Monday, November 30, 2009

3 interesting facts about the Holocaust by Kaleb Rasmussen

I don't know why but I really enjoyed reading about this.
1. I bet you didn't know even disabled people were prosecuted?! Hitler must have been really paranoid.
2. What Nazi really means is: in German: Nationalsozialistishe Deutsche Arbeiterpartei or, in English: National Socialist German Workers Party. Long eh?
3. Did you know that Swastika was used in many, many countries like: in Chinese it is Wan, England is Fylfot, Germany is Hakenkreuz, Greece is either tetraskelion or gammadion, India is swastika, and even the US used it in WW1 as Swastika. But, swastika translates to svasticka which means "su" meaning "good", "asti" meaning "to be", and "ka" meaning "suffix". So the word together means goodly or to be in good manner.

Sunday, November 29, 2009

Xander Summers: Holocaust Websites

Three things I learned

90% of the population voted for Hitler

Black people were killed also not just the jews

The Nazis striped the jews IDs so they had none



In the Book thief it talks about people that didn't like hitler but thats all we really here about even though a lot of people liked him. And now I realize why rudy's dad warns him not to pretend to be a black man in germany. At first it confused me but now I get what was really happening. When Liesel's papa slapped her it confused me but now i realize that if 90% of the germans supported Hitler then it would be very dangerous to say that out in public.

Friday, November 27, 2009

Please Read My Story!! Janelle Leppink

Hey everyone! I was just looking on the comments for my last post, and no one is commenting. I need feedback so please read it! I know its long but its really good! I need to know corrections, spelling, anything you like, think I could change... Anything would be appreciated! Thanks for understanding and please comment! Its labled, "My Story" so look it up!

Thursday, November 26, 2009

Stuck (In a Lost Battle) By Melissa T. B.

Falling,
Into a deep hole,
Buried inside,
And I don't know,
Why I'm here.

Retalliation,
Suffocation,
I fought,
And I lost.

Stuck here,
Because of you,
Look in the mirror,
Look who's just as bad,
See who's even worse.

Retalliation,
Suffocation,
I fought,
And I lost.

Tortured,
By your lies,
That malicious look,
Preserved in your eyes,
It burns me.

Retalliation,
Suffocation,
I fought,
And I lost.

Was it worth it,
To fight,
Can I save,
Our rights,
Fight to the End,
Even if it means,
We'll all be dead.

Retalliation,
Dedication,
I will always fight,
For our rights.

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Other Quotes by Alison Carter

“To love is to risk not being loved in return. To hope is to risk disappointment. But risks must be taken because the greatest risk is to risk nothing. The person who risks nothing, does nothing, sees nothing, has nothing and is nothing. He cannot learn, feel, change, grow, love and live.” -Unknown

“Throw your heart out in front of you and run ahead to catch it.” -Arab Proverb

"When you get into a tight place and everything goes against you until it seems as though you could not hold on a minute longer, never give up then, for that is just the place and time that the tide will turn." -Harnet Beecher Stowe (1811-1896)

“We should give as we would receive, cheerfully, quickly, and without hesitation; for there is no grace in a benefit that sticks to the fingers.” -Seneca

"What matters is not the size of the dog in the fight, but the size of the fight in the dog.” -Coach Bear Bryant

“One of the most difficult things to give away is kindness, for it is usually returned.” -Mark Ortman

Read This Quote! by Alison Carter

(I know it's long, but it is really good!)
"We all live, but we don't know the why or the wherefore. We all live with the object of being happy; our lives are all different and yet the same. We have been brought up in good circles, we have the chance to learn, the possibility of attaining something, we have all reason to hope for much happiness, but... we must earn it for ourselves. And that is never easy. You must work and do good, not be lazy and gamble, if you wish to earn happiness. Laziness may appear attractive, but work gives satisfaction." -Anne Frank

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Quotes Taylor Tomlinson

Here are a few quotes I like.

"I've built a wall not to block anyone out, but to see who loves me enough to climb over it." -Unknown

"To the world you may be one person, but to one person you are the world..."
-Heather Cortez

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be?" -Marianne Williams

Thursday, November 19, 2009

Holocaust Notes By Blake Brockbank

Three things I have learned in discussing the Holocaust are
1-The word holocaust means destruction by fire, which fits the Nazis perfectly. They would burn about everything they could get their hands on.
2-The ghettos were used for imprisoned Jews. They also were very crowded and disease would spread very quickly in ghettos.
3-Hitler used propaganda to convince Germans to help his cause. He told them that Jews were the people making them suffer and it worked perfect for Hitler.

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Brilliant Words By Ellie Dow

Today after school my mom showed us this paper about growing up that she found somewhere and loved it so much that she wrote it down. This paper describes transforming from child to adult in such a beautiful, and brilliant way. Here it is, I hope you like it.Enjoy!


After a while you learn the subtle difference
Between holding a hand and chaining a soul.
And you learn that love doesn't mean leaning
and company doesn't mean security.
And you begin to learn that kisses aren't contracts
and presents are not promises
And you begin to accept your defeats
with your head up and your eyes open,
With the grace of an adult,
not the grief of a child.
And you learn to build all your roads on today
because tomarrow's road is too uncertain for plans.
After a while you learn that even sunshine burns
if you get too much.
So plant fyour own garden, and decorate your own soul,
instead of waiting for someone to bring you flowers.
And you learn that you really can endure.
That you really are strong.
And that you really do have worth.
So what do you think? Pretty powerful, huh? Make sure to comment! Thanks!

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

My Story! By Janelle Leppink

Chapter 1

Howard

A Night Without a Sound

The scratching on the window is what first awakened me. I walked to the window and looked out. When the bushes rustled I froze in my tracks. I listened for second sound and looked for another movement but none came. I walked back to my bed and slipped on my slippers and pulled on my robe. I walked to the hallway and I opened my bedroom door slowly. I walked into the hallway and slowly crept down the stairs. When I got to the middle step I cocked my ear toward the front of the house. Then suddenly the wooden door creaked open and I started to panic.
“I’m home,” my eighteen-year-old son called from the door.
I let my breath blow out of me. I had been holding it for that long second which felt like hours. I had thought they had tried to get me another time. I get so scared nowadays. Every creak, every sound puts me on the alert.
They had been at it for almost a year now. I must have been on to something. They had been following me and watching me like I was about to find something I wasn’t supposed to find. But I Howard Francis don’t know what is going on and I am going to find out.
***
Lawrence Lockington, the 86-year-old man, also known, as the husband of Annabelle Lockington was my friend. He was born on June 17, 1910 and was always a dear friend of mine even though most people believed that my great-grandfather had killed his wife 66 years ago. Yes that’s right my great-grandfather was the assumed assassin of a murder in the Mansion on Main Street. The murder mystery of the Mansion on Main Street was that on December 24, 1920 a woman named Annabelle Lockington was murdered in her bedroom during a Christmas party in her own home.
Let me tell you the story. Over 60 years ago a beautiful woman had a large fortune and mansion that took up a huge portion of her town. One night, she through a party that the entire town came to. She went upstairs to get more punch. When she didn’t come back down, her husband went to look for her. She was on her bedroom floor dead. Later it was discovered that some letters that had been sent by her mother who was killed in a work accident 10 years earlier, were also taken from the scene. It didn’t seem like a big deal until they found out that the letters had been stored in a safe with a complicated combination that had been broken into and wrenched open with a crowbar.
The question of how was she killed was still undecided. Some people think that she had opened the safe and that the chandelier that was shattered next to her body was what killed her. Others believe that a certain man named Jonathan Francis, who went upstairs soon after she went up there, was the one who killed her and took the letters. The only thing is, the day after the murder of Annabelle Lockington, Jonathan Francis was found hanging from a rope, the only source of truth, gone.
Here is the catch, Jonathan Francis is my great-grandfather.
***
You know when one of your ancestors does something wrong or are suspected of doing something wrong, you get to receive the punishment? Okay maybe you don’t but you get the idea.
I really lose my cool sometimes when people ask me what it is like to be the great-grandson of a murderer. That’s why in fifth grade when Joey Beckman told me my great-grandfather was a lying little sneak I punched him. I didn’t mean to, but I broke his nose. After that everyone was afraid of me. I knew that I needed to apologize but I couldn’t bring myself to do that. I had no friends and I was miserable. Back then I was a gangly teenage boy with a low self-esteem and a hard life.
That gangly boy grew up to be a lawyer and a really good one at that. When I look in the mirror I see a tall, tan, black haired man with a suit on and solemn look on his face. I am single and I have been looking for a wife for some time now. I have a girlfriend and we are pretty serious. I got a divorce from my former wife, but I got custody of our only son, Brock.
That afternoon, I went to work early because the case I was working on was a very long and complicated one. I left a note for Olivia, my girlfriend, and rushed out the door. On the cab to work, I was thinking about things going on and such, when out of my peripheral vision, I saw a man dressed in all black watching me from the side of the street. I thought nothing of it and went on my way to work. At the time, I knew nothing of my enemies… they were happier times. I finished my day at work and got home at around dinnertime. I was exhausted and as soon as I got home I plumped down on the couch and turned on the evening news. Olivia got home soon after I did and sat down at the table to do some studying for her schooling. When she finally finished, she came to sit down on my lap.
“How was your day at work honey?” she asked me conversationally.
“Great,” I mumbled, “ where is Brock?” I asked.
“He went to a movie with his friends,” said Olivia turning to the television.
Suddenly there was a knock at the door and I got up to answer it. I was pleasantly surprised to see Lawrence Lockington standing, hunched over at my door.
“Come in Mr. Lockington,” I said, hoping I didn’t sound too bored.
He chuckled, “How long have you known me, Howard? Just call me Lawrence.”
“Who is it honey?” hollered Olivia from the living room.
“Its Lawrence,” I hollered back. That is when I realized that Lawrence was still standing in the cold and I hurriedly stepped out of the way to let him in. I hung up his coat and we walked into the front room, just off the living room. Lawrence sat in the large armchair across from the large sofa sitting on the side of the room. I sat on the sofa and reached my hand down, instinctively, to touch the chest.
“So what brings you here today Lawrence?” I asked looking at the old man.
“Oh yes, well I just wanted to talk to you, that’s all,” Lawrence said, his voice steady.
At one point of the night, he and I got into a political discussion and there was some yelling, and then we were laughing and then crying, until the conversations were over and Lawrence walked out and was gone for the night. An hour later, after Brock got home from the movie with his friends, we all went to bed. As I laid there, trying to go to sleep, I thought about how much work I had ahead of me tomorrow.
I got up in the morning and went downstairs to get the paper. I was too tired to sit down and read it so I tucked it under my arm and went upstairs, to take a shower and get ready for the day at work. When I got upstairs, Olivia was already up and dressed.
“Do you want a cup of coffee?” she asked me, as she finished flat-ironing her hair, and unplugged it.
“Sure, do you want this?” I asked holding up the paper.
“Yes,” she said and snatched it from my hand and gave me a peck on the cheek. “See you downstairs,” she whispered as she playfully tugged at my hair.
“See you,” I said. I walked to my dresser and took out my clothes for the day. I wore the same boring suit and the same boring shoes everyday. As I finished towel drying my hair, I looked in the mirror and put lotion on my face. I smelled the coffee aroma coming from downstairs, so I hurried and finished putting on my shoes and socks.
As I walked down the stairs, I heard Brock walk out the door for school and yelled too late, “Love you son!”
I sauntered into the kitchen and saw a plate of toast and eggs with ketchup on it… my favorite. I sat at the table and saw Olivia washing Brock’s plate and cup.
“Anything interesting in the paper?” I asked as I put on my reading glasses and looked down on it.
She whirled around, her blonde hair swirling in a halo around her head.
“Howard! You scared me!” she exclaimed.
“Oh, sorry.”
“The front page story is about that little pawn shop on Main Street that got robbed again,” she said, turning to the sink.
I started to read the front page, but the picture seemed incomplete. Something was missing.
“Did they tear something down over there?” I asked questionably.
“Not that I know of,” Olivia said as she turned around and came to the table. “Show me.”
I gave the paper to her, and pointed to the spot that I thought something was missing from.
“Oh that’s the billboard for McDonald’s was torn down last week.”
I suddenly realized what seemed different. The large mansion that was over 100 years old was now showing. It used to be hidden by that large billboard and nobody ever thought about it being there. That was Annabelle Lockington’s mansion, and Lawrence Lockington’s current home.
I completely disregarded it until in the background, I saw a man. This man was holding a rake and had a very crooked look on his face. I immediately recognized him as the groundskeeper of the Mansion on Main Street. Every time I had met him, he had looked so cheery and happy. I wonder what was bothering him…
I glanced at the clock on the microwave and hurriedly stood up.
“I’m going to be late if I don’t get going,” I said running a brush through my hair one last time.
I kissed Olivia goodbye and left to go to work. I was driving along the back roads because the freeway was jammed, but really I wanted to drive by that old house on Main Street. The look on the groundskeeper’s face was really troubling me, and I didn’t know why.
I had just gotten off a case for lunch when I got a phone call from the hospital that my father was staying at. Now of course the only thing I thought was that my father was dead. But luckily enough, all the receptionist wanted was to tell me my father wanted to talk to me as soon as possible. My great-grandfather was at the back of my mind until my father got sick. I started thinking about how when my father died he would see my great-grandfather in heaven. I couldn’t wait any longer to go see my dad so I asked for a recess from the case I was working on and I rushed to the hospital as fast as I could what with the traffic! When I got to 257 Lakewood Avenue I finally was free of the hustle and bustle of the city. I was now on a quiet back road to the hospital.
I got there to see him about two hours before he died. He was really looking awful. The purple bags around his eyes were sagging almost to his cheeks. When I got there we had the usual greetings but I really wanted to know what he needed me for on his deathbed.
“Come sit down son,” he said quietly.
I went to him and knelt beside his hospital bed.
“ Could you hand me the glass of water over there?”
I picked up the glass cup and handed it to him. He sipped it slowly as if he were collecting his thoughts. I was starting to get impatient when he finally said, “ My whole life I have tried my hardest to clear your great-grandfathers name. To clear the name of the Francis family.”
I was listening intently now.
“ I want you to carry on the work I have started and to finally clear the name of Jonathan Francis,” he wheezed, “ I have a paper in the back of my dresser drawer that has all the information that I have collected in my lifetime. I want to take it and continue my work.”
I was completely stumped. I knew the story of my great-grandfather but I had never known that my own father had worked diligently on a long since solved mystery. “But, didn’t they find the evidence that grandpa was guilty?” I asked. I didn’t want to go against the law.
“No, no that groundskeeper did it! I know it! But I just have to prove it.” He ranted, wheezing louder than ever, “ Howard you promise me you will clear the name of Francis! Promise me!”
“I promise dad!” I had never seen him so excited before now. Once I said that, he sat back in his bed and took another sip of water.
“Like I said, all you have to do is get the paper in my drawer, do you understand?” he asked, his eyes glowing like stars.
“I understand,” I said, but I still was very confused about the whole thing. Why would I continue the work? I had my own life and I had my own plans. Why couldn’t my father tell one of my brothers to do it? I was so irresponsible! How could my father trust me with the name of the Francis family?






Chapter 2

The Discovery



The only thing I inherited from my father’s house was a large chest and a small wooden cane. My brothers are so selfish. Of course! I got the paper from my dad’s drawer! Although I was really interested in what could be inside that old black chest, I had other problems on my mind. I had a son who was in his senior year of high school, and a huge case that I was working on so I kind of put my father and the Jonathan Francis case in the back of my mind. The chest sat on my living room floor for almost three months. How was I supposed know that just by having that chest sitting there was a recipe for disaster?

Tell me what yout think! Suggestions, critique and complimants appreciated! Thanks!

Holocaust and Book Theif, by James Cosgrove

1. Many of victims of the Holocaust would actually swallow their possessions to keep the Nazis from finding and destroying them. One lady even swallowed her diamonds, and would keep repeatedly swallowing them.

2. The Nazis actually killed over 1.5 million children; Jews, Gypsies, and even just children with mild disabilities. Some of the children were even subjected to medical experiments.

3. When the U.S. was presenting evidence at Nuremberg against the Nazis, they had over 3,000 tons of documents that the Germans themselves recorded. The Nazis actually filmed themselves doing many of these inhumane acts, which the U.S. also used as evidence.

These connect to the book thief in many ways. All people have things that are valuable to them, like Liesel's books. Liesel probably wouldn't swallow the books, but she would do all she could to protect them. Liesel and all the children were definitely affected by these acts, as many of their classmates were probably killed too.

Names By A.B.

Do you ever hate it when someone misspells your name? Or says it wrong. This happened to me today and I hate it. Someone also spelled my penname wrong. Look in the back of your 08-09 yearbooks, they spell anonymous wrong. Dispiclible. Debate if you wish. This is the simple truth- people are idiots when it comes to names. -Anonymous Blogger

The Tragedy of the Holocaust by Stephanie Johnson

The Holocaust was one of the many tragic things that happened in our history. Here are three specific things that really surprised me that I learned.

1."Arbeit Macht Frei" means "Work Makes Free". This slogan would be above every gate connected to a concentration camp. The Nazis would tell the Jews that the more they worked, the quicker they would be free because of their dedication. It was all a lie just to get the Jews killed.
For the website, click here.

2. There were people called "Dentists" who weren't really dentists at all. What would happen is after a huge majority of the Jews were in the gas chambers, the poor people who had to clean up the dead bodies would take them to one of these "dentists". The "dentist" would then rip out any of the golden teeth that could be sold for money. I personally, would not like to have that done to me whether I was dead or alive.
I got this source from Mr. Pope's German class.

3. No one really had their own identity. You were only a number in the eyes of the Nazis. It was really interesting to me to find out that the Nazis never wasted a single thing. Hair was shaved off and made into pillows, mattresses, blankets, etc. Every piece of clothing was used in some way. No matter what it was you had, it would somehow be used to benefit the evil and wicked Nazi's death camps.
I got this source from Mr. Pope's German class.

I related all of these things to The Book Thief in the sense that I get this feeling that Liesel or one of her family members or friends will end up in a concentration camp and will get treated in these ways. It makes me sad to think that people were really treated like this and were killed if they did a single thing wrong.

Ms. L's Thoughts

Thanks for your insights and perspectives on the Holocaust and The Book Thief! I have learned and thought about many different things as I read your words.

I want to highlight a few great insights:

1. Elise made a deeper connection to the Greek meaning of Holocaust "destruction by fire" to our book, but to the Nazi's actions as well. Here are her words again, because she said it so well.
"Death, the narrator of The Book Theif informs us that Nazis love to burn things. The first thought that came to mind was the burning of the bodies that lined the walls of the death camps scattered about Europe. More deeper in the meaning of the word "Holocaust" was the idea of burning any "dangerous" reading material. Book burnings were commonly used to destroy any written object that might stir up rebellion. It even happened on the Furhers birthday, as shown in The Book Theif. I thought about how we are taught from an early age that reading is a key to a most wonderful freedom, the freedom of our minds. The Nazis were all about gaining complete control of their realm and found that destroying the books of the people was a powerful weapons that forced them to stay under control. Uniformed people are easy to control, but people who have their right minds about them will know what must be done to break free of the evil force consuming them. Scary?"~Elise Scott

2. Alex Crowell was very observant and noticed that Josef Goebbels, was also alluded to as a cat in the book. Read the specifics here: http://honors8.blogspot.com/2009/11/holocaust-search-alex-crowell.html

3.Dallas Anderson defined "pogroms" for us, which we read about in the Kristallnacht reading. He said, "Pogrom is a Russian word meaning “to wreak havoc, to demolish violently.”

Well done guys! Keep up the good work.

My Three Holocaust Facts by Allie Neff

Hey everyone!

I have learned a lot about the Holocaust, but here are just 3 of the facts I have learned:

-Adolf Hitler took advantage of the power he gained. It's really sad because everyone praised him. They thought that he was the solution to their problems. But instead, he was a MUCH bigger conflict. He killed millions! Here's a pic of people who perished from the gas chambers: click here
-Hitler and his fans (I guess you could call them) made fun of others for their religious beliefs. They TORTURED the people!
-Hitler would put the people in concentration camps (they killed a bunch of people!) Depending on their condition, they would have to work as slaves or die.

How sad is that? I hope all that information was completely true. I put the info in my own words... What do you think?

Things I learned about the Holocaust By Janelle Leppink

  1. Hitler was a very good and trustable person at the first and that everyone liked him even. I always thought that the community in Germany never wanted Hitler to be the ruler of their country and he just took over with his small band of followers. We need to be careful about the government now in our community and make sure they don’t get as powerful as Hitler and his men got.
  2. I learned that Hitler killed approximately six million people in his reign. He was a very power hungry man and I think that he needed some real help. Six million is a lot of people to kill in just a short time. Hitler was a very scary man to think about because of all the horrible things he did to the citizens of his country.
  3. I learned that Hitler really did believe that there was a superior race called the Aryan race and he really believed that a person with blonde hair and blue eyes we better than the brown hair and brown eyed people. It is kind of funny because Hitler had brown hair and brown eyes. Hypocrite huh?

The Holocaust relates to The Book Thief in that a lot of the things that they do and things that occur in the book also really happened in real life. The book burnings really happened in Germany. One of “Mamas” customers Weingarter’s have a cat named Little Goebbels. Hitler’s first hand man was named Josef Goebbels. Hitler also made the Jews feel very inferior and in the Book Thief, Hitler has caused it that a whole street is marked as Jew streets. All the doors are marked with yellow stars to signify that the family that lives there are inferior and not as important. These things really happened and the people of Germany believed them. I feel that the Book Thief really is a historical- fiction about the Holocaust.

Holocaust By Taylor Tomlinson

My Three Facts (even though I wasn't here :3)

1. Over 6 million Jews, Communists, Socialists, Gypsies, non-Aryans, and people with disabilities were killed.

2. Jews were gassed in chambers using carbon monoxide

3. Prisoners revolted much more then we think they did. There was Sobibor, Treblinka, Warsaw..etc

Many people were killed in this war, as we see in the book thief. Liesel (the main character) has to endure many hardships. This relates to the Holocaust because Liesel grows up during WWII, she hides a Jew like so many others, and must endure the hardships of being in a war, like watching the death marches, the book burning, rationing, and so much more.
Holocaust Facts by Madelin Crapo:

Hundreds of Jewish communities were completely destroyed

Jewish people were mass murdered is gas chambers that used carbon monoxide gas

Besides the main Auschwitz camp there was Auschwitz one, two and three

During the Holocaust, Jews were not treated like human beings. They were taken from their homes and forced to leave all that they loved behind. Jews and other groups of people were taken to concentration camps and killed and tortured in horrible ways. The Nazi's would take them on death marches to hopefully kill them off quicker. But, there were still people that helped in this terrible time. There were so called "Aryans" that hid and helped Jews risking their owns lives.

Holocaust by Savid Acuna

1. More than six million Jews, Gypsies, Communists, Socialists, Jehovah's Witnesses, and homosexuals were killed during the Holocaust.

2. The ghettos were also used to imprison Jews.

3. The Nazis liked to burn down anything they could.

Some Jews went in hiding during WW II, just like Max does. sleeping in a small, dark room. Eating little, if nothing, everyday. The Nazis had many fires; they burned anything from houses to chairs and books. The Nazis were everywhere, in small towns and farms.

Monday, November 16, 2009

Holocost facts my Maddie McMillan

MY THREE FACTS:

>Even Germans were effected

>EVERYTHING WAS BURNED

>Blacks were discriminated just like Jews were.


In both the regular holocaust and the book theif dealed with parades for Nazis and lots of burnings. In the beginning of the Book Theif, death talks about Jews being shipped in carts for a short time. In the Holocaust Jews are forced to live in a cart for a few weeks with little food, water, and no bathroom or other clothes. People died in those carts. When they died they were either left in there until they reached the camp or thrown on the side of the road. As said earlier, black people were not treated well. An Olympic Gold medalist didn't get to shake Hitler's hand because he hated black people. In both the Holocaust and the Book Theif i think of Hitler as a pig. And a liberal freak who got one speech too many. By maddie McMillan

Holocost By McCall Mash

  • The concentration camp Sobibior had its prisoners revolt and more than half of the prisoners who escaped survived the escape.
  • In 1939 six main concentration camps had been established Dachau, Sachsenhausen,BuchenWald,FlossenBĂĽrg,Mauthausen andRavensbrĂĽck.
  • Jewish people were not the only persecuted during World War II others were the Gypsies, prisoners of war and the non "Aryan" people.

How The Book Theif relates to the holocost is the the main charecter is growing up in germany during world war II, at first she does not talk much about what is going on but she soon is starting to understand that what s going on here really is terrible, and we start to learn a little bit more about not just her life but the lives of other people in world war II.

The Holocaust and The Book Thief by Kyleigh Cooper

Three things I learned while searching the websites were:
-Beginning around 1939 Hitler started the “Euthanasia” program, which was the killing of mentally ill or disabled people. Part of this program was also the killing of babies and toddlers who showed signs of having disabilities. They would simply put the children “to sleep." This was done by giving them drug overdoses. In the end about 200,000 individuals were murdered through the "Euthanasia" program.

-Auschwitz was responsible for the largest amount of European Jews murdered. Over one million people were killed there. Nine out ten of them were Jews.

-Many other groups were persecuted besides the Jews, such as the Roma. They were more commonly known as Gypsies. They were said to have alien or “degenerate” blood, meaning that they were criminals and inferior.

The Book Thief starts out at the beginning of World War II from the European perspective. Liesel has been separated from her family and put into foster care. Her father is missing (probably dead), her brother died and she doesn’t know where her mother is. For many Jewish families this is what their situation was like. Many had no idea where their family members went and sadly, if they were even still alive.

Holocaust by Ammon Harris

Here are some things I learned about the Holocaust.
1. 90% of German voters voted Hitler as their new Fuhrer.
2. Total Jews that died represented 1/3 at that time.
3. 1.5 million children were killed during the Holocaust.

The Book Thief shows some people complaining about Hitler but with 90% of the votes some of the complainers must have still voted for him. The book shows how the nazis didn't care much for the children. 1.5 million children were killed. The main character in the book thief had her brother die next to her in a train because the nazis didn't care for the Jews.

Holocaust by Peter Rosen

1. Germans used propaganda techniques used by the Allies in World War I.
2. Hitler's opinion on Jews were a result of the views of a childhood hero.
3. People who were opposed to the Nazi's were considered non-Aryan.

Each of these facts are connected to The Book Thief in some way. The first fact adresses propaganda. Obviously these techniques were very successful. This is shown by Rudy's father's fear of Jews running him out of business. The second fact doesn't connect in the way you might think. It shows how things around you can affect you. An example of this is Liesel's habit of swearing developed by living around her foster mother. The third fact has an excellent example of it in The Book Thief. When Hans Huberman goes to pick up Mein Kampf, the Nazi's there show that they don't like him. His own son also shows that he thinks his father is worse because he is not a member of the Nazi Party.

Holocaust; Kelsey Ross

Here are three things I learned about when I went to Holocaust websites:

1. A Danish resistance movment along with ordinary citizens freed 7, 200 Jews and took them to Sweden, where they would be safe. Click here to read the story.

2. The Holocaust was in 20 European countries!

3. The Slobadka Ghetto made a yearbook of the year 1942. THis includes how many people were killed daily, and their laws and boundries. To see this yearbook, click here.

This connects to "The Book Theif" because it during that time. When we get deeper into the book, the story will talk more about the Jews. I find when I read these survivor stories, that many people made friends that helped them along the way. Liesel had three friends like that; Mama, Papa and Rudy.

The Holocaust and the Book Theif by Sierra Iams

These are the three main things I learned while exploring these sights on the Holocaust:
-There were 20,000 camps that were built in order to work torture innocent people to death
-Around 6,000,000 jews were killed during this tragic time period. However around 200,000 gypsies were killed as well.
-The Auschwitz camp held the responsibility for the most deaths.

The Book Thief and the Holocause connect in many ways. In the book thief people were expected to treat Hitler was treated like a god. People were expected to worship him by saying "Heil Hitler" daily, which was the circumstance in the actual Holocaust as well. Hitler had the biggest impact on the Jews lives during that time period to the point of excessive. As i get further into the book, i'm seeing more and more similarities between the two.

Christmas music! By Ellie Dow

I know what most of you are thinking, Christmas music already. You have got to be kidding me. You're pushing out Thanksgivi-ng. Well, some of us music lovers beg to differ. Music for me is an art and an expression. Christmas is the time of joy and happiness.
It's where you spend time with your families and huddle around and watch younger siblings faces light up with big smiles as they unwrap their gift to find that it's the thing at the top of their list. It's a time where old and new friends get together and go sledding and when they reach the bottom of the hill snow splashes on their faces and when they're done they gather inside and drink hot cocoa by the warm, roasting fire.

I love Thanksgiving. It's my favorite holiday. But no offense, it doesn't have any fun music. During the holidays I love to turn up the radio and sing my heart out to Mariah Carey's 'All I want for Christmas is you' with my sisters until my mom yells,"QUIET!" and my sisters and I laugh and laugh and have a wonderful time.

Everyone has a favorite Christmas song that they're dying to hear in the winter, including you. Don't protest the music, just sing along!

Holocaust By: Tessa Yates

1. The most medical of all Auschwitz killing methods was the phenol injection. A patient was brought to a treatment room and there administered a drug by a physician or (in most cases) his assistant, who wore a white coat and used a syringe and needle for the injection. This drug would kill the patient immediately.
http://www.spectacle.org/695/inject.html

2. In 1933, Hitler established a Reich Ministry of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda headed by Joseph Goebbels. The Ministry's aim was to ensure that the Nazi message was successfully communicated through art, music, theater, films, books, radio, educational materials, and the press.
http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/article.php?ModuleId=10005202

3. In 1993, there were over 9 million Jews in Europe. By 1945, the Germans had killed nearly every 2 out of 3 European Jews.
http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/article.php?lang=en&ModuleId=10005143

Relating the Book Thief to the Holocaust

How does the Book Thief relate to the Holocaust? There are many examples illustrated in the Book Thief that relate to World War II. One example is the "Aryan" people. The Aryans had light hair (blonde) and blue eyes. They were thought to be more important than other people that were not of the race. One of the characters in the book that is Aryan is Rudy. In the chapter, The Jesse Owens Incident, Rudy covers his face with charcoal to make himself look like Jesse Owens. Rudy's dad almost has a heart attack when he sees Rudy like this. Many people during the Holocaust, just like Rudy's dad, were brainwashed by Hitler to believe that the Aryan race was better than other races.

Oh My Gosh!! (Please Read) by Jasmine Crespo

Oh my gosh. Have you ever typed your name in google? Well if you do it on Bing.com you'll get better results. Oh my gosh is that there are so many Jasmine Crespo's in the world. One of them is even from Venezuela were my dad is from and were his family still lives. My name even came up on the blog. The Internet is amazing. Try your name and see what pops up.(Use Bing.com it's easier.) -Jasmine Crespo

Holocaust and The Book Thief By Cassidy Nelson

These are some of the things that i learned while exploring the Holocaust.

1. By the end of the Holocaust, The Nazis had killed about two out of every three Jew in Europe.
2. Between 1941 and 1944 The Nazis had deported millions of Jews out of Germany and neighboring countries to Death Camps to be gassed, shot, or tortured.
3. There were 20,000 camps built to imprison these innocent people.

This information connects to The Book Thief. In the book, Germany and Hitler have already started to discriminate by race and religion and people are already starting to praise Hitler like a God. At the store in the story where you have agree with Hitler to even walk in, people start to think that that is the right thing to do. This was truly a time of dishonor and shame for the human race. Like we said before, Never Again.

-Cassidy Nelson

The Diary- By A.B.

Hello again. Here is some straight truth for the blog: Girls are stereotypes- Point in case, My best friend is a girl. (I'm not saying whether I'm a boy or a girl.) She is in love with Joe Jonas. This is soo typical of the average girl. Name me one girl that isn't on team Edward or team Jacob. Difficult right? I got this information from her diary though. It fell from her backpack one day. I picked it up to find that it was of course a "Jonas" journal and she had team something stickers on it. Boys can be stereotypical too. Ever think Taylor Swift was hot? You may be a stereotype. Just telling the truth. If anyone disagrees, state your opinion. After all, one must fall for others to rise. Sincerely and truthfully-
-A.B.

The Beginning of A.B. by Anonymous Blogger

Hello, I'm a student just like you. I just think that names are useless. I'm going to start blogging anonymously and tell the truth. Such as- If I like a boy/girl, then I would say-- I love you. Look for my articles and enjoy blunt, straight truth.
Sincerly,
A.B.

The next chapters of 26 ways to fail.- Jasmine Crespo

I'm not doing NaNoWriMo anymore, so I'm just going to post my story on here until next year because it is too much of a pressure to finish my novel in a month. I'd have to spend 3.2 hours a night until the 30th in order it get it done and that's if I type 15words per minute with no breaks or pauses. Here's some 26 ways to fail.


C is for “Cooking“-
July 7,
Okay, it’s taken me a while to recover, or maybe it’s procrastination. Now I’m going to try my next stunt. (Drum roll please!) Cooking. I’m going to get Mom to help me. I’m going to try to make... What should I make? I’ll start with the basics; yes, that is what I’m going to do! Now I think I’m insane for arguing with myself. On to another subject.
I’m going to try to make an egg. It’s going to be exciting! Here is my pathetic drawing of an egg-(I never said it was in the shell.) Ă 
I’m sure there is no way to mess this up. I mean, a three year old
can cook an egg.
There is a way to mess an egg up, not just in edibility, but
in every way possible. That leads me up to way to fail #3a. Yes,
there are multiple ways to mess cooking up.
Way to fail #3a-
Cooking an egg is easy, right? Unless you’re Sam Bradley, yes. An egg can be a delicious meal, or a possible biological threat. Forget to butter the pan, destroy your mother’s best pan. Also, singe off your evil little sister’s eyebrows. It may have been an accident, but smile anyway.
As indicated above, my evil little sister got a taste of fire. I’m suppressing my laughter now. She’s now surprised at everything. I give up on eggs but not cooking.
The eggs, though easy, burn easily. A biological threat it may be because it created so much smoke in my kitchen, it mutated my neighbors goldfish. They are now also suicidal; I am blamed for that too.
Cooking is an art, says my mother. I could say that also. I wonder if there is a cook my numbers if cooking is like art. Do not say this to my mother; she will most likely make you read the dictionary after analyzing you. Physiatrists, the weirdest mothers.
I would ask my Dad to teach me to cook, but he is too busy. And the only things he makes are covered in ketchup or sugar. This is why he makes meatloaf. I would attempt to try such a task if only it weren’t way to fail # 3b.
Way to fail #3b-
Meatloaf my be even simpler that an egg. Again, if your name happens to be Sam Bradley, you can screw about anything up. Meat when pink is raw, meat when brown is cooked, meat is black when burnt and finally, meat disappears when burnt to ashes.
I tried, I failed. Story of my life. The meatloaf was perfect! My hopes were so high! I spent the majority of my afternoon shaping the raw meat of a deceased cow into a perfect cylindrical shape. I mixed the meat with about every spice I could possibly gather in my kitchen. I next added my dreaded enemy eggs to the mix. This might have contributed to my utter failure. I added some bread crumbs for texture. My mother told me I had to or I’d sleep outside until I was eighteen.
I goofed around with the mix for a brief amount of time. I eventually made a sculpture of my *cough* beloved *cough* sister Shelby. I showed it to her. I even “forgot” to sculpt some eyebrows for her meat head. My mother saw and shot me an evil glance. The evil stare of a mother is more brutal and heart wrenching then any form of torcher in the world. Here is a picture of my masterpiece. Ă 
I must say it has an uncanny likeness. I added color in my spare time with M&M’s ®. Also, a raisin is her mouth. I might just create my own line of annoying people out of hamburger.
After making fun of my sister, I shaped it into a perfect log. I dumped my hearts content of ketchup and two kinds of sugar on it. I used the brown kind and the white kind. I pre-heated the oven just like my mother told me to. I waited a half hour just for it to heat up! I carefully placed the food in the oven. I think it went smoothly until I entered in the time for the timer wrong. I put in one minute instead of one hour. The timer sounded quickly, but I didn’t notice because I went outside. I have the one task in my house that I could I could possibly do, feed my beagle Biscuit.
Biscuit is the only one in my house that understands me. His big puppy-dog eyes warm the hearts of any angry mob that seems to be chasing me. I was going to feed him and I started playing fetch with him, one thing led to another and I was out there for two hours.
Meat is pink when raw, that I know for sure. Brown is what I was aiming for. I got the black and hour through the process. My end result of dinner was ashes. Cooking with heat may not be the best idea. I’ll just call it quits. Even though there was this recipe for zabaglione-Italian dessert: a dessert made of egg yolks, sugar, and Marsala wine beaten over hot water until pale and foamy. It is served hot with sponge finger biscuits. It seems too complicated for me. I have set fire to the curtains hanging in the window. This is typical so I’m not going any further with this statement.
I would draw my disastrous result but all you would see was dust. NOTE: NEVER sample disastrous results. I tasted the meatloaf ashes; it was so disgusting that I puked right on the spot. Very interesting I hope. I now officially give up on cooking. No matter where or when, the most I can cook is nothing. I actually burnt water! I just though that was a figure of speech! I, Sam Bradley, burn water!
The impossible is inevitable- three down, twenty three to go.

Talent Date Success Failure
A- Archery June 5 N/A x
B- Bowling June 17 N/A x
C- Cooking July 7 N/A x
D is for “Diving“-
July 10,
Okay, this could have been avoided but I was too lazy to think of anything else. Besides, it’s a hot 100 degree weather, perfect for the pool. I have learned that none of my friends already listed have any diving experience. I don’t want to take a class so I made a new friend! The only other girl that could speak to me besides Lilly is Michelle Russo. Yes, I made friends with my mom, friend’s daughter. It was a pathetic attempt, but Michelle was made to help me. That is one reason why we both hate having physiologists for mothers. So here is Michelle’s information. She told me this all on the way to the pool
Michelle Russo-
Michelle is my newest friend that is sporty. She has a mother that is friends with mine so that is how we met. We are both analyzed by our mothers and forced to try new stuff. This is the main thing we have in common. She is sporty and is on a swim team. Michelle is two years older than I am. Her description would be her long black hair and the sharp chin she has.
That is basically Michelle.
I’m changing into my swimsuit right now, it’s way too short, but it was the only one my size. It is five inches up my thigh. This is going to be more embarrassing than I thought.
I waddled out of the locker room to meet Michelle, her mother reserved the pool for us because she new my bad history with evacuations. I think I’m the only person on the Earth to set fire to a pool, while standing IN the water.
Michelle tried teaching me. Remember how there are no bad students, just bad teachers? Well, even if an Olympic diver had taught me how to dive, I still would have failed. This leads me to Way to Fail #4
Way to Fail #4-
I am not a fish. Fish are friends not food. These have nothing to do on how to fail. Practically drown in three feet deep water. Attempt a cannon ball . Make a minor splash, drown again. Try to dive and belly-flop. Lose dignity and look like a red version of yourself. A sunburned Sam.
“Sam, my mother is making me teach you so no special treatment.” said Michelle. “ Now the first thing you do is make yourself as smooth as possible on your entry into the water. Other-wise, you’ll be in for a lot of pain. Keep your arms above your head. Do you think you can do that?”
“Can I do a cannonball instead?” I asked.
“Sure, no way can you mess that up.” said Michelle.
I climbed up the ladder to the platform. I walked cautiously up the board. I jumped once, twice, three times before falling off. I attempted to roll up in a ball for entry. I tucked my long legs into my torso, awaiting the cold splash of the pool water. I felt away from my body for a brief second, then I awoke to the icy chill, I then realized I was well under twelve feet of water. I attempted to swim back up, but my body wouldn’t let me. I was cramping up. The water around me started getting darker and colder as I was running out of breath. I saw Michelle jump into the water with fish-like grace. Then it became black.
I awoke to Michelle slapping me. How she carried me up, I’ll never know. I attempted one more time, this time I was actually going to dive. I assumed the position and jumped in head first. I almost made it. I belly flopped. I can still feel the burns. Down I went like a pancake. My whole entire front side red like a strawberry. I’m grateful though that my shorts did not come off in the process. I would never in a million years live that down.
I keep telling Michelle thank you for saving my life but she keeps calling me an idiot. There are way more than twenty six ways to fail, but I’m finding out that most are similar.
Here’s the updated chart.
Talent Date Success Failure
A- Archery June 5 N/A x
B- Bowling June 17 N/A x
C- Cooking July 7 N/A x
D- Diving July 10 N/A x
E is for “Exploring“-
July 15,
My near death experience didn’t teach me a lesson. If it did, I wouldn’t be writing this. My talent might be exploring so I’m going to give it a try. I’m still coughing up water, it’s disturbing. My family is finally letting me go camping with Jesse’s. Their reason was because it was good for me or I had just destroyed most of the house already and they needed to repair.
Exploring. Not exactly, what I would call exciting. Not that I’ve ever been camping before. I haven’t even slept in a tent. Whatever, we get to go in a Hummer though, it’s going to be awesome! Just Jesse, his two younger brothers, and me are going, well, and Jesse’s dad too. Jesse’s younger brothers are Simon and Michael. They are eleven year old twins. They have something in common with me, they screw things up too. This is why they are possibly the only eleven year olds on earth with kiddies’ leashes on their backs. It’s hilarious to tie one to a post when they aren’t looking and make them run. It’s cruel, I know, but oh so entertaining.
We are going to basically the middle of nowhere to camp. We were originally going to bring Kevin along, before he strapped himself underneath the car in order to get a “thrill”. Honestly, I have no idea what goes through his head.
We have arrived at the forest. It has a weird smell to it, well I think it’s the forest. I’m a city kid, so I’m going to have a hard time. Jesse was practically born in the out doors so he gets to teach me.

I'll post more later-JJ

The Heart- Another novel by Jasmine Crespo

Okay this is ANOTHER novel. Not my fault- I'm just a multi-tasker. This is unedited so don't mock. I'll post the edited one later.





The Heart-
Prologue-

In the Kingdom of Sunder, there is peace. There is no need for heroes when there are no villains. This would seem logical if you knew the reason, The Heart. The Heart or as it is called se heorte, is a magical charm which none have seen, except for the royal family. A great sorcerer bestowed the magic of this charm thousands of years ago, back when the Five Sons originally claimed Sunder.
The Five Sons are the founding kings of Sunder that were the closest any humans could be with each other. This would last until the evil sorceress, Lea, would cause turmoil between the brothers. Lea used her powers to make the brothers fall in love with her.
The eldest, David, fell madly in love with her first. David made her his queen, which is how she made her next attempt. Lea used her powers again to trick a brother, named Sime, who was the next oldest, into helpless love and longing. Sime too fell in love with her, and she now being his brother’s wife, he was jealous. He plotted and schemed to get rid of his brother, for love blinded him. Sime committed the first of four killings. In the dead of night, he slit David’s throat, making no noise in the process. The remainder of the brothers awoke in the morning; finding nothing but Sime’s cold dead body on the floor, with their Brother David’s blood surrounding him. Written in this blood was this: “A cold, Dark night conceals a long lost fright.”
The brothers searched the entire castle for there brother David’s body, only to find that it was strewn across the gates of Sunder, a grim welcome for those whom wished to enter. Lea was nowhere to be seen. The brothers then left were Thomas, Roth and Richard. The brothers were unaware that Lea was a sorceress, if they did, they wouldn’t have suffered this horrible fate. Lea transformed herself into a different person. This is why she is so hard to describe, she transforms to the moment. One day she might be an innocent beggar on the streets- then the she-devil form she most often takes. The she-devil persona is a woman of tall stature, with fire red hair that is worn down as to go to her waist. Her eyes gleam fire. This is why no man can stare at her in the eyes with out falling for her.
Lea transformed herself into a brunette beauty. She turned her rich skin a pale peach and her fire red hair a deep brown. The brothers would never recognize her. Except for her eyes-, she could never change the evil that emitted from them. This is what she did in order to carry out her devious plan to take over Sunder.
Lea lured Roth and Richard away from young Thomas. The two fought to the death for her hand. Lea was in complete and absolute power, until Thomas stood tall. After the death of all four of his eldest brothers, Thomas knew something was wrong. Each brother was murdered by each other or by another source. He knew it was something magical. He knew it was the girls. Or was it a girl? Thomas sensed that the sorceress was near, he just couldn’t pin it on this brunette beauty or the blonde named Lea, though they both ran away after his brothers died.
A third woman appeared. She was more a girl than a woman for Thomas was only sixteen. The appearance of this woman can never recollected for she disappeared as quickly as she came. She tried to seduce him too. However, failed. Thomas deducted that all of his brothers died after meeting the girls that were from other kingdoms. So he ran. Thomas ran to the most powerful sorcerer of the time, Earkl. The rumor is that The Heart is Thomas’s heart, charmed for all eternity to protect his people and hold the kingdom together. The reason only Thomas was unable to fall for Lea, was that he was young, only seventeen at the time and in love with another. His heart was valiant and could not be swayed.
The speculation of the heart is that it is Thomas’s heart. But how could that be when he fell in love with a girl- his future queen, Jelle. Thomas fell in love with her a year earlier, when they first claimed the land. There is something you must understand this in order to comprehend this story, you are full grown when you are fourteen. A legal adult. So Thomas ventured with his brothers for it was destiny- and you can’t defy your destiny.
The brothers discovered this land, which is more an island than mainland, in the dead of night- when they were following the stars for answers. There was no government to be heard of and the city was rampant. People murdered in the streets- for a simple penny, stores robbed if not protected by a magical shield. The brothers brought order to the land by sub ruling in five areas. David ruled the north end- where all the forests were- and the most wild of beasts lived. Sime ruled the sea and the rainforests, which were abundant with life. Roth ruled the east of the land for he was too incompetent to rule much more. Richard was given the south of the island- the ruins of battles past. This left Thomas with the west- the farmlands.
The farmlands don’t seem much to the average person, but underneath its humble appearance, you will find the most talented magicians.
Thomas, when he turned seventeen, journeyed to his land that he ruled. He went quietly, as not to attract attention to himself. If he did- most of the people would not be honest with him. He wanted to be treated like a normal person- not a king, for his journey. It was easily done for he was only king for a year and almost none had seen him.
He did not go empty handed though. Thomas bought himself a piece of land to farm and to end any suspicion that might arise. Thomas walked through the village to get his bearings. He stopped in the middle of the road when he saw a beautiful girl- a young sorceress- practice her magic in an old music shop. He saw the delight in her eyes as she rearranged the room with a flick of her hand. The pianos moved as they played festive melodies with sheet music darting across the room. Fluttering like butterflies the sheet music surrounded and lifted the girl up to the ceiling.
Thomas couldn’t help himself; he quietly crept into the shop and watched her even further. The girl didn’t notice the intruder for she was too preoccupied. She was so engrossed, only the applause of Thomas awoke her from her trance. The music crashed down and the piano keys went out with a bang.
“What are you doing here!” the girl yelled.
Thomas jumped back in surprise and was shy for he thought that she was the most beautiful girl in the universe. He was lost in her amazingly violet eyes. You may think Thomas would have reacted differently, him being king, but he was still a teenage boy. He blushed and stuttered.
“I-I’m sorry. I was just watching. You’re amazing.” Thomas said.
The girl glanced over him and decided that he was harmless and honest.
“I forgive you. Let’s start over. Hello, I’m Jelle. Who are you?” Jelle said kindly.
“I’m Thomas.” said Thomas
“Nice to meet you Thomas. A tip, next time you sneak into my shop, don’t scare me.” said Jelle.
Thomas was honest. That is why Jelle fell for him. Thomas came every day after that. One day Thomas asked her if she would accompany him to the ball. Jelle said yes, but then Thomas was called back to the castle. Jelle was left alone. This is about the time that the murders occurred.
Thomas’s life was saved for he loved this girl. After he had become the only king, he was lonely and depressed. The kingdom would fall into peril if he went back to Jelle. So he hired an imposter to sit in his place and lull the people into thinking he was there. Thomas rushed off in the cold winter night, on his horse; he raced to Jelle’s homeland.
Thomas settled back into his new home, rehearsing what to say to Jelle. Would she forgive him? He paced around his room, with a necklace in his hand. The crystal on it was a blood red for inside this crystal, was dragons blood. Dragons blood was and is the most cherished item that one could ever possess. After the Great Wars, all the dragons were extinct. In Thomas’s other hand was a ring. He would propose to this wonderful girl.
In the morning, Thomas arrived at the old music shop where he usually saw Jelle. She was alone, sitting in a corner, delicately playing a desolate song on the piano. Thomas opened the door quietly, as not to disturb her. He walked to where she was sitting and tapped her shoulder. She turned around and saw his face.
“Thomas!” she exclaimed.
“I’m sorry I left. I have something to tell you.” Thomas said.
“It doesn’t matter! I’m so glad you are alive!” said Jelle.
Jelle stood up and dragged Thomas to the middle of the room by his arm. They then resumed their conversation.
“You are?” asked Thomas.
“Yes I am. I was afraid you were dead because you didn’t come to the ball. I know you would never do something like that. I assumed the worst.” Jelle replied.
“How could I make up for missing our date?” Thomas asked.
“Take me to dinner. That’s all I need.” Jelle said.
“That’s all you need?” said Thomas getting closer to her.
“Yes?” she said unsurely
Thomas then leaned close enough to her that he could smell the flower that was in her hair. Thomas held Jelle close. Bringing her closer to him inch by inch. This all took a few seconds but it seemed like years to them. They kissed each other for the first time. It lingered on their faces afterwards and Jelle was filled with joy. She smiled and said, “Maybe not.” They embraced repeatedly until Thomas took Jelle to his house to eat and to ask her a question.
Jelle was giddy from the kisses she had received earlier. She was levitating the salt and pepper as she watched Thomas prepare the meal. They sat down and ate. Looking at each other all the while. Then Thomas got up and walked behind her. He then slipped the necklace around her neck. She opened her eyes and exclaimed at the necklace.
“Thomas! It’s beautiful!” Jelle said.
“It’s only as beautiful as you Jelle.” Thomas said.
He then got down on one knee and said the following:
Jelle, will you be my queen?” Thomas asked
“What do you mean queen?” Jelle asked.
“I am King Thomas and I love you Jelle.” Thomas said admittedly.
The expression on her space was blank. Jelle leaned in close and kissed Thomas.
“Yes.” she said.
This is when they were both still seventeen. They both died at nineteen. Queen Jelle died first in King Thomas’s arms. She was poisoned by an unknown source. Thomas was heartbroken. He ran to Earkle and this is how the heart came to be. Thomas needed a protector to Sunder and The same protection and kindness the Jelle would bring. Earkle obliged and King Thomas went back to rule the kingdom when he was murdered. It was rumored that the driver committed the murder. for he was nowhere to be seen. And all the townsfolk thought he was evil for he had fire in his eyes.
In the heart of the castle, lies a box with a single rose embellished on it. There is where the heart lies. It is locked with a magic that only Earkl the sorcerer can break, and when he does, he locks it repeatedly to protect it from Sunder’s enemies. It keeps peace and safety to Sunder.
An evil took over Sunder by killing the queen and king. This evil started a new monarchy. All had to be ruled over by Jelni. He was a cruel and horrid ruler. Only caring about himself and not the kingdom.
Jelni did not know that King Thomas and Queen Jelle had a son, Vincent. The villagers saved him after the tragedy of his parents’ deaths. When he grew up, he over through the new monarch in a great battle. He regained his throne and restored peace to Sunder. This peace would last until now, when the heart is stolen.
A massacre occurred in the dead of night. Everything in the castle destroyed. The heart of the castle, which kept the heart, was ransacked with the box, which contained the heart open with a heart of light- a mirage if you will- which had words written on it in black blood: “A cold, Dark night conceals a long lost fright.”
This sent fear into the souls of all the people for when you are a little child in Sunder you are taught those words in order to understand Sunder’s history. Many have analyzed these words for their meaning. None have figured exactly what it means. This leads to the beginning of a new hero, or heroine. This leads to Asji.

Holocaust Love Stories and How Love Relates- By Jasmine Crespo

Okay, I'm love romances and here's what I learned with some stories:
1.Love can survive the most horrible situations.
He was a teenager in a death camp in Nazi-controlled Germany. She was a bit younger, living free in the village, her family posing as Christians. Their eyes met through a barbed-wire fence and she wondered what she could do for this handsome young man.She was carrying apples, and decided to throw one over the fence. He caught it and ran away toward the barracks. And so it began. If you would like to read more go to- http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/10/12/national/main4516393.shtml
2. Even though this story was made up- it gave hope to people and hope is what helped people survive.
3. Hitler was merciless in his killings. If you disagreed with him, you were as good as dead.

Love can survive anything, especially hate. In this world, with out hope, love and kindness, we'd all be lost in a sea of hate and self pity. Those who survived the holocaust are still loving caring people. Even those that helped the Jews are still loving. I believe that even some Nazis loved before Hitler hardened their hearts with fear. Love is in The Book Thief, Leisel loves her Papa and even Mama loves her in some weird way. Love can survive all. -Jasmine Crespo

The Holocaust and the Boook Theif, By Blake Harsh

1) During the span of the Holocaust, we all know there were around 6,000,000 Jews killed. We all are aware of that because Hitler was mainly focused on them. Something we might not know is that around 200,000 Gypsies were killed and well over 200,000 mentally or physically handicapped people were also "exterminated".

2) In some Places, Jews were forced to live in the miserable ghettos, were they were treated like rats. If that wasn't bad enough, they never knew when or if Nazis were going to come in and kill everyone there. Some ghettos lasted for months, even years, while others didn't even last a week.

3) Adolf Hitler's father, Alois Hitler, was born out of wedlock. This is uprising people today. They are trying to find out if Alois, or more importantly, his son Adolf is Jewish. The public is still not sure to this day.

Connecting books to yourself is sometimes very difficult. The Book Thief is no exception to that, but learning more about the holocaust and about how the people reacted is helping a lot. It helps to connect to a book when you can put yourself in the character's place, or know that this really happened, and this book wasn't all made up by the author. I know that the more I learn about the Holocaust, the more I will be able to connect to The Book Thief.

Holocaust and Book Thief. By: Zoe Brinton(:

Here are the three main things I learned while I was exploring things about the Holocaust.

1.The largest ghetto in Poland was the Warsaw ghetto, where over 400,000 Jews were crowded into an area of 1.3 square miles.

2. The Nazis established killing centers for efficient mass murder. Unlike concentration camps, which served primarily as detention and labor centers, killing centers (also referred to as "extermination camps" or "death camps") were almost exclusively "death factories." German SS and police murdered nearly 2,700,000 Jews in the killing centers.

3. Germans were expected to greet each other saying "Heil Hitler!" during this horrible time period.


I think that The Book Thief and the Holocaust expierence connects in many ways. Hitler and concentration camps are starting to soon appear in the book. The information I found on the internet will help me understand and get more into the book. Hitler is effecting the Jews so much in their everyday lives and it is showing in the Book Thief. I am excited to find out if the characters in the book are sent to concentrated camps or even death camps.

Holocaust Notes By: Steven Pappas

1. Hitler thought that there was one perfect race. The Aryan race. To do that he killed many jews, blacks, handicapped, gypsies, etc. because he thought that they weren't included.

2. Many cities such as Warsaw and Lodz had ghettos where the jews would be kept. Tens of thousands of jews died from malnutrition, overpopulation, and disease. Many jews still tried to keep up their culture and religion.

3. One of the biggest concentration camps was Auschwitz. Over one and a half million people were killed their and 9 out of 10 of them were jews.

This has to do with The Book Thief because, it was in the same time period. The ghettos remind me of the streets, and how some of the house were all worn down. I also thought that Rudy's dad told him to be happy with his blond hair and blue eyes. The Book Thief has helped me understand a lot about this time period.

Bellwork Poes Berkley Mitchell

1.As I sink, on to the cold hard floor, my mind slowly starts to fade drifting ever so quickly... As the bright lights above my head slowly fade, I let myself go, go into my place; my special place. A place were I am loved, a place without fighting and confusion, without love and hurt. A place without pain and misery, a place without sorrow.
2. A girl screamed from the distance, " I'm drowning"! Why doesn't anyone believe me. As the water rises, the girls cries were muffled, and her blonde curled hair sinks below the water. Her cries never to be heard again...
The definition of the word Greek word "Holocaust" means total distruction by fire. This seemed a little disturbing to me because it made me think of all the things within reach that were consumed by Hitlers deathly flame. Death, the narrator of The Book Theif informs us that Nazis love to burn things. The first thought that came to mind was the burning of the bodies that lined the walls of the death camps scattered about Europe. More deeper in the meaning of the word "Holocaust" was the idea of burning any "dangerous" reading material. Book burnings were commonly used to destroy any written object that might stir up rebellion. It even happened on the Furhers birthday, as shown in The Book Theif. I thought about how we are taught from an early age that reading is a key to a most wonderful freedom, the freedom of our minds. The Nazis were all about gaining complete control of their realm and found that destroying the books of the people was a powerful weapons that forced them to stay under control. Uniformed people are easy to control, but people who have their right minds about them will know what must be done to break free of the evil force consuming them. Scary?
~Elise Scott

Berkley Mitchell

Holocaust notes-

1.During the terrible years of 1933-1945, Hitler gained control and confidence of the German Nation. He had this perception that there was a perfect race; the Aryan Race. With that thought in mine, he decided that Jews, Homosexuals, Blacks, Gypsies, etc.. Must be exterminated.

2. The Big Numbers..
It is estimated that 11 million people were killed, 6 million were Jews. The Nazis killed almost two-thirds of the Jews in Europe. Nearly 1.1 million children were murdered! :(

3. Auschwitz was the largest and most powerful concentration camps. 4,000,000 people were tortured, and killed there. It had the largest gassing chamber which could kill about 150 men, at one time. Just think, that was 150 men! Men with families, they will never see again, families that will never see him, again.

The Book thief and the Holocaust have to do with many of the same things. They are in the same time era, and they both deal with Hitler, Concentration camps, separation of families, and the bond and strength of family member, and the love they show.

Holocaust and Book Thief assignment: Spencer Downs

1. Hitler's plan from the begining was to create a superior race, that he called Aryans. The Jews weren't part of that, so that is one of the reasons he killed them.

2. The top medical way to kill people in concentration camps was to use a syringe and injected phenol, which is a acid. It would leave them alive for no more then a few hours.

3. Mein Kampf was written by Hitler when he was in prison for trying to get Munich to revolt. The book became the "Back-Bone" of the Nazis. Almost every person owned one during WWII.


The book, Mein Kampf, was the book that Hans got after Liesel got the book out of the fire. Hans Junior also said that Leisel should be reading it, when he was in the house and left when he and Hans Senior started to argue. Then Hans get the book, but we don't know why he did it. I have a feeling that he is got the book for protection, becuase how could a member of the Nazi party accuse him being against Hitler, when he is reading his book?


~~~Spencer Downs~~~~

Victims? or Survivors?, Marisa Bell

1. Eva Galler was a 17 year old girl that was on a train to a death camp. The barbed wire broke and the older children where told to make a run for it. Their parents stayed with the younger kids and where gassed. Eva's brother and sister, who had also run, had been shot.

2. Another Anne Frank is Jeannine Burk. She was brought over to a woman's house by her dad and lived there for 2 years. When she was dropped off, she had no idea that this was the last time that she'd see her dad ever again.

3. Another one that made me want to read the book is Alicia Jurman. She was a girl only about 11-12 years old. She escaped death various times as well as help save other Jews. When the war was over, all of the family that she had was her mother. Her dad and brothers had all been shot or hanged. Here's the link if your interested.
http://history1900s.about.com/gi/o.htm?zi=1/XJ/Ya&zTi=1&sdn=history1900s&cdn=education&tm=5&f=00&tt=14&bt=0&bts=0&zu=http%3A//www.datasync.com/~davidg59/alicia.html
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I can connect these stories to the Book Thief because Liesel is hiding to be safe. All of these people had to hide to help. The survivors kept on to be able to live. It was especially hard for them because these are all examples of girls that are our age or younger that have lost family members. It's hard to think about losing your family at any age, but really hard when you only have half of an idea of what happened to them.

My Holocaust Discoveries by Amanda Johansson

1- Darth Vader was built on the knowledge of Hitler. He even had Stormtroopers which were Hitler's bodyguards. The Jedi's trying to over throw Darth Vader were like the Americans coming to the rescue of those in need (Jews). Darth Vader's followers also wore clothing in the movies that greatly resembled those of the Nazis.

2- Different prisoners of the concentration camps had to wear a certain color star on their clothing. Jews, of course, had to wear yellow. But other color stars were like brown, pink, and blue.

3-there were times called pogroms where riots were started against certain kinds of groups. These usually ended disastrously, sometimes with death. The first Holocaust pogrom was Kristallnacht or "The Night of the Broken Glass". Though this was the first, this wasn't the last. Many pogroms occurred during the Holocaust. These were packed with taking Jews away from homes and family.

I compare facts of the Holocaust with The Book Thief by pointing out that we met a pogrom in the book. On Hitler's birthday, on the of Mulching Street, there was a bon fire. This is where Nazis were burning anything and everything they could possibly burn that the towns folk were willing to give.

Sunday, November 15, 2009

The Holocaust by Alison Carter

Sites used: http://www.ushmm.org
http://library.thinkquest.org
Three things that I learned about the Holocaust:

1. Hitler relied mostly on terror to achieve his goals. The fear of the SA (auxilary policemen) forced silence over Germans who did not support the Nazis. German police would parade around the streets, killing people who were against the Nazis, or threatening them. It must have been very hard to live in those German neighborhoods around that time.

2. The Germans and their collaborators created Ghettos to concentrate and monitor the Jewish population. What I did not know is that in Ghettos, diseases spread rapidly, people were always hungry, heating fuel was scarce, tens of thousands died in ghettos, and children became orphaned every day. Life in the Ghettos was harsh; I couldn't imagine living in such a place.

3. Prisoners in concentration camps were required to wear color-coded triangles on their jackets so that the guards and officers of the camps could easily identify each person's background and pit the different groups together. I believe that it is a bad thing to be labeled, and that no human should ever have to be.

Extra: SS guards moved inmates by train or on forced marches, often called "death marches," in an attempt to prevent the Allied liveration of large numbers of prisoners.

The Book Thief and the Holocaust are similar because: It takes place during the Holocaust. German police officials targeted thousands of political opponents (including communists, socialists, and trade unionists). Leisel's parents are belived to have been killed at a concentration camp, because they were communists. In the Book Thief, there are lots of Nazi supporters, who will even celebrate Hitler's birthday. I love the Book Thief, and it has certainly taught me some more about what life was like during the Holocaust in a different perspective.

Holocaust and The Book Thief by Skyler Bennett

1. In 1933, the population of Jews stood at a staggering 9,000,000 ! By 1945 the German forces would kill 2 out of 3 European Jews as part of the " Final Solution".

2. Not only Jews had to wear something on their clothing. Homosexual sexual people had to wear pink triangles, Gypsies wore a brown, and emigrants wore blue triangles.

3. Over 11 million people died in the holocaust. about 6 million were Jews and the other five were other races ethnicitys and religions like: Blacks, Gypsies, Catholic, Jahovawitnesses, Homosexuals, and much more. Basically the Germans were trying to sculpt a perfect race, the thing is there isn't such thing as perfect.

The book thief and the holocaust are the same because they take place in the same time. We hear of stories of people as non Jews and people who were "Aryan". The book talks about concentration camps and the yellow stars. In the book a character says something about "safe blue eyes" and blonde hair. Also the book is narrated by death, death seems to be a very very huge part of the holocaust.

Depths, -A poem by Alex Crowell

Sometimes I feel like I'm drowning
In my own skin. Like the water isabout to take over me.
And there are moments when I feel like I've got the tread
Or I've got the rhythem . These moments when I feel like I've
Got the slightest hope or faith. Just then a wave comes and crushes me.
Thrusting me lower into the ocean. So deep I can feel the seaweed
Wrapping around my feet, the coral scratching my water ridden skin.
I fight my way toward the surface, clawing at invisible holds to
Lift me back up. The blue watery arms grab at me, trying to pull
Me back into their hold. They taunt me, persuade me.
Yet I fight and I fight and reach for the air and when I catch my breath
This neverending cycle starts again. I still struggle with the waves.
But I fear that one daythe depths will grasp me and
I will have no choice but to give in...

Holocaust Search-Alex Crowell

1. I learned that Hitler had a right hand man named Josef Goebbels. He made public speaches along side Hitler. He was the cheif architect of the Kristallnacht attack on the German Jews. He was also the propaganda minister. One of his first acts was the "burning of books" rejected by the Nazis. He exerted total control of the media, arts and information in Germany.

2. I learned that nearly 2 out of every 3 Jews were killed at this time. The Holocaust was in fact and extermination of people not for who they were but for what they were. It truley did not matter if they were the smartest man alive or an ispiring doctor. No, the only thing that mattered is that you were a Jew, and Jews were not excepted in Nazi Germany.

3. I learned that it was complete perfect timing for all of this. The Holocaust started after World War I and the Treaty of Versailles. The country of Germany simply had nothing, it was poor and there was really nothing to it. Their economy was complete trash and they needed a leader to get them out. Tada! Hitler rose to action. Its crazy to me how people say "I can't believe Germany did that to people" Truly, most of the German people were completely innocent. They did not know what was going to happen to their neighbors whom were Jewish or Black, Hispanic, etc. If you were in such bad shape and someone promised you they would make everything better, of course you'd put every ounce of faith into that person.. Hitler just abused the power.

How does this relate to the Book Theif?
There is a part in the book (pg. 93) were it is talking about the different people Liesel sees while delievering laundry and ironing. The Weingartners have a "bent wiskered cat" named Little Goebbels. From my first paragraph you can see this name is of account of Hitlers best associate. Also in the book chapters "Hitler's Birthday, 1940" and "100 Percent Pure German Sweat" (pgs 101-114) it is talking about the bonfires that Josef Goebbels put into action with the Burning of Books. Another contributing factor put into the Book Theif would be my third paragraph talking about how the people of Germany did not know what was going on. On page 60 Rudy and Mr. Steiner are having a conversation where Mr. Steiner is trying to explain to Rudy why he cannot go around painting himself black. Rudy keeps asking why, why, why. He even says "Do you have to pay to be Jewish? Do you need a license?" Its so sad to me seeing that these children are being told to be discrimatory towards certain people while, as you can see, they cannot even tell the difference.

The Holocaust and the Book Thief by Dallas Anderson

Three things I learned about the Holocaust are:
  1. Buchenwald Concentration Camp was one of the largest camps run by the Nazis. It was established in 1937 and ran by SS authorities. Women were not part of Camp Buchenwald until late 1943 or early 1944. Prisoners were either shot or hanged. (http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/article.php?lang=en&ModuleId=10005198)
  2. The Germans established over 1,000 ghettos in Germany. There were three types of ghettos: closed ghettos, open ghettos, and destruction ghettos. The largest ghetto was the Worshaw ghetto, where over 400,000 Jews crowded into an area 1.3 miles big. (http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/article.php?lang=en&ModuleId=10005059)
  3. Pogrom is a Russian word meaning “to wreak havoc, to demolish violently.” The first incident to be labeled a pogrom is believed to be anti-Jewish rioting in Odessa in 1821. Progroms are established by local communities and rebel against a certain cause. (http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/article.php?lang=en&ModuleId=10005183)

The Book Theif relates to the Holocaust because Papa Hubermann believes that Liesel's mother was taken to a concentration camp. A pogrom that happens in the book in when the pile of books, posters, papers, and anything else that could be burned is ignited.

Dallas Anderson

P.S. My Birthday is today (November 15)!

Saturday, November 14, 2009

The Holocaust by Melissa Tatazi Brummett

I learned:
1. Not only did Hitler make public speeches and such, but many others wrote essays and speeches, such as:
Joseph Goebbels
Hermann Göring
Rudolf Hess
Robert Ley
Gertrud Scholtz-Klink
Julius Streicher
2. Only 10 weeks after Hitler's takeover of Germany, children began playing a game based on what the Nazis were doing. The children even had a "concentration camp" for the captured "communists" in this game.
3. The Nazis even held a few rallies for farmers. They wanted all of Germany behind them, even the agricultural section.
Source(s):
http://www.calvin.edu/academic/cas/gpa/ww2era.htm

The Holocaust by: Marissa Earley<3

Through the short time we have studied the Holocaust, there have been so many thoughts and questions that run through my mind. I want to share three of my thoughts/ questions with you. If you feel the same way, please comment and we can talk about this certain issue.

1- I can't even attempt to imagine how horrible these Jews must have felt seeing these pictures that were suppose to be photos of them. These photos displayed were absolutely hideous and it makes me wonder what I would have done if I was a Jew. I wonder what I would have thought about myself because thinking that you are ugly and hideous is not a good way to go.

2- I learned that Hitler was not the only cause of beginning to hate the Jews. He had someone that he idolized that blamed the Jews of everything done wrong. It makes me wonder if only Hitler would have possibly made one little difference in his life to not idolize this man that the Holocaust may have never taken place. I can also relate this to anyone to simply think before you act because it may have serious consequences.

3- My last thought was quite an interesting thought for me. I think that personally, I am just quite curious to know what Hitler thought. I've wanted to get inside of his head and figure out what went on in his head to do such awful things to innocent people. This makes me think twice before I do or say anything because it could have a huge impact on someones life.

How does this all relate to The Book Thief? I honestly haven't been able to make the connect quite yet. It just makes me think of what little Liesel is thinking and how she is taking everything in. It also makes me think of adults and what they must have thought. Being an adult through the Holocaust you would have to have thought that Hitler was incredibly insane; at least, that's what I would have thought. This book really plays a different key in my mind because of all the things people were thinking during the Holocaust. Especially what death was thinking. Death must have been even more satisfied then Hitler himself. These are just a few things that play into my head as I read The Book Thief.

What I learned about the Holocaust, Alysann Flower

1. 11 million people were killed during the holocaust, 6 million were Jews and 5 million were other races like gypsies, disabled, blacks, hispanics, etc. 2 out of every 3 Jews were killed during this time.
2. The Holocaust was the extermination of people not for WHO they were but for WHAT they were. The Nazis didnt care if the people they killed were great people on the inside, they just went off their looks and their beliefs.
3. Jews during the time of the Holocaust were forced to wear Yellow Star badges, symbolizing the star of David. They had to wear this so it was easier to identify them and also just to humiliate the Jews.
The Book Theif and the Holocaust relate to each other because in The Book Theif many shops had to have the Yellow Star outside of them so everyone knew it was owned by a Jew. During the Holocaust the Jews had to do this too.