“I used to take singing lessons before the war.”
“You don’t need singing lessons. I wish you could teach me how to sing like that. I sing like a frog. I let this do my singing for me.” “He pulled out a violin case out of a rucksack and opened it. then he patted the smooth wood of the violin, tucked the instrument under his chin, and began to play the same song I’d been singing.” Eli and Halina, Escaping Into the Night, p.77
I think Halina can probably say the same about herself if Halina tries to play the violin. Eli kind of sounds competitive.
Why does Eli even have a violin?
Also I wonder if Eli was in the ghetto with Halina. Eli and the others might have escaped earlier than Halina. Also almost everyone in the camp said the Nazis are close around them. How don’t the Nazis know that they are there? I kind of think the Nazis aren’t as close as the ziemlankas say they are. I’m just saying it’s better safe than sorry.
This reminds me of The Pianist movie I saw in Social Studies about the Holocaust. When Halina said she used to take singing lessons before the war it reminded me that the pianist most likely did practice before the war. Vladek was in the ghetto and in the ghetto and many people were killed but, Vladek and the people in the forest from the book Escaping Into The Night. The book relates to reality because some people escaped from the ghetto into the forest. In the forest, according to the book, they had groups and I think it relates to reality because many people escaped and joined the groups. I might have joined a group to be safe. I think it’s always good to get out of a bad situation.
Quincy,
ReplyDeleteI like your question about why he has a violin. If you had to escape from the ghetto into the forest, what would you take with you and why? Would a musical instrument like a violin add some quality to your life, might it make it easier to join a group? When you don't have much else,you think maybe music becomes pretty important?
Posted by Bob Cohn
Bob Cohn,
DeleteI think in that time I would take anything memorable, it could be an instrument because I would want to hold on to something that were present in a happy time it'll make me remember what happened at that time. I just wonder why did he play the violin and I didn't know why he had the violin till later. When I wrote this, I thought that the Nazis in this were closer than they really were. Anything that reminded me of something before the war would add some quality to life. I think people in groups would except a musician too because lots of people, even now, likes music. I think it's pretty important even when you have lots of important values. In the Holocaust people favour music as if it is the only thing they have considering they had limited things. I think the holocaust is no different than any other war or battle it might not happen again. Do you think can happen again and why so. Is there a possibility this has happened before world war 2, but with different groups targeted, and we don't know about it.
By Quincy
I think that just bringing anything of your personal belongings would be very helpful in that situation. No matter what happens you can always look back at that object and always remember your old life. Like, I did a wiki on the genocide in Sri Lanka and i remember reading about a guy who had a necklace and he said that that necklace helped him through the rough times they faced. So yours and my example are perfect of how objects can help people through rough times.
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