Final Post Part 6: My Reflection

Reflection:

Religion has always been a topic most are curious about. Some wonder what it would be like if they were a different religion or if they were not religious. I have always wondered what life would be like if I were another religion. When the class was able to choose topics for the final project I immediately jumped on the offer to learn more about Jewish literature.

After reviewing three picture books and one graphic novel, I found that the Jewish literature is more or less just like any other book. I did notice that more religious based books had vocabulary that needed to be looked up to understand, but this was only a small issue. Also, all of the books involved the religion at some point in the book. Whether the book encompassed the religion and had strong Jewish values, or referring to the synagogue all of the books involve the Jewish culture. I found this to be a strong theme through the text set.

Another theme I found in all of the books in a sense of family togetherness. All the books incorporated the family in some form. The three picture books all show the families in a positive light. Even in the Picture Book of Anne Frank show the family and the story in a way that the negative aspects did not seem to be so negative. While the events were not positive, the story does not make the reader feel pity for Anne Frank and what she went through. I feel this helps the reader to understand her situation in a clear mind.

One variation I found was in a picture book and the graphic novel. Both books talked about the Holocaust and what happened. However, both stories are told in different lights. The story from Anne Frank’s point of view is more positive but still sad. The story of Maus is sad and does not give a positive view. The story is from the point of a mouse as he enters the war. I understand that the event had no positive factors; however, I feel that it might be too depressing for students to want to read it completely. This is not the same for Anne Frank. The story shows Anne smiling and shows how she was remotely happy even though there was a war going on beneath her.

Overall, all the books in the text set connect through their use of Judaism and how the religion is different for everyone. However, the morals and values in the stories are the same for different pieces of diverse literature. There is something everyone could learn from each book. No one has to be Jewish to understand or read the books. But everyone will learn more of the culture surrounding Judaism. For example, in Mayer Aaron Levi and his Lemon Tree, the husband taught his wife how to share with those less fortunate. This shows students that values can be learned at any age and by anyone.