Deaglan's+Homework

BACKGROUND- What life was like in Europe after World War II. It will help you understand the **//world David travels through in order to find his way home. //**  After World War II ended in 1945, much of Europe lay in ruins. Cities, rural areas, communications, and transportation systems were destroyed. Over fifty million people were dead, including over six million Jews, many of whom had been murdered in Nazi concentration camps. Led by the United States, Great Britain, and the Soviet Union, the Allied forces had worked together to defeat dictator Adolph Hitler’s Germany and Germany’s ally, Japan, along with other Axis countries in their bid to take over the world. But almost immediately after the War, relations between Allied countries began to fall apart.

By the end of World War II the Soviet Union had driven German soldiers back to Germany. However, Soviet soldiers were still in many Eastern European countries. The leader of the Soviet Union, dictator Joseph Stalin had promised the Allies that as soon as possible he would allow free elections in these Eastern European nations and withdraw his soldiers. But right after the War, Joseph Stalin broke his promise. The Soviet soldiers did not withdraw, and by 1948, every Eastern European country was under the control of the Soviet Union.

The government of the Soviet Union was //communist //, which comes from the word “communal,” meaning “of the group.” Communists believe that practicing religion and holding private property should be forbidden. The communist government of the Soviet Union did not believe in a free press. Disagreement by citizens with the government was against the law, and people could be put in prison if their beliefs were different from what the government wanted people to believe. The rights of individuals did not matter. In practice, the government of the Soviet Union was a dictatorship of the proletariat ( //proletariat // means “the poorest class of working people”). A very small group of leaders controlled the lives of all citizens. In countries with Communist governments, the government owned all factories and workplaces. There was no independent economy, no independent newspapers, no independent courts, and no independent legislature.

But now, after World War II, on one side was the United States and Great Britain and on the other was the Soviet Union. In fact, on March 5, 1946 the Prime Minister of Great Britain,Winston Churchill, made a famous speech at Westminster College, in Fulton,Missouri.With United States President Harry Truman in the audience,Winston Churchill warned about Eastern Europe becoming separated from the rest of Europe because of what the Soviet Union was doing. To make his point more forcefully, Churchill used the image of a giant iron curtain coming down on Eastern European countries, separating them from the rest of Europe:


 * //“From Stettin in the Baltic to Trieste in the Adriatic, //**
 * //an iron curtain has descended across the Continent. //**
 * //Behind that line lie all the capitals of the ancient //**
 * //states of Central and Eastern Europe.Warsaw, Berlin, //**
 * //Vienna, and Sofia; all these famous cities lie in what //**
 * //<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">I must call the Soviet sphere.” //**

<span style="font-size: 90%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">Behind the “iron curtain,” the Soviet Union was establishing repressive governments and labor camps. In labor camps, people who were thought to disagree withvthe government were imprisoned, forced to do hard work, tortured, and sometimes even put to death for their beliefs. In the year 1952, the year in which the film //<span style="font-size: 90%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">I Am David //<span style="font-size: 90%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;"> takes place, over two and a half million people were in labor camps in the Soviet Union. In Bulgaria alone, between 1948-1954 there were 99 forced labor camps. This is the backdrop against which the story //<span style="font-size: 90%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">I Am David //<span style="font-size: 90%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;"> takes place.

<span style="display: block; font-size: 400%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; text-align: center;">QUESTION S <span style="display: block; font-size: 26px; line-height: 39px; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; text-align: center;"> **Due Date: 1st June, 2009**

<span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; text-align: left;">Answering these questions will help you to understand some of the perils involved in the journey David makes to find his way home. You will need a dictionary.Write your answers in complete senteces. 1. Roughly how many people died as a result of World War II? Over 50 million people, which included 6 million Jews. 2.What is a “dictator”? (Look up the word in your dictionary and write its definition here.) A person exercising absolute power. Eg: A ruler who has absolute, unrestricted control in a government without hereditary succession. 3. List the two dictators mentioned in this selection, and the countries of which they were the leaders. Adolf Hitler (Auckland/Germany) and Joeseph Stalin (Russia). 4.Who first used the expression “iron curtain”? What is meant by an “iron curtain” ? Winston Churchill and a prison to keep Europe people away from their families. 5.What is a “labour camp”? Who was put into labour camps? By whom? Why is David in a labour camp? A place where people who disagree with the government go to prison, Jews and Christians, Nazi's, and David might be in there because he might be Jew. 6. Make up one question of your own about something you think is important to know from reading this selection.Then answer your question.

<span style="display: block; font-size: 200%; color: rgb(15,15,199); font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; text-align: center;">**__CHAPTER ONE -__ <span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">__DUE 04/06/09__ <span style="font-size: 18px; color: rgb(0,0,0); line-height: 18px;">__Vocabulary__: Look up the following words and give the dictionary definitions ** <span style="font-size: 150%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">repulsive - thicket - grating - catastrophe - dwell - dozed - Repulsive: Causing repugnance or aversion. Thicket: A thick or dense growth of shrubs, bushes, or small trees. Grating: A mixed frame of bars or the like covering an opening to exclude persons. Catastrophe: A sudden and widespread disaster. Dwell: To live or stay as a permanent resident. Dozed: To sleep lightly or fitfully. <span style="font-size: 150%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">1. As in most novels, the first chapter introduces the character and sets the scene for what is to follow. But what you are told in the first chapter of I Am David is some- what mysterious, even outright confusing. A snippet of information here, a tantali- zing bit there. Why does the author do that? Why doesn't she tell you outright who David is and where he is? Because she really wants you to get 2. Why does David hate the man? Does this hatred seem justified, considering what the man is doing for him? Explain. 3. Look up the word paranoid. Would you call David paranoid? Explain by giving examples that might explain David's odd behaviour. 4. In the truck, on his way to Salonica, David experiences a moment of intense fear. How does this sudden fear come about? How does David conquer it? Who is Johannes? What does he symbolize? Why does Johannes "stay behind in Salonica"? 5. Geographically, David has moved from wherever the camp is, to Italy. From where has he moved emotionally? 6. Make a short list, in point form, of the bits of information you have thus far received about David. <span style="font-size: 24px; line-height: normal; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;"> <span style="display: block; font-size: 200%; color: rgb(5,5,194); font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; text-align: center;"> <span style="display: block; font-size: 200%; color: rgb(9, 9, 185); font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; text-align: center;">__**CHAPTER TWO - <span style="color: rgb(255,0,0);">DUE 04/06/09 **__ **<span style="font-size: 150%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">Vocabulary: Look up the following words and give the definitions ** <span style="font-size: 150%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">intermingled - lithe - irresolutely - irksome - intervals - spurs - verge - clamber - credit - aramaic - apfelsinen - intricate - passionate Intermingled: To mingle, with one another. Lithe: Bending readily. Irresolutely: Unsure of how to act or proceed. Irksome: Causing annoyance, weariness, or vexation. Intervals: A space between two objects, points, or units. Spurs: A batch of newly made rag-paper sheets. Verge: To slope or sink. Clamber: To climb with difficulty, especially on all fours. Credit: Recognition or approval for an act, ability, or quality. Aramaic: A semitic language, a syrian dialect of which was used as a lingua franca in the Near East from the 6th century B.C. Apfelsinen: Unknown. Intricate: Very complicated or detailed. Passionate: Showing or caused by strong beliefs or a strong belief. <span style="font-size: 150%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">1. The Chapter begins with a descriptive paragraph. List the descriptive words. 2. David gives himself a good scrubbing. But he is doing more than just washing himself. Re-check the meaning of the word symbolic and explain what is symbolic about David cleansing himself. Why is it so important to him? What effect does it have on his relationships with his surroundings? List the words that indicate a change in David. 3. Why had David thought at one time that he might be Jewish? 4. Why had there been scarcely any difference between the men and the women in the camp? Find an image showing what people in the concentration camps looked like and upload it to your wiki site. 5. What is strange about David's eyes?
 * <span style="font-size: 150%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">__Questions:__ **
 * <span style="font-size: 150%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">Questions: **

===**<span style="display: block; font-size: 150%; color: rgb(5, 5, 194); font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; text-align: center;">__CHAPTERS THREE & FOUR__ <span style="display: block; font-size: 150%; color: rgb(255, 0, 0); font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; text-align: center;">__DUE 05/06/09__ <span style="display: block; font-size: 150%; color: rgb(5,5,194); font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; text-align: center;"> **=== <span style="display: block; text-align: center; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;"> <span style="display: block; text-align: center; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 150%;"> exhausting - terrain - dispassionately - disconcerted - brevity - anxious - awkward - ensnare - sinister - genuine - conspicuous - lorries - hostage - daft - succumbed <span style="display: block; text-align: center; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 26px;">Exhausting: Drain (someone) of their physical or mental resources. Terrain: A stretch of land. Dispassionately: Not influenced by strong emotion. Disconcerted: To disturb the composure of. Brevity: Concise and exact use of words in writing or speech. Anxious: Experiencing worry, unease, or nervousness, typically about an imminent event or something with an uncertain outcome. Awkward: Causing difficulty, hard to do or deal with. Ensnare: Catch in or as in a trap. Sinister: Giving the impression that something harmful or evil is happening. Genuine: Truly what something is said to be. Conspicuous: Standing out so as to be clearly visible. Lorries: A large, heavy motor vehicle for transporting goods or troops. Hostage: A person seized or held as security for the fulfillment of a condition. Daft: Silly or Foolish. Succumbed: Fail to resist. <span style="font-size: 150%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;"> **<span style="font-size: 150%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">Questions ** > (a) What purpose would a God serve? > (b) What kind of God does he select for himself? What factors are considered by David as he makes his choice? > (c) Which factor do you think is the most important to him? Explain. > (d) Read David's prayer and tell what he expects from God. > (e) Compare his God with those he rejects. What does this tell you about David?
 * <span style="font-size: 150%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">Vocabulary: Look up the following words and give the definitions **
 * 1) <span style="font-size: 150%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">Why does David feel he still has to obey the man and go north to Denmark, even though the man can no longer control him?
 * 2) <span style="font-size: 150%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">After losing his compass, David decided that he must have a God.
 * 1) <span style="font-size: 150%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">When David helps the couple he feels: "... a strong impulse to do something quite voluntary for another person... It felt almost like possessing something, something so big that he could give some of it away." (p.63) Explain what he means with that.
 * 2) <span style="font-size: 150%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">David has a way of deciding if a country is a free one or not. What is his method? Do you think it is a good one? Explain.
 * 3) <span style="font-size: 150%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">Why is it that David cannot teach himself to smile.
 * 4) <span style="font-size: 150%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">David, till he meets Angelo, had thought that good people must also be clever. Why did he think so and why was he puzzled?
 * 5) <span style="font-size: 150%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">Why had the prisoners in the camp said: "Don't tell the boy anything they may try to worm out of him afterwards"?
 * 6) <span style="font-size: 150%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;">When David meets up with the mean little boy, he doesn't fight back. Explain why he doesn't and why he compares the boy with the camp guards.