Writing Tasks
Take a stand and develop arguments that support the following ideas statements
1. Fatelessness has a message and it is something that Imre Kertesz never thought or considered when he was writing his novel. Write between 150 and 200 words
From my point of view, the statement raised is true, and the story of the book has a hidden message behind it. In my opinion, the message that the story gives is to stop the discrimination. Along the whole story we can see that in the Holocaust the discrimination against the Jewish and many other races was excessive.
In my special case, the story of the book caused a feeling of sadness for the Jewish people specially. Gyurka, the main character, suffers like hell in the concentration camp because of this unmeasured discrimination. I think that the discrimination in general is bad, but the discrimination in the story exceeded the limits. Before reading the book, I knew about the holocaust and what happened, but after reading it, I could realize the feelings that all the discriminated people had, so now I understand the feelings of the Jewish people thanks to the hidden message in the book.
It is hard/easy to understand the points of view expressed in Fatelessness. It is likely to be a cultural problem/advantage mainly. Write between 150 and 200.
From my point of view, its easy to understand the points of view expressed in the novel.
Firstly, I think that its easy because the protagonist is the one that is telling us the story, so we can make an idea of what Gyurka is passing through.
Also, I think that there is also a cultural issue. In our culture, we study the Second World War, and in some specific schools they study the Holocaust in a more detailed way, so that things can help us to understand easily the feelings involved in the story.
Lastly, the other thing that I think that us fundamental to understand the feeling in an easily way is that we, in our culture here in latin America, have had also many wars. Specificly in my country, Chile, we have for example, the war of the Mapuches against the chilean army. It wasn't exactly like the Holocaust that the Jewis were killed, but it was like an "invasion" to the Mapuche people. So,
with these cultural elements that we had, also like Germany with the Second World War and the Holocaust, can help us to understand easily the feelings developed in the story.
Fatelessness has different narrative techniques that seduce and affect our minds. Write between 150 and 200 words.
From my opinion, the statement is true, the novel has different narrative techniques. The author, using these techniques, can keep us hooked in the book. These techniques help to be hooked it what is going to happen, and all these sort of things, so it makes the book more interesting and also create a sensation that we "have" to read the book, to know what is going to happen.
From another point of view, these techniques that the author uses helps him to make the novel more easily to understand and also more calling. With these techniques, we can understand more easily the feelings that has Gyurka, also we feel sad for Gyurka and the situation through which is passing, and these is possible thanks to the techniques that the author uses.
Lastly, the specific technique of use a protagonist narrator, I think that is the most important. It makes us feel identificated with the character because he is saying what is happening and the feeling he is is developing, so it also makes the story more realistic because is a personal perspective.
The Holocaust and its atrocities have helped us understand Fatelessness much more. The context is a key factor in the creation process of a story. Write between 150 and 200 words.
I am completely agree with the statement. I think that the context is fundamental in writing a book. The context is what sets the idea of the book, saying it in some way.
In the specific case of Fatelessness, the context is the key factor that develops the story. Indeed, the story of Fatelessness is based on the context in which the book was wrote. Without the Holocaust, the story wouldn't exist, I think. The story is developed in the Holocaust, and also the conflict is developed with this events.
Because the story is a real one, the context of this one is what develops it. The Holocaust is the main topic explored in the story, how did Gyurka survive, what feelings developed him during this events, how the Jewish people were discriminated, etc. In other words, the novel, in general, is about the Holocaust and it atrocities.
In conclusion, the context of a book is fundamental to write it, and knowing about this is essencial to understand the story completely, because without knowing about the context, is so much difficult to understand it, and also to enjoy it.
Tuesday, November 26, 2013
Wednesday, November 20, 2013
Activity: Gyuri's Mind (Fatelessness)
Gyuri's Mind
1. First of all, Gyurka has not realized yet what is happening. He is very innocent, and he is not suspicious about the things that are going to happen. He describes everything, but not realizing abput the situation in one he is involved.
2. Today, the 13 years old children talk about the things that they are interested in, for example, sports, new video games, what did they do in the weekend, etc. Probably they would talk very much about videogames, because in the society today, the technology is so advanced that the little children are connected with it, and the teenagers are interested in video games, the newest ones, etc. I tink that is difficult to see the good side in the situtation that is involved Gyurka, because I think that is a very depressing and distressing situation, in what is diifficult to have hope.
3. I think that the way he tells the things is neither bad nor good, because he says that things with an air of innocence, he doesn't know what is happening yet, so we can't say that he says the things in a good or a bad way. In other words, he is a little "confused" with all these events that are taking place.
4. I think that it is not realiable, because it is a point of view of a child. I think that also if he were an adult, it wouldn't be completely reliable, because it is still a point of view, and we all have different points of view. Also, he is a child, a teenager, so that makes the story less reliable because he has not many experience. Also he has not lived all the tortures from the germans yet, so more forward in the story his point of view and the way he says the things will change.
1. First of all, Gyurka has not realized yet what is happening. He is very innocent, and he is not suspicious about the things that are going to happen. He describes everything, but not realizing abput the situation in one he is involved.
2. Today, the 13 years old children talk about the things that they are interested in, for example, sports, new video games, what did they do in the weekend, etc. Probably they would talk very much about videogames, because in the society today, the technology is so advanced that the little children are connected with it, and the teenagers are interested in video games, the newest ones, etc. I tink that is difficult to see the good side in the situtation that is involved Gyurka, because I think that is a very depressing and distressing situation, in what is diifficult to have hope.
3. I think that the way he tells the things is neither bad nor good, because he says that things with an air of innocence, he doesn't know what is happening yet, so we can't say that he says the things in a good or a bad way. In other words, he is a little "confused" with all these events that are taking place.
4. I think that it is not realiable, because it is a point of view of a child. I think that also if he were an adult, it wouldn't be completely reliable, because it is still a point of view, and we all have different points of view. Also, he is a child, a teenager, so that makes the story less reliable because he has not many experience. Also he has not lived all the tortures from the germans yet, so more forward in the story his point of view and the way he says the things will change.
Tuesday, November 19, 2013
Language Analysis: Fatelessness
Pages 90-91
Main theme explored here: uncertainty
Quotes:
"Just one thing was rather missing, I realized: the fact that I saw no sign of movement, of life, around them"
"Going farther, we also saw some houses, the sams ones that had already noticed from the station"
"...and between them, to my delight wonder, I saw small seedbeds and cabbage patches, with flowers of assorted colors beijg grown in the plots"
In these two pages, we can appreciate that Gyurka is beeing taken to the concentration camp. He is watching everyhting around, trying to figure out what is going on, or where are they taking him. The author use many specific words an sentences to describe the place (through Gyurka), and this helps the reader to understant throughwhat situation is going Gyurka, and also we can imagine the place with all this description, a lugubrious and lonely place, that helps to give the uncertainty to the setting.
Pages 180, 181, 182, 183, 184 and 185
Main theme explored here: suffering / desperation
"Made me shudder even more"
"We were also taken to the doctor less frequently"
"On top of that, not long afterward a pain started on my left hip followed by the non familiar flaming red sac"
Incision
Unpleasantness
"Everyone here had a sallow face and large, burning eyes"
"The end seemed predictable, not to say anticipated"
"The biggest surprise of all was the consternation, then horror, of feeling a sudden tickling sensation on my hip and then, on lifting the paper bandage, seeing they were now on my open flesh feeding on the wound"
"My sense of revulsion"
"I gave up and just watched the gluttony, the teeming, the voracy, the appetite, the unconcealed happiness..."
In this quotes, we can see that Gyurka is in the place where the sick people were taken. He is suffering because of his knee and also the little "worms" that were eating in the wound. His is also suffering because the onditions of the place were very bad, and he could see the other sick people that were also suffering. Many times he mentions the idea of giving up and die. With this elements the author causes a mood of sadness in the reader, that make emphasis in the story.
Pages 138 and 139
Main theme explored here: language and communication (different languages) / discrimination
Quotes:
"Their first question was "Rayds di yiddish?". When I told them that, no, unfortunately I didn't, that was it as far as they were concerned, I became nonperson, they looked at me as if I were thin air, or rather didn't exist at all."
"Among one another and with the Latvians they use Yiddish, but they also speak German, Slovakian, and a smatering of who knows what, only not Hungarian"
With this quotes we can see that language was fundamental to survive, and they were so different that Gyurka sometimes didn't understand what was happening. Also, we can see that if you didn´t know the language, the germans saw you like an insignificant thing, so the language can have influence in the dicrimination that the Jewis people were receiving.
Main theme explored here: uncertainty
Quotes:
"Just one thing was rather missing, I realized: the fact that I saw no sign of movement, of life, around them"
"Going farther, we also saw some houses, the sams ones that had already noticed from the station"
"...and between them, to my delight wonder, I saw small seedbeds and cabbage patches, with flowers of assorted colors beijg grown in the plots"
In these two pages, we can appreciate that Gyurka is beeing taken to the concentration camp. He is watching everyhting around, trying to figure out what is going on, or where are they taking him. The author use many specific words an sentences to describe the place (through Gyurka), and this helps the reader to understant throughwhat situation is going Gyurka, and also we can imagine the place with all this description, a lugubrious and lonely place, that helps to give the uncertainty to the setting.
Pages 180, 181, 182, 183, 184 and 185
Main theme explored here: suffering / desperation
"Made me shudder even more"
"We were also taken to the doctor less frequently"
"On top of that, not long afterward a pain started on my left hip followed by the non familiar flaming red sac"
Incision
Unpleasantness
"Everyone here had a sallow face and large, burning eyes"
"The end seemed predictable, not to say anticipated"
"The biggest surprise of all was the consternation, then horror, of feeling a sudden tickling sensation on my hip and then, on lifting the paper bandage, seeing they were now on my open flesh feeding on the wound"
"My sense of revulsion"
"I gave up and just watched the gluttony, the teeming, the voracy, the appetite, the unconcealed happiness..."
In this quotes, we can see that Gyurka is in the place where the sick people were taken. He is suffering because of his knee and also the little "worms" that were eating in the wound. His is also suffering because the onditions of the place were very bad, and he could see the other sick people that were also suffering. Many times he mentions the idea of giving up and die. With this elements the author causes a mood of sadness in the reader, that make emphasis in the story.
Pages 138 and 139
Main theme explored here: language and communication (different languages) / discrimination
Quotes:
"Their first question was "Rayds di yiddish?". When I told them that, no, unfortunately I didn't, that was it as far as they were concerned, I became nonperson, they looked at me as if I were thin air, or rather didn't exist at all."
"Among one another and with the Latvians they use Yiddish, but they also speak German, Slovakian, and a smatering of who knows what, only not Hungarian"
With this quotes we can see that language was fundamental to survive, and they were so different that Gyurka sometimes didn't understand what was happening. Also, we can see that if you didn´t know the language, the germans saw you like an insignificant thing, so the language can have influence in the dicrimination that the Jewis people were receiving.
Wednesday, November 13, 2013
Class Activity: correction of the classmate's letter
When you receive your classmate's letter (1 or 2), read it and answer he following questions:
What language (specific words) did your classmate to appeal the audience? If there is no language appealing the audience, suggest some words.
What language (specific words) did your classmate to appeal the audience? If there is no language appealing the audience, suggest some words.
- Dear Gyurka
- I think of you
- With all our uncles
- You remember
- You and my wife
- Please send greetings to our neighbours
- I love you
How moving is the letter? Do you think that your classmate's style is effective?
I think that the letter is very moving and effective, because it uses some elements that call the attention. For example, in the letter he includes the suffering of the father of Gyurka, and that suffering causes a feeling of sadness in the reader for him. Also, Rodrigo included in the letter the in memories of the father. That memories are useful to understand the father's desire to return to Budapest, and also it explains in a ore detailed way what are the things that the father is missing from his house. Continuing with this aspect, also Rodrigo included a joke that the uncle tols and that the father remembers, this aspect causes more feelings in the reader, and makes the letter more moving. The last point that I think that makes the letter moving is that Rodrigo included the father's desire to suicide sometimes, and that helps the reader to understand the greatness of the father's suffering.
Explain to what extent the letter includes elements of context and time
From the letter, we can infer that the context is in a concentration or labour camp, because of the details that are included of the hate to the Jews an the few food that the germans gave to them.
In the letter there are not specific words that tell us what is the time, but we can infer it. We can infer that is in the Holocaust, because the letter says something about the hate to the Jews, and also the few food that they could eat. With this we can infer that the time is the Second World War, specifically the Holocaust.
Explain to what extent the letter includes elements of context and time
From the letter, we can infer that the context is in a concentration or labour camp, because of the details that are included of the hate to the Jews an the few food that the germans gave to them.
In the letter there are not specific words that tell us what is the time, but we can infer it. We can infer that is in the Holocaust, because the letter says something about the hate to the Jews, and also the few food that they could eat. With this we can infer that the time is the Second World War, specifically the Holocaust.
Tuesday, November 12, 2013
Class Activity: Letter
Fatelessness
From Gyurka to his father:
Dear father:
It has been a week since I reached the concentration camp. I think that it is called Auschwitz or something like that. I miss you dad, I miss you very much. I miss mom, I miss my home, I miss my city, I miss everything, I want to go back!
They don't give me enough food, I am very hungry and thirsty, I don't know if I will survive...
I lost some friends, I don't know what happened to the smoker or to the boy with glasses. Luckily, I met one guy that is also from Budapest. Without him, I wouldn't be writting to you write know. I don't know to do. I feel weak, I have not strength. I am cold, I want the food of home! I hope you are having a better time than me, well, probably nobody can have a worse time that the one I am having right know.
Yesterday I almost falled to the floor with one of these sacks that we have to move. The german boss treated me very bad. Father, why do they hate us?
The think with I dream is to walk down the streets of Budapest again, with my new friend, but I don't know if I will hold. Everybody here is very bad. My friend is trying to help me, but I think that is impossible. Probably I will die here, probably I will never see you again, or mom. But I think it would be better, I don't want to continue suffering, I want this to finish, and many times I think dead is the better option.
Well, I love you dad, and I hope you will go back to home,
This can be a goodbye
With love,
Gyurka
302 words
From Gyurka to his father:
Dear father:
It has been a week since I reached the concentration camp. I think that it is called Auschwitz or something like that. I miss you dad, I miss you very much. I miss mom, I miss my home, I miss my city, I miss everything, I want to go back!
They don't give me enough food, I am very hungry and thirsty, I don't know if I will survive...
I lost some friends, I don't know what happened to the smoker or to the boy with glasses. Luckily, I met one guy that is also from Budapest. Without him, I wouldn't be writting to you write know. I don't know to do. I feel weak, I have not strength. I am cold, I want the food of home! I hope you are having a better time than me, well, probably nobody can have a worse time that the one I am having right know.
Yesterday I almost falled to the floor with one of these sacks that we have to move. The german boss treated me very bad. Father, why do they hate us?
The think with I dream is to walk down the streets of Budapest again, with my new friend, but I don't know if I will hold. Everybody here is very bad. My friend is trying to help me, but I think that is impossible. Probably I will die here, probably I will never see you again, or mom. But I think it would be better, I don't want to continue suffering, I want this to finish, and many times I think dead is the better option.
Well, I love you dad, and I hope you will go back to home,
This can be a goodbye
With love,
Gyurka
302 words
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