discussion questions for One Survivor Remembers Blog

1. The images that were most powerful for me was towards the end of the movie when they showed the images of the few women who were living and the brutally horrible health that they were in. It showed how poorly treated the women were throughout the death march. What really bothered me is how not one Nazi felt the slightest bid bad about how they were treating the Jews. 
2. The Nazi's dehumanized the Jews in many ways. They would strip them of their clothing, tattoo a number on their skin to represent that they were Jews, and separate families. The thing that really helped Gerda Weissmann overcome the dehumanization from the Nazis was when she would take her mind off it by thinking about which dress looked better, the blue or red one.
3. If everything was taken from me, I would try to fantasize about funny moments that has happened in my past because it is a topic that I could think about for a long period of time. Some ordinary things that I take for granted are electronics, family, education, and safety. 
4. The main persecution I see in todays world is in Darfur. The mass genocide has forced hundreds of thousands of people to evacuate their homes and settle in refugee camps. I think this mass genocide can stop if more countries became involved in helping the cause. 
5. The heroes of the film were the Americans that came to liberate the concentration camps. Another specific hero of the film were the parents of Gerda Weissmann and Kurt Klein because each set of parents knew what was to come and went out of their way to protect and save their children. To make the world a better place, I can help spread awareness of any mass genocide that is happening around the world today.

The Boy Who Dared Blog #5

Right now, in the book The Boy Who Dared by Susan Campbell Bartoletti, the main character, Helmuth, just joined the Hitler Youth. According to the official website of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, "founded in 1926, the original purpose of the Hitler Youth was to train boys to enter the SA (Storm Troopers), a Nazi Party paramilitary formation. After 1933, however, youth 
leaders sought to integrate boys into the Nazi national community and to prepare them for service as soldiers in the armed forces or, later, in the SS." Although Helmuth is not a big fan of Hitler, he does enjoy the Hitler Youth. Helmuth's mother's boyfriend, Hugo, a Nazi, is very fond of Helmuth joining the Hitler Youth. He believes  that Helmuth will grow up to do very well by serving his duties for his country. 

The Boy Who Dared Blog #4

              Helmuth, the main character in the book The Boy Who Dared by Susan Campbell Bartoletti is a very brave kid. With everything turning against the Jews, Helmuth knows this is wrong. The first day of middle school Helmuth even stood up and questioned the teacher. I can compare Helmuth's bravery to, Misha, the main character in Milkweed by Jerry Spinelli. Misha is a very brave boy who has to go out at night just to steal food for him to survive. Misha, being a gypsy, understands that if here was to be caught by the Nazis, he would be shot and killed.
              Another trait Helmuth and Misha have in common is that they both believe in god. Helmuth has believed in god ever since he was a little boy. Helmuth is influenced by his brother, who helps Helmuth understand god and his powers. Even when Helmuth is in prison, he still believes that god is with him. Misha believes more in angels. He always anticipates seeing an angel and wonders what they look like. He thinks that when you die, the angels take you away. Although Helmuth and Misha seem to be different, they have many similarities.