The Boy in the Striped Pajamas

Study Guide

7th Grade English

Mrs. Vance

DIALECTICAL NOTEBOOK GUIDELINES

A dialectical notebook is a double-entry journal that allows for learning connections to be made between the source, in this case, a novel, and the reader. These connections begin with selecting characters, settings, themes, events, quotes, and various literary ingredients in the novel and then examining them closely using higher order thinking skills.

You will maintain a dialectical notebook as you read The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. The format for the entries and the type of information you’ll share in each entry is outlined below. The fullest benefit from this thinking/writing activity occurs when a concept from the book is examined from a variety of perspectives, so feel free to vary your responses.

After every chapter, enter at least two responses in your dialectical notebook. (DO NOT SUMMARIZE THE STORY OR PLOT OF THE CHAPTER.) Some special requirements of this dialectical notebook are:

·  The Response column may focus on the major literary elements you come across while reading. Look for:

Imagery

Figurative Language

Symbolism

Characterization

Foreshadowing

Climax

·  Your Response column may also contain your personal reactions to the novel:

“This reminds me of . . .” (connect to your life and/or other novels you’ve read)

“I wonder if . . .” (make predictions or agree/disagree with the author or characters.

This portion of the study guide will be worth 40 points.

Essentially, your assignment will look like this:

Passages from the text (about 15 words or less, written word for word) that share important information about plot, setting, character, theme, etc. Include page numbers. / Justify the importance of the left-hand selection, explain how it shows effective writing, or predict its significance to later events in the book. (Comments should be about 25 to 35 words.)
Example: “The plain of snow shone a powdery white that morning; the sun blazed icily . . . “ pg. 111 / “powdery” and “white” combine senses of sight and touch; this makes the image more vivid and realistic. “Blazed and “icily” seem like the opposites fire and ice. Why are they paired together?

Write any kind of poem about the book. It must be 20 lines minimum. (worth 10 points)

Make a collage of a major theme from the book. Use clippings from magazines, newspapers, etc. The collage must be on paper that is at least 8 ½ x 11 and should include at least 10 different clips. On the back explain in one paragraph what theme you are representing and what it has to do with your novel. (worth 10 points)

In addition to keeping a dialectic notebook, writing a poem, and making a collage, answer the following discussion questions: (worth 40 points)

1. Describe the relationship between Bruno and Gretel.

2. At age 12, Gretel is the proper age for membership in the League of Young Girls, a branch of Hitler’s Youth Organization. Why do you think she is not a member, especially since her father is a high-ranking officer in Hitler’s army?

3. What is it about the house at Out-With that makes Bruno feel “cold and unsafe”?

4. How is this feeling perpetuated as he encounters people like Pavel, Maria, Lt. Kotler, and Schmuel?

5. Why do you think Bruno and Shmuel become friends and stay friends?

6. Why doesn’t Bruno try to protect his friend when Shmuel is attacked by Lieutenant Kotler?

7. Neither Bruno nor Shmuel really know what’s going on at the concentration camp. Why is that, and what allows them to keep their innocence?

8. How does Bruno justify continuing his friendship with Shmuel despite what his father, sister, and tutor have said about Jews?

9. The barbed wire fence is a physical separation between Bruno and Shmuel. What other types of separation does the fence represent in this story?

10. How can people use the power of friendship to cross boundaries of race, religion, and culture?

11. Why was it so hard for Bruno to believe that his father could be involved in hurtful acts?

12. What do you think causes people to treat others in such horrific ways as was done during the Holocaust?

13. Gretel becomes prejudiced against Jews. Who influenced her? How does she show her prejudiced views?

14. What happens to cause Mother to questions her own prejudice against Jews?

15. Bruno tried to help Shmuel find his father despite being frightened and wanting to go home. Why?

16. How is obedience constructive and how can it be destructive? Give examples from the story of each.

17. What is the difference between prejudice and discrimination?

18. In your opinion, what does the end of the story symbolize? Why?

19. Describe the moral or message of the novel. What new insights and understandings does John Boyne want the reader to gain from reading this story?

20. Describe the differences in a fable, an allegory, and a proverb. How might this story fit into each genre?

EXTRA CREDIT (worth 10 possible points each)

1. Read another book on the Holocaust. Write a compare and contrast essay on the two books.

2. Write a different ending for the novel. Find the part in the book that you will use as your starting point. The transition should be smooth from the author’s writing to your own. You might want to copy a paragraph from the book at the beginning of your writing assignment. Then, try to write in a similar style to the author’s.