1. Quote one line/passage OR note one image from within Chap 13-18 that feels imp’t to the text, and write a paragraph explaining why. (Note page #.)
2. What has this book left you thinking about? Explain. End your post w/ a question.
3. Also, reply to at least one student's post.
(Skip a line between paragraphs.)
3. Also, reply to at least one student's post.
(Skip a line between paragraphs.)
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ReplyDeleteYour comment has so much reflection, I agree that all human beings deserve respect, almost like: "your right is not my wrong" and so forth. I think in modern day, everybody has differences and attributes to what sets them apart. I love how you described the message Reuven's father was trying to get across. A very important part of the book in my opinion!
DeleteI definitely agree with your point about how people can have different opinions but still have great respect for one another. I think this perfectly applies to Reb Saunders and David Malter. I also think that this applies to real life relationships as well. In a way, I think sharing differences with another person can be the greatest way to connect with them.In terms of your question, I definitely do not agree with Reb Saunders about raising a child in silence. I think that the relationships we create and share with our parents is one of the most important things in life.
Delete"Ideas should be fought with ideas, my father said, not with blind passion. If Reb Saunders was fighting him with passion, that did not mean that my father had to fight Reb Saunders with passion." (Page 235). This quote feels important to the text, because it brings the reader back to metaphorical blindness. The irony being, in the beginning of the story Danny was hateful towards Reuven and his culture, Reuven was facing the potential the fear of going blind-- the metaphor being, losing our eyesight is perhaps not the only way to go blind. Blindness lives in everyday, in our parents, grandparents, our children, and at times even some of us--- passion is not the equivalence of change. Our actions are what truly define us. How we choose to fight hatred, perhaps with nonviolence: is a true reflection of who we are.
ReplyDeleteThis book has left me thinking about what it takes to become human. First, you might just happen to be born with a human body, a smile, and a heart-- but eyesight is something you have to earn. Wisdom is something you must work for. Love is something you give. Humanity chose humankind, and now it is our time to choose it. Life isn't about what you receive, life is about what you can give and the changes you can make, good and bad, you might one day be remembered in textbooks and stories retold honoring your bravery, or selflessness, or the ability to do what is right even if you are the only person who has not yet been blinded by the hatred and a culture that seeks to take the humanity away from you. But a textbook, or a story being retold by someone else is a long time away. You cannot attend your own funeral. What is more important is how people remember you when you are here. And, most importantly, how you remember yourself, and who it is that you were meant to be.
Why do you think it is that so many people have life in common-- but not many of us can seem to agree on peace?
Your passage and response is very thought provoking- I never thought of his being "blinded by passion" as a metaphor connected to his almost becoming blind in one eye. That being said, now I cannot think of that without this metaphorical meaning. The thoughts that this book left you thinking are deep, meaningful, and interesting. I to believe that how you remember yourself is just as important as how you are remembered by others. To answer your question, I think it is because in a way, we are all blinded by something- passion, ambition, hate... Our lives our to short for us to gain knowledge enough to realize the things that are truly important.
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ReplyDelete“Danny was not to see me, talk to me, listen to me, be found within four feet of me. My father and I had been excommunicated from the Saunders family. If Reb Saunders even once heard of Danny being anywhere in my presence, he would remove him immediately from the college and send him to an out-of-town yeshiva for his rabbinic ordination….My father’s speech had done it” (231). Reuven’s father had never been Reb Saunders’ biggest fan, and with his speech, Reb Saunders lost it. Reb Saunders finally made the call that Danny couldn’t be seen with Reuven. This is important to the text because of the way it will affect Danny and Reuven’s relationship. Up until this point, their relationship was so great and it had just reached its peak, but now it will never be the same. This is significant because their relationship has been a huge part of both of their lives and they have helped each other through numerous things and now that may be ruined. Because of this, Danny and Reuven didn’t speak to each other for two whole years, despite being near one another on a daily basis.
The silence is broken when Reb Saunders invites Reuven over to discuss Danny’s decision. He once again “speaks to Danny through Reuven” about him being a psychologist rather than a rabbi. Reb Saunders gets lost in his thoughts and begins talking about the soul and the mind, and just like that Danny and Reuven are permitted to speak again. Despite this, Danny never resorts back to his same self again. He seems prolongedly sad. Although they are permitted to be friends once more, it just isn’t the same great bond as it was before.
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Reb Saunders’ conversation with Reuven about the mind and the soul and what that means not just for your personality, but for your work and your writing, was very thought provoking for me. This particular point has a very significant meaning and truth to it. Your thoughts and your ideas come from your soul, and not from your mind. From reading this, I now believe that your soul is used for writing and interacting and for most things that matter, where your mind is used for facts. Your writing is not just facts. Within your writing there will always be characteristics of you in your words that come from the soul.
Overall, this book has made me think more about the importance and meaningfulness of forgiveness. As a result of Reuven forgiving Danny, which he never intended to do until Danny came to him, he made a great friend who he never would have expected to connect with. I feel that this book as a whole is mainly about the connection and the forgiveness between Danny and Reuven.
Do you think that Danny will go on to raise his children in silence? If so, do you think he should or would he be making a mistake?
Great work on your response, it is very descriptive! For your question I feel that Danny will have the thoughts of raising his own the way he was raised, yet in a little different manner. For him, he may not see it as a very big mistake, yet I do. This is mostly because of the amounts of pressure that Danny's character seemed to have.
DeleteA passage that I found important was something that Rueven's father said during chapter thirteen. He said: "...I learned a long time ago, Rueven, that the blink of an eye in itself is nothing. But the eye that blinks, 'that' is something. A span of life is nothing. But the man who lives that span, 'he' is something. He can fill that tiny span with meaning, so its quality is immeasurable though its quantity may be insignificant... A man must fill his life with meaning, meaning is not automatically given to life..." (217). I think this is important because while it is spoken by Rueven's father, it shows how hard Danny Saunders must work to put meaning into his life. He has so many obstacles— the expectations of his own father being dominant on the list— and yet he is still determined to make his life his own. And of course, when Danny finally found the courage to confront his father in the last chapter, he and Rueven were surprised to find that Reb Saunders was already aware of Danny's plans to become a psychologist, and had been for a long time. Nevertheless, Danny had no way of knowing this, and for years he had to struggle with the fact that what he wanted for himself was far from what his father wanted for him, but he stuck with it anyway.
ReplyDeleteTo me, this book was very powerful. I thought that this book sent the very important message that friendship doesn't have to have barriers. In chapter thirteen, on page 219, Rueven noted that his father told him that "honest differences of opinion should never be permitted to destroy a friendship." I think that this is important for everyone to keep in mind, because friendships aren't supposed to be easy. They're supposed to be challenging and different and dynamic—none of which you can have without some differences in opinion or belief.
Why do you think Reb Saunders was so accepting of his son's fate? Do you think that over the years of raising him, he tried to implement a structure that would set Danny on the path of wanting to become a rabbi, or do you think that he gave up and accepted Danny's differences long ago?
I absolutely agree with you, and I really liked that quote as well. Reb Saunders is trying to convey that although one individual life may seem that it doesn’t matter in the grand scheme of things, but if that one life can fight, and push and try to give meaning to his life than what comes from that life does matter. I also think you nailed it when you said “He has so many obstacles— the expectations of his own father being dominant on the list— and yet he is still determined to make his life his own.” This sums up a huge chunk of what this book is about, and the overall theme of events that transpired.
DeleteI absolutely agree with Ryan that one life does matter in the grand scheme of things, especially when it can fight and push. And you chose a great quote.
Delete“Reuven,” my father said quietly, “the fanaticism of men like Reb Saunders kept us alive for two thousand years of exile. If the Jews of Palestine have an ounce of the same fanaticism and use it wisely, we will soon have a Jewish state.” (233)
ReplyDeleteThis passage seems very important to the text for me because it shows the importance of respect for all people. Reb Saunders and Reuven’s father David Malter have very different beliefs. David Malter greatly dislikes Reb Saunders’ parenting methods, and Reb Saunders’ hates the articles that David Malter writes. This being said, they have an enormous amount of respect for each other. In this passage, Reuven’s father is trying to explain to Reuven that you do not have to agree with someone to respect them. I think that this is a very important message to remember, and it stuck out to me in this reading, not only in reference with the text, but also to life.
This book left me thinking about the private battles that we as individuals are constantly fighting inside. You can never truly understand why a person may do something, or the impact that something can have on them emotionally. Life's events effect us all differently. This book also shows the importance of friendship, and trust, how much you can mean to somebody, or vice versa. A friend can help you navigate the challenges of life just by being there, even if they do not truly understand what it is that you are struggling with. This is an emotionally powerful book with several important messages.
Do you agree with Reb Saunders about raising a child in silence? Why, or why not?
I love what you said about the internal battles that we are all constantly engaged in as individuals, and I very much agree with the points you have made. As for your question, I am not sure whether I agree with Reb Saunders on the subject of raising a child in silence. My first impulse is to say that I heartily disagree, but as I am not very educated on the idea, I'm not sure that I can safely have an accurate opinion. It does, however, seem to be a rather poor way to bring up a child. I think that it is important for someone to have a close and communicative relationship with their parents. And as I recall, Danny suffered through much of the silence in a strangely trusting way, even though he had no idea why his father chose not to speak to him. I, like Rueven, am very glad that I wasn't raised like this, but then Reb Sounders appeared to be bringing up Danny in this way for a reason—one that I'm not quite sure that I fully understand. I do think that this method of upbringing had a powerful impact not only on Danny, but on the story itself.
DeleteOne line that I thought felt particularly important to the text was, “It was at that point that I told my father of Danny’s plans to go on for a doctorate in psychology and abandon the position of tzaddik he was to inherit one day from Reb Saunders.” (269). The reason I chose this line was because it embodied and encompassed a lot of the major topics and themes that were quite recurring in the book. For example the decision from Danny to not follow in his father’s footsteps and to do his own thing that he is passionate about. Obviously that was a very hard decision for him, and we could see him struggling with it as well as other things his father did/said throughout the book. I think that choice was a culmination of his father’s controlling wishes on Danny. One other reason that this quote was relevant was the fact that it was Reuven talking to his father, as he so often does throughout the book. I think you can see a deliberate difference in the relationships between a father and son right there in that one quote. You see Reuven and his dad who share a very close relationship, talking about a very contrasted Danny and Reb Saunders relationship who don’t even talk to each other.
ReplyDeleteThis book has left me thinking about how different people perceive and experience the same situation in different ways. What really made me think about this is when Danny comes to visit Reuven and his dad in their apartment. “Danny,’ he said softly, ‘when you have a son of your own, will you raise him in silence?”(290). When I first read this I thought for sure that Danny would refuse especially after what he, Reuven, and his father dealt with. A lot of sadness and pain came from that silence, so I was very surprised when Danny responded with, “Yes’ he said ‘If I can’t find another way:”(290). I think this shows a maturation in Danny as he finally realizes that although he didn’t agree with it, and didn’t enjoy it, his father did do it out of love for him.
A quote that I found important to the text came up in chapter 18, “We shook hands and I watched him walk quickly away, tall, lean, bent forward with eagerness and hungry for the future, his metal capped shoes tapping against the sidewalk. Then he turned into Lee Avenue and was gone.” This is when Danny is leaving for graduate school and finally leaving the neighborhood that tried to shape him into something he didn't want to be. It signifies that he is going on his own path, not the one that was set out for him by his father. This entire passage is just as much about Reuven as Danny though. It describes all of Reuven's senses that he was sensing at that moment. He didn't just watch Danny leave; he felt him leave, which signified their friendship that they built up throughout the book.
ReplyDeleteThis book has left me thinking of how you could hit a baseball straight every time you hit it. You would have to train for hours and hit it at the perfect time every time you'd swing. Why would you want to hit it up the middle every time though? If you got up against a good fielding pitcher then you would have a really tough game.
Do you think all baseball games were played on asphalt in NYC around WWII? Wouldn't it hurt to slide?
I really like this ending in chapter 18 and I absolutely agree with you that Reuven is not watching Danny leave but he is feeling it as well. I found it kind of shocking that that is what the book left you thinking about. Was there not anything more critical or a theme perhaps that it left you thinking of?
DeleteOne quote that I found to be very important to the book is in page 206 and it says, “Honest differences of opinion should never be permitted to destroy a friendship.” This bit of dialogue is told by Reuven’s father and I think it is a very important quote because in a way it symbolizes Danny’s and Reuven’s friendship. Both Danny and Reuven have grown up with different traditions and are both very different religious wise, but that never impacted their close relationship. In my opinion their relationship was so unique because they each were able to develop the values that they did not have by spending time together. In other words their relationship taught them to inherit many values that the secular world has; it allowed them to explore a completely new world that did not revolve around the talmud and their religions. This relationship was a very special one because it was a way for both boys to challenge the world in unison and it permitted a great bond of friendship to develop. All the challenges they faced throughout this friendship was not a bad aspect but it was rather beneficial because everything they had to work through, they did together which made both of them stronger human beings.
ReplyDeleteI think that one of the messages this book gives is the importance of relationships. Everyone has at least one close relationship with someone and it is those relationships that allow us to grow intellectually and physically. Relationships are also very important because they have a strong impact on who we become and what path of life we choose to take. Friendships also allow us to help each other out through the ups and downs of life and allow us to enjoy our accomplishments. I think that Potok did an excellent job in portraying the message of how important but complicated relationships are or can be.
My question is not related to the overall themes of the book but I was wondering why does Reuven’s professor Rav Gershenson not want Reuven to use the critical method for studying the Talmud even though he does not oppose such method. This example is on page 237.
"The next day he called on me again, and I continued to read and explain. I spent two hours on seven words, and again sometime during the session he sat down, with his head in the palms of his hands. He said not a single word. The bell caught me in the middle of a lengthy explanation of the four-page commentary, and when he called on me again the third day I read the seven words quickly, briefly went through my explanations of the day before, then continued where I had stopped" (248). This section was located in chapter 14 of this book. I found that this showed a true image of these chapters by showing his persistence and dedication towards his work. Yes, he didn't want to do it. And yes, he wasn't very good at it, yet for him to stick through it showed a lot of character growth from the beginning of the book. And not only does it capture an image for the assigned chapters, but it also is a very strong image itself. This image shows a progression of all the themes I found throughout this book in it; from persistence to dedication. All of which I felt stood out to me most while reading this book.
ReplyDeleteWhat I took away from this book was how not only did it teach us about different lifestyles and beliefs, but also the meaning within each person. Big or small, I feel like it all came out throughout the different given scenarios in each chapter. It showed me that friends and strong friendships are a great deal of life. No matter what each one of these characters went through there was someone by their side every step of the way. This also taught me a lot more about Jewish culture and beliefs, and how that factored some of the more complicating decisions. This book left me with great knowledge and more understanding on the way of friendship.
My final question for this book is: In the ending did the author finish their last paragraph a sign of relief and completion because of how the boys ended up or was it trying to tell us something else? (291).