I think that it is interesting that Reuven considers himself a completely new person after returning from the hospital. Reuven really values his friendship with Danny, and I think that Danny does as well. What will Danny’s father think of Reuven? Will he be mad that that is who Danny is hanging out with? If Reuven’s father can be excepting and encouraging of the friendship, will Danny’s father feel the same way?
I don’t think Danny’s father will be as accepting as Reuven’s father has been. There are apparent religious differences between the Hasidic Jews and the Modern Orthodox Jews. Note that Danny’s father did call Reuven’s father, saying that his son was sorry, but didn’t make a physical appearance. We do know that Danny’s father has extremely high expectations for his son’s future, so I would think he also has high expectations for his son’s relationships, and Reuven might not make the cut.
Reuven's father is a very intriguing character to me. For some reason, he does not seem very invested in being Reuven's father, because his whole life practically revolves around his work and religion. I believe that part of the reason Reuven saw the world differently when he came home was because at the hospital, he was able to have a bit of freedom from his normal religious routine, and so he could meet new people for himself.
Yes, I feel like this also connects to our overarching topic this year of 'coming of age'. I believe that a big factor of 'coming of age' is challenging the main authority figures in your life, and finding your own place in the world, establishing your own beliefs. Reuven's experience at the hospital allowed him to branch out a bit and become more independent, away from his father. In response to your initial claim, I do think that Reuven's father is very supportive of him, regardless of his investment in his life. In my opinion, he has a kind heart and is open-minded.
I agree that the hospital allowed Reuven to have some freedom from religion and allowed him to meet new people. I think it is interesting how he still wonders about hospital and the people he met there, even when he is at his house. He says in chapter 5, “I stood there tasting the room and the sunlight and the sounds, thinking of the long hospital ward with its wide aisle and it’s two rows of beds and little Mickey bouncing a ball and trying to find someone who would play catch with him. I wondered if little Mickey has ever seen sunlight come through the windows of a front room apartment”(Potok 98). I think he does this because the hospital really opened up his eyes to pain and the little things we take for granted, like sunlight through a window, even though he was only there for a short period of time.
Reuven is amazed by the beauty of ordinary things after regaining his full sight and leaving the hospital. I think this could be a metaphor for blind spots - when we realize we have them, we can start to ignore them and see the beauty that we were previously unaware of.
I was wondering when we will learn what happened to Reuven's mother, we learn that she is dead and that it isn't a topic anyone likes to bring up but that's about it. I also think its interesting how only the fathers really seem present in the boys lives, Billy and Danny included.
The maid, Manya seems to be the ‘mother figure’ in his life. The moment she saw him coming home from the accident, she hugged him and was even tearing up while talking to him. This short scene really helped the reader understand what kind of person Manya is.
Reuven does not see his father as the symbol of physical strength that many other children traditionally see their fathers as, for he describes him as thin and frail. Nevertheless, Reuven admires him. Why? Because while Reuven’s father may not display physical power, he possesses a completely different kind of strength: wisdom. He is a wise man, who is able to put the world in perspective. He sees no one thing as the purpose of life, unlike how Reb Saunders views the study of Talmud. Instead, he values freedom. This is evidenced by his eagerness to ensure that Danny is free to follow his own path. The reason he is so keen on Reuven and Danny becoming friends is to ensure that Danny is able to learn and grow uninhibitedly. While both Reuven’s father and Reb Saunders are religious men, Reuven’s father understands that Judaism should not be the force that holds one back, but the push that inspires them to discover more
I agree with this statement. Reuven respects his father as an equal individual which is very interesting as we see the juxtaposition between the personalities of the dad. Reb Saunders likes to instill fear whereas like you said, Abba values freedom. Ultimately, since Danny and Rueven share their own experinces, because they are different they learn a lot from each other and have lots of potential to grow further.
Something small but interesting I noticed while I was reading Chapter 5 was where Reuven notices that his father "hadn't coughed once since he had come to take me from the hospital". It almost seems as if Reuven's father was sick because he was worried about Reuven, and now that he is safe and at home, he isn't sick anymore. It shows how much his father cares for him, which is pretty evident already, as he has constantly visited him at the hospital.
Yeah great point! I also found it weird why Reuven’s Father stopped coughing as well. That’s a great solution. When Reuven described his father as “thin and frail” and used words such as “pale”, along with all the coughing I believed Reuven’s father was extremely old and sick and well on his way to death. Your analysis makes me see it differently. Really helpful.
I think it was interesting how Reuven felt he had changed so much and while a lot of the change in perspectives come from talking to Danny a lot also came from his father. I think it really shows how our opinions are often dependent on what our parents believe. Also interesting about how this new perspective or coming of age has really been handled by his father and reminds me a lot of Scout and Atticus from To kill a mockingbird
I agree with this, growing up in a mainly democratic house hold, I tended to lean that way. But as soon as I started to get older and more aware I found myself with my own opinions.
I have noticed that in these first 6 chapters characters have referenced to how the world is. Take for example page 107, “Reuven, as you grow older you will discover that the most important things that will happen to you will often come as a result of silly things… That is the way the world is.” I feel like this is a recurring idea that will continue to show up in this book. I think that although all these people are tell Reuven how the world is it is up to him how he wants to use that knowledge.
Reuven's father kind of reminds me of Atticus Finch, in the way that he is very smart not just intellectually, but also has the same sort of wisdom. They both teach their children to overcome prejudices, and through his rather unbiased "lesson" on Hasidism, it is also shown how he views the other faith as legitimate and is respectful of and interested in their beliefs.
The ending of Chapter 5 really ushers our minds back to the theme of being fortunate and not knowing how fortunate you are until you experience something unfortunate. Reuben sort of looks around the room and sees everything completely different after somewhat of a disturbed time in the hospital. I think it’s amazing how every-day life that we experience and see as so casual, can change in such an instant and can cause you to be bewildered by your surroundings. It goes back to the idea of appreciating what we have and not taking anything for granted because we don’t know when we are going to lose something. Reuven sort of felt a loss for his everyday life after being cast in the hospital.
the father’s study is designed to appear like a dungeon, which helps to depict his frailty. the lack of light and yellow tint from the lamp depict how dreary the room is. the clacking of the typewriter depicts the repetition of his life. this all culminates to a pretty sad visual, and shows how strenuous the father’s life is, taking care of his own health as well as reuven’s, working as a professor, and be the good role model he wants to be for reuven.
Danny and Reuven's father seem to have gotten along really well. Reuven's father is encouraging reuven to become closer friends with Danny. I was wondering how Reuven and Danny’s father will get along? This might foreshadow a bad relationship between them. This could be a challenge in for Reuven's and Danny’s friendship in the future.
I thought it was interesting how the dynamic between Reuven and his father plays out. There appears to be a fact that his father is hiding from him, as he always stops talking once disease is mentioned, especially cancer. However, Danny and his father seem to be getting along well whilst talking about other topics
I think it’s interesting how Reuvens father show his care by coughing. Most people will show anxious tendency’s but I find this such a weird way of being worried. This also portrays there very close relationship because his father stayed with him the whole time, scared for him.
I find it interesting that Reuvens father asks Reuven to become friends with Danny, even with the previous events. It seems as if Reuvens father is a good role model for Reuven, and I think that Reuven might have a coming-of-age moment where he matures and is accepting of Danny.
I find Danny Saunder to be a very interesting character. He seemed to be a sort of antagonist at first, someone dislikeable and unpleasant. However, after learning about him as a person, he has become a person that the reader can really emphasize with. He is lonely, yet a genius with a photographic memory. I’m sure most people have had parental expectations forced upon them at some point, and that’s exactly what is happening to Danny. His pursuit of knowledge is being shut down by his father’s strict rules, and he is being confined to a life he doesn’t wish to live. It’s something that is really relatable, and it’s interesting how much his character has already changed for the reader.
Not only has Danny Saunder's character grown upon the reader, but also on Reuven. It's worth contrasting Reuven's feelings of hate towards Danny within the hour of meeting him, to the sense of friendship later developed in the hospital, as we further see Reuven asking his father if he could friends with Danny. It's interesting how quickly this relationship changed and I believe there could be a future complication which quickly results in some altering of this friendship
what we can also notice is the strong hold religion and the religious groups in Reuven's neighborhood has on him. he feels he need to ask his father if he can be friends with him, rather than just being friends with him on his own.
I think Reuven's father sees himself in Danny. They are both religious, but he sees how Danny thinks, and how simply accepting religious texts isn't enough for him. Reuven's father notices that Danny is too curious to not think more deeply about his religion.
I think that it is interesting that Reuven considers himself a completely new person after returning from the hospital. Reuven really values his friendship with Danny, and I think that Danny does as well. What will Danny’s father think of Reuven? Will he be mad that that is who Danny is hanging out with? If Reuven’s father can be excepting and encouraging of the friendship, will Danny’s father feel the same way?
ReplyDeleteI don’t think Danny’s father will be as accepting as Reuven’s father has been. There are apparent religious differences between the Hasidic Jews and the Modern Orthodox Jews. Note that Danny’s father did call Reuven’s father, saying that his son was sorry, but didn’t make a physical appearance. We do know that Danny’s father has extremely high expectations for his son’s future, so I would think he also has high expectations for his son’s relationships, and Reuven might not make the cut.
DeleteReuven's father is a very intriguing character to me. For some reason, he does not seem very invested in being Reuven's father, because his whole life practically revolves around his work and religion. I believe that part of the reason Reuven saw the world differently when he came home was because at the hospital, he was able to have a bit of freedom from his normal religious routine, and so he could meet new people for himself.
ReplyDeleteYes, I feel like this also connects to our overarching topic this year of 'coming of age'. I believe that a big factor of 'coming of age' is challenging the main authority figures in your life, and finding your own place in the world, establishing your own beliefs. Reuven's experience at the hospital allowed him to branch out a bit and become more independent, away from his father.
DeleteIn response to your initial claim, I do think that Reuven's father is very supportive of him, regardless of his investment in his life. In my opinion, he has a kind heart and is open-minded.
I agree that the hospital allowed Reuven to have some freedom from religion and allowed him to meet new people. I think it is interesting how he still wonders about hospital and the people he met there, even when he is at his house. He says in chapter 5, “I stood there tasting the room and the sunlight and the sounds, thinking of the long hospital ward with its wide aisle and it’s two rows of beds and little Mickey bouncing a ball and trying to find someone who would play catch with him. I wondered if little Mickey has ever seen sunlight come through the windows of a front room apartment”(Potok 98). I think he does this because the hospital really opened up his eyes to pain and the little things we take for granted, like sunlight through a window, even though he was only there for a short period of time.
ReplyDeleteReuven is amazed by the beauty of ordinary things after regaining his full sight and leaving the hospital. I think this could be a metaphor for blind spots - when we realize we have them, we can start to ignore them and see the beauty that we were previously unaware of.
ReplyDeleteI was wondering when we will learn what happened to Reuven's mother, we learn that she is dead and that it isn't a topic anyone likes to bring up but that's about it. I also think its interesting how only the fathers really seem present in the boys lives, Billy and Danny included.
ReplyDelete
DeleteThe maid, Manya seems to be the ‘mother figure’ in his life. The moment she saw him coming home from the accident, she hugged him and was even tearing up while talking to him. This short scene really helped the reader understand what kind of person Manya is.
Reuven does not see his father as the symbol of physical strength that many other children traditionally see their fathers as, for he describes him as thin and frail. Nevertheless, Reuven admires him. Why? Because while Reuven’s father may not display physical power, he possesses a completely different kind of strength: wisdom. He is a wise man, who is able to put the world in perspective. He sees no one thing as the purpose of life, unlike how Reb Saunders views the study of Talmud. Instead, he values freedom. This is evidenced by his eagerness to ensure that Danny is free to follow his own path. The reason he is so keen on Reuven and Danny becoming friends is to ensure that Danny is able to learn and grow uninhibitedly. While both Reuven’s father and Reb Saunders are religious men, Reuven’s father understands that Judaism should not be the force that holds one back, but the push that inspires them to discover more
ReplyDeleteI agree with this statement. Reuven respects his father as an equal individual which is very interesting as we see the juxtaposition between the personalities of the dad. Reb Saunders likes to instill fear whereas like you said, Abba values freedom. Ultimately, since Danny and Rueven share their own experinces, because they are different they learn a lot from each other and have lots of potential to grow further.
DeleteSomething small but interesting I noticed while I was reading Chapter 5 was where Reuven notices that his father "hadn't coughed once since he had come to take me from the hospital". It almost seems as if Reuven's father was sick because he was worried about Reuven, and now that he is safe and at home, he isn't sick anymore. It shows how much his father cares for him, which is pretty evident already, as he has constantly visited him at the hospital.
ReplyDeleteYeah great point! I also found it weird why Reuven’s Father stopped coughing as well. That’s a great solution. When Reuven described his father as “thin and frail” and used words such as “pale”, along with all the coughing I believed Reuven’s father was extremely old and sick and well on his way to death. Your analysis makes me see it differently. Really helpful.
DeleteI think it was interesting how Reuven felt he had changed so much and while a lot of the change in perspectives come from talking to Danny a lot also came from his father. I think it really shows how our opinions are often dependent on what our parents believe. Also interesting about how this new perspective or coming of age has really been handled by his father and reminds me a lot of Scout and Atticus from To kill a mockingbird
ReplyDeleteGreat connection! Atticus and Mr. Malter do share many qualities and values.
DeleteI agree with this, growing up in a mainly democratic house hold, I tended to lean that way. But as soon as I started to get older and more aware I found myself with my own opinions.
DeleteI have noticed that in these first 6 chapters characters have referenced to how the world is. Take for example page 107, “Reuven, as you grow older you will discover that the most important things that will happen to you will often come as a result of silly things… That is the way the world is.” I feel like this is a recurring idea that will continue to show up in this book. I think that although all these people are tell Reuven how the world is it is up to him how he wants to use that knowledge.
ReplyDeleteYes, I think it will be interesting to read about what other important things will happen as a result of “silly” things.
DeleteReuven's father kind of reminds me of Atticus Finch, in the way that he is very smart not just intellectually, but also has the same sort of wisdom. They both teach their children to overcome prejudices, and through his rather unbiased "lesson" on Hasidism, it is also shown how he views the other faith as legitimate and is respectful of and interested in their beliefs.
ReplyDeleteThe ending of Chapter 5 really ushers our minds back to the theme of being fortunate and not knowing how fortunate you are until you experience something unfortunate. Reuben sort of looks around the room and sees everything completely different after somewhat of a disturbed time in the hospital. I think it’s amazing how every-day life that we experience and see as so casual, can change in such an instant and can cause you to be bewildered by your surroundings. It goes back to the idea of appreciating what we have and not taking anything for granted because we don’t know when we are going to lose something. Reuven sort of felt a loss for his everyday life after being cast in the hospital.
ReplyDeletethe father’s study is designed to appear like a dungeon, which helps to depict his frailty. the lack of light and yellow tint from the lamp depict how dreary the room is. the clacking of the typewriter depicts the repetition of his life. this all culminates to a pretty sad visual, and shows how strenuous the father’s life is, taking care of his own health as well as reuven’s, working as a professor, and be the good role model he wants to be for reuven.
ReplyDeleteDanny and Reuven's father seem to have gotten along really well. Reuven's father is encouraging reuven to become closer friends with Danny. I was wondering how Reuven and Danny’s father will get along? This might foreshadow a bad relationship between them. This could be a challenge in for Reuven's and Danny’s friendship in the future.
ReplyDeleteThey’ve known one another for some time, and I think their relationship will only thrive
DeleteI thought it was interesting how the dynamic between Reuven and his father plays out. There appears to be a fact that his father is hiding from him, as he always stops talking once disease is mentioned, especially cancer. However, Danny and his father seem to be getting along well whilst talking about other topics
ReplyDeleteI think it’s interesting how Reuvens father show his care by coughing. Most people will show anxious tendency’s but I find this such a weird way of being worried. This also portrays there very close relationship because his father stayed with him the whole time, scared for him.
ReplyDeleteI find it interesting that Reuvens father asks Reuven to become friends with Danny, even with the previous events. It seems as if Reuvens father is a good role model for Reuven, and I think that Reuven might have a coming-of-age moment where he matures and is accepting of Danny.
ReplyDeleteI find Danny Saunder to be a very interesting character. He seemed to be a sort of antagonist at first, someone dislikeable and unpleasant. However, after learning about him as a person, he has become a person that the reader can really emphasize with. He is lonely, yet a genius with a photographic memory. I’m sure most people have had parental expectations forced upon them at some point, and that’s exactly what is happening to Danny. His pursuit of knowledge is being shut down by his father’s strict rules, and he is being confined to a life he doesn’t wish to live. It’s something that is really relatable, and it’s interesting how much his character has already changed for the reader.
ReplyDeleteNot only has Danny Saunder's character grown upon the reader, but also on Reuven. It's worth contrasting Reuven's feelings of hate towards Danny within the hour of meeting him, to the sense of friendship later developed in the hospital, as we further see Reuven asking his father if he could friends with Danny. It's interesting how quickly this relationship changed and I believe there could be a future complication which quickly results in some altering of this friendship
ReplyDeletewhat we can also notice is the strong hold religion and the religious groups in Reuven's neighborhood has on him. he feels he need to ask his father if he can be friends with him, rather than just being friends with him on his own.
DeleteI think Reuven's father sees himself in Danny. They are both religious, but he sees how Danny thinks, and how simply accepting religious texts isn't enough for him. Reuven's father notices that Danny is too curious to not think more deeply about his religion.
ReplyDelete