Writing Prompt: One SUMMARY; One PARAPHRASE; One QUOTE:
1) Using paragraphing and apt quotations, summarize Part II.
2) Paraphrase a significant passage from Part II and in a brief paragraph explain to your reader why the passage is significant to the text as a whole.
3) Find a significant quote from Part II, and in a brief, well-developed paragraph, explain to your reader why the quote is significant to the text as a whole.
NOTE: After posting on the blog, open up the CANVAS assignment (by the same name) and DO copy and paste the URL address into the CANVAS "WEB URL" text box so that I have record of your submission on Canvas. Thanks.
Peter Cote
ReplyDeleteProfessor Kirk
English 1003
10 November 2015
Paraphrase, Summary, and Pertinent Quote In the Garden of Beasts 2
Paraphrase p. 66:
Neurath believes he is a powerful person in the government who can control Hitler and the Nazis. Neurath is trying to train Nazis to become his partners in the government like a moderate nationalist regime. Like many American people, Neurath believes that Hitler’s government would not last very long and would end up crashing down very soon. He believes that if he stays in office long enough that Hitler and the rest of the Nazis would be gone one day when he wakes up. This is seen as important to show that not even the people in Germany thought Hitler would last long. Many people are also afraid to do anything to stop Hitler, so they put it in their head that Hitler would eventually fall off of power.
Quote:
As people came over from the United States to Germany, they began to believe that the newspapers in America are lying to them about what is going on in Germany. Tourists who came to Germany believe it to be a beautiful place with nothing wrong, unlike that of the newspapers’ descriptions. Erik Larson shows that “Those who lived in Germany and who paid attention understood that something fundamental had changed and that a darkness had settled over the landscape. Visitors failed to see it” (68). Larson proves the people in America are clueless about what is happening in Germany. People who come back believe there is nothing wrong with Hitler, and Germany is still the harmless place it was before. Few others believe Germany is a horrifying place because they either live there or visited without the German government influencing them.
Summary:
In Erik Larson’s “In the Garden of the Beasts,” many people are angered at the thought of others believing Germany is evil while few know the truth behind Germany’s government. People touring Germany from America are blind to the fact that Germany is persecuting people for no good reason besides them being simply a Jew or communist. Larson proves that “Many American tourists returned home perplexed by the dissonance between the horrors they had read about in their hometown newspapers-the beatings and arrests of the preceding spring, the book pyres and concentration camps-and the pleasant times they actually experienced while touring Germany” (67). Larson explains the tourist are not seeing the concentration camps and persecutions, and, therefore, they are not believing what is actually going on. The German government purposefully undermines these tourists to get them to go back home proclaiming how the horrible rumors of Germany are false. When the reporter Mowrer tries to tell the truth about Germany, the German press spreads rumors about him being a Jew that hates Germany. Mowrer proclaims the wrongs of Germany through a Jewish doctor. He writes about the wrongdoings but is quickly wanted by the Germans because they do not want the truth coming out. Larson states that “Mowrer was appalled at the failure of the outside world to grasp what was really happening in Germany” (75). By going against the German government, Mowrer is put out as an untrustworthy source because of his truthfulness about Germany that visitors fail to see. The German government makes sure visitors do not see the gruesome part of Germany, so other countries will not stop Hitler in his mission to get rid of all those who stand in his way to absolute control.
Gabrielle Tallman
ReplyDeleteProfessor Kirk
ENG 1003
10 November 2015
Part 2
Summary
Ignorant to Schultz's, an American woman and correspondent, stories of beatings, Martha gazed on at the beautiful Germany, simply not interested in its politics. She did, however, listen to Schultz when she introduced her to whom soon would become Martha's new love interest, Quentin Reynolds, a writer for the news. They lived in a time with, "...a political climate in which merely criticizing the government could get one arrested...(57)." Messersmith claimed that Rudolf Diels, the Gestapo's young chief, was a man of integrity and very helpful. Dodd unfortunately gained the liking of only a select few. The Dodds move out of the Esplanade into the Panofsky's home-- a much safer, quieter, and more convenient residence. It was a Jewish man and his mother who continued to live on the fourth floor of their home, mainly to receive protection form the SS. After all, why would they invade an American Ambassador's home?
Paraphrase
Near the end of Part two, the historian and author of this book, Erik Larson, makes his two main characters, father and daughter, have a special moment. Through the tragedies of this chapter, Martha and her father never really come together. This may be because she comes off as not being interested in her father's business or because she's too distracted with her suitors to really pay much attention to what is going on around her. Her father, William, on the other hand, is swamped with critics, trying to keep his family safe, and the very intense political duties of Germany. Through all of these issues, the writer made a point to say, "As the family settled in, Martha and her father fell into an easy camaraderie." It makes the reader pause for a minute after reading through all the hassles everybody is going through and the irritable drama to realize that in the end, family is family.
Quote
William Dodd is stuck in between a huge mess of political drama. He is a simple, American man placed in a foreign German society in the 1930 Nazi revolution. As he struggles to figure out what is right and what is the truth, he's also faced with family problems, such as keeping them safe. As they lease a quieter home from the small, Jewish Panofsky family, he realizes their intentions may not be right or true. The author places the realization that, "Dodd conceded later that if he had known Panofsky's actual intentions for the use of the fourth floor, beyond simply lodging himself and his mother, he never would have agreed to the lease." This quote makes the reader think about all the deceitful characters in this book.
Devante Wrenn
ReplyDeleteProfessor Kirk
English 1003
10 November 2015
Part 2
Summary
In part two it is basically an ease for Dodd and his people to get around a find some things about Germany. They go to the ambassador’s buildings and they talk about certain things and to Dodd everything looks okay. There has been word about Germany still killing Jews but Dodd can’t see it. Germany has obviously covered everything up and they are hiding their wrong doing. Martha has started to become common in Germany and people start to recognize her and they start to be friends with her. They get Martha comfortable so then later on they can do something because in chapter eight she is introduce by this famous Nazi named hanfstaengl. He talks to her and they become to like each other. At the end of the chapter it says “hanfstaengl found her charming, vibrant, and clearly a woman of sexual appetite. Which gave him an idea”. This shows that Martha is an easy victim to whatever he is about to plan for her which may not be good. Later on in the story many reporters start to witness and talk about Hitler’s army and give Dodd news about them. The news about Hitler killing Jews gets out into the public and Germany wants all the reporters to leave. They also want the Americans to leave to. They are starting to get irritated and they think that America is going to find out soon because of the reporters. Most of the Nazis are wanting to kill the reporters, but the reporters leave before anything to bad happens. Dodd is left to say that he hasn’t seen anything but heard a lot and he is coming to a final decision that we should stay out of Nazis business and leave them alone because they aren’t doing harm unless we interfere.
Paraphrase
On pages eighty one and eighty two Dodd writes to the Roosevelt and he basically says that he still did not approve of Germanys treatment of Jews or Hitler’s drive to restore the military power. He believes that people have a right to govern it and that other people step back when something goes wrong and not interfere. Give the people a chance to figure things out. I believe that this is his way of saying that he hears about what Hitler is doing to the Jews, but he hasn’t seen it yet. What they should do is not to do anything at all and let Germany take of it themselves. I don’t believe that he is done looking though because he says that he didn’t approve of Germanys treatment of Jews. He still wants everything to settle down with the Jews in Germany and have no more problems.
Quote
In chapter nine page seventy eight Dodd writes “such treatment, can only bring evil to the government which practices such terrible cruelty”. He writes this when he had got done talking to Haber who is a chemist that gives him stories about what Nazis did if you weren’t a citizen there. He was supposed to dismiss them but Haber didn’t do it. Instead he resigned from the position. He had invented poison gas which was a very lethal weapon. Nazi people liked it and they decided to use it against other people; mainly the Jews. Eventually the Nazis evolved to the gas to be more lethal and they named it Zyklon B. in Dodd’s writing he basically says that from this creation it can only bring evil to the government which seems like to do this for cruelty.
Hunter Hebert
ReplyDeleteProfessor Kirk
English 1003
10 November 2015
In the Garden of Beasts: Part II
In Part II of Erik Larson’s In the Garden of Beast, Mr. Dodd and his family become accustomed to the city of Berlin and come to grow very fond of it. Martha, after officially ending her marriage, becomes a socialite in the city after befriending first Sigrid Schultz, a person of high status with many connections to Nazi officials. As time goes on, changes begin to take place in Germany and many people begin to claim events of violence and hatred towards people, especially the Jewish people. Multiple people talk to Martha and her father about places they have heard of where hundreds of people are kept as prisoners for no particular reason. Such claims anger the Dodd’s as they have seen nothing in the city to verify such events happening. However, as time goes on, Mr. Dodd begins to deal with Nazi intimidation towards people who speak out against Hitler and the Nazis and watch as "...a political climate in which merely criticizing the government could get one arrested...”(57) begins to develop in their beloved city. As ambassador to Berlin, Dodd must make the choice of whether to involve himself or leave it to the Nazis to handle and not interfere, a decision that becomes very daunting to Dodd.
On page 54, the second paragraph from the top, Larson talks about how Martha grew annoyed of any talk that “tarnished” her perfect views of not only the city of Berlin, but of Germany as a whole and dismissed them as rumors against the country and believed in the prosperity of Germany. This paragraph captures the idea that Germany and Hitler were not strong, nor powerful enough to cause such harm and pain to its own citizens. There was a difference in opinions and perspective between those of German citizens and those of visitors, one that saw the changes in the culture of Germany and the other that was so mesmerized by the city that they dare not think badly of it.
Throughout Part II of the book, the conflicting claims and opinions of change in Germany are of major importance. The Dodds, who represent the mindset of most Americans and visitors to the country, express affection for the country, while the natives to Germany see a drastic change. Common to the “outsider view”, the Dodds fail to see Germany and Hitler as a serious issue and are clueless to the threat that is right in front of them as Larson states, “Those who lived in Germany and who paid attention understood that something fundamental had changed and that a darkness had settled over the landscape. Visitors failed to see it” (68).
Anna Newton
ReplyDeleteProfessor Kirk
English 1003
10 November 2015
Summarizing, Paraphrase, and Quote
Summary:
In Part II of Larson's book, In the Garden of the Beasts, the Dodd family is getting settled in the city of Berlin. Many reporters are beginning to see the horrors of Germany and what they are doing. They start to report on the events but immediately begin to get told to leave the country by the government. Since the events got out really fast, many people saw them, but would not believe them. Before the word of the horrors became too public the government of Germany wants to execute all reporters, but they are able to leave the country before that happens. Martha begins to put herself out there and she meets a guy name Sigrid Schultz. They become really fond of each other and Schultz sees potential in Martha. Dodd is forced to make the crucial decision of whether or not to leave the country or choose to be blind to what Germany is doing.
Paraphrase:
A picture of Dodd at his work in his office during the first couple weeks he was there shows him seated at a large, elaborately carved desk. Something was very funny about the picture: Dodd, his frame, shirt, collar, and hair combed right with his face into camera captures the audiences attention. The photograph causes concern back at the state office by those who do not like Dodd. (61).
Quote:
In Part II Martha is just getting settled into Berlin and is meeting new people every day. Even though the struggles of Germany cause her not to, Martha finds a way to remain positive throughout the whole situation. One way she did that is meeting a guy name Sigrid Schultz. Larson says "Martha's connection with Sigrid Schultz soon began to pay off. Schultz threw a welcome party for Martha on July 23, 1933, and invited a number of her closest friends, among them still another correspondent" (60). He shows this unconditional affection towards her because he believes she is a rare beauty. So the pursuit of her is going to remain strong until she chooses him or somebody else.
Carter Groomes
ReplyDeleteProfessor Kirk
English 1003
10 November 2015
Summary: In Part II Larson describes life in Germany for the Dodd's as kinda a fake lifestyle. They have to choose to ignore all the persecution going on in Germany in order to remain in the Country. Major conflicts go on inside the country causing them to become extra cautous with what the media sends out. America still belives that Germany is innocent and nothing is going on, but the Americans inside Germany are starting to realize what is going on. Then the government threatens to kill all them but they get out of the country in time. As more time goes violence in the country begins to get out and word of Hitler's reign is getting out. In order to stop this Germany's government tries to kill all reporters in germany, but they escape in time with the word of what happen.
Paraphrase: The next day around 1:30 p.m. in Leipzig, the city where Dodd got his doctorate, an American by the name of Phillip Zuckerman was taking a walk with his German wife. Since they were Jews, this was a terrible thing to do on this particular weekend, when about 140,000 troops, flooded the town for drill practice. Then during some of the troops on a march took a turn and happen to intercept the troops.
Quote: In Part II Dodd slowly begins to realize the terrible things going on in Germany. Also, Hitler's slow journey to the thrown is beggining to get noticed. The true character of Hitler is being brought out by the acts he is doing. Larson describes Dodd's opinion as "It was his insider's understanding of this and other phenomena of the new Germany that made him so frustrated with the failure of visitors to grasp the true character of Hitler's regime(67). This shows how many of the people in Germany are beggining to feel towards Hitler, but they can not epress them selves because of the chance of getting execution. So Dodd is forced to make a critical decision to keep the truth in and keep his job as ambassador.
Logan Radwanski
ReplyDeleteProfessor Kirk
English 1003
10 November 2015
In the Garden of Beast Part III: Sum/Para/Quote
Quote
In the chapter titled Hidden Conflict, a quote stands out as it stated, “Dodd assumed Hitler must have other officials of the same caliber. In a letter to a friend he wrote, “Hitler will fall into line with these wiser men and ease up on a tense situation.” (66) This quote answers a theme that was brought in the Das Vorspiel on how Hitler got away with what he did as people thought he was going to drop the act. What Dodd thought of Hitler in this quote would be the opposite to happen. For he gained more control in the government to become the Dictator and increased the violence in the nation. Also he would kill these wiser men by putting them in concentration camps. What Dodd thought shows how he undermined Hitler as many other world leaders did.
Paraphrase
The third paragraph of chapter seven highlights how Dodd knew he wasn’t the right person for the job since his qualifications didn’t match up for your typical ambassador and others knew this also. As he didn’t have own money that made him independent wealthy as many other ambassadors do this extra money allows them to live luxuriously which shows the power they have in what country they may be in. But a humble lifestyle and not having a large mass of personal wealth starts the distinction for Dodd in his positions also his life style choices. Such as he chooses to drive his family’s Chevrolet when he needs to drive somewhere but he typically walks to government official meetings, and wears plain suits. All qualities that are opposite to driving a Mercedes, wearing smart looking suits, and being already wealthy before the job that are normal qualities of an ambassador. Due to those choices and the way he is causes trouble for him at work and making connections with people the example being in the paragraph when Gordon didn’t come/wouldn’t come to the meeting at the embassy. The reasoning behind that being “pure pique. In Gordon’s view Dodd had “degraded” himself and his post by stooping to attend a meeting in a office of inferior rank.” For Dodd didn’t present himself, as the ambassador should’ve causing conflict for him and this will continue to do so in the chapter.
Summary
In Part II of In the Garden of Beast, we see the Dodd family settling into Berlin and getting acquired with the city. Martha is embracing the city with full delight as now she has became a single woman after the now ex-husband came to visit to try to win her back but he realized he couldn’t. As Martha explored the Tiergarten, enjoyed the hot spots of Berlin, and making new friends/connections with some very well connected people. Her new friends do try to warn her of what is really going on in Berlin with the violence and the treatment of the Jews. But the beauty of Berlin blinds Martha as she thought, “she witnessed no violence, saw no one cowering in fear, felt no oppression. The city was a delight.” (54) Word starts to get around on what is really going on inside the government and the treatment of Jews by the Nazis start to worsening causing a stir with the people and Dodd. But the government takes its iron clad to cover up what is happening and to keep the American visitors oblivious to what is truly happening the cheery, beautiful Germany they are visiting.
Breanna Roper
ReplyDeleteProfessor Kirk
English 1003
10 October 2015
Summary
In part II of Erik Larson's "In the Garden of Beasts", William Dodd and his daughter become more accustomed to their new lives in Germany. As they begin to actually enjoy it, reporters begin to swarm Germany. They start to uncover certain truths about the treatment of Jews that are very disturbing and inhumane. Martha and William do not want to believe this, as they have just begun to be comfortable in their new environment. Martha has made a new friend who is involved with Nazis, so such truths could be devastating for her relationship with her newly found friend, Sigrid Schultz. She wishes to believe the best in her, as Dodd is doing with Germany in general. A part of him knows that what is supposedly happening is true, but since she is in such a high political position, any disagreements could be dangerous for him. Many people who speak out on the inhumanity that is occurring are executed, which, of course, Dodd does not want to endur. He knows that by staying in Germany he is going to sacrifice his personal feelings and beliefs for the safety of not only his position, but life.
Paraphrase
As Hitler is ruling Germany, and people all around are dying, life still continues for most in Germany. The sun still shined, the trams kept going, and people kept walking. Everyone went about their normal lives as if nothing were wrong. Everything seemed so normal that the surroundings felt pleasurable, and the good days that people had were still good, no matter what was actually happening beneath their noses. People still felt as happy as possible and supposedly smiled without even meaning to. (56)
Quote
Many people had begun to hear about the horrors occurring in Hitler's Germany. They were mortified, yet interested enough to travel to Germany to see what is supposedly occurring in concentration camps. They expected to see brutal, horrible things as they entered to camps and explored the country. "Many American tourists returned home perplexed by the dissonance between the horrors they had read about in their hometown newspapers-- the beatings and arrests of the preceding spring, the book pyres and concentration camps--and the pleasant times they actually experienced while touring Germany", Larson writes in regards to Messersmith's understanding of the state of Germany. When visitors were expected, happy faces were automatically revealed. Things were set up to seem as if there were no tortuous things happening, and that everything was normal. It was part of a plot to have them convinced that Hitler is doing no harm.
Trevor Porter
ReplyDeleteProfessor Kirk
English 1003
October 10, 2015
Ifobeasts Part II
Summary:
In part two of In The Garden of the Beasts, Larson is describing the details of the earliest part of their journey, their first impressions. As a whole Germany appears to be one of the sweetest and most beautiful countries that the Dodds have visited.But we all know this isn't true, we all know what really went on behind the walls of Germany. The stories we are aware of today, such as the concentration camps and beatings, are, as of the stories time, being suppressed by German officials. They're doing their best to keep Germany as low off the radar as possible while Hitler begins his rise to power. But still, people here things. Martha, during a conversation, is constantly being warned by her friend about what really goes on inside the walls. Martha doesn't believe it, "[she] grew annoyed at Schultz's effort to tarnish her rosy view [of the country]".(54) Martha, like most citizens, is enjoying Berlin and doesn't think that bad things are really happening, yet.
Quote:
In part two we learn that German officials and reporters only tell you what they want you to know. Well early in the chapter one resident gives of a review of a restaurant, "... 'It's the jolliest place in Berlin.'"(55) I have a feeling that there were also bad reviews given before but they only represent this one. Are they trying to bring people into Berlin for business, or for other reasons?
Paraphrase:
Third Paragraph on Page 56.
Slowly and surely Germany had been changing beneath the public eye for quite some time, but now it's starting to come into their scope. The government had started a campaign called, "Gleichschaltung" with a rough translation meaning coordination. They plan to get the whole country on the same page with their attempts and beliefs.
Kaylee Young
ReplyDeleteProfessor Kirk
English 1003
10 November 2015
Part 2
Summary:
In part 2, Dood and his family begin to get accustomed to their new lifestyle in Berlin. Martha befriended a woman, Schultz, who always told tales of the horrible violence that was happening among Germany between the Nazis and the Jews. However, Martha has never witnessed any crime or violence, so she assumed Schultz was initially exaggerating. Later on, this new friend of Martha’s threw her an extravagant party, where she meant a man of great stature, Reynolds, who knew numerous Nazi officials. Dood was not completely seen as ambassador to most people yet, so he was stuck doing insignificant tasks like answering phones. Dood was appalled by how lazy and carefree the other officials were, who golfed and came in whenever they pleased. Later on, Martha meant a darling senior Nazi, Hanfstaengl, who seemed to call Hitler, Uncle Dof. Dood discusses how he does not support the treatment of Jew, he cannot stop them from governing themselves and making their own decisions.
Paraphrase:
In part 2, there is a small paragraph at the end of chapter 9, where Dood explains his views on Jew treatment. It says that Dood is very committed to an understanding and objectivity way of thinking. He is writing a letter to Roosevelt and initially says he does not “approve of Germany’s treatment of Jews or Hitler’s drive to restore the country’s military power,”(82) but he is not going to stop it. He believes that they have the right to govern themselves and that the people need to be patient, even though all this violence is occurring. He says, “Give men a chance to try their own schemes. (82) Therefore, he thinks there has to be a greater reason behind these actions of Germany, and the people need to wait for better things to come.
Quote:
In part 2, chapter six, Martha’s newly found friend, Schultz continues to tell her tales of the violence and torture that came to Jews or any person that got in the Nazi’s way of revolution. However, Martha does not believe these stories, she sees nothing wrong when she is in the towns. It says, “When Martha left her hotel she witnessed no violence, saw no one cowering in fear. Felt no oppression. The city was a delight.” (54) Martha does not believe the horror because she does not witness it firsthand. Germany has figured away to cover up there messy business, so that the people see a prefect city, with no cruel violence. This is important to the story, because since it is so cleverly covered up no one understands the real violence that is happening or soon to come.
PARAPHRASE
ReplyDeleteAlthough casual observers and visitors of Germany failed to see it, Germany had experienced a swift and thorough revolution that grasped even people’s daily lives. It had happened subtly and with general obscurity. A key component of this change was “Gleichschaltung” (“Coordination”), a government effort to align individuals, organizations, and culture with National Socialist ideals. It spread rapidly, even going beyond what it intended. The German society seemed to welcome the change and the new Nazi leaders, to the point where the term “Selbstgleichschaltung” (Self-Coordination) was coined to describe the phenomenon. This shift in culture and leadership occured so rapidly that those who left before the change and returned after it were surprised to find the country entirely different than before in strange ways. One socialist woman in this situation wrote that she felt shocked at observing everyone she had known changed dramatically in a short time.
-- This is one reason why no one did anything to stop Hitler. Casual observers saw nothing wrong, and the society changed and bent to his will willingly.
SUMMARY
Part two focuses on the Dodd’s time in Berlin and continues to provide evidence that Dodd is the wrong man for the job and to provide reasons why no one did anything to stop Hitler when all of the signs were there. We learn that Martha has quickly joined the social community in Berlin, even mingling with high ranking Nazi official “Putzi”. Dodd, on the other hand, is having increasing difficulty adapting to his role as ambassador. The embassy is staffed with people who have little actual interest in their political positions, and who prefer playing golf to being strict and straightforward like Dodd. he is still not a part of the usual “club” that ambassadors are, and it is observed by many.
QUOTE
“Many American tourists returned home perplexed by the dissonance between the horrors they had read about in their hometown newspapers--the beatings and arrests of the preceding spring, the book pyres and concentration camps--and the pleasant times they actually experienced while touring Germany.”
-- A reason why no one stopped Hitler’s rise to power is that people had difficulty seeing the powerful changes taking place beneath the surface.