Yanek's Journey by Michael Cox

Kraków, Poland

200150212 — 2024-11-13 14:05:02 UTC

Yaneks Literal Journey

Yanek and his family live in the ghetto of Krakow, Poland. but in just a blink of an eye, their city was invaded by the Germans beginning WWII, for now, Yanek and his family remain in Krakow. For a little while they stay in their flat with several other families. Anti-Sematic rules have been put in place that persecute Jewish people, taking away any rights they had, over time, the walls built up around the ghetto to contain the remaining Jews who have not been taken for resettlement or deportation yet. One by one many Jews were relocated to other Jewish ghettos, work camps, concentration camps or were killed on site.

Yaneks Figurative Journey

With the stress of no food, and constant hiding, Yanek is living in fear of being caught by the Nazis. His emotional state is one of consistent terror and panic at what awaits him at every turn. The unknown aspects of the war leave a feelig of being unsettled. Yanek's early life as a 10-year-old boy before the war was very normal. He attended school, played with his friends, and went to the synagogue with his family. He loves his mom and dad and looks up to them but as the war continues Yanek begins to doubt his father's consistent hopefulness and positivity and wonders who is really right-his father or uncle Moshe. " I still worried he was wrong, but fresh bread made me forget all my troubles. For a little while, at least." (pg. 25) Doubting your parents for the first time is a struggle for Yanek especially in war-town

Płaszów, Kraków, Poland

200150212 — 2024-11-15 13:59:12 UTC

Yanek's Figurative Journey In the story Yanek loses everyone all his parents, has a panic attack about how he is the only one left, Unkle moches speech on how Yanek will not let them tear him off the pages of the world, And how he was the only jew left standing in Krakow, Poland. Hence, he turned himself in because he did not want to die he wanted to survive for his parents, uncles, aunts, and cousins that were all killed by the Nazis. So Yanek is determined to make it out.

Wieliczka Salt Mine, Daniłowicza, Wieliczka, Poland

200150212 — 2024-11-20 14:04:46 UTC

Yanek Figurative Journey, In chapter 13 of Yanek's Journey, in the silica salt mine, Yanek admires the beautiful place, with all the giant statues carved to perfection. Also, they have nice sparkly water; even in the dark, you can see it perfectly. But at that time Yanek and the survivors didn't know the dark truth of what was going to be revealed soon. When the two RESISTORS were doing their work they bashed one of the other prisoners in the face with a shovel and slashed him to death because he controlled them in the past when he was a police officer for the nazis.

Trzebinia, Poland

200150212 — 2024-11-21 13:44:24 UTC

Yanek's Figurative Journey, In the caves of Trzebinia Poland, Yanek didn't know what was coming for him when he thought he could fight back at some of the guards because they had more prisoners than guards. So when one of the prisoners fought back he hit the guard on the back of the head and then got shot right in the head and then thrown into the lake to finish him off and have the fish eat him. This then made Yanek more scared then he had ever been, so he just had to accept that he wasn't stronger than these guards because they have guns and wooden bats so nobody would get out.

Birkenau, Ofiar Faszyzmu, Brzezinka, Poland

200150212 — 2024-11-25 13:23:52 UTC

Yanek Figurative Journey, In Chapters 15-16 Yanek is put through the maximum struggles because he was getting loaded into a trailer with a bunch of other prisoners, he was pressed up against an air vent and he would have been dead like most of the other prisoners because they were starved and had to stand up for several days. when they got to the camp or you could call it a death trap, they were put into a gas chamber. They said if they stood under the shower head they would die faster but when the shower heads started to go water started to come our so they had used all of the gas on other prisoners and none was left, so they were beaten but it was better then dying.

Yanek's literal journey, when Yanek was heading to the gas chambers he was quite literally going insane, he was on the train there, he was all smashed into the corner and he was there for days but he was relieved when it started to snow because there was snow in the little air vent so he would eat it, when he was sleeping he woke up to a smelly train and when he looked around he saw a dead body next to him so he was scared and tried to move but couldn't because there were people yelling at him for moving because all of the other prisoners were sleeping.

Auschwitz, Poland

200150212 — 2024-12-03 19:40:06 UTC

Yanek Figurative Journey, In chapters 19-22 Yanek get faced with two big challenges one of them being when he makes a new friend. He talks to him and even tells him his name which was hard for Yanek because his uncle Moche told him to never tell anybody his name, where he was from and any information to anybody because they could use it against you. Still, one-day Yanek's friend wakes up sick and he is sick and cant get out of bed so then he gets beat by the guards then gets hung. another big detail that happened in these chapters was when he sees a new family of jews walk into the camp and they get lied to by the nazis and then the nazis killed the kids parents and left the kid all alone.

Sachsenhausen, Frankfurt-Süd, Germany

200150212 — 2024-12-05 13:19:47 UTC

In Yanek Figurative Journey, Yanek finally arrives at his new camp sachenhausen, the guards had let them eat and get bread for the next day, then the next night Yanek and a few other prisoners were chosen to sing for the guards while they ate, so Yanek didn't get any food that night not even a piece of bread. All of the prisoners had to have private boxing matches just so that the guards were amused and arent bored all the prisoners were hurt and sick, and one of the top guards chose that the Jews didn't have to work for a week and then he fed them all good food nice thick soup and golden brown full loaves of bread, but if you really thaught then you would know that they normally would be doing work and now that they arent they are gonna be faced with way more challenges that what was before.

Buchenwald, Weimar, Germany

200150212 — 2024-12-09 13:37:39 UTC

In Chapter 25 it is a small camp but there is city life all around it because the nazis want the Jews to go through torture. They also had a zoo next to the camp and the nazis treated the animals better than the prisoners by giving the animals steaks and having the Jews starve. The camp owners were ruthless and even the workers noticed they were relentless. They put the prisoners through torture because when they had to lift rocks and if they were to small they would kill you and if they were too big they would kill you so this is some of the torture they were put through.

Bergen-Belsen Memorial, Anne-Frank-Platz, Lohheide, Germany

200150212 — 2024-12-09 13:46:56 UTC

Yaneks Literal Journey, In chapter 24 Anne Frank had hidden for two years with her family and they all almost survived the war because the war was almost over, if they had stayed hidden for a few more months they they would be alive. There was a camp leader that the prisoners called Moonface because his face was perfectly round and he was cold with no care in is eyes as he punched and tortured all the Jews. yanek feel like he is in purgatory because he is just waiting for the war to be over just like how you wait for your sins to be forgiven, Yanek just wanted to get killed by a bomb dropped from the sky because he wanted to be put out of his misery but they he thaught of his parents and was going to survive but then the workers needed more prisoners at another camp and you will learn about that next chapter.

Gross-Rosen Museum in Rogoznica, Ofiar Gross Rosen, Rogoźnica, Poland

200150212 — 2024-12-10 13:28:41 UTC

Yanek's figurtive journey, In chapter 26 you will find out about when Yanek lost his button the worker saw that he lost it so he gave him the punishment of 20 lashes but Yanek counted in English, and he lost count so they made him count in german and he ended up getting a lot more lashes than 20, after this he was so hurt and in pain, he passed out and he got stuck in a dream that was about heaven, hell, and purgatory at this time Yanek was stuck in purgatory because it is like how he is stuck in the war waiting for it to end and when it ends he will be in heaven. His dream was about how he was in his house and there were skeletons outside that he knew were going to kill him so he has to wait out this war and stay alive.

Dachau, Germany

200150212 — 2024-12-17 13:27:03 UTC

In Yanek's figurative journey, Yanek wakes up because he is used to waking up early in the morning. Still, he realized something was off because when one of the Jewish people looked outside the Barack he realized that the Natzis and the SS officers were nowhere to be seen. Everyone wanted to see so everyone got up to look outside and no one could believe it. When Yanek got up to look he realized that they were not lying and saw nobody but people with green hats coming towards them. He knew what the Natzi and SS officer's hats looked like and they were nowhere near the color and realized that the allies were there and they were saved. Yaneks said, " I never felt so relieved".

Munich, Germany

200150212 — 2024-12-17 13:27:22 UTC

Yanek Figurative Journey, During the beginning of the chapter you will see that they are still in the consideration camp because the ALLIES have not come to them yet. After all, they were still bombing the other places nazis had prisoners in. When the prisoners woke up Yanek and his fellow prisoners were scared because there were no guards at role call so they thought the guards were going to jump out at them. when someone looked at the gate it was opening and they saw all the Allies, they all started crying because they had been saved but better yet, the Allies gave them food and a huge meal. When one of the allied guards asked for Yanek to pass the salt he instantly started crying and the guard didn't know what to do. When Yanek got back to the town he saw his neighbor Mrs. Immerglick, and she led him to his cousin's house where he lived until Yanek went to America, but when he was sent into the war and he survived, and lived out the rest of his life in America and died of old age.