Power of The Void Questions

What did you think was going to happen? What clues led you to believe this?

I thought that the woman was going to be executed. When the old man said "Ok guys! lets get this over and done with."

How did you feel when the end of the story was not given to you?

When we were not given the end of the story, I was eager to find out what was going to happen to the old lady. Will she be killed? It kept me in suspense and I was imagining the possibilities of the story. Nobody likes a an incomplete story.

How did you feel about the black box and the black spot/blank paper? Explain.

When I saw the black box, I guest that we were going to do a lottery like the people in the story. I got the black dot so I felt nervous as I thought that I was going to die.

How did you feel when you read the end of the story? Explain.

I was shocked to find out that the old lady who won the lottery was killed so violently. Everyone including the children picked up a stone and stoned her to death. That was why in the story the villagers said that many villages had stopped this ceremony. It was just too cruel. The old lady did not deserve to die.

Why did the author leave these voids in the story?

The author left these voids in the story so that he can get the readers to read on. By creating a void, he is creating tension in the story. This tension will make the readers eager to know more about the story.

The Boy in Striped Pyjamas- Did John Boyne address the sensitive issue of the Holocaust appropriately?

In the book "The Boy In Striped Pyjamas," John Boyne the author, addressed the sensitive issue of the holocaust appropriately in most parts of the book. From the book, we can get an idea of what was going on in the minds of the Nazis and why they were cruel to the Jews.

The cruelty of the Nazis could be seen when a jew accidentally spilled the glass of wine which he was pouring for the Lieutenant. The Lieutenant pulled the Jew into the other room and beat him to death. Also, when one of the soldiers shot the dog which was barking too much, it showed that the Nazis were cold hearted people. To the Nazis, the Jews were animals. John Boyne showed these thoughts through Grettle, Bruno's elder sister. When Bruno asked Grettle why were the people in striped pyjamas were on the other side of the fence, she answered that they were not humans, they were animals.

I think John Boyne did not go into details of the Holocaust. How could the people not know about the gas chambers? How could they think that the smoke came from burning old clothes? Nevertheless, I enjoyed the story which made me more aware of what was happening during the holocaust.