Assassin and The Devil's Arithmetic -Fuda, Lanyi, Mingyu by Mingyu Ji

Entry by fuda

fyin2_1 — 2024-03-14 15:44:05 UTC

Based on the back cover, we can tell that Wilkes betrayes Arabella in some way, and that Arabella was scared of him. A reader could also infer that Arabella's betrayal was part of a larger plan.

Assassin Reading Entry - Lanyi

lzhao6 — 2024-03-14 15:47:07 UTC

John Wilkes Booth had been an well known actor, who was responsible for the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, as he had snuck up behind Lincoln as the president watched a play. Booth stated that he had only shouted "Sic semper!" as he shot Lincoln, however it is traditionally known that Booth had shouted "Sic semper tyrannis." Sic semper is a part of the motto, "Sic semper tyrannis," which means "Thus always to tyrants." I wonder if this clears up Booth's point of view. Did he see resident Lincoln as a tyrant for wanting to end slavery?

Assassin reading entry - Mingyu

mji1_2 — 2024-03-14 15:49:02 UTC

Based on the image on the cover of the book Assassin, one is able to infer that Arabella is split between having to choose between a famous actor John Wilkes Booth and the president Abraham Lincoln. This could cause Arabella to be fatigued, confused, and annoyed. The reason for this is that Arabella plays a big part in this as both Lincoln and Booth wish for her to take their side as they have their own perspective.

Assassin Entry no.2 - Mingyu

mji1_2 — 2024-03-15 15:05:40 UTC

When Wilkes Booth was meeting with the other men involved in attempting to abduct Lincoln and kidnapping him, it is shown how truly manipulative he is. This is shown when the author puts in that he says that he must use his charm on the men after he talked quite harshly to them, at first this may seem like he feels he had gotten too harsh or that he wants to change his tone so that he can be properly understood. However, Wilkes uses this to persuade them and lies about drinking too much. This also shows how quickly Wilkes adapts to the situation and is able to react as he immediately responded. This is also shown in page 172 as when Arabella catches him in the theater and he knows that she knows his plan, he immediately pranced on her and grabbed her arm and twisted it behind her arm. He did this knowing that she would likely report him to the authorities which truly shows how quickly he is able to react.

The Devil's Arithmetic Entry - Mingyu

mji1_2 — 2024-03-18 15:29:45 UTC

Although Hannah does not quite believe in Elijah the prophet, someone younger like Aaron might believe more. When seeing this cup, Aaron likely would think of Elijah and I infer he feels good as Elijah is a prophet in his religion that he believes in and could make Aaron feel good.

The Devil's Arithmetic Reading Entry - Lanyi

lzhao6 — 2024-03-18 15:29:53 UTC

In the book Hannah shows a scene on the TV of when the Jews had been taken into concentration camps. Hannah's grandpa is seen shaking his fist and showing the TV a tattoo of numbers on his arm. I think this is possibly a number imprinted on Jews that had been sent to concentration camps. This theory is confirmed as during research, I have came across a text stating "numbers were tattooed with a single needle on the left forearm." Another piece of evidence is that on page 9, Hannah stated that she had copied the dark blue numbers onto her arm using a pen. This resulted in her grandpa screaming angrily.

Entry by fuda

fyin2_1 — 2024-03-18 15:31:40 UTC

This text helps to explain Jewish customs, as most other books with Jewish protagonists only talk about what happened to Jews during WW2, but this one teaches about Jewish customs.

Research on Jewish Concentration Camps - Lanyi

lzhao6 — 2024-03-19 18:38:30 UTC

The first German concentration camps had been made in the 1933s. Prisoners of the concentration camps had to work hard for their reward, food. Often, prisoners who didn't work died of starvation, people who didn't often died of being overworked.

Seder - Mingyu

mji1_2 — 2024-03-19 18:46:42 UTC

Passover Seder is a Jewish holiday that is meant to be celebrated to remember. This is also told on page 4 - 5 while Hannah is going to her relative's house. However, there were a few parts that stood out to me such as the "Dayenu" song. This song is a Yiddish song that is commonly sung at Passover Seders and the meaning of this song is "It would have been enough". This song is sung by people because the song is basically saying that even if their god had given them less than what they received, it would have been enough for them. This song is a form of gratitude to their god, however the afikoman bread confused me even more. The reason for me not understanding it is that Hannah's family are hiding the afikoman and trying to find it and this confuses me as the afikoman is bread. At first, I inferred that it was a form of entertainment for the children and adults there, however it is quite different.

Is Hannah Ashamed of Her Culture/History? - Lanyi

lzhao6 — 2024-03-19 18:47:43 UTC

Hannah, in "The Devil's Arithmetic," Seems to be ashamed of her culture's history during the Holocaust. This is shown by her determination to insist that "Chaya" was not her real name, saying that it had just been given to her to honor, "Aunt Eva's dead friend." Furthermore, she calls her family and cultures holiday a "crazy game," on page 24. Even on the back of the book, it clearly states "Hannah is tired of holiday gatherings." I wonder how Hannah's apparent shame will impact the growth of the plot of this story.

Afikoman

fyin2_1 — 2024-03-19 18:52:40 UTC

Symbolism in writing - Mingyu

mji1_2 — 2024-03-20 02:46:00 UTC

When reading the book "Devil's Arithmetic", one is easily able to notice the connections between doors as they appear multiple times. Two of which are quite special as one was when Hannah was inviting Elijah to the table and got sent to Gitl and Shmuel home. The second instance of this was when Hannah was getting ready for Shmuel's wedding and was led into the closet. From this information, I was able to infer that the reader usually points out doors when something special is happening or when Hannah wishes to return back to the apartment and to see her family. I believe that the author put these moments in to show Hannah's yearning for her home and her desperation.

Theme

fyin2_1 — 2024-03-20 18:35:21 UTC

The theme of the story is remembering. Hannah and her family spend a lot of time remembering the past, so much that Hannah gets tired of it. Then, Hannah is transported into the past, and has trouble remembering the present.

Possible Themes in The Devils Arithmetic - Lanyi

lzhao6 — 2024-03-20 18:42:13 UTC

In The Devil's Arithmetic, a possible theme is the importance of remembering and respecting traditions/culture. This is shown because at the start of the book, Hannah is bored and refuses to accept Gitl and Sha

Theme in The Devil's Arithmetic - Mingyu

mji1_2 — 2024-03-20 18:42:32 UTC

In the Devil's Arithmetic, memory has a big part to do with it as shown by Hannah always thinking and remembering her family while being at Gitl and Shmuel's house. This is shown when the author uses Human versus themselves as Hannah is deeply saddened by her memories and her own memories rather than anyone else. Also, the doors as stated before in a previous entry, are very symbolic to Hannah's remembrance and longing for home.

Sources ranked - Mingyu

mji1_2 — 2024-03-20 18:48:47 UTC

1# myjewishlearning.com

(I used this source to learn about the traditions and reasoning for Passover Seder and the Jewish traditions held at these Seders and how the Jewish celebrated it.)

2# tabletmag.com

(I used this source in order to learn about Passover Seder traditions and why and what the afikoman was used for.)

3# Dayenu : learn the words to the Passover Seder song

(Youtube)

(This video explained about the tradition of singing "Dayenu" and why it is sung in Seders in Jewish culture)

Sources for The Devil's Arithmetic and Assassin - Lanyi

lzhao6 — 2024-03-20 18:50:25 UTC

bgtfv tRanking my sources:

Britannica - Concentration camps. This source was useful for the description and history of concentration camps.

Britannica - Lincolns Assassination. This source was very useful to understand Wilkes reason for the assassination.

The Devil's Arithmetic Craft Moves - Lanyi

lzhao6 — 2024-03-20 19:08:47 UTC

In The Devil's Arithmetic, The author adds in sensory details, visibly describing the smell of sweat, urine and feces on page 84. This craft move increases a readers interest into the book and seems to bring the reader into the scene. It's even better than a mini scene in your head, your actually there!

The Devil's Arithmetic (AUTHOR CRAFT MOVES)- Mingyu

mji1_2 — 2024-03-20 19:11:18 UTC

During the story, I had realized how detailed the writing was on page 58 and others. The writer wrote "She had a strong nose and a fierce piercing look like a bird of prey." I noticed how the author had very detailed writing and described the traits of characters with tons of detail.

Entry - Fuda

fyin2_1 — 2024-03-21 14:46:12 UTC

Hannah is shown to actually be a very brave character. IN the beginning, she is shown to be bored and not care about what her Grandpa Will had been through. She even puts the marking letters onto her own arm, which causes her grandfather to get very angry. However, by the end, she is willing to take Rivka's place, and sacrifice herself to save her.

Books and Movies SARAH'S KEY Similar To The Devil's Arithmetic

lzhao6 — 2024-03-21 14:46:44 UTC

Sarah's Key
Woman in Gold
The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank
The Holocaust by Martin Gilbert