Monday, December 6, 2010

PERIOD 7 - THE ISLAND ON BIRD STREET

Please pick two or three aspects of the film that made an impression on you and explain why they resonated with you.  Make sure to comment on at least one other student's post.

20 comments:

ryan iasiello said...

this movie is exstreamly sad and devasting. this young boy lost his father and his grandfather. And worst of all he is stuck living on his own in the confined area asnd he had to kill a man to save two fellow jews. Also i think this young boy is exstreamly clever and smart. He came up with a rope and ladder system to get to bathing and drinking water. Also he helps take care of the injured man with him.

Pat Hession said...

I was amazed at how young Alex is and how he was able to create his own secretive place to hide from the Jews. I was also amazed at how mature Alex was and how he was able to help out another man he didn't even know. He put his own life on the line by going and asking the doctor for help. I agree with Ryan on how smart and clever Alex is and how he made the rope and ladder system to bathe and get water.

Matt Oriol said...

The aspectsd I closed in on during the movie was the man who stole the potatoes in the attic, from the kid. Inconsiderate and animal instict ruins the indivual.
The other example was the doctor who took in the kid knowing the risks of Nazis Radicalism. He did the right thing and few people went forth to do deeds like this, instead of bystanding they chose to do something about it.

Mike Ceruolo said...

I was impressed by the heart and resourcefulness of Alex. To wait and not question if your father seems nearly impossible. Also, much like Ryan and Pat said, his creation of the ladder is very impressive. The cruelty of the Nazi Party to those in the ghetto also left an impression on me. Instead of removing people who hid in the ghetto, the Nazi soldier tried to kill them. The hesistation of the doctor to help a dying person also shocked me. The threat of the Nazi party was so great that he almost had to report Alex for simply asking for help.

Annie Meaney said...

The movie was very eventful and depressing. Many parts of the movie stood out to me but these are the main ones. When he created that pulley and the ladder, pretty amazing. Also the way he was able to hide from all of the nazi's, very impressive. Lastly when he had nothing to drink he drank vodka and hallucinated seeing his uncle and father. I agree with Pat about him being so young and amazingly able to care for himself.

Celina Morais said...

I was amazed by everything Alex did in this film. I agree with Ryan and Pat when they stated how clever Alex was. I was really shocked at how brilliant he really was creating the rope system to have an area not visible to others and how he could also hide the ladder. I was also impressed with his ability to escape dangerous situations. When he denied the offer to go to the country with the young girl and her mother I was a bit relieved but a bit shocked. I wanted him to continue to wait for his father but also, if I was in his situation I don't know what I would of done. Alex is truly courageous.

Robbie Tanner said...

The aspect of this movie that impressed me the most was Alex's resourcefulness. As a small boy in a situation with little resources he was able to create a safe hiding spot with adaquate food and water, while at the same time remaining hidden from the Nazis. I agree with mike, in that it was shocking to see a Doctor hesitate to help a dying man. This truly represents the fear instilled in the Polish people by the Nazi party.

Matt Hally said...

I was impressed by the way Alex continued to deal with losing those whom he was closest to. First he lost his father and uncle to the Nazis, and he was able to survive and have the confidence that his dad would come back for him. It seemed like every time Alex met somebody who he could count on for support, they were gone within a matter of days. This includes the doctor, the girl across the street, and the two men who Alex saves by shooting the German soldier. I also agree with Robbie that I was impressed by how Alex used his resources.

Sarah Hart said...

I was completely blown away by how Alex was able to survive for so long in the ghetto and fend for himself for so long. I was especially impressed by the living area he built for himself and how he was able to hide it so well. I was also amazed by how much belief he had in his father. What impressed me the most though was the way Alex dealt with the constant fear of being found by the Nazis. I honestly don't know how he did it. I agree with Pat that it is amazing how young Alex was when all of this happened to him.

Tara Slysz said...

I agree with Mike on the subject of Alex blindly waiting for his dad to come back for him. He had a couple of really good chances to go somewhere else with people he trusted, which I would have taken had I been on his shoes. Sticking it out for so long while having to deal with major setbacks, including near death experiences, makes Alex seem incredibly brave to me. I would have jumped at the opportunity to move away and live with the girl and her mother, already assuming that my father was dead and not coming back for me. But the part that definitely left an impression upon me was the end, not when Alex reunites with his dad, but when we were informed that Alex survived the holocaust and lived for a long time. I'm not sure why, but that knowledge that his life with his dad was long and worth what he had to go through alone made me feel very strongly for him, and I almost cried.

David Johnson said...

One aspect of the film that made an impression on me was that Alex was so young but was still able to find so many ways to keep from being found by the Nazis. Another aspects of the film that made an impression on me was the fact that Alex was able to save two men from being killed by a Nazi and then kept one of the men alive after he had been shot. I agree with Pat that it was amazing that Alex risked his life for the man that had been shot by asking the doctor for help.

Corinne White said...

I was amazed at how brave Alex was. I would have been paranoid the entire time, without my family or anyone with me. The fact that he could walk around, hide from Nazi's, and create a living for himself is unbelievable. I agree that it was amazing and incredibly mature of Alex to not only create a place for himself, but also to care for another man and risk his life everday. Alex's story is amazing and like Tara, it made me happy that he reunited with his dad and in the end it was all worth it.

Sean Nolan said...

I was astounded by both Alex's courage and perseverance through the terrible times that he had to endure. I was most impressed with how he was able to adapt to the situation that he was in, and basically take care of himself at such a young age. Not only was I shocked at his resourcefulness, but also at his dedication to his father. Although he was offered to go off with another family, he chooses to stay and wait for the unlikely return of his father.

Christine Hillier said...

This was very touching film we watched in class. Alex was a very mature, and I was very impressed with his new lifestyle. I agree with Corinne; I could not be able to function knowing the people who I cared about most were just taken away, leaving me alone. I also would have left with the first person who offerted me help in Alexs' situation. Opposed to Alexs' idea to wait for his father.

Nick Judd said...

I was amazed at how mature Alex was and how he was able to survive on his own for a long time, even with Germans coming so close to finding him. Also, I thought he made a very tough decision in staying in the ghetto, instead of leaving with the girl's family. This showed how much he cared about his father and how much he trusted that he would come back and find him. I agree with Pat, in that I was amazed that Alex would put his life at risk to help a dying man who he had never even met before.

Sam Plummer said...

One of the most important aspects of the film i thought was the dreadful conditions in which they lived. Everyone thinks that living in a street, without clean water and sufficient food would be tough, but really, that kind of scenario would be beyond realistic comprehension. No, food, water, security, or hope among everything else makes for a horrid way of life, for any lenght of time. Another important aspect was the intelligence of the boy. He managed to find food, water, sheelter, and consistently evaded german soldiers for months while trying to maintain his well-being and his state of health. I agree with what Pat said as well, the ability of the boy to help others in need, when no else would, and without any selfish intentions is beyond me. When one can barely survive, helping others is flat out not an option, yet the boy managed to do both, someting that very few people would have been able to do.

Nick Cibelli said...

Out of all the films we have watched so far this one i thought was one of the most meaningful ones. The things that Alex went through to survive were unbelievable to me. Also not only did he have to take care of himself he looked after another surviver like himself, after fending of a Nazi with his pistle to protect him at such a young age.

Matt Oriol said...

This kid is one of a kind. If we had a similar sinario with survival for a kid today they would not know at all how to survive for that long. The point here is kids today in this particular boys situation are not independant at all compared to him. The kid believed his dad would return when others said to him that he did not make it considering the circumstances. The kid survived all odss against him during this terrible time in history and it's truly remarkable

Andrew Whamond said...

I was very impressed with the way that Alex was able to go on every day not knowing what was going to happen. This especially becasue he was only 12! I was also amazed at the way he shot the soldier to save two complete strangers during a time were it kind of turned into evey man for them selves.

paul iasiello said...

I am amazed how such a young child is able to survive the brutality of the holocaust. Alex is extremely smart and has better survival skills than most adults. he was able to devise a pulley system that could be hidden from the germans and uttilized against them. Also alex's maturety level super cedes his age drastically. he risks his own life at the exspense of another man who he saved. Alex is an extrodinary individual and i hope to half than man he is