Ethan's Writings

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas (which I will shorten to BSP) is a book written by John Boyne, and published in 2006. Since its release it has sold over 11 million copies worldwide and has been adapted into a movie. However, despite its apparent popularity many have taken issue with this book. I agree with most of their sentiments. I believe BSP is quite possibly one of the worst works of historical fiction ever written. Why? My reasons are that it spreads misinformation about the Holocaust, it misplaces sympathy, and the perspective from which it is written devalues the theme and purpose of the novel. 

First, I’d like to address the misinformation and historical inaccuracies. The novel makes it appear as though the average person living in Hitler’s Germany was unaware of what was going on with the Jews. From my research, this is not the case. For those who lived in the eastern part of the country near the concentration camps it was a public secret. If I recall correctly BSP only mentions Jews in relation to the Holocaust. This once again, is not the case. Of the 11 million killed in the Holocaust 5 million were not Jewish. These “others” as they are often referred to as (if they are even mentioned at all) include; Roma, Sinti, black people, Poles, other Slavic peoples, disabled people, political enemies of the Nazi, and even Jehovah’s Witnesses. Oh! To top it all off, Shmuel would most likely have been dead, as he and other children would have probably been gassed on arrival. 

Secondly, BSP could potentially lead to dangerously misplaced sympathy. The target audience of the novel is mainly children, who are prone to strong emotional connections. The main character, Bruno, is the son of the commandant of Auschwitz. At the end of the story he (spoiler alert!) dies. We hear how heart wrenching this was for the family, especially for his father. This is dangerous. If children don’t realize this tale is fictional, it could lead to them feeling bad for the Nazi, because “Oh, they were brainwashed into doing what they did”. No, they were not. If anyone deserves sympathy for the crimes against humanity committed during the Holocaust, it’s the people who lived through them and their families, not the Nazi elite.

Lastly, I feel the story loses much of its purpose and theme due to its poor perspective choice. The author has stated that he wanted to inspire people to do their own research into the Holocaust. However, I think you’ll find that a story about a German boy is not the best way to do that. It would be far more effective at portraying its theme of family first and fulfilling its purpose if it was written from the perspective of a person who was separated from their family because of the Holocaust. A good way to encourage research would be to have that person be a Roma or Polish Christian. 

This is why I dislike The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. My reasons are that it has many historical inaccuracies, it could potentially lead to misplaced sympathy, and it is written from a perspective that devalues the story. My biggest encouragement to you is to make sure the historical part of historical fiction is in fact historical before teaching it as such.

Have you ever been bee-bopping around and hear someone speaking what sounds like gibberish? The truth is, it’s not gibberish, it’s just a language that you don’t speak. But what if you understood that person? Or better yet, what if you could talk to them? I think more people need to learn a second (or third or fourth …) language. My first reason is the practicality of bilingualism. Let’s face it, not everyone speaks English, or is fully comfortable with speaking it. Whether it’s at work, in town, or in daily life (i.e. a neighbor), you will encounter non-English speakers. Being able to effectively communicate with them, especially in a work setting, is necessary. My next reason is for travel. When traveling abroad, in order to fully experience the country, you need to speak the language of the people. “Well can’t you just get a translator”? Yes, but, I guarantee at least one person will be shocked/impressed if you speak their language to them. Lastly, learning a language presents an unique academic challenge. Depending on how similar to English a language is, you can get a rough idea of how hard it is to learn. Learning a language requires dedication and for you to hold yourself accountable. I feel a lot of people struggle with that. This is why I think more people should be bilingual. Whether it’s Spanish, French, Mandarin, Hebrew or something else, begin your language learning experience today.

“What do you want to be when you’re older?” Everyone has been asked this question by friends and relatives alike. It also seems that the older you get this question becomes harder to answer and at least for me more stressful. There are, however, three jobs that I find interesting right now, teaching, wildlife photography, and being an author. 

First on my list is teaching. One reason I’m interested in teaching is because of the flexibility of it. By this I mean that there are different types of teachers, like band, science, and foreign languages, these three being the subjects I’m most interested in teaching. However, on the contrary I could also be a more general teacher, sort of a jack-of-all-trades, or in this case subjects. You choose what you want to teach, for the most part, so long as the students are still meeting the required curriculum. Subjects that I would add to a basic curriculum are French or Spanish, and a sorta learn-your-own-skill class (kinda like Genius Hour I guess). 

My second, in no real order, is wildlife photography. My main reason, I love animals. You guessed it, there’s more to it than that because I’m complicated. I also love science and specifically biology, and I love travel, and this provides an opportunity for me to do it more. Photography is a form of art, and one that I like more than, say, drawing or painting. Don’t get me wrong, those are great, but I just don’t care for them as much. There’s so much beauty in the wonderful thing we call nature. Take the sunset/sunrise for an example. This job would slow me down and get me to focus on God’s creation even more. 

Lastly, writing. I love reading books, so why not take it a step further and write my own! I have always loved thinking up characters, worlds, problems, solutions, plot twists, and the whole bippity-boppity-bang. If you know me, you should know that I have a large vocabulary which helps a lot as well. One more pro, you don’t really need to go to college to be an author, like yeah, it helps, but it’s definitely not required by any means. There exists one tiny issue, finding a good editor and publisher, that would probably be the hardest thing for me, well, that and deadlines.

In summary, my current answer to the question of “What do you want to be when you’re older?” is either a teacher, wildlife photographer, or an author. The only problem, the future is never certain. I could change my mind, start a job and realize I hate it, and countless other possibilities. Whatever your dream is, current or future, I hope you chase it.

Imagine with me for a moment what school would be like without basketball, volleyball, band, and so on. It’s pretty boring, right? Almost everyone has a favorite extracurricular, whether it’s a sport, fine art, or more electronic. I think extracurriculars or co-curriculars are an important part of every school’s curriculum. My reasons are as follows, they help students develop, they teach important life skills, and they make school more enjoyable.

My first reason is because extracurriculars help students develop in three ways, mentally, physically, and academically. Sports are a great way for pupils to develop physically, and are good exercise. STEM extracurriculars help students to develop their mental skills, like critical thinking. Robotics is a way for students to develop their math, science, and coding skills. Secondly, co-curriculars teach pupils important life skills. They teach responsibility, as students have to go to practices/meetings, as well as do their homework so they can participate. (You know who you are.) Extracurriculars teach teamwork skills. Sports are probably the biggest examples, but you also have to work together in band to a certain degree. They teach communication skills. Things such as forensics and student leader groups are some examples. Lastly, they make school fun! Without co-curricular activities all you do in school is sit at your desk. They provide students a chance to compete against students from other schools, and also against their peers.They also provide kids more time to be with friends, and to be kids.

This is why I think extracurriculars are an important part of every school. My reasons are that they help students develop, teach important life skills, and make school enjoyable. I hope you appreciate your co-curriculars more now. Hey! Maybe you have an idea for a new extracurricular to implement at your school.

We all have goals in life, right? I thought I should share just a few of mine. Who knows, maybe this will inspire some goals in you! First, and arguably my most outrageous goal is to move to Newfoundland, Canada. I find the rocky coastlines captivating. As a bonus the cost to apply to become a Canadian citizen is not overly expensive ($630 CAD or $463.65 USD). “But what comes after moving to Newfoundland?”, I hear you ask. Well, I have the intention of getting pet ferrets. (shock and horror!) Since it’s illegal to have skunks as pets in Canada, I resolved to get pet ferrets instead. Ferrets are stinkin’ (literally) adorable and quite clever. Some benefits of ferrets include, they’re quiet, sleep a lot, and can be litter trained. Lastly, but not least, I aspire to one day travel to Portugal. Portugal is mystifying to me, in the sense that it possesses some stunning landscapes and towns, such as Evora and Lisbon, and also a rich history. Evora is fascinating to me because of the Capela dos Ossos (Chapel of Bones), and Lisbon because of its architecture. This is a brief list of some of my more long term life goals. I hope you will chase your life goals.

I believe more people should read. More and more people are spending their time mindlessly and unhealthily on social media like Tiktok, Snapchat, and Youtube. I’m going to give three reasons as to why more people should read. 

Firstly, reading paper materials specifically is healthier for your body than looking at screens. When looking at a screen with eyes that aren’t shielded, blue light is busy blurring your vision, hurting your eyes, and causing sleep issues. These issues don’t occur when reading a book because paper doesn’t emit blue light. 

Secondly, reading is good for your mental health. Almost everyone is a bit stressed. Reading helps with stress, as it is a way to relax. It also improves sleep, which is important as not enough sleep means you’re not yourself because you’re not functioning properly. Being on social media can be self-deprecating(meaning you look down on yourself more) because you might start thinking you’re not good enough or that you could never be like blank. With reading that mindset is not a problem. 

Lastly, reading helps keep your mind sharp. Reading improves and builds vocabulary. Reading improves focus. You can learn by reading articles or improve your skills by reading a skill building book. 

This is why I think more people should read. Reading is better for your body and mind than mindless time on social media. So, what are you waiting for! Whether it’s a book, article or magazine, heck you could even listen to it, start reading and bettering yourself!