https://padlet.com/19collinsr/y4bqbe9oagjj Written by Diane Ackerman en-us 2018-02-14 17:19:04 UTC 2025-12-23 19:01:46 UTC hello@padlet.com 19collinsr https://padlet.com/19collinsr/y4bqbe9oagjj/wish/232221731 Diane Ackerman's main argument in the book was that Jan and Antonina Zabinski played a major role in hiding a large number of Jews and leading the resistance during Nazi's occupation of Warsaw. ]]> 2018-02-16 03:54:48 UTC https://padlet.com/19collinsr/y4bqbe9oagjj/wish/232221731 19collinsr https://padlet.com/19collinsr/y4bqbe9oagjj/wish/232223002 By: Diane Ackerman]]> 2018-02-16 04:07:47 UTC https://padlet.com/19collinsr/y4bqbe9oagjj/wish/232223002 19collinsr https://padlet.com/19collinsr/y4bqbe9oagjj/wish/232223242 2018-02-16 04:10:01 UTC https://padlet.com/19collinsr/y4bqbe9oagjj/wish/232223242 19collinsr https://padlet.com/19collinsr/y4bqbe9oagjj/wish/232223484 The author organizes this argument by first describing what life was like before the war when Jan and Antonina maintained the flourishing Warsaw zoo. The beginning focused on the busy and prosperous life of the zoo when the couples life revolved around caring for and providing for the exotic zoo animals. Antonina cared for these animals like they were her own children. The author wanted to establish the important characteristics of Jan and Antonina that made their ability to hide Jews and offer refuge in their home a success. Characteristics like Antonina's ability calm any nervous soul, the couple's leadership, and their kindness. Throughout the book the author continuously provides information on the conditions of Warsaw's ghettos and then alludes to the state of the Zabinski's household which was always giving shelter to a number of Jews. Showing that the Zabinski's gave many Jews a much higher quality of life by sheltering them from the abusive Nazi soldiers. This contrast captures the true positivity and symbiosis of the Zabinski's household. Another way that Ackerman enforced the main argument was that whenever Ackerman explained the harsh conditions of Warsaw inflicted by the Nazis, she would also explain how the underground resistance would try undermine that power and how the Zabinskis would participate in this sabotage. Showing that although the Nazi achieved almost complete power of Warsaw, the Zabaskins never surrendered and kept working by taking on leadership roles within the underground. ]]> 2018-02-16 04:12:13 UTC https://padlet.com/19collinsr/y4bqbe9oagjj/wish/232223484 19collinsr https://padlet.com/19collinsr/y4bqbe9oagjj/wish/232223565 In this book, Ackerman used many different appeals to persuade readers to the main argument. Ackerman used history, anecdotal and honor appeals. The history appeal is used in the book to show that the Zabinskis played a big part in Warsaw's history when they helped many Jews escape the ghettos and when the took part in Warsaw's resistance. That the Zabinskis' legacy is captured in Warsaw's history, showing the major influence they had. The anecdotal appeal is represented in the book by giving the reader small stories about the Zabinskis. The author would insert a story about a "guest" at their house or talk about a specific time when Jan participated in the Underground. These short stories gave the reader small examples of the argument. Ackerman used the appeal honor to show the main argument. The Zabinskis' didn't help so many Jews and help resistance against the Nazi's because they believed it would make them famous. Instead they did it because it was their beliefs that what the Nazi's were doing was wrong and that helping the Jews in anyway they could was the right thing to do. ]]> 2018-02-16 04:12:58 UTC https://padlet.com/19collinsr/y4bqbe9oagjj/wish/232223565 19collinsr https://padlet.com/19collinsr/y4bqbe9oagjj/wish/232396757 2018-02-16 16:15:37 UTC https://padlet.com/19collinsr/y4bqbe9oagjj/wish/232396757 19collinsr https://padlet.com/19collinsr/y4bqbe9oagjj/wish/232400774 2018-02-16 16:23:25 UTC https://padlet.com/19collinsr/y4bqbe9oagjj/wish/232400774 19collinsr https://padlet.com/19collinsr/y4bqbe9oagjj/wish/233075660 "She never forgot her time at the zoo. 'The Zabinskis' home was Noah's Ark,'  Regina told an Israeli newspaper twenty years after the war 'with so many people and animals hidden there'" (Ackerman 310).]]> 2018-02-19 22:48:55 UTC https://padlet.com/19collinsr/y4bqbe9oagjj/wish/233075660 19collinsr https://padlet.com/19collinsr/y4bqbe9oagjj/wish/233080596 "Jan always shied away from praise and underplayed his bravery, saying such things as: 'I don't understand all the fuss. If any creature is in danger you save it, human or animal'"(Ackerman 143). ]]> 2018-02-19 23:21:53 UTC https://padlet.com/19collinsr/y4bqbe9oagjj/wish/233080596 19collinsr https://padlet.com/19collinsr/y4bqbe9oagjj/wish/233103570 Ackerman incorporated many literary and rhetorical devices into the book. One devices she used was anecdotes. Throughout the book, the author included many small stories in the book describing specific times at the Zabinskis's household or at times providing a short history of a person or animal. The anecdotes made the Zabinskis's closer to the reader and also gave us insight to the what life was like at the time. This enhances the argument by giving the reader a better idea of
how the Zabinskis's lived at the time and told of specific times in which they helped Jewish people and participated in the resistance.  Another device she used was foreshadowing. In the beginning of the story, she used foreshadowing to hint at the tragedy that would come when the Nazis invade. When the Nazis first came, the author used Antonina's journal entries that described her worry to foreshadow the terror that would follow. This enhances the argument by showing the terribleness of Warsaw at the time of Nazi's occupation and how the Zabinski's saved many Jewish people from a horrendence life in the Ghetto as well as how they helped the residents of Warsaw by working with the resistance. Another device Ackerman used was irony. Ackerman used irony when comparing the Nazis's treatment of the Jewish people to the Nazsi's treatment of animals. To the Nazis the Jewish people were pests that needed to be exterminated. To the Nazis animals were very important and many projects were started to preserve or restore the naturality of many different species. The author stated the irony of this situation and spoke of how they valued animals over the Jewish people. This enhances the argument by showing that the Nazi party treated the Jewish people worse than animals meaning that the Jews's living conditions were atrocious and exhibits the significance of the Zabinski's help.           ]]> 2018-02-20 01:42:41 UTC https://padlet.com/19collinsr/y4bqbe9oagjj/wish/233103570 19collinsr https://padlet.com/19collinsr/y4bqbe9oagjj/wish/233114307 Ackerman is very descriptive when explaining the Zabinskis and life at the time. She meticulously strings together adjectives to paint a picture of the scene. She uses complex adjectives to create interesting passages that enhances the story. She also used adjectives that usually had a strong relation to animals. In the book, Ackerman also described actions with very engaging verbs.This enhances the argument because using this imagery helped provide a clearer scene of the Zabinski's at the time, showing that they helped a large number of Jewish people and assisted the resistance. The tone of Ackerman's writing is heroic, strong and optimistic. However at times her tone is tragic usually when she describes the atrocities the Nazi's created. This enhances the argument by showing that the Zabinskis's were very heroic in their actions of helping the Jewish people and that the tone of tragedy showed that the Zabinskis's saved many Jewish people from terrible living conditions and low quality of life. ]]> 2018-02-20 02:55:48 UTC https://padlet.com/19collinsr/y4bqbe9oagjj/wish/233114307 19collinsr https://padlet.com/19collinsr/y4bqbe9oagjj/wish/233492973 Ackerman, Diane. Book Club Kit. a War Story. W.W. Norton, 2007.]]> 2018-02-20 20:02:12 UTC https://padlet.com/19collinsr/y4bqbe9oagjj/wish/233492973 19collinsr https://padlet.com/19collinsr/y4bqbe9oagjj/wish/233504323 "One of the most remarkable things about Antonina was her determination to include play, animals, wonder, curiosity, marvel, and a wide blaze of innocence in a household where all dodged the ambient dangers, horrors, and uncertainties. That takes a special stripe of bravery rarely valued in wartime" (Ackerman 166).]]> 2018-02-20 20:26:22 UTC https://padlet.com/19collinsr/y4bqbe9oagjj/wish/233504323