"First They Came" Discussion by Ms. Carmody https://padlet.com/acarmody4/8rnnqz8mt3089rvr en-us 2020-11-29 20:01:19 UTC 2026-03-20 19:11:37 UTC hello@padlet.com Please write one post per book group to answer discussion questions 1 and 2 about "First They Came." acarmody4 https://padlet.com/acarmody4/8rnnqz8mt3089rvr/wish/969247754
1. In the context of the quotation, what are the effects of following the crowd? Do you think the narrator failed to speak up because others did not? Do you think the narrator would have protested the arrests if others had? Use evidence from this text, your own experience, and other literature, art, or history in your answer.

2. After reading this text, do you think people have a personal responsibility to stand up for each others' rights and safety? What would you do if you saw a group being wrongfully targeted?
]]> 2020-11-29 20:02:21 UTC https://padlet.com/acarmody4/8rnnqz8mt3089rvr/wish/969247754 Mason C, Charlie G, William E mcomeau25 https://padlet.com/acarmody4/8rnnqz8mt3089rvr/wish/972347350 1) We think that the effects of following the crowd would be strength in numbers, but consequences could include being arrested or killed. We think that the narrator failed to speak up because he did not want to be the only one to speak up because he risked being killed. By not speaking up for others, the narrator faced the consequences of others not speaking up for him. We think that the narrator would have protested the arrests if others had and they would of had strength in numbers against the Nazi's. "Then they came for me — and there was no one left to speak for me." is evidence that it was karma for the narrator because he did not speak up for others so others did not speak up for him.

2) We believe that standing up for each others' rights and safety is part of a social contract and is not a written rule. As long as standing up for other people does not risk your own safety, then speaking out will always be the right thing to do.]]> 2020-11-30 17:17:09 UTC https://padlet.com/acarmody4/8rnnqz8mt3089rvr/wish/972347350 Ollie, Sam, Micheal and Drew dgibson252 https://padlet.com/acarmody4/8rnnqz8mt3089rvr/wish/972348158 1. Following the crowd can have positive and negative outcomes. While following the crowd may provide safety for a little while, everyone will suffer if nobody takes a new path. The narrator didn't fail to "speak out" (Niemöller 4)  since he was scared of powerful Nazi rule. If  he spoke out, he may risk ending up like one of the Nazi's early victims.  We think the narrator would follow the actions of others because he was afraid to start a notion on his own. However, he would have been willing to support the notion if others already had. In our personal experiences we have felt the urge to speak up but have been afraid to do it alone. 
2. Yes, people have the personal responsibly to stand up for other's rights because they have to work together as a team and not discriminate. Otherwise, there won't be advancement in our society. If we saw a group being wrongfully targeted, we would speak out so that their lives could improve for the better. ]]> 2020-11-30 17:17:18 UTC https://padlet.com/acarmody4/8rnnqz8mt3089rvr/wish/972348158 Ella, Tess, Shannon, Lylah elynch25 https://padlet.com/acarmody4/8rnnqz8mt3089rvr/wish/972372249 I think that in general, people do have the personal responsibility to stand up for being wrongfully targeted, however in some cases, like the Holocaust, by speaking out against the people you could get yourself and your family hurt. The "right" thing to do would be to stand up for everyone but in this situation, you have to weigh the pros and cons or speaking out. By not speaking out for others, he kept himself out of danger but then when he was being attacked, no one spoke up for him because they had the same fears, or they had faced death when he didn't stand up for him. Overall the human race needs to stay together and stand up for each other because it will make us a stronger and better community is we stick together.]]> 2020-11-30 17:21:30 UTC https://padlet.com/acarmody4/8rnnqz8mt3089rvr/wish/972372249 Alex Sturdy, Ava Sunday, and Norah Pollastri. asturdy25 https://padlet.com/acarmody4/8rnnqz8mt3089rvr/wish/972376644 The effects of following the crowd can result negatively and although you can't expect the crowd to stand up for you if you don't stand up for them. We think the narrator was following the ground in the sense he was too scared to speak up and he didn't speak up because he didn't think he was going to be taken away. We feel that if others had stood up he would have too and we know this because he seems like someone who follows the crowd. We think that you should stand up for other's rights but if you don't you shouldn't expect others to stand up for you if you don't stand up for them. We discussed and came to the conclusion that if a group was being oppressed or targeted we would stand up for them and fight back against the oppressors as long as the people who were being targeted didn't do anything wrong or weren't being oppressed with a .]]> 2020-11-30 17:22:14 UTC https://padlet.com/acarmody4/8rnnqz8mt3089rvr/wish/972376644 rschiffmann25 https://padlet.com/acarmody4/8rnnqz8mt3089rvr/wish/972378775 Rex Schiffmann, Nolan Seebeck, Ty Rudnick, and Liam Thornton. 1) We think that if some people had started to speak out he might have joined the movement. If one person started to protest, and tons of people joined, there would have been safety in numbers.  It only takes one person to start the movement, and a small group of people to join. This could have been the narrator. Martin says, "I did not speak out because I was not a socialist... there was no one left to speak for me." If he had spoke out at the start, things might have been different. 2) Yes. If you don't stand up for somebody's rights, then they won't protect your rights. Then their are no rights and no one to protect them. If a group was being wrongfully targeted I would speak up and build a movement against the oppressors, to protect peoples rights.]]> 2020-11-30 17:22:37 UTC https://padlet.com/acarmody4/8rnnqz8mt3089rvr/wish/972378775 Lylah, Ella, Shannon, and Tess ljackson256 https://padlet.com/acarmody4/8rnnqz8mt3089rvr/wish/972387912 Effects of following the crowd often end up having negative impacts. Blending in rather than sticking out may considered the safer option for many, however, when it comes down to your own life, like what happened in the context of the text, you can see things in a different light. When others fail to take a stand, letting your opinions submerge out of fear, can lead to further suffering of others. Protesting to stand up against things can usually lead to a greater movement for common good, however this piece was not written in normal times. During the Holocaust, standing up could lead to your immediate death. Today, protesting their rights inspire others to do the same, and working for the safety of humanity. During WWII, it most likely was not a risk many wanted to take. Overall, the narrator may have failed to stand up because others did, however I am sure his own safety had an impact on his actions. If others spoke out, the essential outcome of WWII could have been drastically different. ]]> 2020-11-30 17:24:13 UTC https://padlet.com/acarmody4/8rnnqz8mt3089rvr/wish/972387912 "First They Came" Response. By: Riley Seaborn, Brenan Blind, Mary Williams and Addison Marshak rseaborn25 https://padlet.com/acarmody4/8rnnqz8mt3089rvr/wish/972462618 1. Our group came to the conclusion that the narrator did not speak up because the problem that was affecting a good amount of the population did not personally affect him. We also believe that if other Germans began to speak up he would have too. Humans are easy when it comes to peer pressure because it makes them feel safe and secure to conform.  Some of our group members believed he would not speak up because the problem did not directly affect him  or his way of living                                               2. Our group believed that we all have a civic duty to stand up for what is right. Additionally, We decided that . decisions we make can really impact someone's future. Like the quote, "give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime." We all decided that if a group is facing harassments we decided that we would try to help people because it is the right thing to do even if we feel fear we would want to keep going to do what is right. A connection we made from the Book Thief was when Liesl was slapped before that moment she was really trying to speak her mind and stand up for what if right.                                                                                 - By: Riley Seaborn, Brenan Blind, Mary Williams and Addison Marshak]]> 2020-11-30 17:38:05 UTC https://padlet.com/acarmody4/8rnnqz8mt3089rvr/wish/972462618 Wyatt G, Jack H, Will H, Cian C https://padlet.com/acarmody4/8rnnqz8mt3089rvr/wish/973013501  1. Some of the effects of following the crowd are that you cant make your own decisions. You also cant expect the crowd to stand up for you if you dont stand up for them. You dont get your own voice in the world if you follow everyone else. The group thinks that the man would stand up if other people had, its a lot easier to do something after someone else, then to be the one every follows in doing something.

2.  We think that people do have the personal responsibility to stand up for other people, but it would be much safer to do it with a group of people, In the case of the man in the story, if he stood up by himself, he would have been killed. To insure. Personally if i saw a group being wrongfully targeted, I would help them in anyway possible, but I would try to be safe about it. But if you stood up in a group you are more likely to get your point across.]]> 2020-11-30 19:19:54 UTC https://padlet.com/acarmody4/8rnnqz8mt3089rvr/wish/973013501 Christian, Molly, Ashley https://padlet.com/acarmody4/8rnnqz8mt3089rvr/wish/973043969 1. We believe that if others has spoken up about the suppression of unacceptable or 'lesser' races (Jews, Socialists, etc.) the narrator would have protested their persecution. Throughout the story, the author says the reason he did not object to the Nazis arrests is because he was not affiliated with any of the targeted groups. We believe that as the narrator likely knew how powerful the Nazis were, he was scarred into submission. 

2. After reading the passage we came to the conclusion that people have a right to speak up against injustice, however not a responsibility. You are always in control of what you say, even if it means keeping quiet about tyranny. We also thought what we would do if we saw a group being wrongfully targeted would depend on the context. If hate crimes were a common occurrence, we would most likely turn a blind eye. However if the behavior was considered socially unacceptable, we would likely get involved.]]> 2020-11-30 19:25:59 UTC https://padlet.com/acarmody4/8rnnqz8mt3089rvr/wish/973043969 Sophie and Lizzy https://padlet.com/acarmody4/8rnnqz8mt3089rvr/wish/973045914 1. We think that the effects of following the crowd will have a bad impact. For example, if you count on other people, they could do the same thing and think that you will lead them in the crowd. Additionally, you shouldn't count on other people for your responsibilities. We think that the narrator failed to speak up because he didn't want to be targeted and have bad outcomes. However, we believe if most of the crowd spoke up, he would to so he wouldn't be the only one speaking. For example, it states, "Then they came for me- and there was no one left to speak for me." (line 4). Therefore, this explains that he allied on others to speak up for him and lead his way. However, the narrator discovered that there's going to be a time where there isn't going to be anyone to talk for you.]]> 2020-11-30 19:26:25 UTC https://padlet.com/acarmody4/8rnnqz8mt3089rvr/wish/973045914 Dean Livermore, Carter Carroll, Jack Harries ccarroll251 https://padlet.com/acarmody4/8rnnqz8mt3089rvr/wish/973047913 1. In the quotation, the narrator was a bystander to the act of a hate crime. He followed the social conform which was to not speak up, if he had he would have been prosecuted or would live in regret and risk losing his life to the Nazis. We believe he would speak up if a larger group of society had because he would have a larger supporting role who had his back.]]> 2020-11-30 19:26:51 UTC https://padlet.com/acarmody4/8rnnqz8mt3089rvr/wish/973047913 Lucy Royston, Caroline Struzziero, Libby Schiffmann, John Gillis lroyston25 https://padlet.com/acarmody4/8rnnqz8mt3089rvr/wish/973066477 1. The narrator doesn't not speak up because others are not speaking up. He isn't speaking up because he isn't being targeted and then when he is targeted everyone is dead. 
2. People should be allowed to speak up for others but they should not be obligated to speak up in case of being shy or not wanting to because you don't agree or you don't want to be hurt in the process.
3. If a group was being hurt in a situation we wouldn't need to stand up because why it isn't us. Morally you should because that is nice way to be and it is the right thing to do to protect others that are like us or not like us. When you are on the other side of this equation or the one who is being hurt than you want other people to stand up for you so sometimes you need to put yourself in other peoples shoes.]]> 2020-11-30 19:30:35 UTC https://padlet.com/acarmody4/8rnnqz8mt3089rvr/wish/973066477 Finn Yemini, Levi O'duggan, Eamon Maxwell, Will Norgeot fyemini25 https://padlet.com/acarmody4/8rnnqz8mt3089rvr/wish/973095326 1. He doesn't speak up for the cruelty of the Nazi's because other will oppress him and he wants to be accepted. Just because he wasn't included in the different groups of people he didn't say anything. So the effects of not speaking up are that he taken by the Nazis because no one else was there to speak out against them. As he says "There is no one left to speak for me."
2. Our group thinks standing up to unfair is the right to do unless you are hurting or being unfair so someone else in return. We believe this because two wrongs don't make a right.

]]> 2020-11-30 19:36:29 UTC https://padlet.com/acarmody4/8rnnqz8mt3089rvr/wish/973095326 Brooke S, Ella O, Kylie N, Katie M https://padlet.com/acarmody4/8rnnqz8mt3089rvr/wish/973138840 1. We think the effects of following the crowd can be a good thing, but can also be harmful. Following what others do is a safe option, although, there are some situations that you shouldn’t follow others. If the crowd is doing something harmful, then choosing a new path would be the better option. There is strength in numbers, but also consequences that come from certain actions. Sometimes, if a large group of people is doing something you don’t even have time to think about if it is right or wrong. I think that the narrator failed to speak up for others, but if others were speaking up he most likely would have too. We assume the narrator most likely would have protested if other people were starting to. I think this because they kept saying things like they could not say anything because they were not one of them. However I’m sure if other people were not a part of their group and they started to stand up the narrator would as well. The narrator was also talking about how when they came for them no one was there to speak out, but if he had started protesting for other people maybe other people would catch on and protest for him as well. 
2. We think that people shouldnt have a responsibility to stand up for each other's rights and safeties. We think they should make the right decision on their own, and they should have the right decency to stand up for themselves and others rights and safeties. Additionally, we would stick up for them in hopes that whoever is treating them that way would stop and realize that what they are doing is wrong. I would do the opposite from what the narrator did in the story and we would try to go against whoever he is talking about in the text when he says “they came for… “. Whoever “they” is seems to be wrongfully targeting all of these groups of people. If we were the man in the story, we would try to do everything in my power to go against them.


]]> 2020-11-30 19:45:23 UTC https://padlet.com/acarmody4/8rnnqz8mt3089rvr/wish/973138840