Mike Cao's Blog Post

1. How did historical events influence the ideas in the novel?  What cultural issues may have influenced, challenged, or inspired the author?

The three historical events that influence the novel were: Hitler’s invasion of Europe, his racism and slaughter of the Jewish people, and the concentration camps in Europe.These events influence the author to tell the people how dark that history is and let people remember the war.

About Hitler

            When the WWI is end, Hitler join the Nazi party. He design the flag and badge of Nazi party. Then, he use his speech talent rapid control the Nazi party. And he by a newspaper office so he can issuance the public. July 31st, 1932 is the date of election in Germany. In that time, two top politician, Schleicher and Papen let Hitler became to German Chancellor. The reason is just want to restrict each other. This stupid decided let Hitler get more power, so he changed the constitution when ever he want. This will help him to get more power. Therefore, at January 38th, 1933 Hitler became to the German president.

Racism against and slaughter Jewish people

           After WWI is end, lots of German families lost them relatives because many of them die on the battle. However, the German didn’t let Jewish join the battle. Therefore the Jewish families are relatively intact, so their life is usually better than German. This made many German hated them. When Hitler joined the Nazi party, he use these things to consolidation and growing the Nazi party. Hitler started publicized the racism against Jewish people to improve the cohesion and the war enthusiasm of  German. At 1933, Hitler became to the president. He started to deprived the right of Jewish. Then, at 1938, the Jewish cannot do most of job in Germany. In the same year, Nazi party made a antisemitism plan, “Crystal Night” to damage the shop, church of Jewish. The SS beat up many Jewish people, They lost the status in social. Then, at 1939, the war beginning. The Waffen SS builded the concentration camp.

The concentration camp

           The most famous concentration camp in the world, Auschwitz. At 1939, when Germany was occupied the Poland, the president of Waffen SS, Himmler builded the Auschwitz concentration camp. This camp has 3 part, the killing part, the working part and the jail part. Everyday, the trains bring many Jewish people, captives to the camp. The “doctor” in the concentration camp differentiated the people who can work. If not, they will bring them to gas chamber. The Auschwitz concentration camp kills 1.1-1.5 millions Jewish people and captives. Now Poland government reform the Auschwitz concentration camp to a Nazi slaughter commemorate museum to let people know the dark history during 1940 to 1945, and shows people the crime of the evil Nazis. In1979 the UNESCO put the Auschwitz into the “cultural heritage of the world” to tell people “we need peace, no war and no slaughter.” The museum shows the holocaust tools of Nazis and the Victims’ relict. These things shows how evil the Nazis is and the crime of the Nazis.

2. Describe a choice made by a character in the novel.  Why did the character make this choice?                                    

    Was his or her action justified? Although Vladek Spiegelman chooses to hide from the Nazis, in the end he cannot escape and the Gestapo take him to Auschwitz.

  The reason of him to hide from the Nazis is because one day, a woman tells the Jewish people:  “They’re evacuating Zawiercie. We’re all supposed to go to the square with our baggage right away. They’re sending all of us out - to Auschwitz” (P109). When Tosha kill herself, and her children. Vladek does not want go to the Auschwitz either, but he wanna alife. Therefore he made a bunker for he and his friends. The Nazis want to find them, but it does not work. Even they bring the dogs to smell. However, a few days later, they don’t have enough food. Therefore, Vladek opens the bunker with his friends, but they see a stranger. The stranger tells them: “I just stopped to rest a moment” (P113). First of all, they don’t believe the stranger, but Vladek takes on him pity later. Therefore, they gave some food to that stranger and let him go. However, the stranger takes the Nazis to find them next day. Then the Gestapo takes them to the Auschwitz. This choice let the writer’s father go to the Auschwitz, let the things in second book happened and it changes his life. Therefore, I think this choice is the most important thing in this book.

           I think that the main idea of this book is the writer wanna use this book to tell the reader the history of Jewish people in WWII. He wants to let the people know when Nazi party is in power, the Jewish people have no human rights even a little bit. The book’s name is just like Hitler was say: “Certainly, the Jew is a race, but they are not a human race.” In WWII, the Jewish people just life like a mouse. They escaped, they were massacred. The writer use this to warning the people and let people remember the people who are die in Nazis’ slaughter.