L.,+Troy

Pages 21-26

Who is Madame Schachter? AND What happens to her?

Madame Schachter is a Jewish citizen who was separated from everyone in her family except for her son. She went crazy from the events involved with losing her family. When all the Jewish people were brought to the cattle cars, Madame Schachter and her son huddled in the corner and were able to stay together. On the ride in the cattle cars Madame Schachter kept screaming that there was fire when there really wasn’t. She claimed that there were huge flames coming from a furnace. “It was as though she was possessed by an evil spirit, which spoke from the depths of her being”(page 23). Her boy clung to her, crying, while she screamed about the fire. Her son had tried to calm her down but she kept screaming and that shook up the Jewish people. After a while, the young men tied her up and gagged her. She broke free from the knots after a few hours and she started screaming about the flames again. “Once more, the young men tired her up and gagged her. They even struck her. The people encouraged them to do it,” (page 24). They struck her really hard, it was possible that they could have killed her. Later on, Madame Schachter calmed down and crouched in her corner and stayed there for a while. When they arrived in Auschwitz, she started screaming about the fire again. When the Jewish people looked out the window this time they actually saw fire in a furnace and could smell dead bodies. My reaction to madame Schachter is the same as the other Jewish people on the train. If some lady that belongs in the looney bin starts yelling about fire i'd probably start hitting her to. I look at this way, People who cry wolk or in this case fire should be punished as when the shepard boy was eaten by the wolf. So all i'm saying is that shecan yell all night but she better expect some punishment. Some people who read these chapters may have percieved that madame Schachter is phycic or something, There is an explanation for her phycic rambling. Lets say im on my way to the jungle and I stat screaming that Isee trees all crazy like. Now does that mean im a phicic. No, it dosent. So Madame Shachter does not have the ability to see in the future considering Holocast means complete destruction by fire. So obviously you can derrive fire from holocost. Madame schachter may not be able to tell the future but she does have the ability to bring atention to her self. Which brings me to my next point, Madame schachter is in fact clinically insane.

Troy, Your first paragraph is strong and insightful. You have read carefully. Your second paragraph is disturbing to me. Last time I checked, you were not a licensed psychiatrist and so, to claim that someone "is in fact clinically insane" is really stepping far beyond where you have the right to step. Aside from labeling her when I don't feel you have a right to label her, I find your response to her torment deeply insensitive. She has been forcibly removed from her home. Her husband and older children have been separated from her. She is severely underfed and dehydrated. She has been crammed into a cattle car with no fewer than 79 other people. There is no light. Yes, she is hysterical. The way I see it, I am surprised that more people were not hysterical. I hope you actually have more compassion for suffering than what you portray here. Ms. N.

so much in her life, show some compassion :)**
 * troy, i agree here with mrs needleman. its not the poor old ladys fault. she lost

Pages 27-44

What are the specific acts, events and ideas that DESTROY faith? AND What are the specific acts, events and ideas that REKINDLE faith?

One event that destroyed faith in the Jewish was when they were all in the barracks and a General told them their fate of being burned alive in the furnace. After hearing this, many Jews stopped praying because their God had not acted in their time of need. Another act that destroyed faith was when Jewish families were forced to split apart. The girls and boys were separated, and those who couldn’t work were burned. In some parts of the book, the Jewish were able to rekindle their faith. One event was when all the Jewish people were forced into a big area where all the other Jews were kept, giving them time to see all of their friends and family members. This gave many of them happiness and joy to know that the people they loved were still alive. My reaction

pages 63 – 80 (due Wednesday 5/14) Germans' attempts to control things AND Jews' attempts to control things

Everything that the Germans did was an attempt to control the Jewish. Many times the Germans deported the Jews from ghettos into concentration camps then to death camps. This tore the families apart and made them lose their faith and will to resist the Germans. Showing the Jews the furnace at Auchuwitz was a German effort to scare them and gain power over them. When evacuating the concentration camps, the Nazi troops made the Jewish run to get to another one. If they didn’t run they were killed. Overall, it was the weapons that allowed the Germans to have so much control over the Jewish people.

Ways the Jewish controlled the Germans were when they were appointed a block leader. Some were able to take jobs in the concentration camps like being a doctor. They tried to control the Germans when they held ceremonies for god. They asked their god to end the war and take down the Nazis.

My reaction is that because the Jewish were so great in numbers that they should have rebelled in an effort to control the Nazis. I’m sad for the Jews because they lost almost all willpower to survive and no longer felt like living.