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Book Club 3 Directions
Select 5-8 events that happened in the story that impacted your character
Analyze the events based on the following:
Enter the DATE of the EVENT below
1-2 Sentence Summary
Type of Event (Turning Point or Character Development)
How is this event relevant to the theme?
Lastly, find an image that is relevant to the event. -
Gerda's brother is forced to leave to war.
1-2 Sentence Summary: Gerda's brother leaves for war. Gerda, though young, feels her life slipping away yet still holds onto hope that life will turn back to normal.
Character Development (Negative): Gerda, deeply hurt by her brother's leave, still exemplifies hope in difficult circumstances. She still persists and hopes the war will soon be over.
Relation to Theme: Gerda, though young, feels her life slipping away yet still holds onto hope that life will turn back to normal. -
Gerda's family is forced into a Jewish ghetto
Sentence Summary: Gerda's family was forced out of their home and treated like lesser people.
Negative Character Development: She still had hope that the war would end, but this was the first step of her harrowing experience of German persecution.
Relevance to Theme?: Holding onto hope despite the seemingly insurmountable circumstances is relevant with this event because Gerda still held onto hope -
Jewish Ghetto is liquidated and Gerda is separated from her family. Gerda never sees her parents again.
Sentence Summary: Gerda's family is torn apart by the war.
Gerda, 18 at the time, did not know the consequences of her decision when she told the officer that she was 18.
Negative Character Development: This decision led to her separation from her parents, though painful at the time, and ultimately saved her life.
Relevance to Theme?: In life, sometimes the most painful experiences can be lead to some distant benefit. For Gerda, this separation saved her life. -
Gerda is transported Marzdorf, a labour camp.
Summary: She was transferred to one of the toughest and harshest labor camps. Gerda fought off a German guard's advances and greatly suffered.
Negative Character Development: Gerda, despite all that she has been through, said this was the worst concentration camp she experienced. She wanted to end it all, but her father's words and her promise to him kept her going.
Relevance to Theme: Gerda almost lost hope here. She wanted to end it all, but her father made her promise to continue with life. -
Gerda and Ilse are transferred again.
Select 8 events that happened in the story that impacted your character
Analyze the events based on the following:
Enter the DATE of the EVENT below
1-2 Sentence Summary
Type of Event (Turning Point or Character Development)
How is this event relevant to the theme?
Lastly, find an image that is relevant to the event. -
Gerda and Ilse are sent on a death march.
Analyze the events based on the following:
Enter the DATE of the EVENT below
1-2 Sentence Summary
Type of Event (Turning Point or Character Development)
How is this event relevant to the theme?
Lastly, find an image that is relevant to the event. -
Liberation
Summary: Gerda, 21 and weighing only 68 points, met Kurt Klein, a Jewish-American soldier, and finally had her freedom.Type of Event Turning Point: Positive Turning Point for Gerda. She found her freedom after so many years of slavery.
Relevance to Theme: After all that she had been through, Gerda held onto hope. She persisted through all the tragedies and her hope turned into freedom. -
Gerda Weissmann Klein Publishes: All, But My Life Book
Summary: Gerda endured it all and now her story can speak for those that are voiceless that are suffering from similar atrocities.
Positive Character Development: Positive Event where Gerda can tell the story of her people and talk about the importance of witnessing
Relevance to Theme: Gerda's survival is not a story just about hope, but a story about how the human spirit is indomitable and cannot be conquered by others. -
Theme: Holding onto hope despite the seemingly insurmountable and present circumstances can lead to unseen, future benefits.
