This assignment must be written in 12 point font, double spacing, with 1″ margins. Check your spelling and word choice. You will be graded on form and content. Your pages must be numbered and stapled. This should be about 4 pages total. You can write your assignment in question format with numbers or you can weave your answers into an essay in any order you like. If you quote an element in the books, offer me the page numbers. Any examples you give should be specific, without sweeping generalizations that start with “throughout.”
THERE ARE TWO PARTS BASED ON TWO DIFFERENT READINGS. THE FIRST IS I HELD THE SUN IN MY HANDS BY ERIKA JACOBY, AND THE SECOND IN “MY FATHER’S LAST TESTAMENT” BY BELLA SHOHAM WHICH IS FOUND IN THE READER. YOU MUST READ AND ANSWER THE QUESTIONS FOR BOTH AUTHORS.
FROM I HELD THE SUN IN MY HANDS: PICK FOUR QUESTIONS:
A. What allowed Erika to survive the war when so many other died? In what way was Erika fortunate regarding her experiences in the camps? (circumstances, personality, luck?)
B. How were relations between Jews and Christians before the war in Erikas town? How about relations between Jews and others during and after the war? Did attitudes change after the war? Were there Christians who treated Jews with kindness? Are there any lessons you can learn from this?
C. What did you learn about the experience of the Jews in the Holocaust that you never knew before?
D. What role did Judaism play in Erikas life and her thinking? Did this role change as her life proceeds? Is there any indication that her faith was strengthened or weakened as the result of her experiences?
E. What is the role of Dr. Josef Mengele at Auschwitz? Look him up online – what else can you learn about him? When and where did he die?
F. On two occasions, Erika gets surprise provisions. What does she do with them? Does that surprise you?
G. On pp.44-45, Erika tells us about one of her neighbors. What does this tell you about how Hitler defined someone as a Jew?
H. What kind of life did Erika create for herself after the war?
FROM “MY FATHER’S LAST TESTAMENT” FOUND IN THE READER. PICK THREE.
1. What gave Bella the will to survive?
2. What role does Israel play in these peoples lives?
3. What circumstance of Jewish existence or Bella’s life did you find the most horrifying or shocking?
4. Discuss the two individuals in the story. Were they admirable people? Scoundrels? Any other words come to mind? What did they do or did not do to deserve these labels?
5. On Inter-ethnic strife: Are there any indication in Bella’s memoirs concerning the reasons for the antipathy towards the Jews? How were relations between Poles and Ukrainians?
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