Once by Morris Gleitzman Analysis PDF

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Once by Morris Gleitzman Analysis for History and Memory...

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Related Text Assignment Once and Then by Morris Gleitzman 1. How is the composer linked to the Holocaust and what self-interest might he have in representing it in a particular way? Morris Gleitzman writes in the Author’s notes several of his links and reasons for writing Once. His grandfather was a Jew from Krakow in Poland. While he left there long before the Holocaust, his extended family did not and most of them perished. This may have played an important role in Gleitzman’s identification with the Jewish struggles and representing it in sympathy of the Jews who were trying to survive during the war. 2. Whose perspective is foregrounded and privileged in your text? Felix is a young, Jewish boy from Poland who is the first-person narrator of the novel. While it is his conscience narrating the events, several other characters who surround him also play a big role in voicing their perspectives and opinions from their points of view, which Felix narrates to the readers, often addressing them in second person perspective. This lets the reader experience a more insightful understanding through the explanations of an innocent young boy. With Felix’ perspective dominant in the text, it views the holocaust from a victimised, Jewish child’s perspective who at the beginning of the book is not even aware of the war that is going on. He meets an even younger girl, Zelda, who turns out to be the daughter of Nazis who have been killed by the Jewish resistance. While not focal on this topic, the latter portion of the book heavily depicts Zelda’s rejection of her parents following the knowledge of their affiliation with the ‘evil Nazi’s’. Other important characters include Barney, who hides and harbors orphaned Jews and children, and Gina who take Felix and Zelda in by hiding and disguising them. However, it is evident in this novel that the main perspective shown is that of a Jewish child on the run, slowly learning of Nazi cruelties and the horrors of the Holocaust. 3. What main issues regarding the Holocaust is focused on? I nSept ember1939,t heGer manar myoc c upi edt hewes t er nhal fofPol and.Ger man pol i ces oonf or c edt ensoft hous andsofPol i s hJ ewsf r om t hei rhomesandi nt o ghet t oes ,gi v i ngt hei rconfi s cat edpr oper t i est oet hni cGer mans .Thi si ss howni nt he nov el whenFel i xgoest ov i s i thi sownhomet ownandhous e,andfi ndsf ami l i ar hous est ak enov er .Thus ,t hes pec i fi cl ocat i onoft heev ent sar es eti nPol and,and f ol l owst hePol i s hex per i enceoft heHol ocaus t .I tal s of oc us esonac hi l d’ spoi ntof v i ewandt hei rex per i ence ,ont her unandor phaned.I tr efl ect si s s uesoft he Hol oc aus tandi nj us t i c eagai ns tJ ews ,andc hi l dr endur i ngt heHol oc aus t .Thi si s s hownt hr ought hev ar y i ngback gr oundsofc hi l dr enc har ac t er si nt hebook ,wi t hFel i x bei ngaJ ewi s hc hi l dofbookk eeper s ,Zel dabei ngt hec hi l dofNaz i s ,____t heant i s emat i cs onofas hopowner ,____abi t t er ,J ewi s hor phanandAmos ,aboywhoi s par toft heHi t l erYout h.Theaut hore x ami nest her el at i ons hi pt ot hepai nofgr owi ng upandr ev eal st heugl i nes sofwar ,emphas i z edt hr oughac hi l d’ snar r at i onand por t r ay al ,wi t hj ux t apos i ngc hi l di s hc heerandi nnoc encewi t ht r agedy .

4. How are history and memory linked in their representation of this issue? An important element of this novel is Felix’s childlike narration of the events, and in conjunction with his storytelling prowess and the recurring motifs of a ‘story’. Growing up in a bookkeeping family (book keeping, in this sense, being owners of a bookstore) he was exposed to storytelling and developed a passion for it. Often it alludes to ‘memory’, as he tells Zelda and other friends about his life, as well as telling Zelda about her own. Through this the memory of the Nazi takeover of his town and confiscation of property is linked to the historical accounts of western Poland’s German occupation and ghettoization of the Jews. While it is a fictional recount, it is very likely to correlate with similar stories of the time, and the personalized histories of others. The abundance of children in dire situations also correlates to the historical recounts of 1.5 million children deaths during the Holocaust, out of the 6 million Jews that died within the timeframe – a quarter of the victims were children who lost their lives. The struggles of children during this time is reflected within the representation of the Holocaust. The actions of the Hitler Youth again display violent tendencies of the children who were sided with the Nazis, and represents the antagonistic Nazis on a scale equivalent to the child protagonist. With the recurrence of death and the surmounting violence witnessed by the children, the pain, fear and anger experienced by the children are personalized in comparison to factual recounts of Jewish parades in towns. 5. Explain the main point that is made about this issue in the text. The main point made about this issue in the text is the effect of the war, the Holocaust and violent experiences of children during their growth. Effectively utilized as a Bildungsroman, the focus of children in the book narrows the narrative of a child’s struggles during the Holocaust highlighting their issues such as understanding, survival, growing up and identity. This is identified during the first quarter of the book when Felix believes the Jews are being targeted for being booklovers, due to a misunderstanding when he sees soldiers burning Jewish books, however eventually realizes that “maybe they don’t hate the books. Maybe they hate us.” And understands the situation. Similarly, historical records lack documentation of the struggles and survival of children during the holocaust, but there are stories from those who were children at the time – many which have inspired Gleitzman to write the text. Through Felix and Zelda’s journey, they grow up in many different ways, most importantly mentally as they try to make it through a cruel world. Lastly, the impactful influence the Holocaust has on the children is detrimental to their sense of identity, as the Jews begin to feel conflicted with their beliefs and religion, but most notably exhibited in Zelda who begins to hate her family and origins, as they were Nazis. Thus, within the issue of children during the Holocaust, the main point Gleitzman conveys to readers are their violent experiences and their detriments to their inner journey. 6. Give your opinion on why the composer constructed the text. Morris Gleitzman, in the Author’s note, expresses that the story was, while fictional, heavily inspired and imagination owed to Janusz Korczak, a Polish Jewish doctor and children’s author who devoted his life to caring for young people. Over many years he helped run an orphanage for two hundred Jewish children, and in 1942 when they were murdered by Nazis, Korczak was offered his freedom but chose to die with the children rather than abandon them. This is mirrored in the novel, with

Barney, a Polish Jewish dentist who hides children and ultimately dies with the children on a train to a concentration camp, so to not abandon them. Gleitzman writes, “This story is my imagination trying to grasp the unimaginable. Their stories are the real stories.” Gleitzman may have constructed this text to mirror, expand and spread the stories of Holocaust victims and survives, even while creating fictional stories honoring the real memories of those during the time. 7. Select two moments in the text where history and memory interplay to convey an attitude toward an event. Construct them and explain their meaning. Analyse how language is being used to convey a particular attitude. One of the most prominent events during the books is the end of the first section, where Felix recounts his experience of train jumping, saying, “I’d call it painful and miserable.” He then goes on to describe the conditions of the boxcar he was in, and the lurching and squashing of people during the travel. One of the big issues is going to the bathroom, which people start doing in the corner of the car, however he innocently identifies people’s pain with the lack of toilet paper. He sacrifices his storywriting notebook, which has been a metaphor throughout the book, to use the pages as tissues. They eventually are able to find a rotten plank and so make a hole in the carriage, where people start jumping. First person perspective is shown to convey his and other children’s attitudes towards the jump as well as the dialogue – such as the repeated “I don’t want to” from the children and the short simple exchanges, voicing Zelda’s determination and courage to follow Felix. In conjunction with short simple sentences, the decision and moments of jumping of the train focuses on the emotional but decisive departure of the children. This moment within the book is used as one of the gripping moments, where the reality sets in for the children victims of the holocaust – 3 children decide to jump, and one does not survive. The rest of the children, who decide to stay on the train, are alluded to not be able to survive at all. The connotations of this chapter and its ending show the cruelty of the Holocaust in relation to children and their struggle for survival. Another prominent event is the hanging of Zelda. At the end of the book, when Felix and Zelda are disguised as Wilhelm and Violetta, Zelda and her protector Gina go into town to buy Felix a birthday present. Felix finds out that they are exposed to be siding with Jews, and when he goes to look for them they discover them hanged in the town square, like others who have been punished for being discovered to harbor Jews. 8. Were you convinced? The emotions and voice used by a child’s first person perspective is very convincing for readers to understand their feeling and reactions with them. The straightforward narration, with each sentence often allowing readers to follow a realization, convinces the reader of at least Felix’ own emotional truth. 9. What gaps and silences can you identify in this representation? Gaps in this book are most notably with Felix’ parents. The main goal, for Felix, (while debatably evident to the reader that it is unrealistic,) is to find his parents who left and hid him in a Catholic orphanage. Throughout the text, Felix often narrates possibilities of where his parents are but often they are in highly fictitious scenarios. However, it is never mentioned, realized, or discovered where his parents are and it

can be assumed they have either perished or taken during the Holocaust and violent Nazi actions. Silences, being views not represented in the text, are those of the Nazi perspective and those pertaining to them, such as the soldiers and the majority of the nasty Hitler Youth. While one character more sided with the Nazi command is explored and befriended with the protagonists, there is not a deep understanding of their perspective nor a wider understanding and view of the Nazi regime. 10. How does the perspective of the text link with Mark Baker’s perspective in The Fiftieth Gate? Look for a main similarity and main difference and explain the connection between the representations in the two texts. 11. Does the representation in your text reinforce, contradict or extend your understanding of the Holocaust?...