Vladek had the courage to do "whatever it took" to survive WWII and his memories. What acts of courage do you think were the most beneficial to his survival?
Listen to the testimony of eye witnesses to history. How were they courageous?
Visit the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum's website to listen to other survivor's memories of courage.
Make connections between the stories you hear and Valdek's. Explain with textual evidence (MLA format) from MAUS and at least TWO testimonies. Place your word count after final word (HERE). Word count range 150-200 words.
I think that vladek showed courage by telling his story about what went on in WWII and not keeping it to himself like everyone else. To get through the war though he just thought about his family a lot as he said throughout the story and that got him through the war. The other people said the same things as vladek that the way they got through the war was thinking about there family but they also prayed to god to get them through this because they felt that the did nothing to deserve getting killed and punished harshly by the nazi’s. Most of the Jews were chosen to fight against the nazi army but even though they didn’t want to they went to protect there family name and also themselves because it was easier to die in the concentration camps rather than if you were in the war. The seen that Vladek and the survivors said they saw was that people would be hung just for not following the exact steps/instructions that the nazi leader or Hitler told them to do. This was wrong to me and I think that whoever survived the war was the most couragoues person I know. (202) Taeshon Cherry
ReplyDeleteVladek was a man who must have had a great amount of courage to get through the war. One of the ways I believe Vladek showed courage, was keeping mostly positive, and thinking of seeing his family at his release. Thinking of his family, gave him hope to keep on fighting to survive. The reason that is an act of courage is because it must have been almost impossible to stay positive considering the way they the Jews were treated. Another courageous act of Vladek, was making "friends with the enemy". Vladek helped a guard from a prison camp speak English. He was making friends with people in “higher places”. This man was able to help Vladek with getting a decent job, help him get supplies to help his friend, and get good food to stay strong. Vladek probably hated the prison guards, but in order to survive, he made friends with one of the guards. This was courageous because Vladek didn't know if this guard would turn on him and kill him after he finished teaching him. Vladek didn't know what could come of his interactions with a guard. He took that risk, hoping that it could help him survive. (199)
ReplyDeleteVladek showed courage in WWII by not losing hope and not giving up. In the video about the survivors of Kristallnacht, they tried their best to not lose hope in dire situations. When Vladek went to the different camps for Jews, the Germans made the Jews work long hours with little to no food. He had to save what little food he got and not waste any opportunity he had to make some kind of profit in the bad situations. He would use his saved food to bribe others to help him or to trade things. When Vladek was so weak to eat any food, he would give some food to other people that could eat. When the time came for Vladek to escape, the people he gave his food to help Vladek out. In the video, the people, who survived WWII, had to make rations of food, work under the Germans, and go to camps like Vladek. If Vladek’s son didn’t want to know about WWII, Vladek’s story would be found in the video along the other survivors. The survivors had to make desperate decisions in order to live on. Vladek made some friends with the guards, and later on those “friends” helped him out when a problem arose. (210)
ReplyDeleteI agree with what Taeshon said about how Vladek thought about his family when he was struggling during the war. His family can be considered an antidote to his pain during the war and a remedy to him just wanting to give up. Another act of courage shown by Vladek that really stood out for me was how much he cared for and looked after the other people in the war with him. He kept them relaxed and always provided them with basic necessities and mainly what they really needed, someone to be there to talk. The people in the testimony were courageous in many different ways. Everything that they ever knew was about to change and their lives would change forever. The fear and horror that they witnessed was extremely gruesome and really affected their lives. For the Jews, they must've experienced extreme horror from all the things happening around them and the hate the nazi's showed toward them. (them being the Jews). Throughout all of this, the Jews showed huge amounts of courage by staying strong when family members were taken away, living with a whole race of people trying to distinguish you, having everything they owned being taken away from them and the Jews stayed courageous by keeping their faith alive when everyone wanted to kill them because of it. The one main similarity I can make between Vladek and the testimony people is their love for their family. They were 100% dedicated to putting their families before themselves and making sure that their families were as well off as they could be. (264) Ethan McVeigh
ReplyDeleteBlock 5
ReplyDeleteCourage
November 11, 2015
Just as Vladek was courageous, so were the survivors that witnessed Kristallnacht. Vladek’s attitude and strong will was the necessary approach needed to be taken toward WWII. During Kristallnacht, 1,400 synagogues and almost 7,000 businesses were destroyed. These Jews, Vladek included, experienced immense amounts of loss. Inge Katzenstein and Jill Pauly are two witnesses that were forced to escape and go into hiding after Kristallnacht. They were both children that didn’t understand, but that doesn’t make them different from anyone else. Jill, Inge, Vladek, and all other Jews didn’t understand. All forced against their will, removed from their homes, forced into hiding, and most murdered. It’s difficult to keep a positive outlook and courageous attitude in these devastating times. Hope is incredibly valuable because it’s stronger than fear. Vladek’s story and other Kristallnacht survivors’ testimonies are proof of the courage it takes to have such strong faith and hope. (151)
I also think that the way Vladek approached this was very, very necessary to keep himself alive.
DeletePaul Hernandez
ReplyDeleteB5
valdek showed courage during the war as did the survivors of kristallnacht Vladek was strong and was willing to do anything necessary to survive WWII and th cositration camp.During Kristallnacht, many businesses were destroyed. The Jews and Vladek,experienced an amounts of loss. His money ,his freedom and his family ,But he never gave up. Inge and Jill are two jews that were forced hide because of Kristallnacht. They were both children . Jill, Inge, Vladek, and all other Jews didn’t understand. All forced against, and most murdered. It’s was difficult or imposslible to keep a positive and courageous attitude and keep calm during these devastating events. Hope is the best thing to keep vladek or other prisinor alive because it’s stronger than anithing else. Vladek’s story and other Kristallnacht survivors is proof of the courage it takes to have strong faith while bieng treated like animal and punished and your family away.(153)
I'd have to agree with Paul on this particular subject. I think Paul has made a very good observation because I believe hope is essential to facing fears and overcoming challenges. Without hope Vladek would never have made it through the Holocaust and we wouldn't be able to hear his story. The Jewish people faced many terrible hardships during this time period and it is amazing that anyone could have made it through that. But I believe the reason they did make it through was because of the hope they had. It gave them a reason to keep going and never give up. I also think Vladek got through it because of the love he had for his wife. The whole time he had hoped he would see his wife again and so he didn't want to give up on himself, but more importantly, give up on her. This impetus allowed him to persevere and live through the Holocaust, and in the end he ended up getting back to his wife and making a family.-Wyatt Pliskin Word Count: 175
DeleteDomenico Cianflone
ReplyDeleteBlock 5
Vladek showed courage in facing many difficulties during the Holocaust. He showed courage in facing the difficult task of just surviving. Also wanting to be free just as in the video the stories talk about how they wanted to be freed from this. This is exactly how Vladek felt, he just wanted to be free and to be accepted just like those in the video wanted. Vladek like those in the video all showed courage in surviving the Holocaust. Vladek had to save any food he got and use it to trade for his benefit just as Greg said. One of the most important parts in our lives is those whom we love. Vladek used his wife as his motive to make it through the Holocaust just as Wyatt mentioned, using this as his hope. This is how those of the videos have made it through with the hope of one day seeing their love ones once again.The only way any of this could have been done is with courage and they showed courage when facing difficulties and finding a solution. (185)
I agree that they all showed so much courage throughout their bad experiences.
DeleteVladek showed a lot of courage through out the war. Just surviving was a very courageous act, he did what he could to keep himself alive. He kept his family, and the thought of being with them again, in his mind to keep positive. By looking at the situation with at least a bit hope was in my opinion very brave especially when there's barely any to be found. Another act of courage is the fact that he is able to share his story with others and not keep it all to himself. It'd be very difficult to talk about what he went through, so I find it amazing that he is able to.
ReplyDeleteJack Mahony
ReplyDeleteBlock 5
11/12/15
The definition of courage is the ability to do something that frightens one/ strength in the face of pain or grief. Vladek showed immense courage many times during his time in the Holocaust. I agree with Domenico Cianflone and his views on Vladeks and cousrage. Domenico Cianflone says “He showed courage in facing the difficult task of just surviving. Also wanting to be free just as in the video the stories talk about how they wanted to be freed from this.” These video stories show just how bad these situations were. Domenico makes a good point while agreeing with Wyatt the love shared with others surrounding us, just like Anja and Vladeks love for each other, along with courage helped each other survive the struggles in the harsh situations such as war or in the case, the holocaust.
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DeleteEDUARDO LEDESMA
ReplyDeleteBLOCK #4
11/12/15
Vladek was a very courageous man during World War II. He never lost hope nor decide to give up. He even showed a good amount of courage in just trying to survive the holocaust. I believe that if it wasn’t for Vladek’s courage he wouldn’t have survived and we wouldn’t be able to hear his amazing story. He always kept his family in his mind while going through tough times to keep him positive. That’s not the only courageous act he has done, i also find it very courageous that he was able to talk about everything that he went through without breaking down. I wouldn’t be able to talk about a horrible experience like that without breaking down. (120)
EDUARDO LEDESMA
ReplyDeleteBLOCK #4
11/12/15
Vladek was a very courageous man during World War II. He never lost hope nor decide to give up. He even showed a good amount of courage in just trying to survive the holocaust. I believe that if it wasn’t for Vladek’s courage he wouldn’t have survived and we wouldn’t be able to hear his amazing story. He always kept his family in his mind while going through tough times to keep him positive. That’s not the only courageous act he has done, i also find it very courageous that he was able to talk about everything that he went through without breaking down. I wouldn’t be able to talk about a horrible experience like that without breaking down. (120)
Logan Fisher
ReplyDeleteA woman once said, "You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, 'I lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along." In my opinion I believe that this quote is a direct reflection on how Vladek handled the situation after the war. He could of easily given up and died in one of the prison camps, but he overcame this difficult task and told the tale of his survival to Artie. Herbert Karliner, a man from Peiskretscham, Germany, had his family business destroyed during the Kristallnacht Pogrom. To me this is another example of courage because he turned a negative in to a positive. After his store was blown up he went to America to start a new life with his family and friends. Courage is a wonderful trait to have in a man or woman, it shows that they have strength, and confidence and that is great t have. (181)
Chris Tanaka
Delete“If we bear all this suffering and if there are still Jews left, when it is over, then Jews, instead of being doomed, will be held up as an example.” -Anne Frank
I believe that this quote too relates to Maus I and II. The jews, during the holocaust and Kristallnacht, had to endure many struggled brought to them mentally and physically. The Nazi's brought hate and hardship onto their lives. The Jews had to be the strongest people to survive it. Thus Anne Frank is saying that she believes after the war the Jews will seen as an example the strongest. This also corresponds to the Men and Woman in the Video. The Nazi's physically killed and beat family members of the Jews. But also the Nazi's destroyed stores and storefront so that the Jew's businesses couldn't thrive. This brought much many Jew's to end up killing themselves. This is the effect that the Nazi's had on the Jews and how strong the Jews had to be at this time. (173)
Nick Reichert
ReplyDeleteBlock 5
11/12/15
The first step towards being courageous is embracing your fear. Vladek knew that the chances for his own survival were very slim, yet he kept a positive mindset and told himself that he would make it out and see his family again. The second step towards being courageous is not hesitating. Vladek did not hesitate, he made decisions and that is what kept him alive. Although giving his own food to someone else was a selfless act he was able to make the decision and continue to survive. The third step is being mindful. He looked at his circumstances and although the odds were not in his favor, he was reluctant to allow a sad outlook to penetrate him. This is very similar to the diary of Anne Frank. They had to maintain a positive outlook on life, and when they did, the family flourished. The father was eventually found as well as they rest of them but he made it out alive and told his daughter's story. (170)
Vladek was insanely courageous during his time at Jewish camps. Vladek showed the most courage, I think, when he went the whole camp without taking his own life. These were not in any way a time of joy or peace for the Jews. Many people would much rather kill themselves then go through what Vladek went through. To go through what Vladek went through, and still be alive or even healthy for that matter is truly amazing. Vladek saw innocent human beings being murdered right in front of him. These people were tortured and Vladek didn't know if he'd be the next to be tortured, but he kept hope and was courageous. Waking up each day and not knowing if it will be your last or not is beyond a scary thing to go through, but Vladek showed courage and prevailed. He stuck it out and stayed tough and survived an event that a lot did not. Vladek is insanely courageous. (161)
ReplyDeleteOmar Martinez
ReplyDeleteBlock #5
11/12/15
I believe that Vladek had a lot of courage because he was always positive during the war and he never gave up on what Vladek wanted to do. Seeing his wife and his friends would encourage him to be positive on what he did. Every choice they made was either a life or death situation, which is why Vladek remains calm thought about what he was going to do first. One example of Vladek being courageous is on page 65 in Maus 2 when Vladek goes and throws bread to Anja. Vladek and Anja knew that if he gets caught throwing the bread over the fence he would have been killed on the spot or beaten very badly. Vladek and the other survivors of Kristallnacht were very courageous, just surviving the war made them courageous but to also say what they experienced is beyond courageo. (151)
David Bergman, the man whose interview I watched, explained how he inspired others after his being alive after the holocaust because he was so motivated to stay alive for his family and so hopeful that his family would survive the holocaust as well. This relates to Vladek because he was willing to go to true extremes to reach Anja and help her in any way possible and always felt inclined to live through it. David also explained how the other 150 people that he was paired with throughout the holocaust would give him pieces of bread saying "David, you must survive and let the world know what happened." This relates to Vladek because throughout the book people were always doing anything they could to help him out like when he was on the run from the Nazis and a woman let him stay in a barn behind her house. I also watched the interview of Agnes Mandl Adachi. I feel her interview tied in with Vladek because she described how she helped save 50 people who were roped together by 3 with a dead person in the middle and thrown into the water. I feel this ties in with Vladek because his being bilangual helped save people throughout the book like when he used it to save himself by teaching one of the Nazis how to speak a language he knew. (242)
ReplyDeleteMatthew Herrera
ReplyDeleteVladek is a prime example of a man who had the courage to do "whatever it took." His most memorable act of courage to me was when he was able to smuggle food and messages to Anja. This act was most beneficial to his survival because it boosted his will to survive because nothing makes you feel better than when you do something for a loved one. When talking about the witness accounts of the Kristallnacht they are all pretty much similar. They all speak of how they were pretty much helpless in saving the burning church, yet they still tried to protect others from getting hurt. This can be compared to when Vladek watched his fellow Jews carried off to be gasses because in both incidents they spectator was helpless in solving the problem at hand. It is wrong to assume that Vladek was the only person willing to do "whatever it took." Every Jew involved with the Holocaust was in some form courageous. Vladek was lucky enough to have a reason to continually use his wit to survive. (180)
Vladek had the courage to do whatever it took to survive the horrors of WWII. There are many examples to choose from such as what Ethan is writing about or what Chris is writing about, but overall I would have to say that his love for Anja and his determination to get to her got him through the struggles of the camp. As mentioned in the book, Vladek did many things to get him closer to Anja. He became a tin worker and a shoemaker. He was also able to save enough rations to bring Anja to Auschwitz from Birkenau. By getting jobs and stealing food and rations he brought Anja to his camp. If Vladek didn't start working at these jobs who knows what would've happened to him or Anja. At the end his courageous acts brought him closer to Anja and closer to surviving the indescribable events of WWII. (151)
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like many of you feel COURAGE is driven by a desire to live for someone else or take care of someone else...a selfless act rather than a selfish act of wanting to survive to merely see the next day.
ReplyDeleteTysean White
ReplyDeleteCourage
Block 5
Most of the people who endured the holocaust weren't courageous. They
Pretty much just let themselves die in a way. But, you had people like
Vladek who was as courageous as they came. He didn't allow his fear to
take over. He powered through and lived on to tell his story. He watched
Hundreds of people get murdered in front of his eyes. Not only did he
make it through he manged to be a good person and help other people as
well.“If we bear all this suffering and if there are still Jews left, when it is
over, then Jews, instead of being doomed, will be held up as an example.” -Anne Frank
I completely agree with this statement. In my eyes I personally feel like
vladek is the quintessence of what a resilient person should be. He also
Showed courage by telling his story. Not many people have the guts to tell what they've between through. Although there were some situations that were to grueling for vladek to speak upon. If it weren't for his courage he wouldn't be able to tell his story. He'd be dead just like the other jews
(168)
ReplyDeleteChase Colbert
DeleteBlock 5
Courage
According to Dictionary.Com, the definition of courage is the quality of mind or spirit that enables a person to face difficulty, danger, pain, etc., without fear. Personally I think this describes Vladek pretty well. Vladek to me showed the most courage to me, when he was telling his story to Art years after the war. One of my reasons is because the war and in concentration camps was a very hard time for not only Vladek, but for over 10,000 business owners and other jews. People lost everything that they had and were separated from their families for long times and most never even saw them ever again. All these things were very traumatic for Vladek, so bringing up all these bad memories again must have been very difficult for him to do. While watching the video I really thought how blessed I am to live in such an amazing country where I don't have to worry about any of the things faced by people all around the world.163
Embracing your fears is one of the biggest steps towards courage. Vladek throughout both Maus I and Maus II proves to us that is able to over come his fears weather they are in his past or finally allowing his son to write this book about his past. Vladek doesn't seem scared about his past or about anything that happened in WWII but he doesn't seem to have the drive to tell the younger generation. I believe he feels this way because he would like to leave the past in the past and just let time go on. I do feel that Vladek did have some demons in the past. He may have even had them while he was telling the story. Maybe Vladek holds onto the discrimination that he had experienced in the camps and in general during the time of WWII. Vladek proved he is courageous in Maus I by not letting his children down. He shows courage in Maus II by surviving the concentration camps. Damien Demko (170)
ReplyDeleteChris Hubka
ReplyDeleteBlock 5
11/12/15
The definition of courage is, the quality of mind or spirit that enables a person to face difficulty, danger, and pain. I think Vladek definitely meets those standards when you read and get to know him in Muas 1 and 2. In his life Vladek had so many difficulties with his family, his work and even his own freedom. He went through a terrible time in history where people had no say on what happened to their friends, families, and all of their belongings. This time is the Holocaust. Vladek needed one characteristic that would help him and others to not only stay alive, but to thrive in the Holocaust. He used this characteristic of courage to keep his family alive. Vladek lost almost everything in the Holocaust but one this he actually gained was a huge amount of courage. I think the best example of this is when he risked his own life to steal some plain old break for food because Anja was so hungry. This not only helped Anja physically to stay alive, but mentally as well. Vladeks courage gave Anja hope to keep on going and to give a little bit more courage to see the light of day one more time in the freedom of her home, and with her own family. (196)
I agree with Eduardo's comment because I think that it would take a great deal of courage for anyone to survive his situation and to do the things that he had to do in order to accomplish his goal of survival. One of the things which I think must have been the hardest was that he made friends with a guard at his camp and taught him how to speak English. In exchange, the guard gave him more food and would take better care of him than the other Jews. Personally, I don't think that I would have had the courage to be friends with someone who is okay with the slaughtering of millions of people, but Vladek was able to do it. I think that Vladek was similar to the other survivors (132) because they both had to be very courageous in order to survive, even though Vladek was in a camp and the other weren't. I think that both Vladek and the other survivors did what they believed was necessary in order to keep themselves and their families safe. (179)
ReplyDeleteMarcus Helliker
ReplyDeleteBlock 5
11-12-15
Vladek, a very courageous man, showed courage throughout his life. Vladek never lost hope, the greatest form of courage. Even in the most painful moments, Vladek had still radiated courage and hope. Just as Vladek had, those that had survived after Kristallnacht kept positivity. Vladek was exceedingly well at making friends with unusual people. This talent eventually helped him in dangerous situations. He befriended people such as the Nazi prison guard. Instances like those shows he was willing to do anything to survive. Being able to do acts as terrifying and heart wrenching as he did, takes courage. Many survivors had to make difficult decisions to be able to survive.Throughout the persecution of the Jews, many people showed so much courage. Many Jews, including Vladek, faced crimes they couldn’t ever imagine. They were able to overcome their fear and decided to do what it took to survive. There isn't a more courageous act that that. (156)
Teddy Medina
ReplyDelete11/12/15
Mrs. MacVay
Courage
I happen to agree with Jesus, relating to Eduardo's comment, that the
amount of courage it took to go through all those experiences was
great. In order to survive all horrifying experiences Vladek and many
others endured it took an unimaginable amount of courage. Vladek and
others did not imagine that they had that amount of courage, but it took
something like the holocaust to express it. Vladek expressed courage
by having hope throughout all of his hardships. No matter how tough
the situations were, he always managed to see the light in it and make
it through. It took courage to become friends with the enemy in order to
survive and get him and his family to safety in the long run. Another
example of Vladek’s courage is dealing with his wife’s suicide and
telling his story to his son. Even though it caused great pain to him he
still managed to tell his story to the world (165)
Isaac taylor
ReplyDelete11/12/15
Mrs. McVay
Courage
VLADEK is a good and very courageous man. Even the survivors showed courage. Vladek during the war by staying strong and surviving through all the Holocaust he's been put through. He's always stay positive. As my dad says “always finish strong and never give up”! He even showed courage during the prosecution when they were held up in the concentration camp. Somehow every situation he got to he somehow manage to get out of. He overcame the fear but still lives with the horrible memories (160)
When he was in the camps he traded his items carefully. He also didn't eat all his food right away like other prisoners, he ate a little bit at a time. He also used food to get help to go to the restroom when he was sick and to carry him. Most survivors were not comfortable sharing their story about the Holocaust, Vladek decided to share his story instead of letting it be forgotten, where other survivors of the Holocaust didn't want to share their story due to not wanting to live the terrors that they lived in the past. One major thing that happen to Vladek that really would've brought me down was when his cigarettes were stolen that he saved up to use to trade instead of using them, and knowing that all of that could've been used for a lot of food and other things. He also bought a shirt from someone so he could use it to get soup since it was clean, because people wouldn't allow them eat soup unless their clothes didn't have lice on them and weren't dirty.
ReplyDeleteVladek was a courageous man to have endured the holocaust. He had so many hardships thrown at him, such as, lack of food, disease and the environment. It takes a lot of a courage to be able to survive something like that. It takes even more courage to be able to talk about it.Vladek was able to keep positive by thinking of returning home to his family after the war; this thought kept him going and gave him the courage and strength to fight death even thouigh it kept coming for him. The people from the testimonies showed courage similar to that of Vladek's. One woman, Esther Gever, was courageous enough to defy the Nazi's taking her father away. She could have been killed for doing something as defiant as that but she did it anyways because she had courage. Eva Abraham-Podietz was thrown off her bike by nazi soldiers. She had enough courage to get back up even after they had thrown her down. (166)
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteEmbracing your fears is one of the biggest steps towards courage. Vladek throughout both Maus I and Maus II proves to us that is able to over come his fears weather they are in his past or finally allowing his son to write this book about his past. Vladek doesn't seem scared about his past or about anything that happened in WWII but he doesn't seem to have the drive to tell the younger generation. I believe he feels this way because he would like to leave the past in the past and just let time go on. I do feel that Vladek did have some demons in the past. He may have even had them while he was telling the story. Maybe Vladek holds onto the discrimination that he had experienced in the camps and in general during the time of WWII.
ReplyDeleteThough out the book Vladek faced many hardships and it had to of taken so much courage to survive the holocaust. Thinking about returning to his family after the war was over contributed to his courage by fighting so he can finally see that moment. The testimonies showed extreme courage from protecting your father to just getting back up on your bike. Even small thinks like this during the holocaust represented major courage.
ReplyDeleteJalen Gross
ReplyDelete10/1/17
St. Augustine
Courage
Vladek has to be one of the most courageous characters I have ever seen. He is always positive and he doesn't have his head down in the gutter. What he is going through has to be one of the worst things that to happen to him. Over the past year I was told that where there is pain there is glory. Because Vladek has to still deal with the horrible memories he is still fighting he will never stop fighting his past unless he moves on with is old life and make a new one only time can tell. But he is fighting a battle that can only be won.