Sunday, June 10, 2012

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, Chapters 19 and 20


  1. How does the uniform Schmuel provides remind Bruno of his grandmother?
  2. How did you react to the ending of the book? Explain what was going through your mind.
  3. What realization did the father piece together at the fence? Explain how you think he must have felt at that moment.
  4. Why does the author state at the end of the story "Of course all of this happened a long time ago and nothing like that could ever happen again. Not in his day and age"?
  5. In your own word, explain the moral of this fable.

Friday, June 8, 2012

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, Chapters 17 and 18


  1. What events in Chapter 17 foreshadow Bruno 's fate?
  2.  The barbed wire fence is a physical separation between Bruno and Shmuel. What other types of separation does the fence represent in this story?

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, Chapters 15 and 16


  1. What would you have done if you were Bruno when Lieutenant Kotler attacked Shmuel for eating some food? Why do you think Bruno did or said nothing?
  2. What do you think the story's most exciting events were in Chapter 16?

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, Chapters 13 and 14


  1. If you could ask __________ (any character) three questions, what questions would you ask him or her? 
  2. Would you have lied to Gretel about Shmuel or would you have told her the truth? Explain why or why not.

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, Chapters 11 and 12

Complete the statements below and explain why you  felt this way:
Chapter 11
1. I was confused when ..

Chapter 12:
2. Give an example of a time when you were young child and you saw the world  from a more innocent perspective. What are some examples of that? What experiences helped you see the world differently than what you initially thought?

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, Chapters 9 and 10

  1. Explain your reaction when Bruno finds Shmuel at the fence? 
  2. What surprised you the most in Chapter 10? Why?

Wednesday, June 6, 2012

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, Chapters 7 and 8

  1. Dramatic Irony- Dramatic irony, a device used more often in plays than in fiction, refers to a time when one character is ignorant of something that the other characters and the reader understand. What examples of dramtic irony can you find in Bruno's encounter with Pavel?
  2. In literature, the setting is the time and place in which a story occurs. Setting is especially important in a historical novel such as this one. What is the setting of this novel? What details about the setting help make the characters' times and lifestyles seem real?
  3. Bruno talks about the "Fury" which is a mispronunciation of Fuhrer the title given to the dictator Adolph Hitler. "The beautiful blonde woman" Bruno refers to is Eva Braun. What is one fact that you have learned about her and her relationship with Hitler in Ms. Wiley's class?
  4. What is a simile? What is being compared in the following simile? The noise of a door slamming came from downstairs and reverberated through the house loudly-like the house loudly--like a gunshot--that Bruno jumped and Maria let out a small scream.

Tuesday, June 5, 2012

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, Chapters 5 and 6

Please read each chapter before blogging and answer all questions in complete sentences. Proofread your answers before publishing. z 1. What does Bruno notice and decides not to do when he and his family board the train for Auschwitz? 2. Explain what happens when Bruno asks his father about the people outside their house. How does this make Bruno more curious about Out-With? 3. Explain how Bruno is disrespectful and who defends his father? 4. Explain what Bruno's mother meant when she says, "We don't have the luxury of thinking." Literary Devive Focus: What ia pun? Give one example of how the author uses it in the story.

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, Chapters 3 and 4

Please make sure that you go into detail when answering the questions below.  Write in Standard English and proofread for errors before publishing your responses.

  1. Discuss the relationship between Bruno and Gretel. How old is Bruno and why does he seem younger?
  2. In a traditional fable, characters are usually one-sided. How might Bruno and Gretel be considered one-dimensional?
  3. What shocking discovery do Gretel and Bruno observe as they look out the window? What is the reaction of each character?
  4. What was the title of your fable read and the moral lesson about humanity learned from it?
  5. Literary Device Focus: What is foreshadowing? Give an example of foreshadowing found on page 28.

Saturday, May 12, 2012

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, Chapters 1-2

  1. Why is Maria packing Bruno’s things?
  2. Why must Bruno’s father move away to do his job? 
  3. What matters most to Bruno in Berlin?
    Literary Device Focus: Point of View
    4. From whose point of view is the story told? Why do you think the author chose this point of view?