Sarah is finally beginning to realize the suffering she will need to endure. She is understanding that she will probably never see her brother again, nor her father. And she is just starting to experience the life that thousands of Jews throughout Europe have had to withstand. On the other hand, Julia met with an elderly woman who had watched the Vel d’Hiv roundup from the window of her apartment. She was awoken early in the morning by the sound of rumbling busses outside her door, and when she went to see what was going on, she instantly knew. She was 35 at the time on the roundup, and now, nearly 60 years later, she remembers everything from that day. Her memory is remarkable, and Julia is pleased with the information this woman has given her.
Peter Van Pels, the main character from my last book, Annexed, was very hopeful. While his love for Anne Frank grew inside their secret annex in Holland, he had only the slightest idea of what was happening outside. He was hopeful, and although they managed to hide in the annex for nearly 2 years, they were captured and brought to Auschwitz, where they all died except for Otto Frank, Anne’s father. Peter Van Pels was pessimistic in the beginning of the book, and he missed his girlfriend, Liese, very much. Throughout the book, his characteristics changed from negative and afraid to optimistic and courageous. He is similar to Sarah in the sense that they were both afraid, and became more confident as the story went on. They were also both Jewish, and were both sent to Auschwitz. Julia and Peter, on the other hand, have very little in common. Peter and Anne fell in love throughout the book, while Julia and Bertrand are falling out of love. Julia is telling her story in 2002, and Peter told his story 60 years before. Peter struggled to survive, to live to tell his story. Julia is not in a life-or-death situation, and is only trying to write a story about the Vel d’Hiv.
Are there any more characteristics or experiences that will tie these three characters together?
Great Job! Even though both books are about the Holocaust, I can see that they are indeed very different. That was a good observation. One thing you could do a little better was making your sentences flow a little more. It sounded a little a choppy to me. But other than that it was great.
ReplyDeleteGreat job! Your blogs have a really sophisticated tone to them which reads really well. I wish that you didn't summarize the books as much and went deeper into the contrasting. Instead of saying that they were different because one fell in love while the other fell out of love, maybe connect them by saying both were in love, but their relasionships were both tested by the Holocaust. Try to elaborate on that, I think you'll be able to dig deeper! Great job!
ReplyDeleteThank for your interesting comparisons. I wonder if you could further explore the differences between these characters and discuss the ways the authors treat each of the characters.What literary devices does the author use to expose their traits and motivations?
ReplyDelete4.5/5 points.