China's One-Child Policy - Kathryn Sowinski (Activist)

Dear Mr. President,

My name is Kathryn Sowinski, and I'm writing you regarding China's one child policy. I am a high school student from the United States, and In response to a book we read in our literature class, we were asked to address an injustice in the world today. I, specifically, was asked to write a letter to an official regarding this policy, more specifically regarding such issues as forced abortion and feminism. One of those unborn children may grow up to solve the great dilemmas of our day. That child may be the human race's chance at redemption The world is full of problems, and overpopulation is one of them, but there's a point when work “For the greater good” transforms into inhumanity, and this policy brings us dangerously close to said line. Many of those who have seen aborted babies understand. They look into the innocent, dead child's face and thought, “That could have been me.” It could have been any one of us. If our mothers hadn't wanted us, or if a certain rule prohibited our birth, we would not exist right now. Then there are the mothers who throw their babies away to die in a garbage can. Those poor, innocent children that die because they aren't allowed to live. Abortion and abandonment are cruel and inhumane. Children chopped up and pulled apart by doctors, then reassembled to make sure they have all the parts. Babies burned by salt until they die. Mr. President, the madness must be stopped.
Feminism is an issue in China. Parents who want a son will kill any daughter they have until they get a boy. Did you know 99 out of every 100 abortions in China are girls? China is in trouble, and the way to stop this is to end the one child policy. There is an answer to overpopulation, and this is not it. Give the next generation a chance.

Sincerely,
Kathryn Sowinski

China's One-Child Policy

http://voicethread.com/share/327128/

A Child Called It Presentation

http://voicethread.com/share/304538/

Night --> Theme

One night can be the ending of so many things, and the beginning of so much more.


Throughout the story Elie constantly refers back to the word "night" right before he is to describe another horrid thing that occured in these camps. Not to mention that "Night" has to have some significance if Elie choose that for the title of his first book. Night is repetitive to display the presence of night, the darkness, the eerie feeling, the animals and insects that come out. The terrifying screams of the night, those who go missing in the night, those who never awake after one night, the resting of the sun and people while others are busy at work trying to kill. Night can be referenced to almost anything related to the Holocaust. The word night is rarely ever analyzed, and I believe that if we did so, we would find that so many of the things we used to describe it, are similar to those of the horrors of this genocide.

Night - Chapter 3 --> Writing Prompt

1. Paint a picture of the concentration camp using the images that have been described to you through the eyes of Elie. In other words, describe the concentration camp using specific examples.


Concentration Camps:

-the concentration camp has a smell of death that encompasses the whole place, and you are overwhelmed by its presence when you first arrive.
-Dr Mengele = in charge of the selection process
-sky hazy with smoke
-flames = crematoriums
-transformation in the prison garb
-gray and dark
-peoples faces turning into ash
-babies thrown into the flame
-nocturnal silence



Dehumanization:

-shave their heads
-all expected to wear prison garb
-made to stand in the mud
-tattooed numbers = lost name
-removed objects from people
-people were treated as objects = only of use for work
-detached from family
-make prisoners run = to be overocome by fatigue and cause loss of thought and sense of care
-had to deal with death themselves



Stein of Antwerp:

-Family member
-wanted to know if his family was okay [wife and children]
-elie lies saying that they are okay
-stein eventually dies because of loss of hope [finds out truth of death of family]

Night - Chapter 2--> Mrs. Schakner

Why is she so significant that she recieves a whole chapter to herself in this book? What is her role? What might the fire symbolize?

Mrs. Schaker is displaying to the people what they are all in for. She is showing them what they could turn to be and what their death could possibly be, fire. She could most likely be envisioning the rest of her family dying in the fire. She could be thinking that shes seeing fire because that what she truly wants to see. She wants to be warm and feel her husband and children by her side once more. It also foreshadows some of the other Jews death by the fire. She could be symbolizing the fear and the Jews will be facing in a short while, but noen of them realize it yet. The way the other Jews deal with her next to her is exactly how the Germans react towards the Jews.




Class List of Fire Symbolism

-upcoming danger
-burning of loss of faith
-unpredictable/fear of unknown
-fires of the crematoriums = death
-destruction
-chaos
-conflicts

Night - Chapter 1--> Foreshadowing

My Foreshadowing from Chapter 1:

1. Moshie the Beadle - shows the disbelief that this could actually happen.
2. Ghettos - think that this can't get any worse, but really its the best of the worst.
3. "(Poor Father! Of what then did you die?)"p11 - his father is going to die.




The Classes Foreshadowing from Chapter 1:

1. Moshie the Beadle - Warned the Jews of Sighet.
2. Ghettos - progression of the violation of rights.
3. Tzipora - given pack that was too heavy.
4. Jewish council leader could not speak up about future events - brutality.
5. Elie dsicusses the loss of valuables while on vacation - sarcasm.
6. Father's face pale when he found of the transports - knows the horror.
7. Elie's father's Hungarian police friend - came knocking at the window to warn them, but they could not open the window in time.
8. Yellow star - loss of identity.
9. Death of Elie's Father - he dies because hes a Jew.
10. Cattle Cars - no space, treated like foul smelling animals.
11. Wanted to move and not wait in line - Jews couldn't imagine anything worse than being thirsty waiting in that line.
12. Night - Night had fallen, darkness had fallen. Terribleness was upon them and they were in for something they never could've imagined.