This Study Guide consists of approximately 70pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more - Meanwhile, the civil war in Syria still continues to precipitate one of the worst humanitarian crises in history. On the ship, Ruth, born in Nazi Germany, has the freedom to play openly for the first time in her life. By focusing on details such as Ruths stuffed rabbit, Mahmouds counterfeit life jackets, and Isabels trumpet, fiction forces readers to view tragedy not as a removed phenomenon, but as something happening daily to people like us.. How does the. Refugee: Josef: On the Atlantic Ocean - 1939, 10 days Summary & Analysis Next Isabel: Straits of Florida - 1994, 1 day (2) Themes and Colors Key Summary Analysis Josef and some of the other children on the St. Louis take a tour of the ship 's bridge and engine room. Detailed quotes explanations with page numbers for every important quote on the site. The two families face many challenges as they try to cross the Caribbean Sea to Florida. Even Mahmouds precarious raft is a promise of tomorrow. We're sorry, SparkNotes Plus isn't available in your country. If there are two dates, the date of publication and appearance Isabels family and friends have always wanted to leave the country, but Castro will throw you in jail if you try to escape. Gratzs stirring novel humanizes the plight of refugees worldwide. These arent completely true stories, but these things do happen to real people, even today. A heartrending and important tale for our time. What is the summary of refugee? Save over 50% with a SparkNotes PLUS Annual Plan! Refugee by Alan Gratz is a historical fiction novel written in 2017 that weaves together three compelling stories of families seeking sanctuary in other countries. Josef again shows his passage into adulthood, as he notices and worries about his mothers mental condition. Thus, Gratz presents the stark reality of the perils of such a passage. The Nazis invade France just a few months after Josefs family arrives there. Their city of Aleppo is in ruins and the family decide that leaving Syria is their only option if they wish to survive. Out of these passengers, it was mostly those who found asylum in England who survived World War II. The last date is today's SparkNotes Plus subscription is $4.99/month or $24.99/year as selected above. Continue to start your free trial. Josefs story starts with Kristallnacht, the Night of Broken Glass in 1938. After a few weeks in Munich, Mahmouds family is transferred to a host family in Berlin. Further, children are made heroes in Refugee precisely because children should not, ideally, have to be heroes. He also draws a clear line between this view of the children, and their justification of the violence that they deem acceptable against Jewish people. Storyboard That is the perfect tool for novel lesson plans and activities because it's so easy to use and extremely versatile. Plus, our printable worksheets make it easy to take the fun offline. Josef Landau. online is the same, and will be the first date in the citation. The journey aboard the St. Louis from Hamburg to Havana is a sunny interlude in Josef and Ruths troubled childhood. Lito is rescued and deported to Cuba. The frequent dangers that surround the boat underline the fragility of hope in the life of the novels asylum-seekers. The third story belongs to thirteen-year-old Mahmoud Bishara, who lives in war-torn Aleppo, Syria, against the backdrop of a crisis which continues into the present day. What were some allusions (references to real people, places, events, religious practices, art, literature) present in the novel? Complete your free account to request a guide. The author can choose to leave the storyboard public or mark it as Unlisted. Impossible odds and families in peril make for vivid and unrelenting suspense in these stories of flight and daring. It gives the reader an unflinching look at the humanity, courage, and struggle of refugees seeking safety and freedom. Josefs story starts with Kristallnacht, the Night of Broken Glass in 1938. Its other accolades include the Sydney Taylor Book Award, the National Jewish Book Award, the Cybils Middle Grade Fiction Award, a Charlotte Huck Award Honor, and a Malka Penn Award for . Comment on the use of imagery in "Games at Twilight.". Complete your free account to request a guide. Even amongst people who have lost everything, they still have empathy toward this man who showed the same courtesy to a fellow Jewish person. Refugee is a heart-pounding adventure as well as an important book that shines a light on a too often invisible and politicized problem. Teachers may opt to lower the security if they want to allow sharing. On Kristallnacht, the Night of Broken Glass, members of the Brownshirts, the police force of Nazi Germany, invade Josefs house and take away his father, Aaron Landau. Creating notes and highlights requires a free LitCharts account. Refugee: Josef: Havana Harbor - 1939, 19 days (2) Summary & Analysis Next. Despite his father's absence, Josef is pleased to see 100 men gathered to perform the ritual with him. Summary Plot Overview Refugee follows the stories of three different children and their families, each attempting to flee their violent homelands, in different regions of the world and during different decades. on 50-99 accounts. Isabels boat, too, tips over, the sea claiming her familys food and water. This heart-stopping novel is not only compelling it is necessary. From the outset, Gratz places readers in the middle of the action and immediately demonstrates the cruelty of the Nazis against the Jews. In Isabels journey, Ivn is claimed by sharks, which symbolize the life-taking maw of the ocean. Josef: On the Atlantic Ocean 1939, 6 days, Josef: On the Atlantic Ocean 1939, 8 days, Isabel: Straits of Florida 1994, 1 day (1), Josef: On the Atlantic Ocean 1939, 10 days, Isabel: Straits of Florida 1994, 1 day (2), Josef: On the Atlantic Ocean 1939, 11 days, Isabel: The Straits of Florida 1994, 1 day (3), Mahmoud: Izmir, Turkey 2015, 11 days (1), Josef: On the Atlantic Ocean 1939, 14 days, Isabel: The Straits of Florida 1994, 1 day (4), Mahmoud: Izmir, Turkey 2015, 11 days (2), Josef: On the Atlantic Ocean 1939, 17 days, Isabel: Straits of Florida 1994, 2 days, Mahmoud: The Mediterranean 2015, 11 days (1), Mahmoud: The Mediterranean 2015, 11 days (2), Isabel: Between Bahamas and Florida 1994, 4 days, Mahmoud: Lesbos to Athens 2015, 12 days (3), Isabel: Between Bahamas and Florida 1994, 5 days (2), Mahmoud: Macedonia to Serbia 2015, 14-15 days, Isabel: Coast of Florida 1994, 5 days (1), Mahmoud: Serbia to Hungary 2015, 15-16 days, Isabel: Coast of Florida 1994, 5 days (2), Isabel: Coast of Florida 1994, 5 days (3), Josef: Vornay, France 1940, 1 year, 1 month, 10 days, Isabel: Coast of Florida 1994, 5 days (4), Mahmoud: Hungary to Germany 2015, 17 days. By entering your email address you agree to receive emails from SparkNotes and verify that you are over the age of 13. The original text plus a side-by-side modern translation of. Yet this episode also shows how Ruthie has been able to retain some of her innocence and childhood as she plays, which only showcases Josefs comparative maturity when he refuses. Teachers can view all of their students storyboards, but students can only view their own. What details do you notice that show that this story is not taking place in the United States? Josef goes to find his sister but when he comes back his father is gone. He is gaunt and thin; looking "like an escapee from a mental asylum" (36). Filled with both tragic loss and ample evidence of resilience, these memorable and tightly plotted stories contextualize and give voice to current refugee crises, Exceptional readers Michael Goldstrom, Kyla Garcia, and Assaf Cohen tackle Gratzs compelling novel. In Josefs story, the very calm of the Atlantic Ocean is menacing, hiding a darker future. When the family is eventually caught, Josefs mother is forced to choose which of her children will be freed and which will be sent to a concentration camp. Isabel Fernandez is an eleven-year-old girl who lives just outside Havana in 1994. After drifting off to the Bahamas, the Fernandez and Castillo families finally steer back on course to reach Florida, but not before Isabels mother delivers her baby brother in the boat. His father, Aaron, is taken away by the Nazis on Kristallnacht and is sent to the Dachau concentration camp. Creating notes and highlights requires a free LitCharts account. When students storyboard, they are actively engaged in the learning process and can make connections between the text and their own lives. | As a narrative device, this has the effect of accentuating the perils of unusual transcontinental journeys, which the reader is habituated to consider in terms of air travel. Detailed explanations, analysis, and citation info for every important quote on LitCharts. After . Wed love to have you back! Storyboards also promote higher-level thinking by encouraging students to synthesize information and think critically about what they have read. Did you know you can highlight text to take a note? However, the trouble begins when the ship docks in Havana harbor and the Cuban government does not allow the passengers to disembark. This is how Mahmoud puts it: No one cares about us if we stay out of your way, but if we come near you were seen as a burden. A few of the crew, however, openly dislike the Jewish passengers, especially Otto Schiendick, who proudly states his Nazi allegiance. The places where they live are in a horrifying state of turmoil. Things dont go as planned when a fight breaks out and the family has to leave their car and belongings behind. Detailed explanations, analysis, and citation info for every important quote on LitCharts. They take a train to board the St. Louis, where it feels like paradise compared to the treatment they received the last couple of years. Though Refugee is a novel, all three of its main storylines are based on actual historical events. Captain Schroeder demonstrates how to change the ship's speed. In the end, these three stories are connected. A large part of the novels narrative focuses on boats, which represent tenuous hope. My students love how organized the handouts are and enjoy tracking the themes as a class., Requesting a new guide requires a free LitCharts account. Each version of Storyboard That has a different privacy and security model that is tailored for the expected usage. The interplay between water and vessel, then, marks the unpredictable nature of a refugees journey. eNotes.com will help you with any book or any question. When the St. Louis reaches Havana Harbor in Cuba, the ship is not allowed to dock. Refugee is more than a story about children fleeing their homelands, it is a story about what unites us all love, family and perseverance. Josef is 12 years old at the beginning of the book, living in Nazi Germany in 1938, where Jewish people like Josef are treated as "subhuman" and second-class citizens. The second is the date of Trauma and. Fast paced, insightful, filled with drama and tension. It is shabbos and time for Josefs Bar Mitzvah, the Jewish religious ceremony when a Jewish boy turns 13 years old. Her father is caught participating in the "Maleconazo" riot, during which citizens protested the government's civil rights abuses as well as the economic crisis that had plunged the nation into poverty. According to history, most of the St. Louiss passengers had to return to Europe, denied asylum by Cuba and Europe. These arent completely true stories, but these things do happen to real people, even today. PDF downloads of all 1699 LitCharts literature guides, and of every new one we publish. The refugees are welcomed in Austria, and Mahmouds family takes a train to Germany. Braving extremely choppy and shark-infested waters, the two families make the ninety-mile run to Florida. The stories are set in different times and places and are told from the perspective of the refugee children. In one, Josef and his Jewish family flee Nazi Berlin in 1938. One example is when Josefs family falls apart and he has to be the leader by talking to other people and acting as the main adult of his family. This is an engaging tale. Order our Refugee (Alan Gratz) Study Guide, teaching or studying Refugee (Alan Gratz). 2023 eNotes.com, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Because of this, they all want to escape to a safer place. Teach your students to analyze literature like LitCharts does. Josef's story is set in Nazi Germany in 1939. How does each of the characters experience the feeling of fear inRefugeeby Alan Gratz? And although Josef, Isabel, and Mahmoud are separated by continents and decades, surprisingconnections will tie their stories together in the end. Chapter 1 Summary: "Josef: Berlin, Germany1938". Start your 48-hour free trial to get access to more than 30,000 additional guides and more than 350,000 Homework Help questions answered by our experts. The Landau's went through many hardships during the . The Nazis invade France in 1940, forcing the Landaus to go on the run once again. Refugee by Alan Gratz is a historical fiction novel written in 2017 that weaves together three compelling stories of families seeking sanctuary in other countries. Anincredibly important, heartrending, edge-of-the-seat read, bringing light to the plight of immigrants who search for safety and freedom. The woman promises Mahmoud that she will help them find Hana and reveals to them her own story of being a refugee. Eliot Schrefer, two-time National Book Award finalist. Christina Diaz Gonzalez, author of The Red Umbrella and A Thunderous Whisper. Amidst the celebration of leaving, Josef is concerned about his father. A gripping, visceral, and hold-your-breath intense story of three young refugees. online is the same, and will be the first date in the citation. All three stories make for a great novel and it will teach you a lot and appreciate how good we have it. Complete your free account to access notes and highlights, Refugee: Kimberly Brubaker Bradley, Newbery Honor winning author of The War That Saved My Life. You'll be billed after your free trial ends. Gratz shows how Josefs experience is not an isolated incident: all over Germany, Jews are facing the same kind of erasure of their culture and identity. This immediately places Josef in the role of an adult, forcing him to grow up quickly. The hatred that Josef experiences on the tour only reminds him, and the readers, of the stakes of the trip. 3 Mar. Refugee Alan Gratz Study Guide Summary Plot Overview Chapter Summaries Summary Chapter Summaries Josef / Berlin, Germany-1938 Josef Landau is a twelve-year-old boy living in Nazi Germany. eNotes.com, Inc. All storyboards are private and secure to the portal using enterprise-class file security hosted by Microsoft Azure. This is a must read for anyone, especially people who like history. Josef's life is turned upside down on the night when Nazi Brownshirts take his father away to a concentration camp. The boat the Castillos have cobbled together becomes the center of Isabels existence. The St. Louis could not save Josef, just as the Castillos boat could not save Ivn. Making their way past ISIS operatives, they get to Turkey by road, where a boat is to take them to Greece tomorrow. Again, like it was for the Landaus at the Cuban coast, that tomorrow is deferred, day after day and week after week, and the family is forced to take shelter in an abandoned Turkish mall. Josef: On the Atlantic Ocean 1939, 6 days, Josef: On the Atlantic Ocean 1939, 8 days, Isabel: Straits of Florida 1994, 1 day (1), Josef: On the Atlantic Ocean 1939, 10 days, Isabel: Straits of Florida 1994, 1 day (2), Josef: On the Atlantic Ocean 1939, 11 days, Isabel: The Straits of Florida 1994, 1 day (3), Mahmoud: Izmir, Turkey 2015, 11 days (1), Josef: On the Atlantic Ocean 1939, 14 days, Isabel: The Straits of Florida 1994, 1 day (4), Mahmoud: Izmir, Turkey 2015, 11 days (2), Josef: On the Atlantic Ocean 1939, 17 days, Isabel: Straits of Florida 1994, 2 days, Mahmoud: The Mediterranean 2015, 11 days (1), Mahmoud: The Mediterranean 2015, 11 days (2), Isabel: Between Bahamas and Florida 1994, 4 days, Mahmoud: The Mediterranean 2015, 11 days (3), Isabel: Between Bahamas and Florida 1994, 5 days (1), Mahmoud: Lesbos to Athens 2015, 12 days (3), Isabel: Between Bahamas and Florida 1994, 5 days (2), Mahmoud: Macedonia to Serbia 2015, 14-15 days, Isabel: Coast of Florida 1994, 5 days (1), Mahmoud: Serbia to Hungary 2015, 15-16 days, Isabel: Coast of Florida 1994, 5 days (2), Isabel: Coast of Florida 1994, 5 days (3), Josef: Vornay, France 1940, 1 year, 1 month, 10 days, Isabel: Coast of Florida 1994, 5 days (4), Mahmoud: Hungary to Germany 2015, 17 days. date the date you are citing the material. A storm sweeps them to the Bahamas, where they are not allowed to disembark; Ivn is attacked by sharks and eventually bleeds to death in the boat; and toward the end of the journey, Isabels pregnant mother goes into labor. However, despite the presence of kind adults like Captain Schroeder, the ship is also haunted by Nazi spies, like Otto Schiendick, who mistreat Jews. "Refugee - Analysis" eNotes Publishing Detailed quotes explanations with page numbers for every important quote on the site. Josef is loyal, compassionate, paternal, and selfless. $18.74/subscription + tax, Save 25% The second date is today's What can you learn about the people and the time period from these allusions? The family struggles between needing to stay "invisible" in order to avoid danger and survive and becoming "visible" so that those with means can give them aid. White Read-Aloud Award Finalist, 2018 NCTE Charlotte Huck Outstanding Fiction for Children Honor Book, 2017 Malka Penn Award for Human Rights in Childrens Literature Honor Book, Kirkus Reviews Best Middle Grade Historical Books of 2017, Publishers Weekly Best Middle Grade Books of 2017, Southern Living Best Childrens Books of 2017, Publishers Weekly Best Audiobooks of 2017, School Library Journal Top Ten Audio Books of 2017, Booklist Editors Choice: Top 10 Audio for Youth 2017, Audible Best Kids Audiobooks of 2017 Finalist, Center for the Study of Multicultural Childrens Books Best Books of 2017, New York Public Library Top 100 Best Books for Kids 2017, Chicago Public Library Kids Best Fiction for Older Readers 2017, Amazon Top 20 Best Childrens Books of 2017, 2019 Oklahoma Sequoyah Intermediate Book Award Winner, 2018-2019 Pennsylvania Young Readers Choice Grade 6-8 Winner, 2018-2019 Maine Student Book Award Winner, 2018-2019 Vermont Dorothy Canfield Fisher Award Winner, 2019 North Carolina Childrens Book Award Winner, 2019North Dakota Flicker Tale Book Award Winner, 2020 Illinois Rebecca Caudill Young Readers Book Award Winner, 2020 Wisconsin Golden Archer Medal Winner, 2019-2020 Louisiana Young Readers Choice Awards Honor Book, 2020 Arizona Grand Canyon Reader Award Winner, 2019-2020 Tennessee Volunteer State Book Award Winner, 2019-2020 Indiana Young Hoosier Book Award Winner, 2020 California Young Reader Book Award Winner, 2019-2020 Minnesota Maud Hart Lovelace Award Winner, 2018 Colorado Blue Spruce Young Adult Book Award Nominee, 2018-2019 MarylandBlack-Eyed Susan Book Award Nominee, 2020 Nebraska Golden Sower Award Finalist, 2020 New Jersey Garden State Teen Book Award Nominee, 2020 Washington State Sasquatch Book Award Nominee, 2019 Hampshire (England) Book Award Finalist, 2020 Colorado Childrens Choice Book Award Masterlist, 2020 Pacific Northwest Young Readers Choice Award Masterlist, 2020 New Hampshire Isinglass Teen Read Award Masterlist, 2021 German Youth Literature Award Nominee. In 1938 Berlin, a 12-year-old Jewish boy named Josef is awakened by the sound of Hitler's Brownshirts breaking into his family's apartment. They will also appear in Google search results. After the police see Isabels father participate in a riot, there is no option but for the Fernandez family to leave Cuba by boat. Your group members can use the joining link below to redeem their group membership. Detailed explanations, analysis, and citation info for every important quote on LitCharts. Out of the 937 aboard, roughly 254 ultimately perished in Nazi concentration camps. Mahmouds father tells them that Germany is accepting Syrian refugees and if they can get to Greece, they will be able to travel within the European Union to reach Germany. T he main characters in Refugee are Josef Landau, Isabel Fernandez, and Mahmoud Bishara.. Josef Landau is a twelve-year-old Jewish boy living in Berlin, Germany, in 1938. Josef Landau Josef is a 13-year-old Jewish boy living in Germany in the 1930s. They board the ship St. Louis, based on the actual ship that brought Jewish refugees to Cuba and then to the United States but was denied entry by both.That ship had to return the refugees to Europe, where they were split among four countries, and when those countries . Mahmoud Bisharas story is the most recent: he and his family live in Aleppo, Syria, in 2015 and escape to Germany. They have come to arrest Josef's father: "Other Jewish homes and businesses and synagogues were destroyed all over Germany, and tens of . Not only does Isabel rescue her father from arrest, she also sells her beloved trumpet to enable the family to buy gasoline to power the boat her neighbors, the Castillos, have been secretly building. Isabel's story is like that of thousands of other Cuban immigrants who all fled Castro's Cuba. Fidel Castro has taken over the country of Cuba and the citizens are sick of his dictatorship. Refugee Characters. This compelling novel will help young people make sense of todays refugee crisis. They run into several problems, like being in bloody water with many sharks around on a sinking boat and there are high stakes at the end. They're like having in-class notes for every discussion!, This is absolutely THE best teacher resource I have ever purchased. Our, "Sooo much more helpful thanSparkNotes. As Landau's hysteria increases, Josef slaps his father's face. He watches his friends' father, whom had already sought asylum in Cuba, come to pick up his daughters on the boat. This is a fascinating tale. Josef, his family, and the passengers are now faced with the possibility of being returned to Germany and to their certain death. By signing up you agree to our terms and privacy policy. Would not have made it through AP Literature without the printable PDFs. date the date you are citing the material. Mahmoud Bishara is a twelve-year-old boy who lives in Aleppo, Syria in 2015.