping Max to escape was his own choice that he made but serving in the military, he had no choice.
Ilsa Hermann is an intelligent and pitiful woman. She is intelligent because she has her own library and she is pitiful because she continues to suffer from her son’s death. Ilsa Hermann is also a generous woman because she witnesses Liesel stealing books and she still give her books. Ilsa encourages Liesel to write and tell her not to live with despairs.
Ilsa Hermann should not be blamed for the holocaust because she did not participate in harming the Jews. She just stayed home and suffered over her son’s death from World War I. She understood the feeling of losing someone so she was somehow like a victim. Ilsa Hermann didn’t do anything to stop the event of the Holocaust because she was unable to. She still didn’t recover from the pain that she received from his son’s death. Therefore, Ilsa should not be blamed for the holocaust.
Overall, the citizens should not be blamed for the holocaust. They were unable to stop Hitler but they tried to help the Jews in a way. Hitler already have enough power to control Germany and use violence against the Jews. The citizens don’t have the power to stop him and when they tried to help the Jews, they were either beaten by the soldiers or death. Therefore, the citizens should not be blame for the holocaust.
Type of person: Citizens of small German towns
ReplyDeleteCharacters: Liesel, Ilsa Hermann, Frau Diller
Liesel is the protagonist of the story and she is known as "The Book Thief" by the narrator, Death. In the beginning of the novel Liesel witnesses the death of her younger brother, while her mother gives her up to another set of parents, Hans Hubermann and Rosa Hubermann. On the day that Liesel's brother funeral one of the grave diggers dropped a book, Liesel picked it up and kept it. Her foster father, Hans, found it one day and offered to teach her how to read. Ever since, Liesel was intrigued by words and soon found out that just book wasn't enough. Considering the fact that Liesel's family was poor Liesel resulted in stealing books in order to fulfill her desire to read. Overall, Liesel is a kind, smart, but rash girl. She may seem as someone whose unethical for stealing, but in the end of the book she admits to her crimes and she stops herself from stealing anymore books.
Liesel should not be blamed at all for the holocaust. This is because considering the fact that Liesel is only a young adolescent girl there's no way she could have prevented the holocaust or even do anything about it. Though, she has in fact tried to help some Jews who were a victim of the Holocaust. For example, when Max came and asked the Hubermann's to hide him, Liesel promised to never tell anyone about Max, not even to her best friend. Additionally, on a day when Jews were marched through Himmel street, both Liesel and Rudy "handed out pieces of bread on the road" (440). Even though she's in no position to offer food to other people, Liesel still did her best to help the Jews even if she risking herself into being whipped. Overall, Liesel should not be blamed for the holocaust because she has done nothing to encourage it.
Isla Hermann is the mayors wife and she is intelligent and kind. Ilsa Hermann owns a library, in which she used to read with her son often but after her son died the Ilsa stopped reading as much. Ilsa own the library which Liesel steals books from and even though Ilsa knows that her books are being stolen she doesn't try to catch her and rat her out, in fact she welcomes it and even leaves books for her to take. Although, you could say that she is unethical for wearing the Nazi symbols all over her clothes at home.
Ilsa Hermann should take some blame for the Holocaust because she's the mayor's wife, she has some power to do something about the Jews in her town. She also wears the Nazi symbols on her slippers and on her robe that she wears at home, which shows that she's supporting the Holocaust and what is happening with the Jews. Although, I don't think that she should take all the blame (obviously) because it's not really in her place to go against Hitler, who has control in all of Germany and she probably didn't have a choice to wear the Nazi symbols on her clothing because when she went to Liesel's house to give her a notebook (523) she didn't wear the Swastika on any of her clothing. Overall, I think Ilsa takes some blame in the Holocaust for not taking any action for what's happening in the town she has power over.
ReplyDeleteFrau Diller is the owner of a corner store and she is a rather strict and mean person. She has a rule for anyone who enters her store and whoever doesn't follow that rule gets kicked out. Rule: very customer is required to say "Heil Hitler" when entering the store. As you know she is very pro-Hitler and in terms of actions it's obvious she strict since she has such a rule just for people to even enter her store. Also, there was a time when Rudy and Liesel wanted to buy mixed candy with only 2 coins, and not even sparring the fact that their children she throws them one piece of candy and tells them to "mix it themselves", which shows how she's greedy. She is also unethical because she always bully's Rudy and Liesel when they come into her shop even though their just children and she's an adult.
Frau Diller should receive some blame for the holocaust because of the fact that she supports Hitlers actions. If it wasn't for all the supporters that Hitler has then there wouldn't have been a way for the holocaust. Hitler is just one person but it was because people like Frau Diller believed in the things he says the Holocaust started. Though I don't think too much blame should be placed on her because the majority of Germany believed in Hitlers words and nothing could have been done even if Frau Diller wasn't a supporter of Hitler.
ReplyDeleteOverall, I think the citizens of small German towns should receive some blame for the holocaust. This is because even if they are "small" German towns there's still a lot of people living in those towns and it's not just one town, it's all the small German towns combined. Considering the fact that in Munich the only anti- Hitler people are Rudy, Liesel and her parents. The rest of people in the town are (well, I don't really know but...)they are pro-Hitler and if you have the majority of the people in one small town to be pro-Hitler then if you put together all the pro-Hitler people in every small town, that's a lot of people. Considering the fact that Hitler is only one person and it's because he has so many supporters like the people in small German Towns then that's already the majority of Germany and that's the reason that the Holocaust even started. It was because so many people actually believed the words of Hitler that something like the Holocaust was able to happen. Therefore, the citizens of small German towns are to blame for the Holocaust.
Type of Person:Captured Jews
ReplyDeleteCharater from the book:Max Vandeburg
Max is a Jew and he is weak, he spent his life has to escaping from the Nazi party. He was afraid because is hard to find anyone that is willing to help him. Eventually, Han decides to help him and hide him in the basement. However, Max is ask only to stay in the basement, to him, it is in darkness. He was also curious because he wants to know what it is to be outside and Liesel provided him with "Thirteen Presents"(pg317). She will pick something outisde everyday and give it to him as a gift and she will describe the weather outside Max. So Max will be more encourage to stay strong. Since Max don't want to cause trouble to Liesel's family, he decided to leave their house and continue his flee. Unfortuntly, he became the captured Jew.
The captured Jews shouldn't be blamed because they are the victim of the Holocaust. Their life was wasted to escape and hide. They lost their freedom.In the parade of the Jews, " one of the prisoners collapsed from starvation and sickness"(389). The captured jews were being starve and yet, they had to march all the way to Dachau. Also they were being humiliate by the leader" When was the last time we took these rats for some fresh air"( 390). The jews were no longer treated as a human anymore, they were described as a rat and they are dehumanizing them. When Max were on the march, he was whipped by the peple because he was Liesel was keep holding his hand, eventually he was the one being suffered throught out the event.
The jews can't stop what they trying to do because they don't have the power or the ability to do so. Also most citizens were to afraid to stand up for the Jews and the Jews were too afraid. For example, during the march, "People and Jews and clouds all stopped, they watched"(512). All the citizen were just stand there watching the Jews. The people were bystander because they did not want to get involve in the event, they are being complecent.
The jews shouldn't get the blamed because the people shouldn't judge the people by the races. Hitler wants his pure breed people, thats why he started out to elimated all the Jews. The blame should goes to Hitler since he wasn't an ethical leader and yet people can't do anything because he had power over his citizen and controlling them throught propaganda. Therfore, the Victim is the Jews and They shouldn't be blamed for the Holocaust.
Angela Mendez
DeletePeriod 4
I don't understand why you included Max. Max wasn't caotured. He went away from Liesel's house. Max didn't want to endanger them Liesel,Hans, and Rosa. Also, shouldn't you include more than one person?
Max was captured and I think that he only included one person because that was the only Jew in the book that we know the name of. Unless you would want to include Jews as more than one person. If one does that they can't really give a description of the character. Going back to when I said that Max was captured he was captured because when there was a march Liesel recognized him and she got thrown to the ground by the soldiers. (513) That was another reason why Rudy got hurt by the soldiers too.
DeleteType of Person:Citizens of Small German Towns
ReplyDeleteCharacter from The Book Thief:Liesel, Hans Hubermann, Frau Holtzapfel
Liesel is the main character of the book and she is known as "The Book Thief" by the narrator Death. Liesel as a young girl witnesses the death of her brother and sees how her mother gives her away to her foster parents, Hans Hubermann and Rosa Hubermann. On her brothers funeral, she sees a grave digger dropped a book and she picked it up and started to read. Since then, she became interested in reading and began stealing books in order to fulfill her desire of reading. Based on the chapters I have read so far, Liesel is seen as a honest, hardworking, brave, determined girl since she was able to keep hope and braveness during a time period of so much violence, death, and mistreatment (Holocaust). Although Liesel and her friend Rudy steal,some of her actions are unethical since stealing is seen as unethical.
Liesel should not be blamed for the Holocaust. She should not be blamed for the Holocaust since she helped many Jews throughout this time period. First of all, she helped many Jews such as Max. Max was a Jew who asked for help and she decided to keep it a secret that they were hiding him. She should also not be blame for the Holocaust since their was a time where Jews were marching in Himmel Street and she decided to give out bread to Jews passing by. Although Liesel is a young girl, she was able to contribute with the people against the Holocaust by hiding a Max and keeping it a secret and giving out food to the the Jews in need.
Hans Hubermann is Liesel foster parent and is the type of person who likes to take risk in order to help people in need. Hans is a caring, riskily, generous person since he was providing Max, a Jew with a place to stay in, food, and protection. This shows that Hubermann is a riskly person since he knew that if Germans found out that he was hiding a Jew, he would get in big trouble, even be killed! Another example that shows that Hubermann is a caring person is when he helped an old Jew who was marching. After that, the consequences were that he was whipped by the Nazi soldiers. Hubermann took many risks in order to help Jews and even put his own family in danger in order to help Jews such as Max and Erick.
Hans Hubermann should NOT be blamed for the Holocaust. First of all, he took many actions in order to help Jewish people. He helped a Jew who fell, this was an action taken by himself and he wasnt forced to do. This shows that he was generous and kind enough to help a person who was in bad condition. Hubermann should also not be blame of the Holocaust since he was helping Max hide from the Germans providing him a place to stay in and food.
Do you have any evidences that can support what you are saying because I don't see anything quote.
DeleteFrau Holtzapfel is described as an enemy of Hans Hubermann. Shes a disrespectful, rude, big nationalist since she supported Hitler and the Nazi party. One thing that makes her disrespectful is the fact that every time she walked by her neighbors, Hubermanns door, she would spit. This is an unethical action since shes disrespecting Hubermanns property. Also, one thing that makes her rude is the fact that she would disrespect Hubermann. Although she was a disrespectful and rude person, she made an agreement with Liesel. The agreement was that Liesel would read to her for an exchange for coffee rations. Overall, shes still a rude person since she would scream at Liesel.
ReplyDeleteFrau Holtzapfel should be blame of the Holocaust. She should be blame of the Holocaust since she didn't take no action to prevent it. Instead she was very nationalist and she supported Hitler and the Nazi party. Also, she should be blame for the Holocaust since she disliked Jews and was very racist to them. She disrespected people who helped Jews and didn't show any support to them. For example, she disrespected Hubermann for trying to help Jews and spat in front of his door constantly every time she would walk by it. Overall, this shows that she is supporting the persecutions Jews received from Hitlers soldiers and the ideas Hitler had.
Some people in the small towns of Germany should receive some blame for the Holocaust. Most of the people Such as Frau was making unethical choices such as disrespect the people trying to protect Jews and didn't take no action in order to stop Hitlers mistreatment towards the Jews. Since many people weren't involved in the persecution that Jews faced, some people were very complacent and didn't take any actions in order to stop this violence. However, their were some people who were very brave and determined to take action and help Jews in need. Overall, some citizens of small German towns should be blame for the Holocaust.
Angela Mendez
ReplyDeleteHumanities Honors
Period 4
Type of person: Nazi Soldiers
Characters from book: Hans Junior, the soldiers who passed through Molching to Dachau, and Borris Schipper
Hans Junior was a follower of Hitler, respected the Nazi party, and was a Nazi soldier. He was also Hans’ son, but didn’t respect his father. In other words, Hans Junior disapproved of everything his father did. For instance, Hans Junior hated the fact that his father wasn’t party of the Nazi party. This was embarrassing for Hans Junior, especially since Hans Junior was a Nazi. Hans didn’t even show any sign of interest of joining the party which made matters worse. Hans Junior did not want to be like his father. Since Hans Junior was also a devoted follower of Hitler, he did nothing to help any Jew. He even hated the fact that his own father helped Jews and called those actions a “mistake” (104). This character hated anything against Hitler’s beliefs. He should receive some blame for the Holocaust.
The group of soldiers who passed through Molching to get to Dachau were mean to Jews. Instead of the soldiers making matters better, they mistreated the Jews and did not respect them (389). The soldiers would bother the Jews when they were weak and couldn’t do anything for themselves. These soldiers thought it was okay to treat the Jews like nothing. The soldiers could’ve at least treated the Jews decently but they didn’t. One soldier of this particular group whipped Hans when Hans did something noble and helped a Jew who needed assistance. These soldiers should receive some of the blame for the Holocaust.
Boris Schipper is Hans’ boss. He knew what was happening in Germany and treated it as a joke. When Hans told Boris how he helped a Jew, Boris laughed (432). Instead of treating this matter seriously, Boris laughed. He like other people could’ve done something to help, but he didn’t. He could’ve cared about the Holocaust and see that Jews were mistreated. People like Boris should receive some blame for the Holocaust.
This group of soldiers should have SOME blame for the Holocaust because all of them did not help any Jews. They either supported the mistreatment of Jews or did nothing to help. Hans Junior should have some blame for the Holocaust because he supported the mistreatment of Jews when his own father was saved by a Jew. This action shows that Hans Junior had no sympathy for Jews and encouraged mistreatment. Since he did nothing to help and encouraged the opposite, Hans Junior should have some blame for the Holocaust. The group of soldiers who were going to Dachau should also have some blame for the Holocaust because they made matters worse instead of better. These soldiers did not help any Jews but mistreated them. They were role models for people. They could’ve helped the Jews so society would do the same but they didn’t. Therefore, these soldiers should have some blame for the Holocaust. Boris Schipper should have some blame for the Holocaust because people like him didn’t help any Jews and didn’t even care what was happening in the world. They were just treating it all like a big fat joke. Overall, all of these soldiers should have some blame for the Holocaust.
I selected SOME blame because the soldiers didn’t start the Holocaust. However, these soldiers continued mistreating the Jews instead of making a change and helped the Jews. The soldiers, as humans could’ve realized that they were treating Jews in an inhuman way.
Hans wasn't a Nazi soldier, he worked in an Air Raid Unit. I don't think that's considered a soldier since those people are in combat. However, "neither Hans Hubermann nor Alex Steiner were sent to fight"(431). I see your point that he was drafted to go with the Nazis and help out with the war, but not necessarily a fighter.
DeleteShe meant Hans Hubermann's son. They shared the same name and his son was a soldier. He supported Hitler and thats why he and his dad stop speaking because his father didn't support Hitler.
DeleteYea that's what I meant. Thanks Jasmin for clarifying that. I thought I said Hans Junior but if I didn't, I'm sorry.
DeleteType Of Person: Citizens from Germany
ReplyDeleteCharacters from Book Thief: Liesel and Hans Hubermann
Liesel is a young girl who had to leave her mother and live with the Hubermanns. Liesel was then living in foster care with Rosa and Hans Hubermann. Liesel had a strong connection with Hans and they seemed a lot like father and daughter. Liesel didn't know why she wasn't able to communicate or see her biological mother. She later found out that her parents were Communists and were taken away. Liesel never knew what a communist meant until she heard it on a speech made by a Nazi. Liesel would even read forbidden books in the mayor's house. The forbidden books she read were written by Jews, Communists, etc. Her family, as well as other families, were living under hard conditions in which they didn't have a lot of food. This lead Liesel and her friend Rudy to steal from a farm in order to find something to eat. Liesel would even steal books from the mayor's house. Liesel had made unethical decisions so that she would benefit a bit.
Hans Hubermann was a citizen in Germany and foster dad to Liesel. Hans has a very nice personality. Hans treats Liesel like his own daughter. When ever Liesel would have nightmares nad scream in the middle of the night, Hans would go to her room and stay with her until she fell asleep again. When Hans found Liesel's book, The Grave Diggers Handbook, he began to read it to her during the night. Hans actually made ethical decisions. Hans had allowed a Jew to hide in his basement so that he wouldn't end up in a concentration camp or worse get killed. Once when the Jews were traveling through their town to a concentration camp, Hans had offered a man, who had fallen down, a piece of bread. This was an ethical decision because he was trying to help thsi old man who had been starved and mistreated by the Nazis. Although, he tried to join the Nazi party he was still ethical. Hans only tried to join so that he could find better work and support his family.
Citizens of Germany, like Hans and Liesel, shouldn't be blamed for the Holocaust. The citizens of Germany were not all Nazis and many of them didn't agree with the ideas of Hitler. The citizens who didn't agree with Hitler didn't speak up because they were afraid. Fear kept many from speaking up and standing up for the Jews and everyone who had been sent to concentration camps. The citizens were afraid that if they spoke up they would end up like the Jews. Also, being in the Nazi Party allowed them to have better jobs and support their families. Since Hans wasn't in the Nazi Party, he wasn't able to have as many customers like he did before Hitler came to power. The citizens of Germany shouldn't be blamed because they weren't the ones who mistreated the Jews and they only tried to survive.
I don't exactly agree with you. The citizens just sat around, and for the most part, they did nothing. Don't you think that if they all stuck together and went against Hitler, then the Holocaust would have ended faster? After all, there were way more citizens than Hitler, himself. The citizens should definitely get SOME blame.
DeleteI agree with you on some parts and that is that some citizens should be blamed for the Halocaust but only the ones that supported Hitler. Also the citizens didn't do anything because they were afraid of what Hitler might do to them. Them seeing what Hitler was capable of doing with the Jews they didn't want to imagine what he would do to them if they wanted to take action and stop the Halocaust. I understand that Hitler was just one person but imagine all the supporters he had and how they would react. I get that citizens should get some blame but not every single citizen.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteHans Hubberman was a normal citizen of Himmel Street until he finally got drafted into the military. Before he was, he lived a life with everyone else during the time of the holocaust. He was aware that he is supposed to side with the Germans, and he does know that he once applied for the military and someday he will move into the army. However, at a scene in the book where trucks filled with Jews entered Himmel Street, he witnesses an old man struggling to even survive with his life. He decides to go over, and gives him bread. For a good deed, he gets punished by getting whipped. Even though Hans knows the consequences, he knows which side he should be on, but his selflessness part of him overpowers him too much. Also knowing that it is illegal to be even talking to Jews in his town, he goes and hides a Jew in his own basement. This shows that Hans Hubbermann is a man that opposes laws for what he thinks is ethically right.
ReplyDeleteHans Hubbermann should not be blamed for the Holocaust. Rather he should be thanked by a number of Jews who he benefited regardless of his own consequences. He lived his life knowing that, he was saved by a Jew whos name was Erik Vandenburg a years ago. He helps a Jew infront of other citizens and gets struck for it, he also risks his own life by hiding Max in his basement. He puts his life indanger for the ones that his country hates and the one his countries supposed to kill.
Liesel is another character that is very similar to Hans Hubbermann. She is a character that has faced much pain in her life. She saw the death of her own brother up close, and also finds out that her mother practically doesn't want her anymore. She became friends with the Jew in the basement, Liesel made Max feel like he was actually someone in this world. She made him feel like he won't die knowing that hes never had a friend. After Max left, Liesel worries about him everyday, when the parade of Jews came in. She was the one to go towards Max when she saw him. Liesel did steal, and lie quite a few times. However, at times she did steal for Max, just to make him feel better when he was terribly sick.
Liesel should not be blamed for the Holocaust. She treated Max not like a Jew, but like an actual person. Not many people would do that in a German neighborhood. Liesel did not do as much as Hans, for she does not have the selfless act that he does, but she still does care for Max like an actual person. She doesn't care whether Max is a Jew or not, for they have so much in common. She treats Jews not like Jews, but has people.
What evidence from the book do you have to support the fact that Liesel treated Max like an actual person?
DeleteRudy Steiner is a friend of Liesel, and also seems to have a crush on her asking her repetitively for a kiss. Unlike Liesel, he does not actually think much about his actions, he is rather carefree. There are a number of people that Rudy dislikes, the leader of his former Hitler youth camp is one of them. This leader constantly embarassed Rudy infront of others and made him look inferior. Therefore, Rudy despised this person. He wanted to win a racing competition so he could show it off infront of the leader. Despising people such as leaders of a Hitler youth camp does seem to put him in the same position as Liesel and Hans.
ReplyDeleteRudy should not be blamed for the Holocaust. Since he seems to always side with Liesel, he seems to have joined the same side as them. He does not actually see Jews as enemis and as inferior to kill. Rather the day Liesel went to pass out bread to the Jews, he was there. The day that Liesel dropped her book into the lake, he was there. Even though he killed himself, he did many things for Liesel, which actually did go on to helping the Jews as well. He should not be blamed for the Holocaust, rather like Hans he was very selfless for others.
In the end, the citizens of German towns should not be blamed for the Holocaust. They either did not want to get involved in it like Rosa. Or they were the type of person that helped others no matter what the background. Hans, Liesel and Rudy did what was right, not what their country did. Hitler had much power throughout the Holocaust, the little efforts of characters such as Hans, Liesel and Rudy did not seem like much. It still parted to lives of a few Jews and doing this, they should not be blamed for the Holocaust. Rather they were an attempt to stop it.
katheryn jb
ReplyDeleteType of person: Nazi soldiers
Characters in the book:
Walter
Walter used to fist fight max,who was a Jew. Walter hated him until they were 17. They are now friends are both in their twenty’s, walter comes to max’s house to save him, but he doesn’t let max family come along. Max is forced to have to have a painful goodbye to his mom, cousins etc… (193) Yes, walter has helped max, but what about this family, his family has more than one persons. After abandoning max he makes him go to Hans, when he knew they had a 10 year old child, and children have big mouths (195)
Rosa
Rosa is filled with rage. At 1st she helped max get himself together but as soon as she fed him he vomit. Max claims that it was because he had not eaten so much in such a long time.(198) Rosa is a crazy character in BOOK THIEF, and I think she made him vomit, because she didn’t want him in the house. It seems she has the same view at times with liesel when she abusively calls her names.
Walter and Rosa should be blamed 5% of why holocaust happened. I selected this amount because a very small portion of Jews slowly losing their faith, loss of innocence and end up lying slowly. Walter made max leave his family, having him to feel a burden, not saying goodbye, because he probably thought he was going to see his family again. Rosa should also be blamed because she definitely did not like max, causing him to feel unwanted at her household. From there he dies slowly.
I disagree that Rosa made him vomit because in the book it said he vomited because he couldn't hold down food since he was starving for so long
DeleteI agree with Gianni Rosa did not make Max vomit because Max said "I'm sorry I think I ate too much. My stomach, you know, it's been so long since ... I don't think it can handle such-(198)," which therefore means Rosa didnt make Max vomit.
DeleteI agree that Rosa is a character who's filled with rage, but I don't think it's in the way you think it is. Although Rosa always calls people names and abuses Liesel sometimes, she doesn't do it with a bad intention. In fact in the book it mentions how Rosa actually a good person who doesn't always openly show her love towards Liesel. Though, I'm not so sure what you meant when you said "It seems she has the same view at times with Liesel while she abusively calls her names"?
DeleteRosa is not a Nazi soldier. She belongs to the category citizens of German towns.
DeleteType of person: Citizens of small German towns
ReplyDeleteNames: Rudy Steiner, Liesel Meminger
Rudy Steiner was Liesel's best friend and they always did everything together. Also, he had loved her, but she didn't quite love him the same way. They used to go to the mayor's library to steal books because he was very brave and quick. He was also very athletic because he played soccer and he won medals for running for the Hitler Youth. He was quick because he stole the biggest potato from Mamer's, the local grocer and he skipped his Hitler Youth meetings.
Rudy should NOT be blamed for the Holocaust because he didn't want to go to the Hitler Youth meetings which proves he was not on Hitlers side. The Hitler Youth was an organization created for young German children to help and support Hitler and his ideas. First, he didn't go "purely to show Deutscher that he wasn't afraid of him, but after another few weeks, Rudy ceased his involvement altogether" (299). After not going attending his meetings so many times, he got used to the idea of ditching and he made himself believe he wasn't really doing anything wrong. He felt it was right for himself to not go because he didn't truly believe in Hitler and he believed it's not worth going somewhere you don't want be.
Liesel is the main character in The Book Thief and she is the book thief. Her brother died when she was nine, but got through it with her foster father, Hans Hubermann. He taught her how to read and write and she soon gets addicted to books. She starts stealing from anywhere she could find books especially the mayor's library. She is completely against Hitler and she is disgusted by his speeches and ideas.
Liesel should NOT be blamed for the Holocaust because she was completely against Hitler and his ideas. At Hitler's speech ceremony, just before she "pivoted with nausea to exit the crowd, shiny, brown-shirted creature walked from the podium. He received a torch from an accomplice and lit the mound" (111). the "brown-shirted creature" is Hitler and the "torch" and "lit the mound" are metaphors for his supreme power against his people. This scene can be depicted as Hitler walking to his podium and the large crowd screaming "Heil Hitler" which means they support him. Liesel couldn't be around him because she was totally against him and she felt torturing millions of Jews were wrong since that's what Hitler believed in.
I selected NO blame because they were against Hitler and they felt he wasn't worth it. They also had nothing to do with the Holocaust. All they did was try to help the Jews and sympathize for them. Rudy gave some of the Jews some bread which clearly shows him helping them and Liesel and her family helped Max, a poor Jew, by hiding him in their basement, feeding him and being his friend. They sympathized for the Jews mainly because they felt they shouldn't be suffered like how they were suffered by the Nazis.
I agree with you that the Rudy and Liesel should not be blamed for the Holocaust because they were both against it. Also, since Liesel knew that her parents were killed under the Hilter's power, she hated him more than anyone.In addition, Rudy's father was taken away and that made him very angry because he thinks that Hilter "stole" his father. Therefore, they both have no blame at all.
DeleteWhy dont you think Liesel loved Rudy the same way in which he loved her?
DeleteI believe Liesel loved Rudy just as much as he loved her "Rudy,please, wake up. Goddammit it, wake up, I love you. Come, Rudy, Come on, Jesse Owens, don't you know I love you, wake up, wake up, wake up...(5350."
*(530)."
DeleteI agree that both Rudy and Liesel should not be blamed because in addition to not doing anything wrong both Liesel and Rudy tried to help the Jews during their march through Himmel Street by handing out pieces of bread (523), even though they're starving themselves.
Delete@ Nicole, I didn't read up to page 500 as yet, so I didn't read that quote. I was talking about earlier in the book when Rudy tried to kiss Liesel and she didn't want to kiss him by the Amper River.
DeleteType of Person: Citzens of small German town
ReplyDeleteCharacters from the book: Liesel, Hans&Rosa Huberman, Ilsa Hermann
Liesel a foster child in a German town was also known as "The Book Thief". She was considered a miserable child since she has experienced many disasters during her time. A common disaster that she have seen often was Death. Death is the narrator of the book and they have a connection with each other. The first time they encounter with each other was when Liesel's brother died on the train. Death came down and took his soul. That was when she is giving to the Hubermanns where she became a foster child. Before, she meet her foster parents she stolen a book from the gravediggers and started her joy for reading. Her love for reading soon became her disease since she start gaining a bad habit where she started to steal books. This is how "The Book Thief" came to be.
Even though it was unethical for her to steal books, Liesel should not be the blame for the Holocaust. Instead, she can be considered as a person against the Holocaust. Max was a Jew during the Holocaust and he lived with Liesel. Whenever, he needed help for anything Liesel would be there to help him. Furthermore she helped in hiding Max from the Nazi Party. She didn't tell the Nazi Party that Max was living with them even though she is putting herself at risk for living with a Jew. This therefore shows Liesel as innocent for the Holocaust.
Rosa and Hans Hubermann were the foster parents of Liesel. They are caring people by using different methods. Rosa is uses violence and lectures to care for people, while Han used calmness and love to show himself as caring. When they decided to take in Liesel, it already showed them as caring since Germany was in a bad economy and they are willing to take in another mouth to feed. Hans especially since he cared for Liesel and would love her like he was her real father. Additionally he would do anything to make Liesel happy. An example would be when he traded off 80 cigarettes just to buy two books for Liesel. Overall his personality is caring.
Rosa and Hans Hubermann should not be blame for the Holocaust. They were citizens on Germany who went against the Holocaust. Similar to Liesel they lived with Max who is a Jew. Once they accepted Max they just put their lives in danger. They allowed Max to stay in their basement and gave him good hostility. They would care for him whenever their was trouble. When Max was sick and nearly died from the illness they took care of them. They even brought him upstairs to their room as it was much comfortable and less stuffy than the basement. By taking such action they put themselves in more risk, since now it is much easier for Max to get discover. Furthermore, when Max was sick they got really worry since he was a dearest friend to them. Consequently, this shows that the Hubermanns are not the blame for the Holocaust, but instead a nonbeliever towards this action.
Ilsa Hermann is the wife of the Mayor. She holds some power in Germany and she is a nice lady. She is rich and has a library filled with books. Liesel was fond of her collection and was given permission to read in her library. She used to read with her son often, but after her son died the Ilsa stopped reading as much. Liesel steals books from the library and even though Ilsa knows that her books are being stolen she doesn't try to catch her and capture her, while she is on the act. Despite her kindness she does have a unethical side where she is a nationalist and supports the ideas of the Nazi Party.
Ilsa Hermann can be considered a blame for the Holocaust. Firstly she is a nationalist which means that she support the Nazi act. Nazi's are for the Holocaust, so Ilsa is for the Holocaust as well. Furthermore, Ilsa has power since she is the mayors wife. However, she did not take any actions that might stop the Holocaust from taking place. By doing this she did not help to stop the Holocaust movement, but instead further proceed in it. Overall, Ilsa Hermann should have some blame for the Holocaust, despite the fact that she is kind.
ReplyDeleteGenerally, the citizens of the small German town should have some blame for the Holocaust. During this time period many citizens in Germany were nationalist. By being a nationalist they support their country. The ruler of Germany during the Holocaust was Adolf Hitler and he was against the Jews. This then lead to the Nazi Party, a group where pure Germans start a genocide toward the Jews being created. The Nazi Party influenced the citizens of Germany and made some Germans, hate the Jewish race as well. Therefore, the citizens of the small German town have some blame for the Holocaust.
I agree with this because Frau Holtzapfel was one of the many people who accused Hans of helping out a Jew. She called him a "dirty Jew lover" and her sons were also supporters of Hitler for joining the war.Another person could be Hans son,Hans Junior, for strongly supporting Hitler. He was one of the many people who went against their parents. He would've never thought to find a Jew hidden in his basement.
DeleteEdwin, I agree that Ilsa Hermann should be blamed in some way for the Holocaust, but not as much as you give her credit for. Firstly, I agree that Ilsa has power as the mayors wife and all to do something about the Holocaust but if you think about how Ilsa is only the wife of a mayor of one small German town. Hitler has control of all of Germany. Unless she could some how convince every single mayor of every single German town to go against Hitler she really can't do anything about the Holocaust that wouldn't put her self on the line.
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ReplyDeleteLiesel:Liesel shouldn't be blamed for the holocaust at all because she didn't have anything to do with it.She's a young girl and no one would listen to her.She was helping them out,for example Max Vandenburg.When she went to Max when he was marching,she was whipped for not listening.This shows that she is determined.She grew very attached to Max and did anything to protect him.
ReplyDeleteHans:Hans Hubermann shouldn't be blamed for the Holocaust.He also helped Max out.He kept his promise when he could've turned his back on him.He also didn't join the Nazi Party.Hans shouldn't be blamed because if it were up to him,he would've helped the Jews.
Ilsa:Ilsa Hermann should take SOME blame for the Holocaust because her husband was the mayor and they had some power to create change or help out the people of Molching.On the robe that she always wears,she has the swastika symbol on it.If she wanted to make a small step,she should've by taking the swastika off of the robe.Since she was a friend of Liesel's she could've tried to understand her.
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ReplyDeleteType of Person:Citizens of small German Towns
ReplyDeleteCharacters from the book:
Liesel:Liesel Meminger is a young girl who has gone through many unfair things.She lost her mother and saw her brother die.Thereon,she lived with her foster parents Rosa and Hans Hubermann.She also loves to read.She stole books from Ilsa Hermann's library and her foster parents gave her books for her birthday and Christmas.Even Max gave her a book after hearing her stories at night.Towards the end of the book,Liesel learns that words can be dangerous and unfair.She learns that without words,the Fuhrer is nobody.She learns to hate him and learns from Hans experience.When she saw Max marching along with the other prisoners,she went in the crowd and talked to him.She got whipped and thrown aside but she still stayed.When she first saw Max in her basement,she didn't say nothing.She depended on her foster parents.She believed that what they did was right for her.Even though she is young,she understands when an injustice is happening.
Hans:Hans Hubermann is a man who has a big heart.He gave bread to a Jew who was weak and wanted it.He was whipped and when Hans got home,he knew that there would be consequences.He felt guilty for what he did and people called him a "dirty Jew lover."He wanted to be punished because he couldn't live with the guilt that was eating him up.He also hid Max Vandenburg when he knew what the risks were.Hans is also a lucky man because he escaped Death's grasp more than once.
Ilsa:Ilsa Hermann is a smart woman who is the mayor's wife.What holds her back is the fact that she still grieves her son's death.It is Liesel who gives her courage by telling her to move on.Ilsa Hermann leaves books out on purpose so that Liesel can take them with her.In the end,she gives Liesel a small book so that she can write.
Overall I believe that the citizens of small German towns are SOMEWHAT to blame for not doing anything. They should've tried to be like Hans if they didn't want to risk themselves. Hans neither joined the Nazi Party nor did he try to expose himself. He helped out a Jew,in this case Max. Ilsa DID have a little bit of power so she could've tried to help the people in her town.Everyone else could've tried to come together in order to accomplish something.
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ReplyDeleteType of person: Captured Jews
ReplyDeleteCharacter from the book: Max Vandenberg
Max Vandenberg is a Jew who tried to abscond from the Nazi party for almost his whole life. Max is an exhausted, lonely and fierce less man but he is also a gentle man who has a great and warm heart for the Hubermann’s family. While Max was escaping from the Nazi Party, he thought that he would die because he felt helpless but then his friend Walter Kugler gave him a helping hand. Walter told him to go to 33 Himmel Street in Molching to find Hans Hubermann and he will help him. When Max arrived Hans house, the first thing that came to his mind was a “scratchy feeling of sin.” (169) He was questioning himself by thinking, “ How could [I] do this? How could [I] show up and ask people to risk their lives for me? How could [I] be so selfish? (169)” If Max was a cold hearted man, he wouldn’t question himself and care about the Hubermann’s family. Max was afraid that if anything happens, he could get the Hubermann’s in trouble and he doesn’t want that to happen. Also, since the Hubermann’s family treat him so well, it makes him feel guilty because his existence can lead to bloody death. He feels more remorseful as he lives in the house when Liesel, the main character, treats him as a brother and shared the goods with him. It makes him feel that he should not belong there. Therefore, toward the end of the book, he decided to leave but he gets caught at the end.
Max has become a captured Jew after he was caught. Max and the other captured Jews should not be responsible for the Holocaust because they are the actual victims of the Jews genocide. The Jews are no longer treated as they should be and are treated as animal. However, Jews are humans like other people. Therefore, the Germans should not mistreat them. They should not be discriminated due to their race, background or appearance. They should all be equal like others. When death saw what Hitler is doing to the Jews, he said, "Did they deserve any better, these people? How many had actively persecuted others, high on the scent of Hitler's gaze, repeating his sentences, his paragraphs, his opus? Was Rosa Hubermann responsible? The hider of a Jew? Or Hans? Did they all deserve to die? The children?" (375) Death was questioning himself because he doesn’t understand why Hitler would want to kill all these innocent people who have not done anything to anyone. He doesn’t comprehend why those people deserve to die, and why do they have to die under the German’s hand. If death doesn’t know the answer, then the death that the Jews are suffering is not ethical because death usually take dead people who die reasonably. For example, Death picks up people who fought for their country, or sickness but they don’t pick up because of nothing. Therefore, the Jews should not be accused for the Holocaust.
Also, the Jews did not have the ability to stop the terrible scene because they did not have as much power as the Germans. In addition, people were afraid to revolt Hitler because they are scared that Hitler would take their lives too. Therefore, the Jews and other Germans who believe that the Holocaust was unethical did not do anything to prevent it because they wanted to save their lives. As a result the responsible for Holocaust are Hitler, and the German people because they killed millions of innocent Jews.
I selected NONE blame for the Jews, because they weren’t supposed to be involved in such rash situation. The people who caused it should be Hitler because he wanted to kill everyone that was different form his people. As a conclusion, Jews are innocent and if it was the Holocaust, they would have had a peaceful life.
Kevin Doodnauth
ReplyDeleteHonors Humanities 4th Pd.
Type Of Person:Citizens Of A Small German Town
Characters From The Book: Liesel Meminger And Hans Hubermann
Hans is the type of person who is very kind and generous.Hans offered to paint the villager's windows and blinds for them for just a little cost of half a cigarette, this is a kind act towards the people living in poverty. Hans is also a very generous person because he offered to share his home with a Jew, who was actually the son of the man who save him in World War, Erik Vandenburg. Max, Erik's son was indeed going to have hard time is he was discovered and put in the army but Hans hid him for a good time to save him from torture.
Hans shouldn't be blamed for the Holocaust do to the fact that he was against the reign of Hitler. Hans just wanted to be a good samariatan and wanted to help suffering Jews. An example of this is when Hans gives a poor suffering old mad man bread (394), he couldn't stand to see him get pushed into the marching line. When he did so, Hans was whipped four times and sent to be a part of the LSE (German Air Raid Special Unit).
Liesel is a very courageous girl, and like to live life on the edge but in her mind is still scared for the outcome. Liesel is also the author of the book that death is coming towards which also falls into the fact that she lost both her brother and mother on the train ride to her foster parents home. Leisel is a person who loves to read which is a good aspect to carry, but increases her vocabulary daily due to the fantastic variety through the mayor's wife library collection. Rudy, Liesel's friend who also steals with her most of the time are not the most ethical but are changed by the mood and setting of the specific space.
Liesel should have some blame because she risked her own life to help out a Jew but it was also a kid act for a good cause. When Liesel also had seen Max within the line of the line of the Marching she ran up to him but yet the German soldiers tore them apart and gave them equal amount of lashes. Liesel also couldn't help do anything to stop the Holocaust, shes a little which has to fight for her life just to survive,and it would also take determination and hard work to get towards that
I agree with you. The citizens should receive SOME blame. Also, it is true that Liesel couldn't do much alone.
DeleteThank you very much Saralinh, due to the fact they might have provoked man of the other citizens within there communities
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ReplyDeleteType of Person: Citizens of small German towns
ReplyDeleteCharacters from the book: Liesel, the Hubermanns, the Steiners, the Hermanns, and the other citizens in the town.
During another parade of the Jews, Liesel continued to look for Max in the parading crowd. Liesel entered the parade when she spotted Max. She courageously approached him, and they were reunited (510). Liesel’s actions proved to everyone that she cared for Max and the Jews. However, the remaining citizens of the German towns, did nothing but stare shockingly at Liesel ( 514). Liesel was ordered and pushed by one Nazi soldier to get out of the parade. Liesel quickly got back on her feet and joined the parade of Jews again though. This time, when Liesel was spotted again, she and Max were both whipped harshly. Rudy saw this and quickly pushed through the crowd to stop Liesel. Max was pushed by Liesel, but luckily, he was strong enough to hold her back.
Throughout that moment, all the citizens of the small German town, besides Liesel and Rudy, stood back and did nothing. They did not raise a finger, they did not speak a word, and they did not support Liesel at all. The citizens were silent and mute. Therefore, they should be blamed for the Holocaust. Since they did not speak up against Hitler, Hitler just continued to gain more power by taking advantage of his citizens. The citizens obviously feared Hitler. However, if they all just stood up against Hitler all together, then the Holocaust could have been prevented. As you can see, because the citizens did not do anything, the Holocaust just lasted longer and it became even more horrifying.
The groups of citizens of small German towns should get SOME blame. They all allowed their fears to get in the way of them actually making a change. In the novel, Liesel, Rudy, and Hanns did stand up and attempt to help the Jews during the parade in some way. What they did was very brave, but it wasn’t too effective. It wasn’t too effective because there weren’t much people supporting them. The citizens could have and should have joined in with them. They didn’t though, and that is why they should receive some blame.
Although the citizens of the small Germans town should receive blame, they shouldn’t receive all the blame. It is clear that for the most part, the citizens didn’t do anything because they were afraid. They were afraid of being punished by the Nazi soldiers. Some of these punishments may even lead to their deaths. Sometimes, fear can impact your life and actions heavily. Also, the citizens were brainwashed to believe that Hitler’s actions were correct. So, it takes a lot of courage to go against something that a huge amount of people believe. Overall, I believe that the citizens should only get some of the blame because they weren’t exactly enforcing all the harsh actions that took place during the Holocaust.
Type of person: Citizens of small German towns
ReplyDeleteCharacters from The Book Thief: Frau Diller, Hans Hubermann, and Liesel Meminger
Frau Diller is the owner of a store in which she sells candy to Rudy and Liesel on Himmel Street. She is a HUGE supporter of the Nazi party and every time one enters her store they have to say Heil Hitler. By her making this her rule in the store shows how much she supports the ideas that Hitler gives. It almost makes one think that she believes that whatever Hitler does will always be ethical. Shes demanding and rude for even making people salute her this way because why should anyone be forced to do that. Doesn't one have a freedom of speech? She has a framed picture of Hitler in the shop and that shows all the love she has towards him.
-Frau Diller should be partly blamed because she supported the Nazi party with supporting all of Hitler's ideas. Her supporting Hitler's actions helped Hitler have total dictatorship and make all the Jews suffer. With people like Frau Diller there was many people that weren't going to put a stop Hitler's unethical actions some may even see Hitler's action as Ethical. She deserves to be partly blamed because its not like she was the only one there were people that supported the Nazi party. Regardless if she supported or not it's not like she could do anything to stop the halocaust.
Hans Hubermann is Liesel's caring foster dad who teaches Liesel how to read. He comforts her the first few nights she starts living in her foster parents house. Hans Hubberman becomes one of the most important people in Liesel's life. He is a great man because he cares for others and he helps out people in need. Hans Hubberman later has to hide a Jew in his basement putting at risk the lives of his family. Hans Hubberman is not a supporter of the Nazi party and he opposes all the cruelty being done to the Jews but joins the Nazi party for his safety.He can be seen as a hero for Liesel.
If no one can really do anything to stop the holocaust, doesn't that mean no citizen can really be fully blamed for the holocaust?
Delete-Hans Hubermann should not be blamed AT ALL for the Halocaust because since the beginning he was always against Hitler's actions and he was never convinced by Hitler's words. He knew that the actions Hitler made were unethical because he made Jews suffer and he even hid a Jew in his basement. By him hiding Max he showed that he was against Hitler. The only reason why he even joined the Nazi party was for his and his family's safety. He even risked his own life by actually giving a dying Jew a piece of bread. It shows how much he cares for the Jews. No blame should go to him he wanted all this torture to stop.
ReplyDeleteLiesel Meminger is the protagonist of the novel and is best known for stealing all the books she has stolen. She witnesses the cruelty that the Jews had to partake. Liesel can be seen as hard-working, caring, and smart girl. Liesel witnesses the death of her younger brother, while her mother gives her up to another set of parents, Hans Hubermann and Rosa Hubermann. At the burial of her younger brother Liesel gets her hands on the first book that she will ever steal. Liesel uses her books for survival during the novel. Liesel stealing helps her get through the tough times she had to face and also by the help of her best friend Rudy.
-Liesel Meminger should not be blamed for the Halocaust because she also opposed of the Nazi party.She didn't like Hitler but once she became close to Max and she knew he was in danger of getting caught she felt this hatred towards Hitler. This hatred towards Hitler started when Max had to leave and she didn't get to see him anymore. Also she cannot be blamed because she was a young girl it is not like she was going to be able to stop everything on her own. One can say she was defenseless towards Hitler. Liesel also hated having to go to the Hitler Youth. Liesel showed no support towards the Halocaust so she shouldn't be blamed.
ReplyDeleteOverall, certain citizens of small German towns should be blamed and those would be the ones that supported Hitler's actions. He was able to maintain all the power he had because of it. I say not all should be blamed because some citizens opposed his ideas but stood quiet about it for their safety. Hitler can do so much because people feared him and what he did was exterminate the Jews or at least make them suffer. All the supporters helped the Halocaust start and it helped it stay alive for awhile. No one made an action to stop it. I think certain citizens should be blamed and not all.
Kayla Chang
ReplyDeleteType of person: Citizens of small towns
Characters: Tommy Muller, Hans Junior, Franz Deutscher
Tommy Muller is a friend who Liesel’s and Rudy’s. He was infected with an ear infection when he was little. Tommy can’t hear very well and that causes many problems for him (49). His face twitches a lot due to failed operations. Tommy is also the worst soccer player on Himmel Street. At Hitler Youth, or whenever there’s a practice march, Tommy can never march correctly because he doesn’t know when to stop. He often relies on Rudy to help him.
Tommy Muller should NOT be blamed for the holocaust because he is just a young boy who is trying to survive. He makes many mistakes, whether it was caused by his ear infection or not. He even suffered under Hitler’s program, Hitler Youth. He had to do six laps since he couldn’t hear the leaders. Rudy also suffered along with Tommy for helping him. When his laps were done, he and Rudy “were given some drills of the run-drop down-get up-get down again variety” (259). If the boy had to do tedious drills just because he could not hear at a program created by the man who had a big part in the holocaust, then he clearly did not deserve any blame. Tommy is just a boy and he is going through life just as the other children are.
Hans Hubermann Junior is Hans and Rosa Hubermann’s only son. He has been brainwashed like many other Germans and is a loyal follower of Hitler. He hates his dad for not being a part of the Nazi party as well. Hans Junior thinks that his dad is a coward just because he doesn’t support Hitler like he does (105). He later goes off to Stalingrad to fight and doesn’t come back home afterwards.
Hans Junior deserved SOME blame for the death of 6 million Jews because he was brainwashed as a youth and did not know any better. All children were forced to join Hitler’s program for children, Hitler Youth, where they were exposed to massive propaganda. Just like any other child at that time, he absorbed what he was taught and expressed them later on as a young adult. Children learn quickly and are gullible, so he believed whatever he was told. It’s not entirely his fault that he was forced to go to Hitler Youth or that he supported Hitler. Hans Junior simply did not know any better due to all that propaganda. He shouldn’t take a lot of blame since he was taught to respect the Fuhrer at a young age.
Franz Deutscher is a Hitler Youth leader that torments Rudy. He beat him up one day and cut his hair. At the program, he makes Rudy’s life miserable and that makes him not want to attend Hitler Youth anymore. He too has been brainwashed by propaganda from Hitler. He asks the students questions such as “When was the Fuhrer born?” and if they answer incorrectly, they were punished. Rudy answered with “Easter Monday”, and he received a hair cut. It may not seem like a harsh punishment, but he was beaten prior to that by Franz.
Franz Deutscher should be blamed for PARTIALLY for the holocaust because just like Hans Junior, he was exposed to propaganda. He is also a loyal follower of Hitler. He was a leader at Hitler Youth, so he deserved blame for passing on propaganda to other children. However, he too probably was taught by someone else that Hitler was ultimate and superior. Overall, he should be blamed for leading on others about how great the Fuhrer is, but also not because he was brainwashed.
Type of person: Citizens of Small German Towns
ReplyDeleteCharacters from The Book Thief: Hans Hubermann, Liesel
Hans Hubbermann is the foster father of Liesel. Hans is a very caring, brave, creative, kind man.Hans shows his creativity when he paints the window with the black color he created by "Taking coal dust and stirred it through(353)," his creativity impressed his foster daughter because she realized that being a tradesman does have its tricks. Hans shows his bravery and kindness by giving a piece of bread to a old Jewish Man in front of many people and receive whopping(393). However even though it was a unwise decision on Hans part since because of this decision Max would have to leave from the Hubermann's basement, it still proved to shows Hans kindness and bravery. Hans shows his being caring because he taught Liesel how to read and whenever she had nightmares he would be by her side to make her feel safe and secure (58).
Hans should be blamed "none" for the Holocaust because when he attempted to show an act of kindness towards a Jew he got a whooping from a Nazi Soldier and not only that but some Germans called him a Jew Lover, and they threw over his cart fulled of paint (395).Fear of what was going to happen if they attempted to help a Jew was one of the major problems in Germany. Fear is what made the Nazis so powerful and one of the major reasons the Holocaust went on for a long period of time before it got stopped. Also Hans isn't one of the types of people that can be blamed for the Holocaust because accepted to keep Max in the basement even though the punishment of getting caught would be death (203)and people who hid Jews are heroes because they risked their own lives to save others.
Liesel is the foster daughter of Hans and Rosa. Liesel went throught many sad difficult moments in her life, because she lost those whom she really cared about like her mother and brother. Not only them two family members but she lost others due to World War 2 like Rudy, Rosa, Hans and other people she really cared about in Molching because of the air raid one night (533) Also Liesel is someone who is brave and generous because she risked a big punishment just to feed some Jews pieces of bread and she gave them those pieces of bread even though she herself was hungry (441).
Liesel should be blamed "none" for the Holocaust because she was just a child however even though she was just a child she knew better then many adults did in Germany. She didnt actually believe Hitler was one that deserved to be Heiled, she just did Heil him because if she didnt shed most likely get punished (115). She knew she had to pretend to like the Fuhrer for her own sake and those around her (116). The children shouldnt be blamed for the Holocaust because they're views are mostly based on the majority of views around them. Thankfully for Liesel she wasnt a Jew Hater because both Hans and Rosa did not hate Jews on the contrary they let a Jew named Max live in their basement even though it could cost them their lives if they got caught (204)
Overall the citizens of small German Towns like adults who risked their lives to save others and the children should be blamed none. The brave adults mainly because they tried even in a small act to stop the Holocaust and the children shouldnt because they didnt fully know what they were doing. Children mostly just believe what they are told.
Type of Person: Citizens of Small German Towns
ReplyDeleteCharacters from The Book Thief: Liesel Meminger, Hans Hubermann, Rosa Hubermann
Liesel Meminger is a young girl living in the small town of Molching in Nazi Germany after her mother gives her up to foster parents and her brother dies. Traumatized by her brother's death, she has nightmares every night. With the help of her foster dad Hans, she learns to read and soon finds a comfort in reading. Although Liesel is young and innocent, she turns to a habit of book stealing from Ilsa Hermann's library and also steals other things from the people of the town with her best friend, Rudy Steiner. She befriends Max Vandenburg, the Jewish man who hides in her
basement from the Nazis. Liesel learns the power of words to influence humans to act towards both good and evil as she experiences the different sides of humanity.
Liesel should not be blamed for the Holocaust because she helped hide a Jewish man in her basement. She treats him (Max) like any other human being, unlike other German citizens who dehumanized the Jewish Community. She doesn't realize just how dangerous that is and what consequences could be in store for them. Also, Liesel could not be blamed because her mother was a Communist. Communists were among the first to be eliminated by Hitler because they went against his way of rule. She asked Hans if her mother was a communist. Giving almost a definite yes, Liesel expresses her hate for the Fuhrer (115). Liesel could not have been blamed for the
Holocaust because the man behind the genocide was her sworn enemy, and she helped a Jewish man hide from his wrath.
___________________________________________________________________________
Hans Hubermann is Liesel's silver-eyed foster dad, and Rosa Hubermann's husband. He is a tall and gentle man with a remarkable amount of bravery and humility. He's a role model for Liesel and even Rudy, who are at ease in his presence. Hans' life was saved in WWI by Erik Vandenburg, a Jewish man who gave up his own life in the process. He keeps his promise to Erik's widow by hiding her son Max from the Nazis. Hans is a skilled house painter by trade, and is often judged because he paints over anti-Semitic slurs on Jewish-owned homes and businesses. Hans' impulsive kindness eventually gets him in trouble, and he is drafted to serve in a dangerous air raid recovery unit. Hans survives, but later dies in the air raid that hits Molching at the end of the novel. Hans also helped out a Jew on an impulse by giving him a piece of bread (304). They were both whipped six times, but Hans was convinced that he did the right thing.
Hans should not be blamed for the Holocaust because he is a kind soul who helps the Jewish. He keeps his promise to an old friend (who is also Jewish) and hides his son in his basement from being captured. He helps the Jewish residents by painting over the slurs on their homes and businesses. Finally, he gives a piece of bread to a Jew who was being paraded through the town. He is judged and punished for his actions, but doesn't regret them. Therefore, Hans could not be blamed for the atrocity known as the Holocaust.
Rosa Hubermann is Liesel's foster mother and Hans' wife. She does laundry for the wealthier households in Molching. She constantly scolds and criticizes others, using profanity and her wooden spoon. When Max arrives on the scene, we, and Liesel, see a very different side of Rosa. She's always super-kind to Max and clearly believes that hiding him is the right thing to do. She shares her food, her love, and everything she has. Helping to care for Max and seeing his suffering produce an all-around change in Rosa, especially in terms of her relationship with Liesel. Rosa cares for them because she went out of her way to deliver the news at Liesel's school. She tells him that Max is alive, and gives her a toy that he sent her (332). If she didn't care for Max who is a Jew, she wouldn't have given Liesel the heartwarming news.
ReplyDeleteRosa should not be blamed for the Holocaust because although she is violent, she learns to be compassionate throughout the novel, and expresses her love for Liesel, Hans, and Max. She doesn't question Max's stay at the Hubermann's basement, and she realizes that he becomes a very important factor in Liesel's life. Although caring and protecting for a Jew is considered a big crime in Nazi Germany, Rosa is willing to risk it all to make sure her family is happy.
Overall nobody is to blame for the Holocaust. All three mentioned characters helped a Jew in some way, shape, or form. Liesel befriends Max, Hans gives a Jew a piece of bread, and Rosa tends to Max's needs. None of them supported the Nazi party.
Type of Person: Jews
ReplyDeleteCharacters from The Book Thief: Max Vandenburg, Mr. Kleinmann, a bearded old man in torn clothes
Max Vandenburg is a Jew who's been in hiding for years. He traveled from a secret storage room in Stuttgart to the Hubermanns' house on Himmel Street. After arriving in the Hubermanns' house, he hid in the basement behind drop sheets and paint cans. He never complained about Rosa Hubermann's poor cooking or the coldness of the basement. As time wore on, he became friends with Liesel. He spent his days working on a sketchbook called The Word Shaker for her. During air raids, he remained in the Hubermanns' basement. When it became evident that the Nazi police might check the Hubermanns' basement, Max left the house to survive on his own. They made an arrangement to meet in four days, but Max didn't show up. Instead, he left a note saying “You've done enough” and was never heard from again (398). He didn't want to be a burden to the Hubermanns anymore.
Max Vandenburg should not be blamed for the Holocaust. So far, he has survived persecution by looking out for himself, which is not easy. He had no one to depend on except for his friend Walter and the Hubermanns. He had no Jewish friends with whom he could stick together. Therefore, he best demonstrated resistance against the Nazis by staying in hiding to avoid capture.
As a minor character of the book, Mr. Kleinmann is the Jewish owner of a clothing store on Himmel Street. His shop was vandalized by the four Nazis (181). They threw bricks and marked his door with the Star of David and the term “Jewish Filth”. He cleaned up the broken glass and refused help from Hans Hubermann, who repainted his door anyway the following morning.
Mr. Kleinmann shouldn't be blamed for the Holocaust. He's merely a Jew who's trying to make a living by running a shop. However, the Nazis were trying to put him out of business through vandalism. Even though he didn't try to stop them, there was nothing he could do about it because he was outnumbered. Nevertheless, he was cleaning up the mess afterward, which shows that he's not giving in to peer pressure.
The bearded old man in torn clothes is a captured Jew. Guided by Nazi soldiers, he was in the procession that passed through Munich Street on the way to Dachau, a concentration camp. Due to lack of strength from starvation, he fell several times. However, every time that a soldier stood above him and told him to get up, he “rose to his knees and fought his way up” (393). When Hans Hubermann offered him bread, he took it and fell to his knees. He held Hans' shins and thanked him, crying into his ankles. Afterward, he was whipped six times on his back, head, and legs by a Nazi soldier. When he climbed to his feet for the last time, he left the bread on the street and continued on.
The bearded old man in torn clothes shouldn't be blamed for the Holocaust. Due to his old age and starvation, he didn't have the energy to fight back. He's so weightless that he couldn't even support himself on his legs. Even though the Jews greatly outnumbered the Nazis, they were in no condition to resist oppression. Even if they did attempt to revolt, the onlookers, most of whom were Nazis, would suppress them.
Overall, the Jews deserved no blame for the Holocaust. They were the victims who had to endure humiliation, persecution, labor camps, and mistreatment from the Nazis. The Nazis by far outnumbered the Jewish population. Therefore, most Jews accepted things as they were because they couldn't win against the odds. They were far too powerless to fight on their own. For it to be a fair struggle, the Germans would have to step in and help the Jews.
Samantha Octtaviani
ReplyDeleteHonors Humanities p4
Type of people: Citizens from a small town
The characters: Rudy Steiner, Liesel Meminger, and Frau Diller
Rudy Steiner is an ambitious, obstinate, unfortunate person. When he was a boy he covered himself in black and ran like Jesse Owens. Jesse Owens was a black American man that won 4 gold medals at the 1936 Olympic Games in Munich, Germany. This was out of place and already set Rudy Steiner behind in Hitler's mind. Since then his ambition died down a bit, until he got to his teens that is. He started to hate Hitler and the fact that he took away his father from him and his family. His father was drafted to the war. It was no surprise that his father was taken directly after his parent’s rejected the offer the secret police made to take Rudy and make him one of them. Rudy would have said yes if he knew about the consequences. It really is hardly an offer when there are consequences one has to pay for not accepting it. Rudy Steiner often hangs out with Liesel Meminger, his next door neighbor. They've hung out ever since they were ten years old. They do everything together, especially stealing. As he got older, he won 3 gold medals in running.
Rudy Steiner is not to blame for the Holocaust. He did nothing to promote Hitler and didn’t stay doing nothing either. Even though he makes many attempts to steal, kill the Fuhrur, Hitler, and do other stupid things, he has helped the Jews and made Hitler his enemy. One time when he was with Liesel, he gave stale bread to Jews that were accompanied by soldiers. They were pitiful. Rudy decided he was going to quickly and sneakily give bread to the Jews. He brought two bikes and a small bag. Rudy and Liesel distributed the bread all over the floor. When the Jews came with the soldiers the Jews picked them up and shoved the pieces in their mouths (441). Failing to go unnoticed, the soldiers eventually saw the bread and looked around to see who had done it. Eventually, they found Liesel and Rudy hiding behind a tree and they had to run separate ways until the soldiers stopped (441). Rudy risked his life in order to give the bread to the Jews. Although, he might have done it just because he pitied them and wanted to do something stupid, it was still an act of kindness because he quite possibly could have saved their lives with that bread. Many Jews were falling and dying on the street because of the lack of food. There really wasn’t much Rudy could do, but he did help the Jews and hated Hitler, he was not to blame for the Holocaust.
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ReplyDeleteLiesel Meminger has foster parents. She met and moved in with them when she was 10. She used to not be able to sleep at night, but she gave those nightmares up eventually. They were of her brother dying while on a train with her mother. It really happened and it haunted her for a while. However, as she met Rudy and grew closer to Rosa and Hans Hubermann, her new family, she eventually got over it. There is one person, however, that Liesel became very close to. His name is Max Vandenburg. He is a Jew. During the time of the Holocaust, Hitler brainwashed many and persuaded others with fear to hate and torture Jews. However, here is Liesel becoming friends with a Jew and even taking the time to be by his side when he was sick. She brought him a gift for everyday he was sick, it wasn’t much because she didn’t have any money, but she thought of him a lot, and felt obligated to. She grew close to him. He had nightmares as well as she did and that was the first thing that bonded them together. He was hiding in the Hubermann’s basement. She stuck by his side when he was sick and always told him how the weather was because he couldn’t see it. Even if it were only one Jew, she still saved him. He was able to write a book because of her inspiration. Not only this, but she decided that she hated Hitler like Rudy did.
ReplyDeleteLiesel definitely isn’t to blame for the Holocaust. She became close to a Jew and didn’t tell anyone that her family was hiding him. She would never have wished him to suffer the fate the others that she sees does. She became worried and even cried over him when he was sick (324). When Hans was forced to make him leave just in case the police came, she was scared for him. There was no sight of him since then and she was looking for him in the group that she and Rudy gave the bread to. She was relieved to know there was still a chance he didn’t get taken. Liesel did a lot and felt a lot for Max Vandenburg. She always got a newspaper for him from outside (247) and watched him when he pretended to fight the Fuhrur (251). Although Liesel didn’t save many Jews, she did what she could.
Frau Diller doesn’t care about helping Jews. She owns a shop and forces everyone who comes in to say “Heil Hitler.” She’s mean to everyone and is actually very sarcastic. One time Rudy and Liesel were going to buy candy from her store and they didn’t know how much money it cost to get it so they just gave her a coin. Frau Diller acted all sarcastic and looked as if they were going to get all the mixed candy. However, she just threw one at them and told them to mix it themselves (155). Frau Diller isn’t to be blamed a lot for the Holocaust, but she certainly didn’t try to stop it. She promoted it instead, which caused her to still be part of the blame. She willingly chose to support Hitler and the Nazis and went to extremes. She is always nasty to people, however it catches up to her when she winds up dying in the Himmel bombing.
Type of person: Hitler
ReplyDeleteCharacters: Hitler
Hitler is Germanys leader that hates all Jew’s and kills around 6 million during the Holocaust. His actions include sending all of the German Jews to concentration camps and takes away their basic human rights Hitler manipulated people with something bigger than weapons he decided that “he would rule the world with words” (445). He also decides to start manipulating the German people since they are kids by making it mandatory to go to Hitler Youth. His personality is that he is very hateful and made it his life mission to commit genocide on all the Jewish people that live in Germany and the other countries that he captured. His ethics are that he should have control over Germany and he should help keep the German race “pure” and in his mind he is helping Germany by getting rid of the “problems” in Germany that have left Germany with a lot of problems.
Hitler should take “ALL” of the blame for what happened during the Holocaust. Hitler was the one who ordered his people to ether send all the Jews to concentration camps or to kill them. Hitler’s hatred was so big for the Jewish people he almost destroyed them. His followers believed in him and as a result thought that he was right in persecuting the Jewish people since of course they were the cause of the “problems” in Germany. Hitler didn’t try to stop the Holocaust because he was the one who ordered the Holocaust to occur in the first place. Hitler didn’t try to stop the Holocaust because he liked that Germany and his followers were finally getting rid of their problem. The consequences were that many Jewish people were persecuted, killed, and sent to concentration camps based on their religious beliefs. I put ALL of the blame on Hitler because based on his actions and the consequences he could have prevented all those deaths but Hitler’s hatred consumed him and allowed him to commit those horrible crimes against Jews. That is why I blame Hitler in everything that happened during the Holocaust.
I agree with you! However, I'm not 100% sure why Hitler decided to kill Jews. I was told once that it had something to do with his step father or mother before? But I'm not still so sure. Do you have any idea why?
DeleteGroup Of People To blame: Citizens of small town in Germany
ReplyDeleteCharacters; Lisel, Max Vandenburg, Hans Hubermann
I think that Lisel should have some of the blame for the actions. Lisel is a very young inoccent girl whos mind had been manipulated and molded to be part of the army of Hitler. However Lisel did realize what actions took place during the Holocaust, and she did go against the actions Hitler took and apposed him. Lisel would not really be considered "ethical". Lieelhad "stolen the book from the fire" (125)Zusak. Lieselstolen many book at a very young age and had been catagorized as a "thief" which is unethical. Yet she did it to gain knowladge and survive. I believe that Liesel should have some blame for the Holocaust, even though she is only just a child and cannot do much, she could have done something to stop the actions that took place. Liesel did say "I hate the Fuhrer" she did have intentions in wanting to stop him and his actions after what The Fuhrer had did with her mother. Having that hate and that anger towards Hitler would have helped her stop the Holocaust. However Liesel couldnt really do much as a child, so she shouldnt be blamed for everything. She did attend Hitler Youth just like every kid was supposed to and she did have to follow what they taught her. Even her own father had told her to keep her feelings of hate towards Hitler hidden so she would be safe. But afterwords she did face concequences and her best friend Max Vandenburg a jew that was hidden in her house had died and she lost a very important person in her life. Due to her not being able to stop the actions that took place in the Holocaust.
I Believe that Max Vandenburg should also be blamed for the Holocaust. Max Vandenburg is a Jew and during the time of the Holocaust if you were a Jew, you were considered different and a completely inferior race to the Germans. Max is just like any other man however, he is very humble and kind, he is a very simple man who had went through a lot growing up. When he was younger he did fist fight to get anger and frustration out after loosing his father and his uncle, two important male figures in his life. His actions would not be considered ethical. He did use violence against others but i would not blame him for being frustrated and using violence as an excuse. Also you can say that the things that were done to Max and his family and other Jews in Germany are considred unethical. I Believe that Max should get some blame for the Holocaust, even though he was a very innocent man who did nothing to deserve what he had went through he should have some blame. When Max was first described he was in a "small black room...he is scum, he is starving, he is afraid"(138)Zusak although Max was held as a prisoner just like many other Jews were, he could have still faught back. When you think about all the innocent people who had lost their lives due to this horrific event, you can only wounder, why didnt anyone stand up and say no? When I was introduced to the character of Max i did believe he was going to fight and stand up against everything and help Liesel. However as a person I saw him fade and his character grew dim. In my eyes he became weak, just like when he was described as "Scum" and "Afraid". If Max would have stood up people could have gotten courage and stoped what was happening. Not just only the other Jews that were also seen as scum but, the German citizes who saw the wrong in what was going on, the ones who wernt ignorant to the fact that millions of people were dieing due to this one man in power. As a concequence Max did saadly end up dieing and there was no rebellion that rose to stop the reign of Hitler.
But Liesel did drop bread on the floor for the Jews during the parade with Rudy. Also, she ran into the parade to be reunited with Max. Don't you think that shows that she did attempt to do something to show that she was against Hitler? In other words, she wasn't exactly sitting around and doing nothing her whole life.
DeleteI think that Hans Hubbermann should not have any blame for the Holocaust. Hans is a very stong man who even though is very quiet he is kind of ma who will stand up for what is right. Hans is considered to be ethical, even though he did fight in war, he was actually forced and put into the war just like many other men who went in to fight during the time. He did help Liesel learn how to read well and taught her to be a stronger person. Hans also id Max Vandenburg from The Nazi Party who went a looked for Jews to kill. i Believe that there shouldnt be any blame put on Hans for the Holocaust. Hans did help go against wat was going on during the Holocaust, he did keep a Jew safe in his home even though he didnt have very much to offer or even much for himself and his family. Hans had to recoginize the fact that "A Jew once saved is life and he could never forget that"(180)Zusak. Since Hans had been saved by a Jew he accepted the fact that it was alright for him to keep Max in his home and help him out. He did also not want to join the Nazi party and that gave him more reason to help out Max. I Believe that Hans is a good man for going against what others in Germany at the time believed what not right. Hans Hubermann should not be the blame for Holocaust since he did help a Jew and kept him alive for as long as he could.
ReplyDeleteI think that these people should be blamed somewhat for what they had done and not stoping the actions that took place during the Holocaust. Even though Liesel was just only a helpless child and couldnt do very much she could atleast have tried. Max being a Jew couldnt do a lot but he did have some power and could have stoped what was happening, and Hans was a good man and took some actions in trying to stop what was going on. Therefore this group of people shouldnt be entirely blamed on what had happened.
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ReplyDeleteMichelle Veliz
ReplyDeletePeriod 4 Honors Humanities
Type of Person: Citizens of Small Germany Towns
Characters: Liesel Meminger, Rudy Steiner, Frau Diller
Liesel Meminger is the main character in the book The Book Thief. Her life has been filled with many tragedies at the beginning but at the end her life has been filled with happiness and suspense. At first, she had to face with her nightmares with her dead brother being in them. At the end, she found a group of people who accept her for no matter what. When times were hard for Liesel and her family she took actions into her own hands. For example, when she found out her parents were hiding a Jew named Max she befriended him. Eventually, she ended up caring so much for Max she brought him 13 gifts. However, some of Liesel’s actions are considered to be unethical. One of Liesel’s unethical actions was when her and Rudy would go steal into the mayor’s house. Even when she knew she got caught, she would continue stealing in front of the Mayor’s wife. Besides stealing from the mayor’s wife, she would even steal from neighbors from her own community. She stole for her own benefits when times in Molching weren’t so easy to meet ends. Even if Liesel does hurt others along the way, she manages to care and respect the important people in her life.
Since Liesel didn't support Hitler or any of his schemes, she shouldn't receive any blame for the Holocaust. Instead of supporting the holocaust she took actions into find ways to stop it. She befriended a Jew during the time Jews were considered to be outcasts. Liesel and Rudy even put themselves into a dangerous position when they gave pieces of bread to the parade of Jews and when Nazi soldiers were all around their town. With these heroic actions, Liesel can't be called one of Hitler’s minions. Instead she can be called one of Hitler’s enemies since she purposely went behind his back and went against his tactics.
Rudy Steiner is a unique character because his personality changes though out the book. At first, Rudy is seen to have a rebellious character due to his smart mouth and incidents at his Hitler Youth. At his Hitler Youth Meetings he always has something to say to his youth leader and always faced the consequences for his own actions. Eventually, his mouth became to smart he got a beating from his own youth leader. Besides from his rebellious nature, Rudy has a heart fill of gold that nobody really sees besides Liesel. Even if he teases Liesel and curses at her he shows ways to care about her. He is always with Liesel and even helps her steal books from the mayor’s library. In one particular scene, Liesel’s book was thrown into the river and Rudy goes after to save the book. With these odd characteristics Rudy can be seen to have a twisted personality.
Rudy is just like Liesel in the place where he shouldn't receive any blame for the Holocaust. Due to his misbehavior at the Hitler Youth Meetings Rudy isn’t a supporter or influenced by the propaganda. He manages to see the wicked character from people like his Hitler Youth leader. When he doesn't find anything right he uses his smart mouth to speak up even if it gets to face the consequences. Another reason why he shouldn't be blamed for the holocaust is because he is helping the tormented and not supporting the tormenter. Since the Jews were scapegoats during the time of the Holocaust, Rudy felt bad for them and gave them pieces of bread to show his pity. Worse of all, he performed this unthinkable action when the Nazi soldiers were present. Once someone has helped someone in need they can't be blamed for the misery they suffered.
Frau Diller is another neighbor from the fictional town of Molching. She owns a candy shop where Liesel and Rudy always go to buy their favorite candy. Frau Diller is a controlling woman because she forces Liesel and Rudy to always say “Heil Hitler” every time they enter the store. In her store, she hangs up a portrait of Hitler to show her support to the Nazi Party and dedication to the Hitler.
ReplyDeleteFrau Diller can be given some blame for the Holocaust because she’s supporting the man who caused the Jews’ their misery. Worse of all, she even shows people like Liesel and Rudy that she is proud of Hitler’s unfair actions and schemes. She even tries to get supporters for the tormentor and not supporters for the tormented. If she would of never supported Hitler she would of never received any blame.
The reason Liesel and Rudy should receive any blame is because they were performing heroic actions that can put their lives in danger. By giving the hopeless and helpless Jews food, they were helping people in need and who were facing very cruel treatment. They even faced some unexpected consequences for their actions. Both of their fathers were sent to be part of World War Two. Even this incident wasn't a direct consequence they have to live if the fact if their fathers would come back safe and sound. Now they are officially worried to know what's going to happen next in their lives. On the other hand, Frau Diller should receive some blame because she’s not helping the people in need. Instead she is a bystander and supports the man who made all the Jews face such horrible suffering. She just stands in her shop and sells candy to Hitler’s opponents.
Kevin Alonso
ReplyDeleteHonors Humanities 4
2nd Post
Type of Person: Nazi soldiers
Characters from The Book Thief: Hans Junior, Michael Holtzapfel
Hans Junior is a man who has pride in his nation. He is proud to be a Nazi unlike his father Hans who is not a Nazi, since he strongly opposes them. Hans Junior is disrespectful because he isn’t afraid to lash out against his father, he doesn’t like him because of who he is. Hans Jr. was bothered that his father “supported” Jews since he had been known as “The Jew Painter” for painting Jewish houses that had slurs written on them. He takes advantage of this situation to ask him despite of his “mistakes” (as he calls his dad’s actions of helping the Jews out) if he has joined the Nazi party yet, but when his dad answers no he responds by telling his dad “You never cared about this country” (105). Adding to the disrespect Hans Junior shows to his father, he continues and sums up what he thinks of his father, walking up to him and letting himself heard by calling him a “Coward” and then rushing out. Aside from Hans Junior showing the relationship he has with his father, he shows that he is a strong supporter of Hitler when he calls the book Liesel is reading “trash” and continues shouting that she should be reading Mein Kampf (Hitler’s autobiography).
Hans Junior shouldn’t be blamed a lot but SOME for the Holocaust. He should be blamed some, because he was a strong supporter of the Nazi party and he idolized Hitler since he believed Hitler would bring the revival of Germany. Brainwashed by Hitler’s propaganda, he shouldn’t be blamed a lot, but some becuase he is a soldier, part of the German army. Since he is part of the army whose purpose is to defend their nation, he is doing just that, defending his nation, fighting for Germany.
Michael Holtzapfel is the son of Frau Holtzapfel who feels guilty, coming back home, surviving the war without his brother Robert; he feels guilt for continuing to live. Michel spectated his brother for three weeks, suffering until he died which brought him down mentally (467). He saw his brother in pain, his death which had left him alone in this world, while this occurred he was “lucky” to stay alive after his fingers were blown off from an explosion in which the occurrences would forever leave him in a depressed mood, in denial that he was still alive. The experiences Michael went through in war, seeing his brother’s legs being blown off right in front of his own two eyes due to an explosion broke Michael down, it slowly “killed” him mentally. The suffering Michael faced after coming home from the war lead him to sacrifice his own life, it lead him to commit suicide by hanging himself from one of the drafters in a laundry, feeling unworthy of living (507)
Michael Holtzapfel SHOULD NOT be blamed for the Holocaust, because although he was a supporter of Hitler he realized what Hitler was actually doing. Michael went through harsh times on the frontlines in Stalingrad and he realized that it wasn’t worth fighting for Germany. The experiences he went through are not worth for the revival of Germany that Hitler “Promised”. Michael didn’t stop what was happening because he his priority was to fight alongside the German army on the frontlines, keep advancing Germany’s position by winning battles. He couldn’t do anything because he wanted to protect his nation and he was doing just that.
Nazi soldiers should have SOME of the blame, because they were only doing their job, defending Germany as any other army does so (defend their country). Nazi soldiers were brainwashed by Hitler, meaning they fought for him because they gave him all their support since he “promised” the German citizens that he would “revive” Germany from the harsh times it was currently facing. In the end, Hitler would be the one responsible for it all, since he would continue with his ways, taking drastic measures and stopping at nothing.
Katheryn j.b
ReplyDeleteType of person: Hitler
Character: Hitler
Hitler was to be blamed for the holocaust. Hitler was the one who started this whole predicament. He also had a way of being convincing to his people, ‘blonde hair and blue eyes’. He made them think that jews should not live at all. Hitler felt as if, when he started this process of this master plan, that he would never use a gun because he will rule the world (445), and have other people kill Jews.
Hitler made many lives live in hell. He took away their innocence, and made younger children join camp. The kids had uniforms. It was like a military camp, but for kids, who had ‘blonde hair and blue eyes’. These kids were taught this like Hitler’s date of birth and so on. As for Rudy, who was liesel’s best friend he gets abuse multiple time because he does not remember what the Nazi soldiers were teaching him. That was one consequence you would receive if you did not abide to the rules.
He should be blamed 100% for the holocaust. Hitler was the one who had an image that “he would one day rule the world” (445). His dream came true and now Hitler is notorious for being a serial killer.
Can you show how this affected the citizens of Germany?
DeleteCan you explain how they lost their innocence? Evidence from the text?
DeleteType of person: Captured Jews
ReplyDeleteCharacter(s): Max Vandenberg, the old man in torn clothes
Max is a kind a pitiful man. He lost his family and the only thing he had left is the address to Hans home and a friend. Max is a Jew who hid away in the Hubbermann's basement. The Hubbermann's took care of Max and kept him a secret, in return Max never complained about Rosa's horrible soup and sleeping in a freezing cold basement that made him sick. Max also became a friend of Liesel and even wrote her 2 books. Also, Max never complained about being hidden away, never seeing the outside world in so long, instead he asked Liesel to give him a weather report every day. Max is ethical because he hasn't done anything wrong but trying to keep himself alive even if it breaks an unreasonable law. Later on after Hans made a mistake of giving bread to an old man Max had to leave because of what Hans did Max could have been caught, but sooner or later Max became a captured Jew.
Max has shouldn't take any blame for the holocaust because he's the victim he's done nothing wrong. In fact, Max doesn't even blame German's nor Hitler for the Holocaust even though it's mostly their fault. Max has only done his best to survive the Holocaust even though it did risk the people he cared about.
The old man in torn clothing is probably a desperate and pitiful old man. This old man was one of the Jews being led in the march to a concentration camp, where both Liesel and her father, Hans watching. This was the old man whom Hans gave bread to and he fell on his knees and cried into the hands of Hans, as if that piece of bread meant the world to him. Though the old man ended up getting whipped. This old man is probably ethical because even though it's mostly German's fault for his suffering he's still willing to stay hopeful that not every German is like Hitler.
The old man in torn clothing should not be blamed because again, he's the victim. He even get's whipped because of a small piece of bread, which he doesn't even get to eat because of the holocaust. He's done nothing wrong yet he's suffering because of others hatred and cowardice. Also, the fact that he's so old, he even trips every few times in the march, he still gets back up, he's still alive, and hopeful even if it's just a piece of bread-- a piece of pity from a German man.
Overall, I think that the captured Jews are not to be blamed at all because they have done nothing wrong but struggle to survive because of the holocaust. The Holocaust has actually killed, and misplaces, thousands of Jews so they have no reason to be blamed for the holocaust. In fact, everything was out of their control so it's impossible to blame people who were actually victimized and had no control over what could have happened in the Holocaust.
I agree that the captured Jews shouldn't be blamed for the Holocaust since they didn't do anything to help start the Holocaust. In addition, I also agree that Max is an ethical person since he only made choices to help his survival.
DeleteI agree and at the same time I think this is quite obvious because throughout the book, the Jews were the victims. Try to write more about how each one struggled so we can see their innocence and then decide whether or not they are to blame. (In other words, talk about Max and how Liesel, at a young age, realized that he wasn't safe. We can see the relationship between them two and see how she sympathizes).
DeleteI also agree that the Jews should not receive any blame for the Holocaust because they were the ones being tortured and they didn't even want it, obviously. But at the same time I do feel they should have came together and fight against Hitler and his people so they could get rid of the Holocaust. I know Hitler is really powerful, but it doesn't hurt to try because they would have gotten hurt anyway.
DeleteI disagree with this because the Nazi soldiers had weapons and were well protected while the Jews didn't have anything. When you say "it doesn't hurt to try because they would have gotten hurt anyway" I disagree with that statement because they didn't have anything. They were weak and some of the Jews actually survived. If they had fought back, they would've all probably died, but since they went along with the orders given by Hitler, some of them survived such as Max Vandenburg.
Delete2nd Post
ReplyDeleteType of Person: Nazi soldiers
Characters from The Book Thief: Hans Junior, Michael Holtzapfel and the recruiters
Hans Junior: Hans Junior had the eyes and the height of his father. The only difference is that his eyes were Fuhrered. He had prickly blond hair and more flesh on his bones. Hans Junior was a Nazi,and according to him,"his father was part of an old, decrepit Germany" (104). He believes that what Liesel reads is trash and she should be reading Mein Kampf. Hans Junior believes that in Germany,you're either for the Fuhrer or against him. He realizes that Hans was always against him from the beginning.against him. He calls his father pathetic for just standing there with his arms crossed while Germany takes the "garbage" out and makes themselves great. He also calls his father a coward and walks out. This shows to us that Hans Junior is disrespectful. He attacks his father as soon as he sees him and asks about whether or not he has joined the Nazi Party.
Michael:Michael Holtzapfel is the son of Frau Holtzapfel who returned to Molching. He felt guilty going back home because he survived the war while his brother died.Michael is a kind person because he was always by his brother's side in the hospital, until the very end. He also suffered a lot because he saw his brother die and he saw his mother heartbroken when he told her the news. Even when his fingers were blown off, he made an effort to go back to his home. He was a person that couldn't handle a lot of "changes" because he felt guilty for living. This is what caused him to kill himself.
The recruiters: The recruiters work for Hitler. They wanted to draft strong and healthy people into the war. They wanted to take Rudy away because of his abilities. They said that the parents should be proud for having a son to be recruited. Rudy's mom didn't want them to take Rudy. She insisted and argued that she wouldn't let him go. Due to her actions, her husband Alex Steiner was drafted into the war along with Hans Hubermann. This shows that the recruiters didn't think of the families they were breaking apart. The didn't understand why Rudy's mother wouldn't let him go.
Edson Acosta
ReplyDeletePeriod 4
Type of Person: Citzens of Small German Towns
Characters: Hans Junior, Liesel Meminger
Hans Junior was a German citzen before he became part of the Nazi army, who took extreme pride in Hiter and the Nazi Party. When the author introduced Hans Junior, the author described him as being a strong nationalist. Hans Junior even told his father, Hans that, "You're either for the Fubrer or against him" (105). This quote helps convey the idea that German citzens should somewhat be blamed for the holocaust. The reason is that this quote shows how citzens had this idea that you need to support Hitler, no matter what which helped result in the holocaust. In addition, since many German people felt this sense of pride and loyalty for Hitler it shows that they didn't do anything to stop the resulting Holocaust. However, there were other citzens that shows that not all Germans were supporting the actions taken by the Nazi Party.
The character Liesel is a German citzen who opposed the actions of both the Nazi Party and of Hitler. Liesel went against the ideas of the Nazis by helping the captive Jews when they, "handed out the pieces of bread on the road" (440). This quote shows how not all German citzens supported the ideas of the Nazis and also that not all Germans are responsible for the Holocaust. The reason is that Liesel and other characters throughout the novel wet against the ideas of Nazis. This also connects to what actually happened during the Holocaust, where Geraman citzen went against the Nazis in different ways. Overall, German citzens should be partly blamed for the Holocaust since there were citzens who was both for and against the Nazi Party.
But how are they to blame if most of them couldn't do anything about it? We saw Hans give bread to a Jew and he dealt with the consequences. Everyone knows that there are risks.
DeleteHans Junior:Hans Junior should have SOME blame for the Holocaust. He should have some blame for the Holocaust because he was a strong supporter of the Nazi Party. He let himself be brainwashed and disrespected his father. He didn't try to understand the reasons of why Hans Hubermann didn't join the Nazi Party. He did everything Hitler said when he should've taken a step back and tried to see what was going on and how exterminating a group of Jews was going to help Germany.
ReplyDeleteMichael Holtzapfel:Michael Holtzapfel SHOULD NOT be blamed for the Holocaust. In the beginning,he did support it but at the end he didn't want to be part of it anymore. When he was at war, he learned that it wasn't taking them anywhere. In the end,he shouldn't be blamed because he did kill himself after he felt guilty for living. He thought that there was no reason to be alive anymore, he had experienced a lot of things.
The recruiters: The recruiters should have SOME blame for also doing their job without seeing what the families were going through. The Nazi Soldiers were also brainwashed. This was their fault because they were the ones who were taking people away. They drafted kids and men and broke families apart. Nazi soldiers made sure the Jews would march at the right pace and in order.They didn't care how the Germans were feeling. Since the recruiters didn't do anything to stop the Holocaust, they should have some blame for not doing anything.
This group of Nazi soldiers should take some of the blame because they didn't necessarily do anything to stop the Holocaust. Even if they didn't do anything, they humiliated the Jews in a way. Like Hans Hubermann, they could've opposed when they realized that Hitler was doing something that wasn't fair. Some of them strongly believed that Hitler was always right but if they saw that war wasn't taking them anywhere, they should've stopped following orders because they were just ruining lives.
I agree and disagree with some aspects of what you've said. I agree that the certain Nazi soldiers should be blamed for the actions in the Holocaust. But I a feel that the Nazi soldiers should have a lot more responsbilty for the Holocaust. The reason is that even though some soldiers didn't agree with the ideas of Nazis, they still took orders and did what higher officals told them to do. So they should be blamed a lot for the Holocaust.
DeleteBut what if they had to do it? For example, Hans Hubermann didn't join the Nazi Party but he was harassed by his son. A thing I was thinking about is that maybe the higher officials had more power than them and were pressured into doing what the orders were. It's like Hans Junior said, either you're for the Fuhrer or against and that's exactly what the soldiers are doing. When Hans tried to help out the Jew, he was looked at in a disgusted way.
DeleteI agree that the Nazi soldiers should have some blame, but you have to think that most of the blame comes from Hitler and the higher officials. The Nazi soldiers were forced to follow commands and if they didn't they were punished. Hans was punished for helping the jew and instead of being drafted into the war he was sent to the LSE. Like most people the soldiers were thinking about themselves and the possible consquences they could face if they went against the Nazi party. Fear was the restriction of the soldiers which was brought upon them by Hitler and the higher officials.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteSecond Post
ReplyDeleteType of Person: Jews
Characters: Max, Erik Vandenburg and the poor old man.
Max was the Jew that Hans promised to help. He was the son of Erik Vandenburg and he did not want to leave his family, but he felt guilty of choosing his life over his family. He lived with Hans and his family. He became great friends with Liesel and he wrote The Standover Man and The Word Shaker. He never wanted to take advantage of Hans nor his family and he knew of the danger that he was putting them in. So he decided to leave on his own when Hans helped out a Jew. Max knew it was not his fault, but he did not want to risk them anymore.
Max should not be blamed for the Holocaust because he did not want to be a burden on anybody. He was satisfied with very little and he even felt horrible when he looked out the window. He accepted that he was trouble, but he never caused it purposely for being a Jew. He knew better and he avoided it by hiding, but hiding wasn't enough when this was something that would always be haunting him. Therefore, Max should not be blame because he never wanted anybody to be hurt and he tried his best to cope with it.
Erik Vandenburg was the Jew that saved Hans' life. They both served in the first world war and they were friends. Erik taught Hans how to play the accordion. He volunteered Hans to stay in from the warzone for his penmanship. That day no one came back from the battlefield and the only survivor was Hans. He survived because of Erik. He then went to his family to offer the accordion, but his wife let him keep it. That was only when Hans realized the Erik had a son.
Erik Vandenburg should not be blamed for the holocaust because he saved a life. This showed that he was selfless and this allowed Hans to go back home when Erik could have stayed. If he would have stayed then he would of been with his family. Instead he did not think of himself he thought about Hans first. In addition, Erik should have no fault because he was an amiable man towards Hans and he never showed any intention of harming anybody.
Erik wasn't alive during the Halocaust so how can he be blamed at all? That was the whole point of why Max went to go hide with Hans because Hans felt he owed their family a favor because Erik saved his life. That was the reason why he was hiding Max.
DeleteIn a way I disagree with Jasmin because Erik Vandenburg did save Hans life without knowing it. I don't think Hans felt he 'owed' Max's family a favor. I believe he did this because Erik never told him he had a son. At the same time, when Hans went to give the accordion to Erik's wife, he saw how much she suffered and he did what e could in order to help, that's why the first thing that came to his mind was to offer that he'll paint their apartment for free.
DeleteI was writing it in the way to show Erik's values and how he acted to Hans when he was alive. Now my question is if Erik didn't die in the war and he had to live through the holocaust should he even be blamed. I don't think that a man like him should be blamed and I think it was good that Erik didn't have to experience anything that the Holocaust brought.
DeleteThe poor old man was trying his best to continue walking. He was part of the parade of Jews and he seemed really weak. He kept on falling and sometimes ran the risk of being trampled by the others. At the sight Hans offered to help him. Hans gave him some bread and the old man could not help, but give thanks and cry on Hans. Once a soldier saw what was going on he whippped the old man and then whipped Hans. The old man never got the chance to eat his bread and he remained on the ground.
ReplyDeleteThe poor old man should not be blamed because it was never his intention to hurt Hans. He was weak and he struggled on walking. He was so helpless that he could not even turn against the soldiers. Hans simply had pity on him and the old man only wanted some help. This shows that the old man could not do anything and that he was filled with fatigue. For that reason he should not have any blame.
Overall the Jews should not be blamed for the holocaust. They were scared and tormented with what was going on. Erik helped Hans when he could have saved himself. This showed what Erik's real values were and that he was not self centered. Similarly Max did not think of himself. He knew the situation in which he was in and he did not want to bring no more harm to Hans and his family because they already did so much for him. Meanwhile the old man only wanted some help and he could not even get up. this meaning that he was no threat to anybody because he was overworked and starved by the Nazi soldiers. The Jews were not the root cause of the holocaust
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ReplyDeleteSecond Post
ReplyDeleteType of Person: Nazi soldiers
Characters from The Book Thief: Hans Junior, Michael.
Hans Junior was a Nazi soldier who was brainwashed into believing that joining the Nazi party was ethical. The relationship between Hans Junior and his father wasn't really the best since he would insult his dad Since his father was against Hitler and he was very nationalist and believed strongly about anything that Hitler said. Since he was a Nazi soldier, he was a strong believer of Hitler and supported anything that came out of the Nazi Party. Since Hans Junior was a Nazi soldier, he also disliked him since his own father would help Jews such as Max and called those actions a “mistake” (104). Overall, i think blame should receive some blame for the Holocaust.
Hans Junior should receive some blame for the Holocaust. During the time period of the Holocaust, many young people lost their innocence. For example, many little kids were brainwashed into believing that everything going on during that time period was right. This is an example of what Hans Junior is going through. He was brainwashed into believed that Hitler was an ethical person and his actions were right. Since he was brainwashed, he became very nationalist and committed actions that weren't ethical. Overall, Hans Junior should receive some blame for the Holocaust.
Michael was the son of Holtzapfel and fought in the Russian war. When he arrived home from the war, he felt guilty since he survived but his brother didn't. He witness his brothers death and felt very bad since he gave his own mother the news and saw how heartbroken she was. His brothers death really affected him since they were always together. Although he survived, he lost his fingers and one of his legs and still felt guilty for loosing his brother.
Michael should not be blame for the Holocaust since he knew that all the actions that Hitler made were unethical. Although he fought for Germany, he noticed that all the experiences he went through were just terrible for him. Also, although he supported Hitlers decision at first,he ended up going against him. Since he went through so many thing sin life, he couldn't handle living that way no more and decided to kill himself.
Nazi soldiers should receive some blame for the Holocaust since they were involved on torturing Jews and making their lives miserable. But although they were involved, they should didn't mean to do those actions since they were brainwashed into thinking that whatever they were doing was honorable and manful. Overall, Nazi soldiers should receive some blame since they were involved in torturing soldiers but still, if the knew that what they were doing was unethical, am sure that they would of never done those actions.
Second Post:
ReplyDeleteType of person: Adolf Hitler
Characters from the book: Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler is the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party. He ruled Germany with the power of words and influenced the people. Hitler disliked the Jews and he used his words to make the Jews as inferior in Germany. He captured 6 millions of Jews and putted them into the concentration camps. Hitler took away the Jews’ basic human rights and separated them from other people. Hitler was the foundation of the holocaust in Germany and he used various ways to get rid of the Jews. The Jews were either burned, hung or starved to death and the “Jews were being marched through the outskirts of Munich” (508). The Jews not only suffered in the camp but also in the streets. They were being paraded through the streets when they were starving and weak. All those suffering for the Jews were formulated by Hitler.
Hitler should take all the blame for the holocaust because he was the one that started the genocide. All those problems started when he took controlled. He believed that the Jews were his problem and he tried to destroy them. Hitler ordered his soldiers to captured the Jews and killed them. Millions of Jews died under Hitler’s rules. After observing the deaths of the Jews, he still didn’t take any actions to stop it because he could finally get rid of his problems. The actions that were taken during the holocaust were the orders of Hitler. Therefore, Hitler should take all the blame for the holocaust. The amount of blames were selected based on their ethics and their participations in the holocaust. Since Hitler was the head of the genocide then he should take all the blame.
I agree with you that Hitler should recieved all the blames because he wants his men is be all Germans and he slowly pulling the Jews down by talking about how bad they were using media like News paper, propaganda, and radio.
DeletePost #2
ReplyDeleteType of Person: Adolf Hitler
Characters from The Book Thief: Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler ia a very well-known leader today due to what happened during the Holocaust. Hitler came to power when Germany was under bad conditions. Hitler took that oppurtunity and took control of Germany. Hilter wanted Germany to rise to power once again and to become powerful. He wanted Germany to be really powerful because he thought that Germany was the best nationalism. Hilter created the Nazi Party which was entirely made up of Germans. He and the Nazis spread the glory of Germany and said that the Jews and anyone that was not a German was inferior to them. They controlled the minds of the German children so that they would only follow Hilter. They would even tell them that they have to say "Heil Hitler." Hitler was the leader of Germany nad he controlled everything.
Adolf Hitler should be blamed for everything that happened and especially the Holocaust. Hilter controlled all of Germany and he was the one that gave orders to the Nazis. He ordered the Nazis to kill the Jews and sent them to concentration camps. The orders that Hitler had given the Nazis had caused the lives of millions of Jews. Hitler declared that the Jews were the reason for Germany's problems and therefore said that they were inferior to them as well as that they so be exterminated. Hilter should take the blame for the Holocaust. He was the leader of Germany during the time and he should be blamed for the Holocaust since he was the one who made the laws.
What evidence do you have from the book to support the fact that Hitler was to be blamed for everything?
DeleteIn the novel, you could tell that Hitler should be blamed for the Holocaust from what the Nazi followers say such as Hans Junior. From Hans Junior's actions you could tell how Hitler corrupted his follower and is basically responsible for the Holocaust.
DeleteSECOND POST!!!
ReplyDeleteType of person: Hitler
Characters from the book: Adolf Hitler, “the Fuhrer”
The book “The Word Shaker” was written by Max for Liesel. The context and details in this book made Hitler’s actions very clear. The book stated, “Yes, the Fuhrer decided that he would rule the world with words” (445). Hitler’s actions originated from his words. His words were powerful and effective. Max compared Hitler’s words to seeds. Hitler planted them, and he watched them grow. Eventually, his words began to spread to various places, and they began to influence tons of people.
Hitler deserves to be blamed a lot. The Holocaust revolved around Hitler’s ideas. His ideas turned into words which eventually turned into actions. Hitler’s actions led to the genocide of Jews. Six million Jews were killed because Hitler decided that that was what he wanted. Max’s book “The Word Shaker” also stated, “While the words were growing, our young Fuhrer also planted seeds to create symbols, and these, too, were well on their way to full bloom” (445). Overtime, Hitler was wise about how to rule the world. He began to create little things that would impact tons and tons of people.
It is clear to me that Hitler should get a lot of the blame. His words brainwashed tons of Germans. Hitler was a clever and wise man. However, he used his knowledge to create the Holocaust. Obviously, the Holocaust was a terrible and negative event in history, and Hitler was the creator of it. Every single one of Hitler’s ideas played a huge part in the destruction of six million Jews. For example, his idea of creating concentration camps definitely contributed greatly to the events of the Holocaust. Thus, Hitler should get a lot of blame for the Holocaust.
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ReplyDeletesecond post
ReplyDeleteType of person: Nazi soldiers
Characters from the book: Han Juniors and Michael Holtzapfel
Han Juniors is a nationalist. He is proud of himself for joining the Nazi party and think highly of himself because he is part of the Nazi. He distracts what Liesel reading, “What trash is this girl reading? She should be reading Mein Kampf”(105). The author of the book, Mein Kampf is Hilter, this shows that Han Junior is another man that blind by their leader. Han Junior also disrespect humiliate his father, according to the narrator, death, “In the opinion of Hans Junior, his father was part of an old, decrepit Germany…”(104). Eventually he thinks his father is a coward, eventually, his father was a brave man, and he helped the Max, the Jew ignoring the risks and consequences. Also he helped the old Jew that was being captured. However, he thinks he had a negative view on the Jews and he misunderstands his father, therefore he should be blamed for the Holocaust.
Han Juniors should have some blamed for the Holocaust. He thinks his father embarrasses him because he paints for the Jews, according to Han Juniors, “Such behavior was bad for Germany, and it was bad for the transgressor.”(104). This shows that he should be blamed because he doesn’t like the Jews and doesn’t want his father to help them. Although he shouldn’t get all the blamed because he was blind by his leader and misunderstand his father.
Michael Holtzapfel is the son of Frau Holtzapfel. Frau used to spit on the door every time she passes by. Michael Holtzapfel is a Nazi soldier that came back with guilt since he was the survivor in the Russia and his brother died. He was also injured in Russia, “I was shot in the ribs and I had three of my fingers blown off. (466). since he is the lucky one that survives, he felt bad for his brother because he died in the battle and he had to face his brother’s death. This brought himself down. His hope of going home with his brother is gone.
In the normal perspective, people might think he shouldn’t be blame for the Holocaust, but eventually he should have some blame. If he refuses to join the Nazi party, he might have a peaceful life or at least they could face their obstacles with the family. However, Michael and Robert had to leave for war and them both injuries badly. Instead of being soldiers, they should have continued their life as a citizen with the whole family.
All Nazi soldiers should have some blame for the Holocaust. Since they became the Nazi soldiers, they should know they have to go against the Jews and it is an unethical thing. If one citizen joined the party that means Hitler got one support of killing the Jews. Choosing to become part of Nazi is an unethical choice. They shouldn’t get all the blame because sometimes they were being force to join the party since they used the secret police like what happen to Rudy. Also sometimes they were blind by their leader like showing propaganda and other useful technique that used to control the minds of the citizen. Therefore they should have some blame, but not all
Angela Mendez
ReplyDeleteHumanities Honors
2nd Post
Type of person: Citizens of small towns
Characters from book: Liesel, Frau Diller, Rosa Hubermann
Liesel is the protagonist of the book. Liesel lost her mother, her father, and her brother. She is very fond of Hans, her “papa” and Max, her Jewish friend. Max is a very important person for Liesel because they seem to connect pretty well. Both love books, have nightmares, and actually understand one another (231). Hans is also a very important friend of Liesel because he is the first person who was actually nice and made her feel good about herself. Liesel is a child who truly loves books. She understands the power of words and she just cannot live without them. When she stops going to the Mayor’s house for laundry, she starts stealing books from his library. This may seem like something wrong, but the mayor’s wife knew about this and let Liesel continue doing so. Overall, Liesel is actually a nice person because she helps Jews and that outweighs stealing books.
Liesel should have NO blame for the Holocaust. I selected this because she did what she can to help Jews. For instance, Liesel kept Max hidden and told nobody about him. She didn’t even tell Rudy about Max. Children are not normally like this. They usually tell everyone their whole lives. Liesel also gave bread to Jews with Rudy. She can’t help more than that because she is only a CHILD. This means she doesn’t have a lot of power. She has to go to Hitler Youth and she only has one basement. What more can she do?
Frau Diller is a minor character. She is a loyal supporter of Hitler. She believes in everything Hitler states. Frau Diller also makes everyone who enters her shop say “Heil Hitler” and has a picture of him in her shop (49). Since she believes everything Hitler says, she doesn’t like Jews and doesn’t do anything to help them. By making her clients say “Heil Hitler”, she is showing she strongly supports him and wants everyone else to do the same. Frau Diller is also very rude because she did that. Frau Diller is overall not a nice person.
Frau Diller should have SOME blame for the Holocaust. I selected some because although she didn’t start the Holocaust, she made others continued with the mistreatment of the Jews. Frau Diller promoted the injustice made. People like her helped Hitler have absolute control over people. She could’ve helped Jews but she didn’t which made things worse. Overall, since Frau Diller didn’t really help anyone and promoted the injustice, she should have SOME blame for the Holocaust.
Rosa Hubermann is Liesel’s “mama”. She is a really tough person and no one wants to mess with her. She curses a lot and calls almost everyone a pig. She is amiable when Max comes to hide in her basement (197). She treats him very well and gives him the same portion of food. Rosa also doesn’t disapprove of what Hans does. She never tells him that he is doing wrong. Rosa is only worried for him. The fact that Rosa doesn’t do anything mean against Max is very well… nice. She is risking her own life to save another life and that means a lot. Overall, Rosa Hubermann is a nice person
Rosa Hubermann should have no blame for the Holocaust. I selected some because she helped a Jew. She helped a Jew during dangerous times. Rosa could’ve chosen not to help him at all, but she didn’t. Repeating this again, Rosa risked her own life to save another one. People like her are very helpful towards Jews because of what they are risking in hand. Rosa inspires people to be brave and to help the tormented. Overall, Rosa should have no blame for the Holocaust.
#2
ReplyDeleteType Of People: Captured Jews
Characters: Max and trucks of Jews that passed by town
Max grew up living a very painful life. His family didn't really exist for very long in his life. As a kid he used to fist fight alot, and the person he fought turned out to be one of his only friends. Years later, after hiding out in dark places and holes for so long, he was given a new home. A place in the Hubbermanns house where he wasn't alone. He didn't complain about anything, rather he was grateful with whatever he got. He cherished the friendship he had with Liesel, and even though he lived in the basement. He was happy that this family took a risk into hiding him from the Nazis. One night during an air raid, he crawls out of his basement and looks out the window. He claims that the stars burned his eyes cause hes been hiding in the dark for so long.
Max should not be blamed for the Holocaust, in fact he should be pitied for what the Holocaust put him through. He's a victim of the Holocaust, while Hitler is the one to be blamed. Max wanted a normal life, he never asked for anything thats happened to him. All he has been doing was run and hiding in the dark because of the Holocaust.
I agree with you that Max shouldn't be blamed for the Holocaust since he suffered as a result of the Nazi persecution of Jews. But also, he shouldn't be blamed since he actually helped stop the Nazis from influencing Liesel into conforming with their ideals.
DeleteLately, parades of Jews in trucks were going through Himmel Street where Liesel played soccer. These Jews were all being brought to a concentration camp. By their faces you could tell that they wanted freedom, but it was beyond them that they'll ever get it. There was specifically one old Jew who couldn't even walk straight. Hans offered him some bread and in the end they both got punished. One just wanted food and survival, the other just wanted to help, what did they do wrong? At this age, he could have done nothing, he should not be blamed. Rather, he is just another victim of the Holocaust like Max.
ReplyDeleteCaptured Jews like the old man should not be blamed and cannot be blamed. Being the victim, they could not do anything. They only suffered, and faced pain from Nazi's and Hitler himself. As the number one victims of their time. Jews like Max and the old man only had one thought going through their head. That was just to survive.
In the end, the Jews should be the last ones to be blamed for the Holocaust. For they were the only victims of the Holocaust. Jews, thousands of them have been stranded and killed, therefore no blame should be put on them. They had no control over the terror that happened to them, thats why they felt so much pain.
2nd post
ReplyDeleteType of person: Hitler
Name: Adolf Hitler
Hitler was the supreme "Fuhrer" of Nazi Germany and he had control over everyone especially their ideas and beliefs. He gained supreme power around the time of World War II and he was a very harsh dictator. He gave speeches and used propaganda to gain support from his people so they wouldn't turn against him. His speeches were inspiring to some people, but scary to others, like Liesel. He planned to use genocide against the Jews because he believed they were to blame for all of Germany's problems. This was known as the Holocaust. Most people would acknowledge him by sang "heil Hitler".
Hitler should be blamed A LOT for the Holocaust because he's the one who started and caused it. He felt there was a need to use genocide because he felt killing the Jews would help himself and Germany. Max had a dream of himself fighting Hitler and he said "every night, [I] wait in the dark and the Fuhrer comes down these steps. He walks down and he and [I], we fight for hours" (255). Max "wait in the dark" which symbolizes the Jews waiting in the dark and waiting for something bad to happen to them that Hitler will cause. Then, "the Fuhrer comes down these steps" which symbolizes Hitler coming for the Jews ready to "fight for hours" or hurt them for years. The "fight" symbolizes genocide as a whole because they both share one thing in common; pain.
I selected A LOT of blame because he was completely for the Holocaust and he wanted to hurt the Jews. He's the one who told his officials of the Nazi party to capture every Jew and put them on concentration camps. He was also the one who created the idea of concentration camps in the first place. He also gave speeches saying how the Germans need to kill every Jew because they deserve to die. Overall, he should receive the most blame because he's the one who wanted to torture and kill every Jew.
Lok Ting Hon
ReplyDeleteType of People: Captured Jews
Characters: Max Vandenburg
Max is a Jew who keeps hiding in different places to avoid being captured. He is a character yet to be developed because he hides in the shadow to avoid Hitler all the time. His character starts to develop when he meets Liesel Meminger and he opens up to her. He explained in his book, "now [he] think [they] are friends, this girl and [him]"(235). Liesel opens up Max's heart because they
went through sad experiences in life. She gets attached to him and they share memories together. The more time he spend with Liesel, he experienced more things. He learned of the outside world because Liesel would constantly bring him weather reports, he would ask her "is this today's weather report" (312). He learned of the different types of weather that could occur around him when he is
constantly surrounded by darkness because the dark was his friend. They had become so close to each other that Liesel would "continue her habit of looking at the sky"(419). Max had become part of her daily life. Although he started out as person who didn't matter, he developed as a character more as he interacted with Liesel.
Max and other captured Jews should not be blamed at all for the Holocaust. It was like they were in a battle against the world. All they can do was keep themselves in hiding and hope everyday that this devastating war would be over. The genocide that Hitler caused would end quickly. They could not travel with their family because they risked being killed. They should not be blamed at all for feeling inferior to the Arian race. They felt inferior because through the power of words Hitler convinced everyone that the Jewish race was inferior thus should be exterminated.
I agree with you Lok Ting. The captured Jews should not be blamed at all because they were haunted with the fact that they were being sought out so that they can be killed. The ones that were not captured still wanted to avoid everything. They did not want to be exposed nor did they want to inflict pain on anybody else. That is why they kept themselves hidden, but sometimes it meant being seperated from their families.
DeleteSecond Post
ReplyDeleteType of person: Capture Jews
Name: Max Vandenburg and the old man walking through the town streets
Max is a captured Jew that lived in the Hubermann's basement. All his life he has been living badly compare to the rest of the German citizens. The first factor of his horrific lifestyle is that he grew up in a place of violence. As a child Max would always get into fights with the neighborhood children. One of Max's biggest rival is was a German child who soon became his best friend. Later on when Hitler came to power all Jews were to be stripped from being a German citizen. Also the Nazi Party was created which was a group of people going against the Jews. Max a victim of this crisis got an address to Han Hubermann's home which is his father's friend. He traveled to the home and soon began to live in the Hubermann's basement.
Max Vandenburg should not be blame for the Holocaust due to the fact that he is the victim of this genocide. The Holocaust manly targeted Jews that were living in Germany. Max who was in this situation tries to escape this nightmare by hiding in the Hubermann's basement. By doing this the Nazi Party wouldn't be able to capture him. By taking such actions it shows that Max has no blame for the Holocaust. Instead, he is going against this act which harms his particular race.
Another captured Jew is the old man that was walking in the streets of Germany. The Nazi Party has already capture him and send him to concentration camps. One day the Nazi soldiers decided to take the Jews on a walk through the streets of Germany. Among this group of Jews was the old man. He was old and weak and was probably considered useless to the Nazis. During the walk he stumbled through the streets a few time and Han decided to help him. However , the result of this action was that both of them got whipped by the Nazi soldiers.
The old man should not be blame for the Holocaust knowing that he is a victim of such tragedy. He did nothing to persuade such act to happen. The reason for the Holocaust to start is because Hitler believed that the Jews were the blame for everything in Germany. As a result, the Holocaust was created to punish all the Jews. Therefore, the old man should not be blamed for the Holocaust.
Overall, the captured Jews in Germany should not be blamed for the Holocaust knowing that they were the people being targeted. They don't want any part of the Holocaust since the Genocide is targeting their race of people. By knowing this fact we can prove that the captured Jews have no part of the Holocaust.
Second Post
ReplyDeleteEdson Acosta
Period 4
Type of Person: Adolf Hitler
Hitler was the German leader who rose to power after World War 1. I believe that Hitler should be completely blamed for the atrocities of the Holocaust since he promoted antisemitism and extreme nationalism. When Hitler rose to power, he created the Nazi party who promoted the ideas of the superiority of the Aryan race and the dehumanization of Jew people. With the Nazi party, Hitler and his followers captured thousands of Jewish people to be sent to concentration camps, where many would be killed.
The novel, The Book Thief by Markus Zusak also helps conveys the cruelty of Hitler during the Holocaust. In the book, when a crowd of captured Jews were being moved to the concentration camp Dachau, the main character described one man as having, "eyes were the color of agony, and the weightless as he was, he was too heavy to hold his legs too carry" (393). This quote shows Hitler's cruelty and how he is almost completely responsible for the Holocaust. The reason is that Hitler started the persecution of Jewish people in Germany and this quote shows what would happen to these captives. Overall, Hitler is completely responsible for the Holocaust since he started the ideas of antisemitism within Germany and even started the genocide of Jewish people throughout Europe which is the Holocaust.
Kevin Doodnauth
ReplyDeleteHonors Humanities 4th
Second Post
Type Of Person: Hitler
Hitler was basically power hungry which he did achieve in striving for as a trait of his dominance over many of the Jew's. He indeed used trench war fare to use to help gain power and also used Nationalism. The party behind him called the "Nazi Party" was Hilter's better half which promoted evil idea's to promote the horrid death's which also used the Pyramid Of Hate to use methods of torture. Gas chambers was the most effective ways Hitler used to the Jew's and also concentration camps to torture them and put them towards manual labor.
Within chapters of the "Book Thief",Hitler is portrayed as being the ring leader and mastermind of torture. Hitler had wanted an effective way do anything to Jew's which led to,“The Word Shaker” also stated, “While the words were growing, our young Fuhrer also planted seeds to create symbols, and these, too, were well on their way to full bloom” (445). This shows that within some time of plotting and thinking he was going to rule the world and this would go done within certain time periods.
In my opinion is seems that Hitler should be blamed for the Holocaust he was the main situation by which he even started it. He told the Nazi Party to put the innocent Jew's in concentration camps which also made them suffer and eventually for some of them they died. Hitler also gave moderate speech's which told the German's to kill the Jew's which encouraged the Germans with the anguish and rage to build up even more and some how happiness to do something worth while within there point of view. In the end Hitler should entirely be blamed for the Holocaust, he could have done something to stop it but yet he was making unethical choices to help himself.
Hitler would never make choices to stop the Halocaust. It almost seemed as if he enjoyed the fact that the Jews were being tortured. Hitler had so much power so for him to try to stop the Halocaust it would never have happen and thats why it kept going on.
DeletePOST TWO:
ReplyDeleteType of person: Captured Jews
Characters in The Book Thief: Max Vandenberg and The poor old man
Max Vandenberg is the son of Erik Vandenberg. Max had to undergo many things because he was a jew. He had to hide in Hans Hubermann's basement. He lost his family and his only hope of staying alive and trying to be safe is to be with Hans Hubermann. When he gets to his house he meets a little girl named Liesel and he later on shares a bond with. Max has to hide in Hans basement so that he doesn't caught and sent to the concentration camps. Max never complained about how bad Rosa Hubermann's soup was and where he had to be hidden. When the air-raid soldiers were going around looking for space to store their fuel the Hubermanns knew they needed to get Max out their basement before he got caught. He was able to escape for a little time but then he later was caught and would be considered a captured Jew.
Max should not be blamed at all because he was captured and since he was a Jew he was the one that actually recieved the torture that all the Jews were getting. A Jew cannot be blamed for their own torture it is just not ethical and it would not make sense at all. Max did his best to survive throughout the halocaust. He was afraid that if he were to have gotten caught by Hitler then he would have to be in stuck in one of those concentration camps that all the Jews were sent to. Max deserves NO blame at all
The poor old man was in one of those marches that was being led a concentration camp. He was passing by the village in where Liesel and Hans lived in. He was starving and super skinny. When Hans saw him he gave him and the old man fell to his knees and wept in Hans hands grateful for what Hans had given him since he was starving. Due to Hans giving the Jew bread they both were whipped. It may have proven to him that not every German is like Hitler.
The poor old man is to blame for the Halocaust because he was one of the captured Jews and why should be blamed for Hitler's decisions. It wold be very unethical because just like him and many other captured Jews it is not like they brought the torture among themselves. They were simply just victims and it was not very ethical. The Halocaust killed many Jews in very unethical ways. It would be wrong to blame the victims for the Halocaust they took part in.
I agree with his because the Jews didn't have any way to fight back. They didn't have weapons and were weak. It didn't matter if there were more Jews than Nazi soldiers, there were still strong supporters of the Nazi Party.
DeleteI agree as well that the Jews deserved no blame. They were tortured and murdered mercilessly. However in the last paragraph the first line is, "The poor old man is to blame..." while the last sentence is "It would be wrong to blame the victims...". At first I was confused and disagreed with you since I didn't think that the man deserved blame. Then I kept reading and realized that you thought otherwise.
DeleteSamantha Octtaviani
ReplyDeleteHonors Humanities p4
Second Post
Type of Person: Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler rose to power after World War I. He promised that he would avenge Germany and restore back its pride. However, it wasn’t for those reasons he wanted to be in charge of Germany. Rather it was for selfish and uncanny reasons. He wanted to eliminate the Jewish race from the face of the earth and create the ultimate Aryan race. He brainwashed and manipulated the people in Germany to believe whatever he wanted them to. He decided that he would push all the blame for Germany’s horrible conditions on the Jews. He wanted to drive people to the point where they would accept the fact that Jews deserve to be punished and sent to concentration camps where they would be killed in torturous ways, the most preferable being to work to death. This didn’t happen fast, but faster than it should have. In merely ten years the whole nation ignored the fact that Jews were innocent, or actually believed what Hitler said, that they were guilty. Hitler started the Holocaust, he was the cause. For those that knew the truth, they did nothing. If they did, they didn’t get very far and were usually put to death or made to face harsh consequences. See, Hitler had his secret police that would punish those that stood up for the Jews because the Jews needed to be punished, or at least that was what he made everyone believe.
Hitler should be blamed for the whole Holocaust. Germany was in shambles and its people were isolated because of Hitler, he did nothing good for them. Despite what he promised, in the end all he did was commit suicide and leave the country off in horrible conditions, close to the way it was before he came to power, worse even. The Jews really didn't do anything wrong, he was just indoctrinating the German's so that they would either become delusional or stay quiet and let him do whatever he wanted. Hitler is to blame, if not completely, a whole lot. He was the one that started the Holocaust. In The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, Hitler banned all books that he considered to be against the lies he was teaching and had them burned (111). Although this act was done, Liesel still managed to save one of those books from the fire and read it. It turned out to have a positive view on Jews and it became obvious to Liesel why Hitler wouldn’t want German’s reading it. It held the truth that was what Hitler was trying to hide.
Hitler spread fear. He’s the cause and the reason why the Holocaust stayed alive for as long as it did. 6 million Jews and another 6 million of Poles and various other races were put to death just because of their race. He had police that would whip anyone who tried to help them just like they did with Liesel’s Papa (394). All he did was try to give a Jew some bread so he could keep on walking. The Jew, like many others, was falling down because he was so underfed that he didn’t have enough energy to keep on going to the concentration camp where he would be made to do much more laborious work than just walking. However, all it did was earn Hans, Liesel’s Papa, was a couple whips and double for the Jew. The soldiers could be put to blame for this, but the person telling the soldiers they can do these things is no other than Hitler. Besides the soldiers are just as delusional and fed as much crap from Hitler as everyone else is. The citizens were also doing nothing to stop the soldier, but what can they do when Hitler has everyone scared for their lives. Hitler should be blamed for the Holocaust because he started it and spread fear in order to maintain it.
SECOND POST
ReplyDeleteGroup of People: Nazi Soldiers
Characters from the book: Hans Junior, Michael Holtzapfel, Alex Steiner
Hans Junior is the only son of Rosa and Hans Senior. Hans Junior is considered very nationalist; he is a strong supporter of the Nazi party. He was persuaded by all the Nazi propaganda that there was at the time. He had insulted his father and his father’s beliefs about the problems going on in Germany. Hans Junior can be considered unethical to a point. He did participate in the World War 2, in the battle of Stalingrad, and since he was a strong supporter of Adolf Hitler who was a very unethical man. I think that Hans Junior should have blame for the cause of the Holocaust since he was a supporter of Hitler’s actions. Just like on Hitler’s birthday, Hans visited the family and when he saw Liesel reading a book he was appalled at the "trash this girl is reading...she should be reading Mein Kampf" (105). Since he had told Liesel that her book was trash he was trying to indoctrinate some Nazi propaganda in Liesel when he told her she should be reading Hitler’s book. Also when Hans Junior had called his father a coward when he had mentioned "You're either for the Fuhrer or against him and i can see you're against him you always have been" (104) When Hans Junior called his father a coward for not supporting Hitler. He disrespected his own father and it seemed like he had more respect for the Fuhrer than for his father. This is why i think that Hans Junior should have blame for the cause of the Holocaust.
Michael Holtzapfel is one of many soldiers in the German army. While Michael served in the army he fought in the battle of Stalingrad just like Hans Junior had also fought in but Michael was fortunate to be sent back home, but he was wounded in his hand severely. While at the hospital Michael had watched his own brother die in front of his eyes. Michael would be considered ethical even though he did fight in the German army; Michael just like other German citizens was drafted into the war and was forced to fight. I believe that Michael should not be blamed for the cause of the Holocaust. Even though he did fight and participate in the war, Michael "was determined to escape"(458). Since Michael was determined to escape from the war, this shows that he shouldn’t be blamed for the cause of the Holocaust. Michael was just like any other male in Germany in that time period, he did not know of the brutal hardships he was going to face while fighting in the war. No one actually knew how hard it was going to be. Just like Michael many others did want to escape the nightmare of the war.
Alex Steiner is another humble man like Hans Senior. He is the father of Rudy and all his brothers and sisters. Alex was sent out into the war since he did not allow his son Rudy to be brought into an army training academy and he was drafted as a consequence. Alex Steiner would be considered ethical, even though he did end up being drafted to fight in the war, he was lucky enough to just be sent to a army hospital. Alex did not hate Jews and even though wasn’t a full supporter of Hitler he was a quiet citizen who tried not to put his family at risk of being harmed by not following the rules. I believe that Alex should not be blamed for the cause of the Holocaust. I think it wasn’t really fair for Alex to be drafted just like Hans. There wasn’t a fair enough reason, he had sacrificed himself for his son and his life was put at risk. Fortunately while working in the army hospital "he was given a job that at least resembled his profession"(431). It was lucky for Alex to be put as a tailor during the war and did a job like he would do at home. He was not sent into battle and he was fortunate enough to survive luckily. Therefore he shouldn’t be blamed one bit, Alex was a victim during the war and since he did end up losing his family due to all the violence of the war he shouldn’t really be blamed.
Kayla Chang
ReplyDelete2nd Post
Captured Jews: The Jews in the parade, Max
The Jews who were in the chapter “The Long Walk to Dachau” had to walk in a parade for fresh air. One prisoner had “collapsed from starvation and sickness” (389). They were heading to the Dachau concentration camp. The soldiers decided to take the remaining survivors to go for a walk for some air. At one point during the parade, Hans hands over a piece of bread to a Jew (394). A soldier noticed this and whipped both men. The Jew was already beaten and worn due to mistreatment from before, yet the soldier left him bleeding on the streets and forced him to keep walking.
The Jews should NOT be blamed for the holocaust since they were the ones who were being targeted. The Jews in the scene with Hans and his bread were “suffering faces of depleted men and women [who] reached across to [the crowd], pleading not so much for help-they were beyond that-but an explanation” (392). These are ordinary humans, the same as those Germans who watched them walk by. However, they were tortured, beaten, and abused beyond belief. Their “suffering faces” showed how broken down they were and how much pain they were going through. Also they did not even want help, just “an explanation” for why they were being treated that way. If a person no longer seeks help when they are in trouble, it shows that they’ve lost sight of living and don’t care. The Jews here only want to know why and then get over with it. Their live is so miserable and undesirable; they no longer care for help. If these Jewish men and women are undergoing such difficulties, then they should receive no blame because they are the ones who are dying and suffering.
Max Vandenburg is a Jew and hid for a long time before he was captured. He was forced to leave his family. He hides with the Hubermann family for a while. When he was young, his father died and he became broke. His mother sold the father’s studio and moved in with an uncle. However, Max’s uncle died as well and afterwards, he became a violent teenager. Max was a fist fighter; he used to fight with Walter Kugler, who later became a friend, and anyone else that was around. However now that he is older and living in an anti-Jew world, he lost his energy and will. After some time in hiding, he runs away from the Hubermann family for both his sake and theirs. Liesel, the daughter was close to Max. When there was another parade of Jews, she set out to try to find him in the crowd. She didn’t find him the first time, but on the second march she recognized the hair of twigs and swampy eyes (510). Liesel and Max were both whipped.
Max does NOT deserve to be blamed for the holocaust because like the previous Jews in the parade, he was one of the tortured and beaten. When he appeared at the Hubermann’s household, it was difficult to believe he was so energetic since he appeared so broken and sad (173). Nazi Germany had beaten his soul up. This shows that he was not one to blame because he was a victim. Hitler despised Jews and wanted to kill them all. He brought the whole of Germany with him too. It couldn’t possibly be Max’s fault that he was hated and blamed for no reason. It was him who had to endure so much pain and unhappiness.
Second Post
ReplyDeleteType of Person: Captured Jews
Characters: Max Vandenberg And The Old Jewish Man
The old Jewish Man is a victim of the Holocaust. The poor old man was suffering as he was on his long walk to Dachau. He was forced to walk all the way there and not only that but the soldiers decided they would also starve the Jews. The Jews all being forced to walk to Dachau were collapsing from not only starvation but from sickness(389). The old Jewish man was falling to the floor from fatigue and those around him were just being bystanders. However things changed when Hans went to him and gave him a piece of bread although in the end the old Jewish man never ate the bread and got 6 whooping (394).
The old Jewish Man should be blamed none for the Holocaust. He should be blamed none for the Holocaust because he was a victim of Hitler and the Nazis. However the Jews werent only the victims of Hitler and his Nazis but Jews were also the victims of bystanders who did nothing to prevent the genocide from happening. Out of fear people did things that were unethical, out of fear people just stood and watch because they didn't want to face any punishment or risk their lives(395)
Max Vandenberg is a Jewish man. A man who's father died while serving his country. Max is a very creative and intelligent he was able to create a story which very nice pictures called "The World Shaker (442)" In the Book you could see how Max believes Hitler got his power which was through words.
Max has no blame over the Holocaust. Unfortunately Max was a Jew at the time of World War 2 which made him a target to be mistreated or killed by the Nazis. Max and other Jews knew they could not fight because they knew they had a bigger chance of losing then they did have it winning against the Nazis. Not only that but the Jews were afraid of what would happen if they did anything to anger the Nazis. Even little things like a German giving a Jew a piece of bread were considered bad (389). Anything during World War 2 that was shown to be helpful to the Jews was bad and was why Max should not be blamed for the Holocaust he was just a victim.
I agree that the Jews should not be blamed, rather they were the number one victims of the Holocaust. They only faced pain, and like Max only wanted to survive. For that he ran and hid for many years. In the end, just to get captured anyways.
DeletePOST TWO
ReplyDeleteType of persons: citizens of small German towns.
Characters in book: Rudy, Hans Hubermann,
A person who is a citizen in a small German town is Ruby. Rudy was “ eight months older than Liesel and had bony legs, sharp teeth, gangly blue eyes, and hair the color of lemons” (48). Rudy was a person who was very loyal and kind to the people who knew him. He was a great runner and he stole with his best friend Liesel.
Rudy shouldn’t be blamed for the Holocaust. Although he is German and went to Hitler Youth he was brainwashed into thinking that Hitler was the greatest. That all changed when Rudy’s dad was drafted into the military to serve under Hitler and to die for Hitler. Rudy never did anything against the Jewish people so he SHOULDN’T be blamed. Rudy didn’t stop the Holocaust because he didn’t have the power. He was just a teenage citizen who had no power or anything that could have stopped the Holocaust. If he had tried to stop the Holocaust he would have been killed or hurt since Germans can’t help Jewish people because they are below them. Since he didn’t try to stop the Holocaust 6 million people died. Nothing could have prevented the Holocaust except for Hitler himself.
The citizens of small German towns should NOT be to blame because they didn’t have anything to do with the war. They were manipulated and brainwashed into thinking that Jews weren’t people and they didn’t have feelings. They have very little authority and power over Germany. They can’t control anything that happens which is why the citizens should not be to blame.
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ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeletePost #2:
ReplyDeleteType of Person: Nazi soldiers
Characters from The Book Thief: Hans Hubermann, soldiers supervising captured Jews, Hans Junior
Hans Hubermann is the foster father of Liesel Meminger. He is a kind-hearted man who worked as a painter. He plays the accordion and smokes cigarettes. In addition, he taught Liesel to read and write. He endangered his own life and the life of his family by harboring a Jew, Max Vandenberg, in his basement. When a procession of Jews marched through Molching on their way to Dachau, Hans offered bread to an elderly Jew who was having trouble walking. As punishment, he was whipped and drafted into the German army. He was sent to Essen and worked in the LSE, Air Raid Special Unit. His job was “to remain aboveground during air raids and put out fires, prop up the walls of buildings, and rescue anyone who had been trapped during the raid” (432).
Hans Hubermann should not be blamed for the Holocaust because he took actions against it. Unlike a majority of the Germans, he despises Hitler and the Nazi party. Despite the consequences, he hid a Jew in his basement and offered bread to a captured Jew. Furthermore, even though he's a Nazi soldier, he didn't join the German army on his own free will. Therefore, Hans Hubermann deserves no blame for the Holocaust because he had sympathy for the Jews and treated them humanely.
Liesel's reunion with Max was interrupted by the Nazi soldiers supervising the march of Jews through Molching to Dachau. When a soldier spotted Liesel among the procession of Jews, he warned her to get out. Since Liesel ignored him completely, he shoved aside the marching Jews to fling her to the onlookers. When Liesel entered the procession a second time, the soldiers dragged her away and whipped Max until he hit the ground (513). Then they whipped Liesel as well, leaving burning streaks on her body. After Max had gotten up, they wouldn't even let him to have one last look at Liesel.
The Nazi soldiers supervising the captured Jews should receive a lot of blame for the Holocaust. As tormentors, they inflicted unthinkable pain on the Jews. They abused the Jews, whipping them as if they were circus animals. In addition, they forced their captives to work and gave them very little to eat. Furthermore, they made them walk through towns, glorifying their sufferings to the Germans. Therefore, they should be held responsible for the Holocaust because they took part in exterminating the Jews.
Hans Junior is the son of Hans Hubermann and Rosa Hubermann. He doesn't get along well with his father because of their different political views. Hans Junior is a Nazi while his father isn't. As a result, he thinks lowly of his father and regards him as a coward for not supporting Hitler. Even though he came home on Hitler's Birthday to celebrate with his family, he stormed out of the house after arguing with his father about the same issue. Afterward, he was sent to fight in Stalingrad, Russia.
ReplyDeleteHans Junior deserves some blame for the Holocaust. Since he's a nationalist who devotes himself to Hitler and Germany, he supports the annihilation of all Jews. He thinks it's pathetic how his father can do nothing “as a whole nation cleans out the garbage and makes itself great” (105). Therefore, like a typical German, he regards the Jews as an inferior race, unfit to exist in a great country like Germany. However, he was exposed to propaganda since a young age. He was indoctrinated into obeying Hitler and hating the Jews. Hence, he shouldn't receive all the blame for the Holocaust.
Overall, the Nazi soldiers deserve some blame for the Holocaust. Even though many of them were responsible for the sufferings and deaths of the Jews, they were merely following Hitler's orders. Likewise, Hitler manipulated the minds of the Germans through propaganda, turning evil into good. Consequently, some soldiers actually thought that it was ethical to exterminate the Jews. In addition, some soldiers weren't devoted Nazis but were forced to serve in the army as punishment.
Therefore, Hitler deserves more blame for the Holocaust than Nazi soldiers.
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ReplyDeleteType of Person: Nazi Soldiers
ReplyDeleteCharacters From The Book Thief: Hans Hubermann Junior, Michael Holtzapfel
Hans Junior is someone who is extremely loyal to Hitler and is very dedicated to being a Nazi member. He and his father, Hans Hubermann, argue continuously because his father is not as loyal as he is to the Nazi party. This causes Hans Junior to stop communicating with his father and leave. It is later revealed that Hans Junior dies while fighting in Stalingrad.
Hans Hubermann Junior should receive some blamed for the Holocaust. He was only blindly following Hitler's rule without realizing the true effects his power on the people. He argues with his father about his lack of loyalty to Hitler without understanding his fathers real reasons and true intentions for his indifferent opinions. Hans Junior shouts at his father, "You've never cared about this country...not enough, anyway" (105). Hans Junior makes quick assumptions about his father because he was so loyal to Hitler and truly believed that his actions were for the good of Germany. Although Hans Junior seems like he doesn't know what he is saying, his actions still promote the events of the Holocaust. Hans Junior accuses his father of being a man that stand by's and does nothing as a "whole nation cleans out the garbage and makes itself great" (105). Here one can infer that the "garbage" that Hans Junior refers to are the Jewish people that the Nazis are practicing genocide against. Hans Junior fully supports the Holocaust and tries to influence those around him as well.
Michael Holtzapfel is the son of Frau Holtzapfel. He is a German soldier who enlisted in the army with his brother. however his brother dies when his legs were blown off by a bomb shell. Due to his injured hand he returns home to his mother in Molching. He reveals the news of his brother's death to Frau Holtzapfel. Michael later hangs himself due to the guilt of being the one to survive when his brother is dead.
Despite being a Nazi soldier, Michael was indifferent about the Holocaust and did express mush of his opinion about it. He only focused on the actual happenings of the war front as he was there to experience it. His brother's death causes him to lose his faith in the war. The lost of his only brother causes Michael to hang himself and selfishly free himself of the pains of reality while leaving his mother behind. Michael Holtzapfel shouldn't be blamed for the Holocaust because he also suffered, perhaps not as much as the Jews did, from the effects of war and Hitlers rule.
The Nazi soldiers should receive only SOME blame for the Holocaust. Han Hubermann Junior was an extreme nationalist who was very loyal to the Nazi party. He encouraged the acts of the Holocaust and often argued with his father who had an indifferent opinion about the Nazi cause. Hans Hubermann Junior's actions can easily influence those around him to support the Holocaust. Although some Nazi soldiers may have supported and encouraged the Holocaust, some may have opposed it or just didn't show it any interest. Michael Holtzapfel was a Nazi soldier who suffered a great loss due to the war. He lost his will to fight for his country and to even live and ends up killing himself. The Nazi soldiers shouldn't be fully blamed for the Holocaust because most of them were only following Hitler's rule and his orders. They didn't have much of a choice.
Type of Person: citizens of small German towns
ReplyDeleteCharacters From the Book: Hans Hubermann, Liesel Meminger, Max Vadenburg
Hans Hubermann is merely a gentle man, who twice had been obliged to serve for the Nazi Army. He has fostered Liesel since separation from her mother and brother, with loving compassion and empathy. He is a painter as well as a musician for he plays the accordion. He also opposes the Nazi regiment and the enaction of because his life was once saved by a Jewish person but especially because it has put strain on his relationship with his son. He is quiet and contemplative with a yearning to smoke.
Liesel Meminger is a German orphan girl, who was given away by her mother for she could not take care of her. Her brother dies while they are both on the ride destined to their place of new residence. Ever since she has nightmares, slowly that diminish and clear from her conscience through the love that was given to her by Hans Hubermann, a veteran of war but a caring guardian, Rosa Hubermann, who continuously insults her out of affection, and her friends on Himmel Street. She then experiences war and horrific scenes that she translates into a novel, The Book Thief, Which Death narrates to us. She is a very strong and courageous girl that disappreciates the Nazi regime.
Max Vadenburg is a poor, hungry Jew that is son of the man that save Hans Hubermann's life. He comes to stay with Hans, Rosa, and Liesel, which he develop a bond with. Since they have no food to feed the skinny jew they decide that they can no longer maintain him so they set him free and onto another family. They don't know where he is nor if he is alive.
I do not believe these people are to blame for the Holocaust. They were just good-hearted people that were living during that time and whose live were influenced by The Nazi tyranny. They could not have done anything. The merely an ordinary family who endured what they had to in order to survive. They were poor and had not strength nor means of rebelling against the Nazi party.
I say the are none to blame in the horrific predicament because they had no control in the situation. They were outnumbered by the many who had been brainwashed by Hitler and his twisted ideal. They were one of the few who stayed pure of this influence.They had no means in rebelling because they were poor people trying survive. Rebellion would mean death to them all.
Michelle Veliz
ReplyDelete2ND Post
Type of Person: Hitler
Character: The Fubrer (Hitler)
In the book The Book Thief Hitler isn’t a present character in the book. Instead he is only part of the book’s setting, which took place during his regime. The only time Hitler is included in the book is when everyone in Germany goes out to celebrate his birthday and the crowd hears a man say a speech about Hitler. Adolf Hitler was the German Chancellor during the years of World War Two. Hitler was a dictator and a member of the Nazi Party. Since he practiced fascism, he was an extreme nationalist. He believed the Aryans were superior over everyone else and the getting rid of the Jewish Population would get rid of Germany’s problems. He had so much power that his supporters always said “Heil Hitler”(110) when he was present. Eventually, Hitler gained so much power that everyone in Germany started to believe everything he said was correct and followed his acts of genocide. During Hitler’s birthday the man on the podium said “Die Fuden-the Jews” (110). By saying telling a crowd of people that Jews should die Hitler’s wicked character was displayed. In reality, Hitler made the Gestapo and the Nazi soldiers mistreat the Jews and sent them off the live in horrible conditions. In the book there was a parade of Jews going to their labor camp named Dachau. The Jews had become so miserable their eyes “were the color of agony” (393). Obviously, Hitler is a careless man since he making the Jews suffer for no reason. Even his minions were carless to because they would whip and let give the Jews small portions of food to eat. Overall, Hitler can never been seen as a hero for the misery and suffering he has caused the Jews to go through.
Hitler should be given the full blame for the Holocaust because getting rid of the Jews was his idea in the first place. Since he believed people should follow his ideas, he used propaganda and force to get what he wanted. He used the Nazi soldiers and the Gestapo to threaten people and make sure they obey Hitler’s rules. Some people were brainwashed through propaganda and became one of his minions. For example, Frau Diller had a portrait of Hitler hanging in her store. She even made kids who enter her store to buy candy to say “Heil Hitler” (50). Furthermore, Hitler was the ruler of Germany and he could of stopped the Holocaust if he wanted too. However, Hitler did nothing to stop the Holocaust. Instead he made matters worse and made the Jews face extreme levels of cruelty. Kicking the Jews out of their business was one thing but sending off the Jews to concentration camps was a different story. He made a lot of innocent Jews suffer for no major reasons. The only reason he made them suffer is because of his pointless beliefs.
I selected Hitler to take full blame for actions because he made a lot of people suffer for no reason. Besides treating the Jews unfairly, he even made some of the Germans who were performing good deeds to be sent away. Liesel’s father gave bread to a Jew and now he has to go be part of the war. This makes Liesel father live with the question if she is ever going to see her father or not. He even made everyone witness the horror by making the Jews walk around in public. Overall, Hitler was a sick man and should face the consequences for his actions.
i agree that Hitler should be FULLY blame for the Holocaust since he was the one that began it. He made many people go against them and thinking bad about them which lead to many deaths of Jews !
Delete3rd Post
ReplyDeleteType of person: Hitler
Adolph Hitler was the leader of Germany and the Nazi party. He was a cruel leader that was able to gain power through the support of Germany’s citizens. In the Book Thief, Liesel states that “without words, the Fuhrer was nothing” (521). The power of words helped Hitler gain control. Hitler used propaganda to gain the liking of German citizens. Hitler spread his ideas in movie theaters, schools, loud speakers, everywhere. Hitler would eliminate/destroy all opposing viewpoints from Germany. He would burn books, audio and use his secret police (the Gestapo) to imprison citizens that were planning plots to exploit Hitler. He would also spy on everything that happened in Germany, he was always in control of what came in Germany and what was sent out of Germany. Books, such as the Mein Kampf would show Hitler’s “greatness” and allow him to gain more support. Hitler also had a program which enlisted children called the Hitler Youth program that would make children become brainwashed with Hitler’s beliefs and ideas. The children were taught to hate Jews and believe that the Aryan race was the superior race out of all races. Those who strongly idolized Hitler would salute by lifting their arm and saying “Heil Hitler”. The German citizens were tricked in believing that Hitler would revive Germany which only ended them with accumulating deaths from reoccurring air-raids.
Hitter should have ALL the blame for the Holocaust. He should have all the blame for the Holocaust because he was the one that began the persecution of Jews. Hitler was the one who put the blame on the Jews, blaming them that they were the ones responsible for all the problems that Germany was facing, including the financial crisis. Hitler never had second thoughts of what he was doing, he never realized what he was doing was a racist atrocity, a genocide. Since Hitler believed that the Jews were responsible, he didn’t do anything to prevent the deaths of six millions Jews. In his mind he believed that the entire race of Jews should be wiped out for the good of the German nation. Due to his strong belief, he wouldn’t stop at anything to accomplish his goal, he didn’t care about the consequences he would face or the consequences the members of his Nazi party would face, all Hitler cared about was killing all Jews.
I agree that Hitler would be the one that should be blamed for the Holocaust. He used tactics and different types of propoganda to get people on his side and move on with his ways.The Nazi's were also to be blamed, but of course they were under Hitler's control.
DeleteHow exactly did he spy on everything that happened in Germany? After all, Hans and Rosa were able to hide Max in their basement for a while without Hitler even knowing.
DeleteI agree with Saralinh that Hitler didn't spy on everything in Germany because of Max's hiding and Max coming to Hans' house without getting caught. Also, I think not only those who strongly idolized Hitler would salute with Heil Hitler. Those that don't idolize Hitler would say it too because for Liesel, she was forced by Hans to practice Heil Hitler.
DeleteI also agree with you because Hitler didn't take a step back and see what he was doing. I agree with you when you said that,"he didn’t care about the consequences he would face or the consequences the members of his Nazi party would face, all Hitler cared about was killing all Jews," because he didn't think about how killing all the Jews would benefit them.
Delete@ Saralinh - I think that when Kevin says,"He would also spy on everything that happened in Germany, he was always in control of what came in Germany and what was sent out of Germany," he means that he always had someone to see what was going on. For example, he had the secret police and Nazi soldiers and they would check the basements. This caused Max to leave because he knew that he was putting Hans and Rosa in danger.
Saralinh, Hitler was able to spy on everything because he was able to control the media and the privacy of people. He took away the freedom of the press, speech and assembly as well as listen to the conversations of German citizens. As Kimberly clarified, Hitler was able to use the Gestapo to maintain control by using force. The Gestapo and the Nazi soldiers were able to search the homes of German citizens without a warrant. The fact that Max was able to hide in the basement and not get caught when the Nazi soldier inspected the Hubermann's house was luck, which is why he was soon caught after he left the house since the Nazi soldiers were always alert and patrolling the streets
Delete3rd post
ReplyDeleteType of person: Hitler
Adolph Hitler was the leader of Germany that was greatly supported. He was a cruel leader because he used different forms of propaganda. Hitler isn't a direct character in The Book Thief but we can see his actions and how they affect the citizens of Germany. For example, Liesel and Rudy want to kill the Fuhrer. At the beginning, they didn't really care about what happened to the Fuhrer, they were just two kids who cared about playing soccer and their friendship. Towards the end is where we can see that hate grows inside both of them. A reason is when their fathers are drafted and also when the Jews were marching and Liesel decided to talk to Max. This was when Liesel was whipped and she stood there to receive her punishment. It was at this moment when Liesel realized that the Jews were suffering for no reason. She would always think about Max and she started to see the real world when Max gave her The Word Shaker. She saw the meaning of words and how Hitler used them. A person that was a supporter of Hitler was Frau Diller because whenever someone walks into her store, they have to say "Heil Hitler". Hitler made it clear that he would make Germany stronger by taking out the garbage, meaning the Jews, but it didn't solve anything. In the end, Hitler did kill himself so we know that it wasn't worth it to kill millions of people.
Hitler should take ALL of the blame for what happened during the Holocaust. He was the one who brainwashed people and ordered to kill millions of Jews. He also harmed the Germans by drafting the fathers into war, or if they helped out a Jew or disobey his orders, there would be consequences. When things weren't going right, Hitler didn't try to stop what he was doing. Like every other person, he should've taken a step back and asked himself, What is this doing? Is it solving anything at all?
I put ALL of the blame on Hitler because the outcomes were negative. To me, everyone was harmed in some way, if not physically, then mentally. Kids such as Liesel and Rudy were in danger and adults suffered. In the end, nothing was worth it. When the soldiers went to war, they knew that the other countries were going to strike back an look for revenge. Hitler should've thought of the German people and how the Holocaust was going to affect them. Some of the Jews were good people and they played a role in the Germans lives. They went to Alex Steiner's store and it was a good business for him but when they weren't there, the store was nearly half empty. Also, he was unethical because a leader shouldn't be allowed to kick out a whole race. If some of the citizens didn't agree with his actions, they should've talked to someone and make their voice be heard. In this case, I believe they should've gone to the mayor who had some power. Hitler was so obsessed with killing the Jews that he didn't worry about the consequences the Germans were going to go through. He automatically assumed that everyone was going to support him.
I agree with you that All the blame should be put on Hitler since he had a strong hatred against Jews. He blamed them for all the issues that were occurring in Germany. Hitler had no evidence that the Jews were responsible.The Holocaust would occur because of Hitler's hatred for Jews. Hitler was only a racist that wanted to extinguish an entire race from existence. In addition to why Hitler killed himself,he killed himself because he knew he was going to lose the war. Knowing he was going to lose he didn't want to be captured by the Allied Powers. If he was captured by the Allied Powers, he would be tortured and humiliated to death. From the start, it was known that it was not worth what Hitler was doing because he was trying wipe out an entire race.
Delete#3
ReplyDeleteTypes of People: Hitler
Characters: Hitler
Adolf Hitler was a brutal leader during the Holocaust. He used a plan that if he was able to get all the citizens to like him, then they would probably trust him. Then when they had his trust, he would teach them and make them believe that the Jewish were bad. Which ended out to the deaths and killing of six million Jewish lives. To gain the trust of the German citizens, he used propoganda to spread his thoughts. He also made many promises, which he never fullfilled for the people. He hated the Jewish race, but rather he wanted to make the Aryan race the most powerful. He taught the people to hate the Jewish race, making them think that the mass killing of Jews was the right thing to do. People who opposed the beliefs of Hitler were punished, allowing him to be the great cause of the Holocaust. His hate for the Jewish race caused things like camps for Jews, killing of Jews and promotion to end the race.
Hitler should be blamed fully for the Holocaust. He spread the ideas and took the support of thousands of German citizens. Hitler should take complete responsibility in the Holocaust, for he was the one that created the concentration camps, the Nazi party and he made many promises to the people. Which in the end only became the Holocaust and the mass genocide of the Jewish race.
What were some of Hitler's promises that he never fulfilled?
DeleteYou said that Hitler taught people to hate the Jews. Who exactly were these people?
DeleteI think to be specific on "people" it would be all the Germans.
DeleteTHIRD POST!!!
ReplyDeleteType of person: Nazi soldiers
Characters from the book: Hans Junior
Hans Junior was a Nazi, but his father, Hans, was not. Hans Junior said to his father, “You can’t just sit around waiting for the new world to take it with you. You have to go out and be part of it” (104). It is clear that Hans Junior saw his father as a disappointment for not joining the Nazi soldiers. Also, Hans Junior believed that his father didn’t even care enough for his country. However, in Hans defense, he did send out an application, but they never accepted him. Hans Junior was definitely brainwashed by all Hitler’s ideas. Hans Junior made it obvious that any man, like his father, was pathetic and a coward for not being a Nazi solider (105). After Hans Junior called his father a coward, he got up and left the house. From that moment on, Hans Junior joined the other Nazis that began to move and invade Stalingrad, Russia.
The Nazis should be blamed a lot for the Holocaust. They enforced all of Hitler’s ideas. If it wasn’t for them, then none of the terrible events of the Holocaust would even be possible. The Nazis were all hypnotized to believe that Hitler was doing the right thing for the world. Like all the other Nazis, Hans Junior believed that you were either for Hitler or against him (105). Since that was the case, they never tried to stop Hitler. It was clear that all Nazis were for Hitler, and they wouldn’t dare to stop him. After all, they were already on Hitler’s good side. All the events of the Holocaust began to drag on longer because the Nazis all continued to listen to all of Hitler’s orders. Hitler contributed all his ideas and orders. However, it was really the Nazis who enforced those orders. That is why I believe that they should be blamed a lot. They were truly the ones that physically took action in killing six million Jews. Therefore, the Nazi soldiers should receive a lot of blame for the Holocaust.
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ReplyDeleteType of person: Nazi soldiers
Characters from the book: Hans Junior, Michael Holtzapfel
Hans Junior was Hans and Rosa’s son. He was disrespectful and a nationalist. Hans Junior was an nationalist because he served in the German Army in Russia and he was a dedicated member of the Nazi Party. He was disrespectful because he called his father a coward for not supporting Hitler. He was ashamed of his father’s kindness for the Jews. He also refused to return home because of his loathes for his father.
Hans Junior should have some blame for the Holocaust because he supported the actions of Hitler and the Nazi Party. He was brainwashed by Hitler’s propaganda and blind trusted him. Hans Junior didn’t even try to stop the Holocaust because he was a nationalist in which he supported the leader no matter if the actions were ethical or not. He participated in the Holocaust as a German soldier and he treated the Jews poorly. Therefore, he should have some of the blame for the Holocaust.
Michael Holtzapfel was one of Frau Holtzapfel’s sons and he served in the German Army in the Battle of Stalingrad. He injured his hand during the Battle and he witnessed the death of his own brother Robert. He felt guilty for his brother’s death and the heart break of his mother. Michael committed suicide because he was unable to live with the guilt while his brother died.
Michael Holtzapfel should not be blame for the Holocaust because he suffered a lot from it already. His life during the Battle of Stalingrad was terrible since he wounded his hand and his brother died next to him. Even after the war, his mental state still suffered. He was unable to live happily and he lived under guilty. Michael didn’t try to stop the Holocaust because he was too weak to do anything except for haunted by his brother’s death. Therefore, he shouldn’t be blame for the Holocaust at all.
Overall, the Nazi soldiers should have some of the blame for the Holocaust because they were part of the Nazi party. They all helped or participated in the Holocaust in some way no matter if they were willing to or forced to. If the soldiers were on their duties, they were still doing things that harmed the Jews. Therefore, the Nazi soldiers should have some blame because they supported Hitler and the Holocaust. The amount of blame was selected based on their ethics and actions.
How did he live under guilt? Evidence?
DeleteThird Post
ReplyDeleteTypes of People: Hitler
Characters: Hitler
Adolf Hitler was the leader of the Nazi party and Germany. Hitlers main goal in his life was to be able to get rid of all Jews since he blamed them for the economic crisis that happened in Germany. Hitler was a cruel leader who used clever propaganda such as taking over the minds of young children and making them believed that Jews were bad people and that it was right to go against them. He used propaganda in order to reach his goal which was get rid of all Jews and its race. One way he did this was by torturing Jews, mistreating them, sending them to gas chambers and make them die of suffocation, shooting them, and also by making them starve. Anyone who went against him was killed or punished.
Adolf Hitler should receive All the blame for the Holocaust. He should receive all the blame for the Holocaust since he was the one that began it. He should receive blame for millions of death and loses. Also, he should also receive full blame since he was the one that came up with this and demanded people to do certain jobs as killing thousands of Jews and brainwashing people and making them do things they are supposed to since they couldn't go against them. Overall, Hitler should receive FULL blame !
I do agree with you, but do you have any evidence from the text to support your response?
DeleteThird post
ReplyDeleteType of Person: Citizens of small German towns
Characters: Ilsa Hermann, Rudy and Liesel
Ilsa Hermann is the mayor's wife. She used to use Rosa's services to wash her clothes, but she stopped. She also was the one who saw when Liesel reached for the book in the fire during the Hitler parade. After that incident she allowed the girl to read in her library. When Liesel no longer came to her library she purposely left her window open for her. Sometimes she had a specific book picked out for her and sometimes she left her a plate of cookies. Liesel also knew about Ilsa's son that died and how she gave into her suffering. Ilsa listened to Liesel's words and in response she gave her a little black book where she can write her own story.
Ilsa should not be blamed for the holocaust because she didn't seem to be brainwahsed by Hilter. Even if she wore swastika's on her robe and slippers. Although she did if she was devoted to Hilter she would have said something when she saw Liesel taking the book from the fire, but instead she didn't. She only helped the girl by opening the doors to her library when Liesel was the one that hurted her with her words. She should not be blamed because she wasn't a brainwashed follower and she didn't just read Mein Kamp nor did she heil Hitlered all the time. She just seemed to belong with her books.
Rudy was Liesel's best friend. Liesel always referred to his hair as the color of lemons. He was the boy who ran around covered in charcoal and screamed that he was Jesse Owens. He also was very athletic and ran really fast. He was the top of his Hitler Youth Divison and was supposed to be taken away, but wasn't. He always longed for a kiss from Liesel. Sometimes when he was infurated he wanted to steal something really badly, but instead he always ended up giving something.
Rudy should not be blamed for the holocaust because he hated Hitler for taking away his father. He also never had any bad intentions as much as he wanted to steal he gave things even to an enemy pilot. Rudy loved Liesel and he had her complete trust. He gave bread to the Jews with Liesel. That was something very punishable. He also helped Liesel up when she saw Max in the parade of Jews and she did not want to leave Max's side. He also promised to not tell a soul when Liesel told him all about Max and that he was a Jew that she kept hidden. If Rudy supported the holocaust then he wouldn't have given bread to the Jews nor would he keep silence when he found out about Liesel hiding Max. Therefore, Rudy should not be blamed because he only showed the contrary.
Liesel was a girl who saw her brother die in a train by a deadly cough. That following day she saw her mother for the last time and she lived with her foster parents. At first it was hard to get used to, but then she grew fond of papa and mama. She became best friends with Rudy. She also showed determination with wanting to read and write. She read books from the mayor's library then she began to steal them. The biggest challenge for her was when her family was put through the hardship of keeping Max's existence a secret.
ReplyDeleteLiesel should not be blamed for the holocaust because she hid a Jew in her own household. She befriended him and she made sure he was alright when he was sick. She went against the authorities by feeding bread to the poor captured Jews. She also walked by Max's side when he had to walk through the town with the other Jews. Liesel should not be blamed because she only showed that she did not support the Nazi's or the holocaust.
Overall some of the citizens of small German towns should not be blamed because they weren't as brainwashed as the Nazi soldiers were. Some tried to oppose the situation by trying to help the poor Jews while others did not give into it. Some of these were small attempts for difference, but I can't say that all of the citizens were against it. However, some did show resistance so the blame cannot be placed on all them so they shouldn't be labeled with it.
I think that you should've shown different characters to show that there were different opinions. For example, Frau Diller, Hans and the mayors wife. I think that there should be some blame because there were more supporters of Hitler.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThird Post
ReplyDeleteTypes of People- citizens of small German towns
Character from the book- Hans Hubmerman, Max Vandenberg, Leisel Meminger
Hans Huberman- Hans is a very kind and careing character. He helped som many peolple in time iof need. he ehlped leisel when she had nowhere to be, he treated her nicely unlike liesels mom, that was rude to her. he express his kindness by helping peolpe who lives near him. He sees a group of jes walking and he would give pieces of bread to them and risk himself getiing in trouble by the nazis. He keeps a Jewish person in his basement becasue he is in need of some help. He paints on peolpes window so that no one could see them their. he should NOT be blamed for the holocaust becasue he is to nice to the socity to be blamed. He helps everyone, feels bad, and does everything he could to successed in helping.
Max Vandenberg- Max is a jewish person who is living secertly in hans hubermens basement. He doesnt complain, hurty or disturb anyone. Hans was so nice enought to risk his own life to help another. He tries his best to help with whatever he can without anyone knowing, and he has creating a big bond with leiesl. She reads to him and connects her life to his life. He should NOT be blamed for the holocaust becasue he is just a helpless jewish perosn who is not trying to get killed. He is nice, doesnt do much and tries tokeep hans out of trouble as best as he can.
Leisel Meminger- Liesel is the main character in the book. HS e has a habbit of stealing books for her own entertainment. She went through some many hardships. She was on a train with her mother and brother when she see her brother dead and doesnt know what to do. Her maother leaves her and she goes to live with the hubermans where hans is so sweet to her. He knows about her book stealing habbit and doesnt say anything because she doesnt hurt or do anything that would cause trouble. She is NOT responseable for the holocaust beacause she didnt do much that shows she is a troulbe maker. She listens to rosa, her mom and does her work for her, is very nice and jsut wants to experince life.
Third Post
ReplyDeleteType of Person: Hitler
Character: Hitler
Hitler was the leader of the Nazi Party and Chancellor of Germany. He was a cruel leader who used clever propaganda techniques to gain the support of many people. Hitler's main weapon was words, his words were what gained him so many supporters. Hitler used Jews as a scapegoat. Hitler was so convincing with his propaganda techniques that he convinced alot of Germans that Jews truly were the reason for all of Germany's problems.
Hitler should have alot of the blame for the Holocaust. Hitler "Hypnotized(445)," the people of Germany into thinking that Jews where the ones who were responsible for the problems that Germany was facing, problems like inflation. Hitler was the one who used "ugly words and symbols (445)," to help him spread his ideas and plans across Germany. He wanted power, he was greedy for power, his greed for power was the cause of many deaths. Over 6 million Jews died because of the Holocaust. Therefore Hitler has alot of blame for the Holocaust.
Type of Person: Nazi Soldiers
ReplyDeleteCharacters: Hans Junior and Michael Holtzapfel
Hans Junior is the son of Hans and Rosa Hubermann, he is hot headed and a nationalist. Hans junior is a loyal follower of Hitler and is extremely strict towards how his family should act according to how Hitler wants Germans to act. During Christmas, not too long after Liesel was adopted into the family, Hans Junior visited Hans and Rosa with his sister and he was persistent in asking whether or not Hans had joined the Nazi army once again. When Hans responded by saying that he didn't want to join the army again and he didn't regret no joining, Hans Junior was furious and called his father a coward, leaving his family and never visiting again. I think that Hans Junior is not ethical because the fact that he joined the Nazi army shows that he's encouraging Hitlers actions and the genocide of Jews, which shows how he's not ethical since he's killing innocent people who have done nothing wrong.
Hans Junior should get some blame for the Holocaust because it's people like Hans Junior who follow Hitler's every word and actions, which made it possible for Hitler to create a period like the Holocaust. Furthermore, it's because of people like Hans Junior who encourage the genocide against Jews, which made the Holocaust actually happen.
Michael Holtzapfel is a caring and pitiful man. He is the son of Frau Holtzapfel, the woman who lives right next door to Rosa and the woman who Liesel reads to. Michael has a brother who was also in the Nazi army but died because of a leg injury. Michael is caring because even though he was allowed to go home earlier then his brother, knowing that his brother is injured he stayed with his brother in the hospital instead, which is also pitiful because he watched his brother die. He also ended up blaming himself for wanting to live when his brother no longer has the chance, late on when there was another bombing in Molching Michael was unable to convince his mother to come out of her house and so he left her. In the end the guilt of the death of his brother and leaving his mother he ends up committing suicide. Even thought Michael is in the Nazi army I think he's ethical because you can tell he doesn't like death of any kind because of what happened to his brother and you can tell he's a good guy by how he treats others around him.
Michael Holtzapfel should have a very little blame for the Holocaust because knowing his character on how he's a kind and caring character, I infer that he did not join the Nazi army on his own accord. Though, since he was apart of the Nazi army he would still be apart of some sort of killing and murder, so I think he should get some blame jut for being apart of the army since, it's the reason why Hitler has the power that he has.
Overall, I think the Nazi Soldiers deserve some blame for the Holocaust because considering the fact that without the Nazi army Hitler would be powerless because he's just one person,then if every Nazi Soldier went against Hitler and didn't go along with what Hitler says then there would be no Holocaust. Hitler was able to create he holocaust only because people followed him and people supported him and those people forced other who might have not cared for what Hitler was doing to join the army too. Basically, the Nazi soldiers should take some blame because it was the soldier who allowed Hitler to have such power over the country and the people to create something like the Holocaust.
I agree that they deserve some blame but because I think that they were brainwashed by what Hitler was telling them. There is no way they would rebel because they agreed with what Hitler was saying. Even if they did rebel it would only be certain soldiers I honestly think they were afraid of Hitler because of all the power he had.
DeleteJasmin, not all soldiers agreed with Hitler. Some were just terrified of him and didn't do anything. I think though, if those soldiers rebelled, a big difference would've been made. I mean, by not doing anything, the Nazi soldiers were promoting Hitler and the Nazis. They could've done the opposite and spoken against Hitler. People have to stand up for what they believe is right or else the world will never change. and never become a better place to live in.
DeleteWhat actions of Michael leads you that he is a kind and caring character?
DeleteType of Person: Captured Jews
ReplyDeleteCharacter from The Book Thief: Max Vandenburg
Max Vandenburg is a Jew in hiding from the Nazis. Max Vandenburg is first introduced in the story as someone who was being hidden by a German soldier. He was forced to leave his family behind so he could hide from the Nazis. Throughout the story Max is extremely pressured by his feelings of guilt for leaving his family behind to save himself and also for asking the Hubermanns' to hide him in their basement. During his stay, he becomes one of the most important people to Liesel. Eventually due to the warm environment in the Hubermanns' house, he is able to overcome his guilt. Even after two years of fighting and hiding as well as starving, Max gets caught by the Nazis anyway.
Max Vandenburg should not receive any blame for the Holocaust. He was the one who suffered the most from it. Not only was he indanger but he also unintentionally put those around him and close to him in danger. He didn't have any ill intentions to harm anyone else yet he was forced to suffer only because he was a Jew.
The captured Jews during the Holocaust should not receive any blame for the Holocaust because they were the ones who suffered the most. Most of them were innocent people who didn't have any intention of harming others. The Nazis were harming them but they didn't have the power to stop them. Furthermore other Germans did not step in to help them either. Since no one tried or had the power to stop the Nazis, the Jews only continued to suffer during the Holocaust. The captured Jews shouldn't be blamed because they were faced with injustice and no one offered to help them.
Third Post
ReplyDeleteType of Person: Hitler
Hitler is the leader in the Nazi part and he is the most powerful leader in, The Book Thief. Hitler is a dictator and dictator is a ruler with total power over the country. Hitler used Propaganda to take control his citizens and maintain his power. Also he used different technique like using media, radio, and newspaper. Also this is what makes everybody want to get rid of the Jews. Hitler’s goal was to get rid all the Jews so he can keep his pure line of all Germans. As a result, he puts bad things about Jews trying to pull them down, such as saying the Jews doesn’t deserve a radio. He created the Holocaust to humiliate the Jews. In The Book Thief, Max was an escaped Jews and he wrote a story about Hitler, inside the book, he mentioned, “The Fuhrer decided that he would rule the world with words” (445). This shows that he also used speech and words to get rid of the Jews and everyone’s mind had under his control. Therefore, he is able to be successfully in getting rid of the Jews. His decision had cause millions of Jews to die. Also the Jews will have to hide and escaping for the rest of their life. Also he used extreme resort to kill the Jews such as using the gas chamber like putting gas inside the room, or they lock them in a room and burn them alive. This shows the Hitler is an unethical leader and he is cruel.
Hitler should get all the blames because this is not how a leader should act. The leader should help their country to get more powerful and protect their citizen. However, he didn’t consider the Jews were citizen, he thinks the Jews are more like invader and that he starts genocide. He started all the ideas and the people were too afraid of him since he had too much power over the people. Therefore as a result, everyone had to follow his order and start killing the Jews and humiliated them. After his suicide, the genocide was settled and the Jews were all free. Other people were put in charged. As a result, he should received all the blamed because he is the leader of the Nazi party and he started the idea of getting rid the Jews and the creator of the Holocaust.
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ReplyDeleteType of Person: Adolf HItler
Person in The Book Thief: Hitler
Adolf Hitler was the leader of the Nazi Party and also of Germany. Hitler wanted to exterminate all the Jews for his benefit. Hitler would make the German soldiers take the Jews to concentration camps and they would force the Jews to do all the hard labor work. They would torture them and they would make them make their own death machines. Hitler was able to manipulate the minds of citizens by his use of Propoganda and by his use of the Hitler Youth. Hitler made the lives of Jews a living hell. Hitler wanted all the Germans to feel the same hatred that he felt for the Jews. Anyone who didn't agree with Hitler's ideas were either killed or tortured. Hitler was a cruel and heartless leader.
Adolf Hitler deserves ALL the blame for the Halocaust because he is to blame for the 6 million Jews that. The Halocaust that many deaths and since Hitler made the Halocaust happen he needs to be blamed. He brainwashed people to make them think that what they were doing wasn't wrong but it was. His idea of creating the concentration camps and them making their own death machines should have made people realize that it should be stopped. Hitler had so much power and the Germans may have simply just feared him. Another thing he made Jews become weak because of dehydration and starvation. Hitler deserves all the blame he was a cruel man.
I don't think Hitler deserves all the blame. I mean, Hitler wasn't the only responsible one for the Holocaust. The citizens of Germany like Frau Diller were also responsible. They were the ones who gave him power and let Hitler manipulate them. The citizens also didn't protest or do anything about the Holocaust. Overall, I don't think Hitler deserve all the blame for the Holocaust.
DeleteAngela, I disagree because even though the citizens of Germany let Hitler manipulate them, they couldn't really do anything about it because Hitler was far more superior. During his speech, "he received a torch from an accomplice and lit the mound, which dwarfed him in all it's culpability. Heil Hitler" (111). This meant he had a lot of power because "he received a torch " which most likely symbolizes how much power he got when he walked up to the podium. I don't think he can be challenged or confronted by anyone else since he has so much power.
DeleteMichelle Veliz
ReplyDeleteThird Post
Type of Person: Captured Jews
Characters: Max Vandenburg and the Jew from the Parade
Max Vandenburg was the Jew the Hubermanns decided to keep in hiding. Since Max was a Jew, he could never be seen outside or else the Nazi Soldiers will catch him. His father was Erik Vandenburg who saved Liesel’s foster father Hans’s life by nominating him to write letters instead of fighting. Hans welcomed Max with welcome arms and risked his own life for him. Life for Max was never easy since he was always on the run not get caught. As a little boy, he would always known as a fighter. He fought a man named Walter Kugler and they become good friends. Walter had offered Max an opportunity to hide but he didn't want to leave his family. However, at the end he does leave his family unintentionally. During the time he was hiding, Max and Liesel end up becoming good friends because of the nightmares they both had at night. Their friendship grew so close that Max wrote two stories for Liesel, which were the Standover Men and The Word Shaker. Max was a caring man because he ended up leaving the Hubernmanns residence after Hans was caught giving bread to a Jew. At the end, Max decided he didn't want other people to risks their lives for him. The Hubermanns already had done so much and now it was the perfect time for Max to leave.
Since Max was a victim in the Holocaust, he could never be blamed for the Holocaust. He didn't do anything wrong to cause the other misery of the Jews. Instead he was trying to save himself from all the horror that was going on. Hiding was the best option for Max because he wouldn’t have to go through the misery the other Jews went through. Even when it was time for Max to leave he gave himself up to protect the Hubermanns. He never hurt anyone during the time he was hiding. Max can be seen as a savior and never receive any blame for the Holocaust.
The Jew from the Parade wasn't a major character in the book. The only time he was included in the book was when the Jews were going to the Dachau, which was a concentration camp. The Jew was weak due to lack of nutrients and was unable to walk straight. Hans saw the painful journey these Jews were going through and offered some small portions to the Jew. The Jew gladly accepted and thanks Hans. Unfortunately, a Nazi solider was watching the crime and whipped the Jew.
Once again, the Jew from the parade could never be blamed for the Holocaust because he was a victim. The Jew was weak and unable to walk right due to his mistreatment by the Nazi soldiers. He was even lucky to have a German offer him bread. However, this Jew faced many misfortunates in his life. The Nazi soldiers whipped him and by accepting the pieces of bread he got a German citizen to be whipped as well. This old Jew didn't mean to get some else hurt because all he wanted was something to eat. The old Jew is innocent and can’t be blamed for something he didn't do.
Overall, these Jews weren’t the ones causing the misery of millions of Jews. Instead they were part of a horrifying event that was caused by a sick man. These Jews were so scared that a couple of them had to go into hiding. Once they go into hiding they miss out on a lot of new experiences in life and they end up missing their happiness. The Holocaust led by Hitler was of the painful things the Jews had to ever go through. They were slowly being killed by their lack of nutrients and the hard work the Jews were put to do.
Angela Mendez
ReplyDeletePeriod 4
THIRD POST
Type of person: Hitler
Character from book: Hitler
Adolf Hitler was a totalitarian ruler who wanted to exterminate all Jews. Hitler was the one who started the Holocaust. He blamed the Jews for all Germany’s troubles and brainwashed Germans to believe whatever he said. Hitler had many supporters called the Nazis and made them send Jews to concentration camps where the Jews would await their deaths. He treated Jews inhumanly and wanted everyone to do the same. As Max once said, Hitler was very powerful with words ( ) which made many Germans believe what he said. This is what led him to be very popular and have a lot of power. Citizens and soldiers of Germany respected him and didn’t rebel against him. Jews of course were terrified of him and hated him for all their suffering. He never helped any Jew. Hitler did the opposite. He wanted to commit genocide.
Adolf Hitler should have A LOT of blame for the Holocaust. I selected A LOT for various reasons. Hitler was the one who had the idea of killing the Jews and treated them inferior than animals. He was also the one who brainwashed many children and citizens of Germany. If it weren’t for him, many Jews would’ve lived happy lives and not terrified. Hitler was wrong in ordering Nazis to kill the Jews because he had no right to kill them. I also selected A LOT and not ALL because he wasn’t the only responsible for the Holocaust. The people of Germany agreed with him and let him order them around. They also never said anything back or try to defend the victims. The citizens like Frau Diller should be blamed just like Hitler. Hitler though should have the most blame. Overall, Hitler was an evil person who deserves A LOT of blame for the Holocaust.
(445) My bad...
DeleteThird Post
ReplyDeleteType of person: Hitler
Character from book: Hitler
Adolf Hitler was the totalitarian ruler in Germany which means that he has complete control over the people of Germany. Ever since Hitler came to power he always denied the Jews as German citizens. He believed that the Aryan's, pure Germans with blonde hair and blue eyes were the most superior race in the world. Therefore he hated the presence of the Jews and blame them for the outcome of World War I. As a result of this Hitler decided to create a group known as the Nazi Party. The Nazi Party was in charge of making Germany a extreme nationalist country and exterminating the Jews. The process of exterminating the Jews is known as genocide which later lead on to become what is known as the Holocaust.
Adolf Hitler should be the main person who is in charge of the Holocaust. He was the reason for the death of six millions Jews in Germany. He nearly made the Jewish population become extinct. The genocide was started by him due to the fact that he hated Jews and blame them for the loss in Germany. He took away the Jews dignity and literally made them into machines. Furthermore, he defy the rights of humanity by taking the actions that he took. Therefore, Adolf Hitler should be the blame for the causes and effects of the Holocaust and the reason for why over six million Jews lost their lives.
Kevin Doodnauth
ReplyDeleteHonors Humanities 4th
Finally The Third Post!!!!!!!!!!!!
Type Of Person:Captured Jew, Max Vandenburg
Max Vandenburg was indeed a Jew but also he was the son of the soldier that saved Liesel's foster dad's life. Max is living with Liesel's family in secret that the Germans don't know about, if they do find they would kill him or send him to concentration camps around Germany during the Holocaust.Throughout the story Max is extremely feels the hurt from his feelings of guilt for leaving his family behind to help benefit himself. Although after two years of fighting and hiding, Max is eventually caught by the Nazi's, but before that he leaves the Hubermann's household feeling guilt free.
Max Vandenburg should receive any blame for the Holocaust, he was an innocent by standered. Although he wanted to save his life during the times of the Nazi's that were taking over, he was in hiding for basically all the time in the basement of Liesel's house and under the pressure of being caught. Although he could have tried to run it would just leave him in the situation which would be him dying after all of the hiding.
In my defense Max couldn't do anything to stop the Holocaust, because his people were the victimized ones and ones to be tortured and killed. Also if Max were to attempt to try to do something to intervene it seems that he would get far because he would know the consequences but yet Liesel wouldn't let him because she's the closest to him and she wouldn't want him to die.Hitler was in reign so it would have the chance power throughout his action would make it even harder to use any action's towards him.
3rd post
ReplyDeleteType of person: Captured Jews
Name: Max Vandenberg
Max Vandenberg was a 23 year old Jew who needed a place to stay after being in a concentration camp. So, Hans let him stay in their basement. He was very thankful for the opportunity he was given and he didn't want to seem like a burden. Even though he was very weak and poor, he was a great artist and writer. One day, he sat in the basement and drew pictures on the wall and wrote the book The Standover Man based on his life and how he met Liesel. He and Liesel became great friends, however, Max had to leave their basement and go to a concentration camp. Later, Max and Liesel reunites while the Jews were marching through Molching.
Max Vandenberg should receive NO blamed for the Holocaust because he was a victim of the Holocaust and he didn't have anything do with it. Max arrive at Hans kitchen and his clothes seemed to weigh him down, and his tiredness was such that an itch could break him in two. He stood shaken in the doorway" (185). This proves he was really weak, tired and scared mainly because of the treatment he received from the Nazis. The Nazis made him lose his innocence, faith and confidence because they obviously made him feel inhuman; they made him feel like an animal. It doesn't make sense that he will want this kind of life and he's the one who suffering; not the Germans. He wouldn't do this to himself to hurt himself and a million of other Jews.
I selected NO blame because they were innocent and didn't really do anything wrong. Also, they wouldn't harm themselves and millions of others because they would be negatively affected, not the Germans. It also doesn't make sense that they will blame themselves for something they didn't do because they knew they didn't do anything and turning against each other wouldn't solve anything.
Type of person: Hitler
ReplyDeleteCharacter from the book: Adolf Hitler
The second post
Adolf Hitler was a well-respected and persuasive dictator who ruled German in the 1900s. Hitler was not only powerful but also terrible and harsh. He was respected by many because of his persuasive oral speaking. However, he was also hated because of the techniques he used to torture the non- Aryan people such as the Jews. Hitler was also one of the causes of World War II. In the book, The Book Thief, Hitler does not appear as the main character; however, his existence in the book showed the readers the setting and timing that the book took place. Though he never showed up in the book as an actual character like Liesel, he was a very important part of the book because he was the antagonist. In the book, when Liesel realize that Hitler was the one who took away her parents, she started to dislike him. In the second part of the book, death explained Liesel’s anger toward Hitler, he said, “Perhaps that’s why on the Fuhrer’s birthday, when the answer to the question of her mother’s suffering showed itself completely, she was able to react, despite her perplexity and her rage. (100)” This indicate that after knowing who stole her parents, Liesel couldn’t react at all because she couldn’t believe what she realized. However, due to that, her hate toward Hitler grew because he took her family, leaving her as an orphan. Though Liesel has a family now, she still misses her mother and has nightmares about her dead brother. Therefore, in Liesel’s heart, Hitler is the bad guy who ruined her life. Also, Hitler is the bad guy who exterminated millions of Jews. Due to his animosity toward the non- Aryan, many innocent Jews were killed and injured and some are still running away. Max, the Jew that appears in the book is still absconding from the Nazi party because if he gets caught, he would die. This shows how powerful Hitler was because he can killed millions of people when he feels like doing it.
Hitler should have all the blame for the Holocaust because he was the main cause of the death of millions of Jews. He should be responsible because if it was not him who started this conflict, many innocent lives wouldn’t be killed or abused. Therefore, Hitler should be the one who get punish. Also, he should be the one to stop these tragedies because he started everything, therefore, he should stop it and let people live the life they deserve.
I selected A LOT of blame for Hitler not only because he killed millions of Jews but also for other reasons. The first reason was because he made all the Jews run away and not have peaceful lives. The second reason is that he created the Hitler youth to brainwash the children to obey him and hate the Jews. The third reason was that he made Liesel lose her parents. Then the fourth reason was he caused World War two which caused many soldiers sacrificed their lives. Finally, the fifth reason was he took the innocence of children because now they learned and saw how crucial the world is. Overall, Hitler deserves all the blames.
Type of person: Citizens of small German towns
ReplyDeleteCharacters from the book: Liesel Meminger, Rosa Hubermann, Rudy Steiner
Third post
Liesel Meminger is the main character in the book. Liesel was a depressed person at the beginning of the book because she lost her parents and she saw her brother die in front of her. Though Liesel lost her family, she was assigned with a foster family, the Hubermann’s family. Liesel likes her family and love them a lot; however, she misses her mother and has nightmares about her dead brother. As the book progresses, Liesel started to love reading and steal book from the Major’s wife library. Even though Liesel steals, she is a warm- hearted and altruistic person because whenever her family needed her she was always there to help, especially when Max came to her house. When Liesel met Max, she wanted to help him. She felt bad for him because he needed to run away from the Nazi party and save his life. When Max was sick, Liesel wanted to help him desperately, however, she knew that there was nothing that she can do except read to him and bring him what is going on outside. On the day that Liesel won her game, she told Max about it and told him about the weather, she said, “the sky is blue today, Max, and there is a big long cloud, and it’s stretch out, like a rope. At the end of it, the sun is like a yellow hole… (249)” This show that Liesel is a caring and kind person because while other Germans in the town trying to avoid Jews in their houses, she is not scared to help Max. She would treat him as a big brother and tell him what happens outside and about her life. This also indicates that Liesel should not be blamed for the Holocaust because she helped Max.
Rudy Steiner is the neighbor of Liesel. Rudy and Liesel are best friends. They both steal from people and enjoy running together. Rudy likes Liesel because he always asks her to kiss him. Rudy plays an important role in the book because he is the one who taught Liesel to steal and he is only friends that Liesel trusts besides Max. Rudy has a warm like Liesel, he likes helping others. Almost toward the end, Rudy stole bread, however, he did it to shared it with people. When he stole the bread, he broke it to six pieces. While he walked home with Liesel, “he started distribution the bread… on the road. (440)” This show that Rudy is altruistic because instead of eating the whole bread himself and share it with Liesel, he chose to share it with the people in the road. Since Rudy has a great heart, he shouldn’t be blamed for the Holocaust. Another reason that he shouldn’t be blamed is that he hates the Nazi because they took their father.
Rosa Hubermann is the foster mother of Liesel. Rosa is a lousy and uneducated person but that is because she only attended school until 3rd grade. Though Rosa is uneducated, she is a heart of a mother. Although Liesel is not her real daughter, she still treats her very kindly and loves her a lot. Also, she is a very understanding mother, because when Liesel told her that she used the money to send the letter, she stopped being mad at Liesel and hug her and said sorry. (99) She understand how Liesel feels for losing her mother, therefore, she showed more love to Liesel so she doesn’t feel lonely at all. This shows that she has no blame for the Holocaust because she is kind and lovely. Another reason that illustrate she has no blame for the Holocaust is that she accepted Max into her house and did not report him.
This group of people deserves NO blame for the Holocaust because they are all helpful people who are willing to help and stop the Holocaust. They weren’t able to stop the Holocaust is because they did not have the abilities but they try the best to help lessen the pain of the Jews.
Aislee Audrey Berenice Nieves
ReplyDeletePeriod 4
Type of Person- Citizens of Germany
Characters - Lisel, Hans Hubermann
Hans Hubermann is the husband of Rosa and step father of Liesel who was given to them. Hans Hubermann made his living by being a painter and having the talent of playing the accordian. Hans was never the type of guy to join the military because he didnt support Hitler at all. He did not join the military when he was younger because he felt like there was no point in joining if he didnt support. Hans is a nice man who was there to comfort Liesel when she had nightmares and would wet the bed every night. Hans was the person who taught Liesel how to read and if it wasnt for him she would not be the good reader that she is.
Hans should have absolutely no blame for the holocaust because he was not a supporter of Hitler and didnt want to be.Frau Diller also hated the fact that he was apart of the military and thought it was fishy when he gave the Jews a piece of bread. Hans really did not like the fact that the Jews had to suffer with all that they were going through. He pitted them and felt like it sucked, thats why he gave that once Jew a piece of bread at that parade.
Liesel was similiar to her step father but for different reasons. She hated the Fuher, she was upset with him because he had taken away all she had. All she had was her mother and her brother and sadly death had to take her brother and her mother had left her. She was the broken down girl who had back to back nightmares and couldnt even sleep due to all the bed wetting accidents she would go through.
Lisel has no reason in getting blamed for the Holocaust if she was upset with Hitler and had no reason to support him. Although she was in school for Hitler youth she really didnt believe in his teachings. Everyone was much forced to go with what he was saying. She was a young girl who held back grudges and was just upset with him because of her real family. She also was upset with him because of Max. She missed Max and hated that he had to be hidden for a while and that he got sick. He hated how the Jews were being treated
Aislee Audrey Berenice Nieves
ReplyDeletePeriod 4
Type of Person- Hitler
Characters- Hitler
Hitler was a very terrifying man who was voted into power by the people. The people thought they were voting for a postive change and for something that will change the ways of Germany. Hiter had to blame all of Germany's destructions on the Jews. They said it was because of the Jews that they were in the political conditions that they were in. Hitler made up the idea of the Gas Chambers and putting them in concentration camps that would punish the whole population of Jews for destroying Germany.
Hitler has 100% blame of the Holocaust. It was because of him that 6-7 million Jews are dead. It was Hitlers advantage of having so much power that he was able to have a military kill a whole population. This genocide ran through the power of Hitler and his Nazi party. He is the only person to blame for this tragedy.
I agree with you because Hitler was the one who gave the orders to the Nazi soldiers. Hitler blamed the Jews for eveything that happened to Germany and therefore wanted to eliminate them. Hitler should definitely be blamed entirely for the Holocaust.
DeleteI agree as well. Hitler was the one that started the whole idea and some people have presented the idea that other people should share the blame. It's understandable why someone might think this, but the truth is that no one else in Germany could do anything to stop Hitler because he already indoctrinated so many people that he would have enough people to create a civil war. He was also in charge of Germany and had access to everything with secret police. The blame should be 100% on him.
DeletePost #3
ReplyDeleteType of Person: Captured Jews
Character from the Book Theif: Max Vandenberg
Max Vandenberg is Jew who went into hiding so that he wouldn't be captured by the Nazis and sent to a concentration camp. When Death first introduced Max, he described the place Max was in as a dark room. Max had been sitting the same position for a while. He was hungry and scared of what was going to happen to him. A friend of his came and gave him some food, a book and a map and tells him that he'll have to travel to another town and there he will find a man who could help him. That man was named Hans Hubermann, otherwise known as Liesel's foster dad. The Hubermanns offer their basement as a place where he can hide and live. Max becomes great friends with Liesel. Max was an artist and a writer. He spent a lot of time with Liesel reading and drawing on the walls. However, he later left the Hubermann house and went on his own. I think that this decision was not ethical because if the Nazis capture him, then he would be sent to a concentration camp.
When Max left the Hubermann house, he left the family with deep worry. They cared about Maxs and wanted no harm to come to him. They didn't understand why he chose to leave them when he knew of the danger there was outside for a Jew. Captured Jews should not be blamed for the Holocaust at all. The Holocaust was what destroyed many of the Jews. The Jews were forced to do hard labor and some were sent to gas chambers in which they were killed in.
Jews should not have any blame for the Holocaust because they were only victims of the Holocaust. They had their free will taken away from them and were forced to do things they did not want. Many of them saw their loved ones die before their own eyes. When World War II was over not many Jews had survived the harsh conditions they were living in. Some Jews who had heard of the concentration camps, would go into hiding with their loved ones. However, they required the help of a German. Just like Max recieved help from Hans, many other Jews were helped out too. By going into hiding they were able to maintain some hope that they soon would be able to go to the outside world. The Jews were victims of the Holocaust and therefore should not be blamed for the Holocaust.
Aislee Audrey Berenice Nieves
ReplyDeletePeriod 4
Type of person- Captured Jews
Characters- Max Vandenburg
Max Vandenburg was a captured Jew hiding and trying to survive the torture that the Germans had put upon the whole race of the Jews. Max Vandenberg was a 23 year old Jew who needed a place to stay after being in a concentration camp. Rosa and Hans were nice enough to let Max stay in their basement.Hans had to sneak Max into his basement for 2 years until one day it was time for him to leave. Max was very artistic, loved to read and was great company to Liesel. Liesel grew very close to Max just like she clicked with her father. Max didn't want to feel like a burden at all so he appreciated everything that they had for him.Its sad because Max was then sent to a concentration camp and when they had seen eachother again was when they were marching through Molching.
Max Should have no blame to the Holocaust because he was a victim of it. Max was going through the Holocaust and spent so many of his years hiding and trying to not get discovered by the Nazi Party. Max was suffering his whole life and couldn't really do much about it because he was going to die eventually. Max was lucky enough to stay where he was on 33 himmel street. He was risking the life of Rosa, Hans, and Liesel. He should have no blame because he was trying to survive the Holocaust He was avoiding it. He was the victim.
I selected NO blame because he was the one who was going to be affected by this terrible choice of a "good leader". Captured Jews were the ones who were going to pay the prize for something that wasnt even their destruction. All Jews were being punished when all Jews weren't even involved. Its not fair because they were all victims. They have NO blame at all.
Samantha Octtaviani
ReplyDeleteHonors Humanities p4
4/15/12
Third Post
Type of Person: Nazi Soldiers
Characters: Hans Junior and Michael Holtzapfel
Michael Holtzapfel is Frau Holtzapfel’s son. Her other son, Robert, died in the war, after the battle of Stalingrad in a hospital after his legs were blown off. Michael Holtzapfel was right next to him when it happened. Michael always hated that he was the one that lived while his brother died. In fact he lived with so much guilt, that he killed himself a while after he came home (504). He fought the same as his brother, and came out with a severely wounded hand. The pain was not the reason, unlike so many others thought, he killed himself. It was the guilt that got to him. He saw a lot of things happen in war, but he should not be blamed for any of the Holocaust.
Not only did Michael Holtzapfel not deserve to be blamed for the Holocaust because of what he suffered, but he also had no ill intention towards the Jews. He seemed to only be concerned with the fact that war had tainted his soul and left him to live on with images of his brother dying. He completely overlooked the fact that, just like his brother, so many other Jews were suffering and dying. However, he did not try to go cause pain for the Jews. He was just doing what he had to as duty to the country. Putting the blame on him wouldn’t make sense because he was not the cause of the war and did not spread Nazi ways.
Hans Junior is Hans Hubermann’s son, hence the same first name. He went to fight in the war at the same time Michael Holtzapfel’s did. Hans Junior was a proud supporter of Hitler and hated how his father didn’t support Hitler the way he did. Hans Junior got angry at his father in his father’s house one day and said, “You’re either for the Fuhrer or against him—and I can see that you’re against him. You always have been” (105). Hans Hubermann, Hans Junior’s father, didn’t outright say that he was against Hitler and start revolting. He was subtle about his position. The worst thing Hans did, at that point, was continue to paint for the Jews when it was still acceptable for Jews to own shops. It was heavily frowned upon and led him to be unaccepted into the Nazi party that Hans Junior also got on his father about. After Hans Junior left that day, he never spoke to his father again. Hans Junior even got mad that Liesel was reading regular books. Hans said, “And what trash is this girl reading? She should be reading Mien Kampf ” (105). Hans spat out his words against his father but it upset Liesel as well. He was just so angry at his father for not supporting the Fuhrur and the Holocaust that he was trying to hurt and disrespect him. He thought his father was a coward, but he really was just untainted. His father had been around longer than his son had, before these times, and had compassion, something Hans Junior did not knew nothing of. However, despite the negative attitude Hans Junior has, he is not to blame for the Holocaust.
Hans Junior should not be blamed for the Holocaust. He went to war raging with the passion to kill for the Fuhrur. He was serious about what he was doing in his heart, and hated his own father because of how much he supported Hitler and the Holocaust. However, despite all of these things, he should not be blamed. He felt this way and believed this way only because he was indoctrinated by Nazi propaganda, like many others. He could not understand the way his father thought because he was too blinded by the beliefs Hitler and the Nazi party was trying to shove down his throat. If anything, this should prove even more that Hitler and the Nazi party should be blamed completely for the Holocaust, and not the soldiers individually, unless they knew the truth and did it even though they didn’t have to, without dying.
Third Post
ReplyDeleteGroup Of People: Hitler
Adolf Hitler was voted in power during 1941, and at the time he had promised his people justice and convinced every person in Germany to give him their trust and gave him all the power.He is a very unethical man because he had started one of the biggest genosides in the entire world. Hitler had hatted the people that were Jewish and believed that they should be all exterminated, since they "did not belong" just like the Jews he also did this to Homosexuals, Gypsies,and polish people. Hitler had commited the most unethical things possible, and therefore he should have complete blame of the cause of the Holocaust. Hitler had tortured many Jews like Max Vandenburg. Many Jews like Max saw that "the Fuhrer was ready beconing them the finest ugliest words handpicked from his forest"(445) Hitler was ready to plant his words into the minds of the Germans. Hitler did persuade people to think what he was actually doing was right. The killings and war was alright in the eyes of the Nazi Party supporters. This is why Hitler was in power for so long and his reign of terror didnt end untill he actually lost the war and ended up commiting suicide.
This is why i believe that Adolf Hitler should have all the blame for the cause of the Holocaust and the death of all the six million Jewish people who died.