Monica Sullivan
Dr. Warner
English 112 B
Unit of Study
�The Nazis victimized some people for what they did, some for what they refused to do, some for what they were, and some for the fact that they were. � – John Conway
Why Historical Fiction?
Many students are uninterested in history. It is often coined as boring, subjective, and aimless. This point of view is harmful to any student�s development in the Social Sciences as well as other subjects, because history is very much apart of our lives. There is much to be learned from the past and recognized as a result of the past in our lives today. Students and adults alike frequently fail to recognize the large effect past events have over our current status. Historical fiction gives those disenfranchised by history a second chance to become engrossed in all the applicable truth it has to offer.
I chose to launch this unit based on historical fiction for several reasons. I was one of the students who strongly disliked history during junior high and high school. It was not until my college career that I was able to uncover my love for history and the Social Sciences. Looking back I realize I was uninterested in history during my early education simply because of the format in which it was presented. I did however always express interest in historical fiction. There is something invigorating knowing that a suspenseful story is based on a true story. I am a firm believer that there are valuable lessons to be learned through historical fiction because there is no better way to grip a student�s interest through the unbeatable combination of reality and fiction combined. There is much to be learned and taught through the tool of historical fiction.
For my centerpiece, I chose the book Night by Elie Wiesel. Because this book is a classic and most students do not pass through high school without reading it, building from it with a historical fiction unit of study would be natural and effective. Wiesel�s book is memorable and terrifying as he recalls his experience of living in a concentration camp, while calling into the question the theme of human nature, which he describes as �the absolute evil of man�. This book is written in a way that not only portrays the harsh reality of human nature, but also the strength of one�s inner hope and desire to live.
Launching the Unit:
Before introducing Night, by Elie Wiesel, use one or more of these activities to introduce the unit.
1. Have students watch a clip from the film: Hitler�s Master Race. This film is very long so selecting a few scenes would be ideal. Select scenes that provide some historical background and the war, Hitler, and The Final Solution. It is important that students understand the historical backdrop so they can completely comprehend the book Night. Guiding questions may include:
a. Why did Hitler blame the Jewish population?
b. Why did some Germans believe in Hitler?
c. What was The Final Solution?
d. What would it take for you to believe in a dictator life Hitler and support a plan like The Final Solution? Could history repeat itself?
After watching the film and discussing the questions point out the current economic state of our nation and compare it to Germany�s economic status prior to Hitler�s reign. This lesson may be extended by requesting students to bring in a current event about our current economic status and it�s relation to people�s mental state.
Rights and Freedom
exercise: conduct this activity as a class.
�Think of the
freedom the following rights allow you and your family, and think of the ways
you and your family would be affected if these rights were revoked. Remember
that if they were revoked, this would mean giving up things you already have.
Rank these independently first Rank these rights from 1 to 6 --- 1 being MOST
important to you.�
The right to own or
use a public telephone
_____
Date/marry whomever
you choose
_____
Own a radio, CD
player, Nintendo, Ipod
_____
Own a
pet
_____
Leave your house
whenever you choose (You would still be able to leave the house, but there
would be strict limitation on when you could go out.)
_____
Own a car or bike
_____
Use public
transportation _____
a.
As a
class discuss everyone�s decisions and responses. Work to come up with a consensus to re-rank the rights as a
group.
b.
Compare
consensus with a timeline of what happened to the Jewish people�s rights during
Hitler�s reign.
By completing this
exercise students are again being confronted with the reality of the early
stages of The Holocaust. It puts
into perspective the losses felt on behalf of the Jewish population and it
hopefully strikes a cord within them that screams injustice. This serves to support the theme of
human nature, and the threat of history repeating itself.
3. Interviews with
Author Dr. Korner-Kalman.
I personally know Dr. Korner-Kalman who
is the author of the book Across
The Street From Hitler,
a memoir. Dr. Korner-Kalman grew
up in Munch Germany and spent her early adolescent years living across the
street from Hitler�s personal residence in Munich. She and her family were a well known Jewish family, and in
her memoirs she recalls the struggles she felt prior to Hitler coming to power,
the implications of his dictatorship, and her own solution in which she was
forced to flee Munich. She has in the
past visited my classroom, and would she be willing to do so again, I would
love to have her back. If not, I
luckily have previous interviews recorded and I would share them with my
students. I have found that Dr.
Korner-Kalman�s story truly brings to the life the reality of the
Holocaust. It is easy for students
to forget that the people affected by this tragedy are just like them, and a
simple twist of fate allowed it to be someone else�s family instead of their
own.
4.Propaganda
assignment.
Using a power point slide of racist
propaganda used during World War II and a graphic organizer with three columns
stating: �What we see, What we feel, and What we wonder� There are many
examples of racial propaganda that was used during WWII available both in
teacher resources, as well as on the internet. Using this propaganda helps depict the strong role prejudice
and hate played in the outcome of WWII and the Holocaust. Allowing students an opportunity to
confront and analyze this propaganda allows them a glimpse into the past, as
well ad a consideration of the future.
A discussion should follow this activity in which students consider the
possibility of propaganda existing today, and if does, what messages are they
sending.
The Centerpiece:
The centerpiece of this unit is Night by Elie Wiesel.
Through in class reading of this book incorporate the following:
Questions and Answers:
1.Why did people in Wiesel's village refuse to believe the warnings of Moshe the Beadle when he told them what happened to Jews who had been expelled from their villages in other countries? (They thought he was a madman. What he told them was too incomprehensible to be believed.)
2.Why did the people in Wiesel's village doubt Hitler's plans to exterminate the Jewish population? (They did not think it was possible to wipe out a whole people, scattered as they were throughout so many countries.)
3.How did the German soldiers win the confidence of the people of Sighet? (At first they treated the Jews politely. They lived in their homes and acted quite civilly. The people wanted to believe they were in no danger. Little by little, the soldiers took away their freedom—the leaders of the Jewish community were arrested; the Jewish people were put under house arrest; all their valuables were confiscated; the Jews were forced to wear a yellow star; the Jewish people were forced into ghettos; the ghettos were emptied and the people deported to concentration camps.)
4.At one point, upon arrival at Auschwitz, the prisoners considered revolting. What stopped them? (The older people begged their children not to do anything foolish. They still believed that they should not lose hope and must adhere to the teachings of their faith.)
5. Describe conditions in the death camps. (Prisoners were given barely enough food to survive, they were literally worked to death, they had little in the way of clothing to protect them from the freezing cold, they were kicked, beaten, and forced to suffer every inhumane treatment imaginable, and they lived with the constant threat of the furnaces.)
Discussion Topics:
1.When the Jewish people were being deported, they were allowed to take only one small bag with all their possessions. Evidence has shown that most people took their photograph albums. Why were these albums so important to them?
2.Wiesel's village was invaded by the Nazi soldiers in 1944, years after the extermination of Jews had begun. Why, after all this time, did the people have so little, if any, information about what had been happening to Jews all over Europe?
3.Wiesel was given two contrasting pieces of advice about how to survive. One was from a young Pole, a prisoner in charge of one of the prison blocks, and the other was from the head of one of the blocks at Buchenwald who spoke to Wiesel as his father lay dying. Summarize these two philosophies of survival and discuss the wisdom of each.
4.Many people ask survivors why there was so little resistance in the death camps. While there is documented evidence of some resistance in the various camps, why do you think that there were so few accounts of resistance?
In what ways did Wiesel's experiences affect his beliefs?
Writing Topics:
1.Wiesel wrote of those things he will never forget (p. 32). After reading Night, what images, ideas, and feelings do you think you will never forget?
2.In discussing the Holocaust, one survivor, Luba Frederick, said, "To die was easy." Based on the reading you have done, explain her statement.
3.At one point in the book, Wiesel said that he had ceased to feel human. What did he mean by this and what things can cause people to lose their sense of dignity and humanity?
4.Reread the essay you wrote in your journal for the Prereading activity based on the book's cover illustration. Revise the essay based on insights and reactions to Night.
Discuss the significance of the book's title, Night.
(http://www.holocaust-trc.org/night.htm, Memories of the Night: A Study of the Holocaust)
Extending the Unit
After completing the centerpiece of the unit, students will select a book from the genre historical fiction. They will work independently reading their book of choice. Upon completion of their book they are expected to:
Books for consideration:
The following books coincide with the unit based on Elie Wiesel�s Night. These books share themes such as isolation from society, prejudice and courage, all of which support a unit based on The Holocaust.
Cormier, Robert. The Chocolate War
Does Jerry Renault dare to disturb the universe? You wouldn't think that his refusal to sell chocolates during his school's fundraiser would create such a stir, but it does; it's as if the whole school comes apart at the seams. To some, Jerry is a hero, but to others, he becomes a scapegoat--a target for their pent-up hatred. And Jerry? He's just trying to stand up for what he believes, but perhaps there is no way for him to escape becoming a pawn in this game of control; students are pitted against other students, fighting for honor--or are they fighting for their lives? In 1974, author Robert Cormier dared to disturb our universe when this book was first published.
(http://www.amazon.com/Chocolate-War-Readers-Circle/dp/0375829873/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1259863179&sr=8-1)
Kafka, Franz. The Trial
A terrifying psychological trip into the life of one Joseph K., an ordinary man who wakes up one day to find himself accused of a crime he did not commit, a crime whose nature is never revealed to him. Once arrested, he is released, but must report to court on a regular basis--an event that proves maddening, as nothing is ever resolved. As he grows more uncertain of his fate, his personal life--including work at a bank and his relations with his landlady and a young woman who lives next door--becomes increasingly unpredictable. As K. tries to gain control, he succeeds only in accelerating his own excruciating downward spiral
(http://www.amazon.com/Trial-Franz-Kafka/dp/0805210407)
Hawthorne, Nathaniel. The Scarlet Letter
In The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, adulteress Hester Prynne must wear a scarlet A to mark her shame. Her lover, Arthur Dimmesdale, remains unidentified and is wracked with guilt, while her husband, Roger Chillingworth, seeks revenge. The Scarlet Letter's symbolism helps create a powerful drama in Puritan Boston: a kiss, evil, sin, nature, the scarlet letter, and the punishing scaffold. Nathaniel Hawthorne's masterpiece is a classic example of the human conflict between emotion and intellect.
(http://www.cliffsnotes.com/WileyCDA/LitNote/The-Scarlet-Letter.id-167.html)
Lowry, Lois. Number The Stars
Lowry writes a memorable story of Annemarie�s coming of age and character during a time of turmoil and injustice. We look into her experience as she develops an understanding of human nature and injustice. She breaks through her confusion of the world surrounding her to become a strong, courageous young woman responsible for saving her friend�s life during The Holocaust.
(Abstract from Book Browse: http://www.bookbrowse.com/reviews/index.cfm? book_number=1755)
Nolan, Han. If I Should Die Before I wake
Teenager Hilary, who has never recovered from the long-ago death of her father and from her Bible-thumping mother's temporary abandonment of her, lies in a coma, the victim of her own adventures with her neo-Nazi pals. Suddenly she "slips" into another life--that of a Jewish girl in Poland at the beginning of the Nazi occupation. It turns out that she is sharing the memories of her hospital roommate, whose telepathic communications eventually bring about Hilary's salvation�
(Abstract from Amazon.com http://www.amazon.com/If-Should-Die-Before-Wake/dp/0152046798/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1259704240&sr=1-1)
Yolen, Jane. The Devil�s Arithmetic
From Publishers Weekly:
When 12-year-old Hannah is transported back to a 1940's Polish village, she experiences the very horrors that had embarrassed and annoyed her when her elders related their Holocaust experiences.
(http://www.amazon.com/Devils-Arithmetic-Puffin-Modern-Classics/dp/0142401099/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1259862773&sr=1-1)
Zusak, Markus. The Book Thief
Set during World War II in Germany, Markus Zusak�s groundbreaking new novel is the story of Liesel Meminger, a foster girl living outside of Munich. Liesel scratches out a meager existence for herself by stealing when she encounters something she can�t resist – books. With the help of her accordion-playing foster father, she learns to read and shares her stolen books with her neighbors during bombing raids as well as with the Jewish man hidden in her basement before he is marched to Dachau. This is an unforgettable story about the ability of books to feed the soul.
( http://www.amazon.com/bookthief)
Resources:
National Holocaust Memorial Museum
www.ushmm.org
Memories of the Night: A Study of the Holocaust
http://www.holocaust-trc.org/night.htm
Works Cited
Cormier, Robert. The Chocolate War. New York: Random House Children�s Books 1974
Kafka, Franz. The Trial. New York: Schocken Books Inc. 1998
Hawthorne, Nathaniel. The Scarlet Letter. Original: 1850. USA: Sam Taorode 2009
Lowry, Lois. Number The Stars. New York: Laurel-Leaf 1989
Nolan, Han. If I Should Die Before I wake. Florida: Harcourt Books: 1994
Yolen, Jane. The Devil�s Arithmetic. New York: Viking 1988
Zusak, Markus. The Book Thief. New York: Random House Inc. 2005