Wartime Literature Book Club Project

Never Fall Down by Patricia McCormick

Part A- Character comparison profile: Arn compared to Steve Harmon (Monster)
Arn, the main character in Never Fall Down, has many dimensions. He starts off as an
intelligent, fun-loving, not-a-care-in-the-world kid with the life of an average child. Then without
warning his life takes a horrible turn. He is forced to not only grow up, but to adapt and continue
on even when all seems lost. He will never be the same. In comparison to Steve Harmon, the
main character in Monster, the two aren't the same but are very similar. Steve has the same
mentality as Arn in the beginning despite the age gap. Both smart, young, daring, and both
looking for a great future. The jolt in both of their lives is drastic and should have never
happened. In Arns world he is ripped from his family, forced into a deadly labor camp, placed to
be a child soldier, and then makes his way out into the U.S. Steve lives a normal life until his life
is placed into the hands of the bias jury. Both of their stories unique in many ways but both
collide with the fact that they were placed in an unreasonable situation and were forced to
become adults.
Part B- Connection to the Real World: Child soldiers-modern day
It is seen clearly in the book that being a child soldier is an excessive issue that should
not be tolerated and/or endorsed. The devastating part is, stuff like this is still going on today.
According to this website The Syrian Crisis, Five Years On (Source 1), most of the unprotected
child refugees are being forced into being soldiers. 2.4 million refugee kids, some as little as 7
years of age are being made fight. According to the same website a powerful quote, Children
report being actively encouraged to join the war by parties to the conflict offering gifts and
salaries of up to $400 a month. This is even more saddening because the country being in the
state that it is in, many kids will see this as an opportunity to help their families and many will
fall for this false offer. Another place that this is shown is in present day Islam (Source 2). Kids
are necessary and needed due to many men dying and/or running away from the unreliable
power. A shocking statement was made on this website The Syrian Observatory for Human
Rights reported the Islamic State also recruited 400 children in 2015 alone. The group targets
schools and mosques in areas it controls in Iraq and Syria. Can you begin to comprehend the
inhuman thought process that reasons with taking kids out of school to train and bring them into
war for suicide missions? As crazy as this seems and we (The U.S) say well never let it happen
again and that it doesn't exist anymore, but it does. Let alone the fact that kids are being brought
into this, as young as the are they will think that this is right and itll be the only thing they know.
Not knowing compassion or morals will lead to some very destructive people to populate the
planet. This will make for an increase of criminals and terrorists. When living in constant fear it
will be hard to transition a person from having to only react, and turn them into actually thinking
about your action and seeing if it has reason. Like towards the end of the book in Never Fall
Down by Patricia McCormick, when Arn is having a conversation with his roommate his
roommate reminds Arn that hes a killer. Arn, still being mentally disturbed from his past
experiences, attacks his roommate and tries to kill him. This is one of the many examples that
prove that the statements below are true and terrifying. Forcing and/or manipulating children into
being soldiers is crushing their brains (physically and mentally), still continuing to happen, and is
becoming more and more common.

Source 1- http://english.alarabiya.net/en/special-reports/syrian-crisis/2016/03/14/Syrian-war-

creates-child-refugees-and-child-soldiers-report.html
Source 2- http://www.breitbart.com/national-security/2016/03/16/islamic-state-forcing-child-

soldiers-to-replace-dead-and-deserting-jihadis/
Part C- Letter:
(From Arns perspective)

Auntie,
You will be very proud of me now. I be a strong boy, Ive grown up big and fought with
men to protect our people and to live. I seen very bad and scary stuff when we had to leave you.
Stuff I cannot unsee. I was a weak little boy, but I learned how to be big and tough and I outsmart
Khmer Rouge and save many lives. I also end many lives. I hope you can forgive me. None was
my fault. I finally made it to a safe camp and they taking good care of me. I was very skinny, like
skeleton, I eat good food more now. I hope you still alive, I want to go look for you but I might
be searching for nothing and then get killed. I have a person who is taking good care of me now,
his name is Peter. I think he is going to keep me forever because even after I got mad and
attacked the other boy Im living with, he will still let me stay. I go to school now, Im not very
good at it, but I have a special teacher and Im getting better. The Peter man is also making me
tell speech to important people. I feel strong, like soldier again when I talk to them while the
other boys are too scared. They are scared because Im a little boy with grown man brain. I tell
the people about you, sisters, brother, then Khmer Rouge, dying kids, killing, people getting sick,
3 days, walking, then us separated, becoming a soldier, seeing my friend and sister die, and all
the way to how I got here. I can take it, they can't, so they cry and clap. They also give money to
help Cambodia. So its kinda like Im gambling again. But this time Im old man smart and not
little boy smart. Im finally safe. I wont be able to forget what ive seen, I still have nightmare,
but I will be able to succeed. I hope you get to see this letter and that its not too late, love you
auntie ill send dollar.

Part D: Reflection
My project displays a deep understanding of the novel because I could compare and apply it to
other things such as different books, characters, and how it is shown today. Being able to do that
not only shows that I comprehend the book, but I also can break it apart and describe it. My
grade should be within the range of a mid B to a low A. In my opinion, this project shows effort
and is correct but, since it is late points need to be deducted. Before grading my project one
should note that I didn't start the Book Club Notes sheet until the 9th because I was still unsure
of the book I was going to choose and I didn't want to start the note sheet until I was 100% sure
of the book. I also wanted to make up for the day I was absent so I took the book home and I
finished it, that's why the last note table to so long. I discovered many things while reading this
book. I learned that America likes to cover things that happen up, that there were many more
genocides than just the Sudan genocide and the Holocaust. I also learned from this project that
the use of child soldiers is still happening today. I didn't know that the people of Asia had been
through a genocide. I thought that section of the world hadn't been through a inhumane thing like
that. I didn't even know the kid was Asian until I looked up the book and saw the pictures. Its

crazy because with books I dont usually feel different after reading them, or after I finish I just
put it up and dont think about it much. This book forced me think. I searched all over the
internet to get more facts and to see for myself more visual things that happened in the book and
it was equally as gruesome as the book described. It was shocking because first seeing the book
and its cover I thought the book would be very boring and not worth it and now Im going out of
my way to learn more. This book has caused me expand my knowledge on genocide and the
making of child soldiers. Ive learned more about it in this book than any of my history lessons.
Id also like to add that within this project I learned how difficult it is to turn a paragraph answer
into a page-long answer (very difficult).

Wartime Lit. Book Club Project

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
Part A: Annotations
Entry

Pg.
#

Analysis

Sometimes I arrive too early. I rush,

and some people cling longer to life
than expected.

Death, who is the narrator of the story, explains

how he takes the souls of people when theyre
ready. Sometimes Death arrives too early
without knowing it and takes their soul without
asking. Death is the most prominent act
throughout the entire book. Because of war, the
stresses cause people to want to hold on to
Death, but some people want to live and spread
history. Death expresses how hard it is for him
during war when he has to take peoples souls
away.

When the dragging was done, the

mother and the girl stood and
breathed. There was something black
and rectangular lodged in the snow.
Only the girl saw it. She bent down
and picked it up and held it firmly in
her fingers. The book had silver
writing on it.

24

The train ride to Munich was very traumatizing

for Liesel. She witnessed her brother die, Death
took his soul away in his arms and fled.
Midway through their trip, they stopped the
train to bury her brother, Werner. This was one
of the most important parts in the entire book,
the book thief begins her first act of thievery. I
think that Liesel made a brave move with
picking up the book, but then again, she almost
was obligated to pick it up. She had nothing to
remember her brother by, so that book became
sentimental to her and helped her through her
emotional struggle.

The Star of David was painted on

their doors. Those houses were almost
like lepers. At the very least, they were
infected sores on the injured German
terrain.

51

The road of yellow stars, as Rudy calls it, is a

strip in Molching where Jews used to live
before they were relocated to concentration
camps. This quote stood out because it was
Liesels thoughts as Rudy was speaking of the
road. At the time, Liesel was young and didnt
quite comprehend what the Germans were
doing to the Jews, but she had to only agree
with the Germans because she didnt know any
better. Personally, I dont think Liesel, or any
younger characters, understand the meaning of
war. Later on, Hans makes Liesel join the

BDM, the Hitler Youth for girls. Hans only did

it to keep himself safe, but the Hubermann
family isnt like the average German, they are
humble.
Somewhere, far down, there was an
itch in his heart, but he made it a point
not to scratch it. He was afraid of what
might come leaking out.

60

Alex Steiner, the father of Rudy Steiner, was

one of the most complicated, yet
straightforward characters to analyze. Alex has
6 children and all of his children are like him or
either like his wife, but not Rudy. Rudy has an
extreme obsession with Olympic gold medalist,
Jesse Owens, which in Nazi Germany at the
time, was very frowned upon. Alex understands
that Rudy is nothing like him, so when he saw
him at the track covered in charcoal, he started
to wonder why Rudy is so different. Alex is in
the Nazi party, but not because he hates the
Jews, but he wants to protect his family. Seeing
Rudy in that state of mind where everyone is
equal to the Germans, is a very dangerous
mindset to have, especially since Alex is
supposed to keep his children in line.

Because you shouldnt want to be

like black people or Jewish people or
anyone who is...not us...I know, sonbut youve got beautiful blond hair
and big, safe blue eyes. You should be
happy with that; is that clear?

6061

The Jesse Owens Incident was one of the major

events that happened and changed all feelings
in the children characters. Being told by their
parents that being someone else is an atrocity,
is very traumatizing. All the children grew up
on you can be anything you want to be, but
to have that crushed by the same person that
put it in you, can be quite upsetting. Rudy
doesnt fully understand the meaning of
politics, let alone what war is and the divide
between the Germans and everyone else. I
noticed how Zusak made the father say safe
blue eyes, instead of just blue eyes. Having
safe blue eyes in Germany meant a lot of
things; being German, period, meant a lot of
things throughout World War II.

A for what?

67

This quote represents a start of the relationship

between Liesel and Hans. The Grave Diggers
Handbook was the very first book that Liesel
stole and Hans didnt chastise her for it, but
rather encouraged her to dive into it. Either
Hans or Liesel know how to read, so they

developed a nightly class between them, where

they discover new words and find the meaning
to them.
When a Jew shows up at your place
of residence, in the very birthplace of
Nazism, youre likely to experience
extreme levels of discomfort.

199 Max Vandenburg, the Jew, plays an important

role in the book, as well as in the Hubermann
household. Because Max is a Jew, it is very
risky to keep him under the circumstances in
which they are in currently. Maxs presence
helped Liesel to realize that she was living in a
world of dysfunctionalism. I think that Max
was the most influential character throughout
the whole novel. I believe that the Hubermanns
showed serious signs of compassion when they
took Max into their home, knowing he is a Jew.

I slept there for a long time. Three

days, they told me...and what did I
find when I woke up? Not a man, but
someone else, standing over me.

230 When Max started getting comfortable in the

Hubermann household, he started to bond with
Liesel. When Liesel first arrived at the
Hubermann household, she bonded with Hans
the way she does with Max. Max started
writing books and sharing them with Liesel
because he knew about her interest in reading
books. Maxs previous life was very harsh and
almost impossible to live. Being a Jew in
Germany, at the time, was such a crime. Maxs
book The Standover Man, was very powerful. I
thought that the book was extremely intense,
but it embodied every part of his life into a 13
page book.

Strings of mud clench his face. His

tie is a pendulum, long dead in its
clock. His lemon, lamp-lit hair is
disheveled and he wears a sad, absurd
smile.

267 Rudy Steiner is one of the characters in the

book that doesnt fully comprehend war at all.
Because of Rudys age, its hard for him to
grasp why he should see himself as superior to
a Jew, or anybody who isnt like him. Rudys
appearance was very important to his
personality because Rudy is a very poor
German, but he lives a life of adventure and
mischief. Rudys way of living and going about
certain situations are a lot different than many
of the other characters. Rudys extreme
fascination with being someone else is a small
message to the reader saying that Rudy doesnt
like who he is now. The way in which he
carries himself is also key to the plot

sometimes too. His determination and anger

always leads him into some sort of trouble or
either infamous success.
Zufriedenheit- Happiness: Coming
from happy- enjoying pleasure and
contentment. Related words: joy,
gladness, feeling fortunate or
prosperous.

358 The Duden Dictionary was a book that the

mayors wife gave to Liesel after she found out
that she was stealing books from her library.
The German word Zufriedenheit, means a lot to
Liesel, as well as the plot in the story. All
throughout the book, Liesel finds herself happy
in places she never thought she would go. A
war isnt necessarily a good thing for a child to
witness, but the only way that Liesel felt some
kind of happiness, was by witnessing the war
with her papa. Hans and Liesels bond
throughout the novel shows how much
happiness means to her in any way.

Part B: Poem- Character/Theme

Dont Hold On
Death is something that everyone sees through their twisted eyes
A deep disguise, we try to run and hide from our fate that we know is coming soon
Dont hold on to life for so long, I long to take your soul in my arms
Ill be very gentle to the touch
So please dont hold on to breath, just let it go and escape with you
Taking souls is just apart of my job, I never mean to hurt anybody in my game
Its a very quick and easy process
But when people hold on to life, it makes me sick beyond belief
Dont hold on to the things that wont hold on to you
Just let them go and youll be free, I promise Ill take good care of you
Part C: Letter
To Whom It May Concern,
At a certain point in life, there comes a time when I come and collect your soul. Yes, it does
sound very vicious and cruel, but it needs to be done. I hate to be so blunt on the topic, but it is
my job and I need to do it efficiently and effectively. You are not allowed to come with me, I must
choose when it is time to take you away. Forget about your Lord, or whoever you may worship, I
am the one who decides all. This must seem rather fast to know all at once, but it is the truth and
I would never lie to you...

Sometimes in life you may feel the certain urge to reproduce with another one of your fellow
humans, but always remember that I can take from the womb, and sometimes when I get lucky, I
can take from you too. Do not be fooled by my lesser appearance, I promise you the day that you
fool around with me, it will be your last. Do not ever say you want me to come, and do not ever
summon my presence. I come when I want to and leave when I please. If I make you suffer, I am
truly sorry. In my job, I might get carried away and well, I might make you suffer, but please
note that it is never personal. I do intend on keeping your soul forever, so make sure on your last
breath to say I love you to whomever you deem as important. Trust me, youll want to do it.
I hope that this letter is extremely useful for you. If not, I am very sorry. I can only help you
through the process; I can not take you through the process. You may also feel like when I come,
youre not ready yet. Most of the time, it is because youre not ready yet. But whatever you do
during the process, do not hold on to anybody or anything. It gets tough, I understand that, but
people are just distractions to your fate. When the day does come where I take your soul, please
do not scream, it just makes the process longer.
Yours Truly,
Death