Dad waved their fears away. And just in time. Mahmoud looked up at where his apartment had been. Bicycles swung around and pedaled back. Now it was even harder to escape. It all sounded so wonderful, but when it came down to it, all Isabel really wanted was a place where she and her family could be together, and happy. The next morning they had seen the people. My students love how organized the handouts are and enjoy tracking the themes as a class., Requesting a new guide requires a free LitCharts account. Yet no one bumped into them, Josef noticed. What if he had changed his mind? This serves as another example of how being steeped in a country undergoing trauma can greatly affect the level of responsibility given to a child. WebThe Ocean Could Swallow Him (Metaphor) After leaving Syria, Mahmoud and his family pay a smuggler to take them from Turkey to Greece, but the rubber dinghy capsizes after hitting protruding rocks. Well come for you soon enough., She had never been able to count clave, but she had always assumed it would come to her eventually. Grade: A. Entertainment Weekly Harrowing, timely. People Magazine Nothing short of brilliant. Kirkus Reviews, starred review Memorable and tightly plotted. Publishers Weekly, starred review They fell on him, hitting and kicking him for being a Jew, and calling him all kinds of names. Mahmoud sat in the middle row of desks in his classroom, where the teacher wouldnt call on him. Mahmoud heard explosions and saw smoke clouds, but no one cared about a few hundred Syrian people leaving the battlefield. The best thing you can do to help us is leave us alone., How do you explain to someone else why a thing matters to you if it doesnt matter to them? It was the day Josef would leave his childhood behind and become a man, and he could hardly contain his excitement. And then, six months after hed been taken away, they got a telegram. The Simpsons! Im going to open my own law office, Seora Castillo said. His shoulder ached and his chest still seared with every hard, desperate breath, but the only thing that mattered now was getting to his mother. It took only two tries to get the scrawny calico kitten to come out from under the pink cinder- block house and eat from Isabel Fernandezs hand. Good and bad things happened either way. She had gone back for whatever she could take from the apartment. Ruth! Josef couldnt think of any Jewish people he knew who did look like those pictures. Create a poster with what you consider to be the four most important points in the book. Mahmoud? He tumbled and slid back down into the ditch. One. Do you have any relatives back in Miami that you want to send a message to? the reporter asked. Youre on CNN, a woman said in Spanish, her face nothing but a silhouette against the light. Mahmoud screams, Fatima starts to cry, and Youssef is in shock. I parked the car nearby. You have a family to take care of. Mahmoud sank to the floor of the old Mercedes station wagon and tried to disappear. Isabel loved tagging along on trips into Havana to stand on a street corner and play her trumpet for pesos. A mural painted on the side of the gas station showed President Assad, his dark hair cut short and a thin mustache underneath his pointy nose. Sit down! A large portrait of Hitler hung in the middle of the room, watching over them all. Where are Waleed and Hana? his father asked. All Mahmoud wanted to do was curl up into a ball and disappear. Lesbos is another tent city filled with refugees. They had been drafted into the police, and they werent allowed to leave. Isabel looked back over her shoulder. Mahmoud reflects on exit from men's singles badminton tournament as runner Rose Nathike looks forward to making her second Olympic appearance. tatatat!and bullets pinged into the car. It was night, and a waning moon peeked out from behind scattered clouds. Many guns and artillery. Waleed and Mahmoud sat in the car with their mother while she nursed Hana under a blanket. Ruthie skipped ahead of Josef along the sunny Promenade deck, happier than hed ever seen her before. Josefs mother gave him a kiss on the cheek, and she and Ruthie went to sit in the section reserved for the women. WebWaleed Bishara Character Analysis. He dragged Waleed with him toward the front door, but Waleed pulled back. Im Josef, he told the other girls when theyd all gathered themselves together. My husband is just eager to leave, she told the sailor. How were they different? But now? It was an ugly blue thing cobbled together out of old metal advertisements and road signs and oil drums. Back to their deaths. Emi Mahmoud visiting a solar panel field in Azraq Refugee Camp, Jordan. Mahmoud had been doing his math homework at the kitchen table, but he automatically put his pencil down and went to the sink to wash up. Mahmoud tried to be invisible, that's how he survived The shock shut Ruth up, but only for a moment. Chi-CHAK! A wife! Mahmouds father kept their papers tucked into his pants under his shirt, along with all of their moneythe only other things they owned now besides two phones and two chargers. Heart in his throat, skin tingling with goose bumps, Josef took the paper armband with the Star of David off his arm, slid it into the inside pocket of his jacket, and stepped through the door. Russian airstrikes have hit here and here in support of that Alawite pig Assad, and American drones are attacking Daesh here and here. Mahmouds eyes went wide. The bright lights of the camera swung away from Isabel and lit up what looked like a party on the beach. I want to be able to choose who I vote for, Luis said. They broke lamps and lightbulbs. Cuba might decide shes full-up with Jews when we get there and turn us away. Josef looked out to sea. The boy thrust the armband at Josefs chest. Maybe one day visit the real St. Louis. Papis eyes were wide as he stood from the kitchen table. Lito! Hana! his father cried. He sifted through it, hopingyes! They called it Kristallnacht, the Night of Broken Glass. He scared Josef too. historical background and general knowledge of refugees. Too many. He too wore his black hair cropped short, but he looked more like their mother, with narrower shoulders, thinner eyebrows, a flatter nose, and bigger ears. Theyll come for me. Everyone was quiet at that. Isabel is 11 years old in 1994, growing up in Havana, Cuba, under Fidel Castros regime. Castros order to let people leave must have still been good! Until now. Renata and Quotes are added by the Goodreads community and are not verified by Goodreads. Her father looked surprised at the question. It will be expensive, but we can pay. Down with Fidel! Papi! Isabel cried. They threw Josef and Ruth on the floor once more and flicked on the overhead light. Dont be so quick to grow up, boy, the Brownshirt told Josef. But we have to go so all of us will be safe. Youre going to Turkey? II went to engineering school there, Mahmouds father said. The soldiers were silent, and Mahmoud closed his eyes tight, waiting for the shots to come. He and Isabel had been friends as long as she could remember. Someone was in the house! For this crime against the German people, you will be taken into protective custody. Josef looked at his father, panicked. A whistle blew. It was hot out by day but it got cold at night, and Mahmoud and his family had left all their extra clothes in the car in their haste to escape. Assad made people who didnt like him disappear. They were supposed to be on holiday, seeing ancient ruins and beautiful Greek beaches, not stepping over filthy, praying refugees. Head down, hoodie up, eyes on the ground. It was hungry Cubans. Castro rambled on without a script, quoting novels and telling personal anecdotes about the Revolution. Across the room, Josefs little sister, Ruth, was still asleep. Mahmoud Bishara was invisible, and thats exactly how he wanted it. Hadnt everyone on board already applied and paid for visas? He said, "In 2016 we only had nine athletes competing at the Olympics, but now we have 29 athletes competing. He kicked and flailed in a panic, but one of the shadows caught his ankle and dragged him face-first across his bed. Check out our detailed analysis. He stood there awkwardly, not sure if he should stay or go. He fanned his face. The floor lurched up under Mahmoud and threw him and the table and chairs back against the wall of the kitchen. A person who has been forced to leave their country in order to escape war, persecution, or natural disaster. We can be in Turkey by tomorrow. Or had he dreamed it? Definitions and examples of 136 literary terms and devices. And why not? Beyond the thrill of personal accomplishment on being named to the IOC Refugee Olympic Team for Tokyo 2020, Aram Mahmoud is hoping he can make a WebRefugee study guide contains a biography of Alan Gratz, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis. Pak! When he was finished washing up, Mahmoud went to the corner of the living room that faced Mecca. The ferry to Greece evokes some of the same descriptions as the. Isabels father pitched across the roiling boat and grabbed Seor Castillo by the shirt. Wheres Papi? she asked him. Lito was wrong. Fatima starts to pack a few things, while Mahmoud takes Hana and Waleed out of the apartment building. I just want to keep my family safe, Dad said. Klaus had winced to show Josef how sorry he was that Herr Meier had done that to him. Welcome back. We were going to pack. She had to think of some answer to all this, some solution that would keep her family together. WebSuddenly, the wall of Mahmoud s apartment explodes, blasting concrete and glass throughout the room. Mahmoud barely had time to yell Run! and drag Waleed and his sister away before the whole building came crashing down into the street, thundering like a jet fighter. No! Papi cried, scrambling as far away from them as he could. But would she ever hear it now? (including. All four of them burst out laughing, and Josef and Renata pulled the two younger children away before they could be caught. Then he folded his hands over his stomach and said a brief prayer before reciting the first chapter of the Quran, the most holy book in Islam. Some of these soldiers wore camouflage pants and shirts, but others wore Adidas jerseys and leather jackets and track pants. Their room was spotless, the bed linens were freshly laundered, and the hand towels were pressed and neatly stacked. She was finally counting clave. Other Jewish homes and businesses and synagogues were destroyed all over Germany, and tens of thousands of Jewish men were arrested and sent to concentration camps. Isabels family had worked in secret all night with the Castillos, worried someone might hear them, but apparently, everybody else had been doing the same thing. A black shoe covered the armband before Josef could grab it. Dont take him! Just a sea of tents and a forest of electric poles and wires. The book Refugee by Alan Gratz is about three refugees. Hated him because of everything hed done to the Jews, but mostly because of what Hitler had done to his father. See here, he told Mahmouds father, youll have to go over to Qatmah, and then north through Qestel Cindo. Lito too. What? I thought Id never see you again! It was. A boy about Josefs age, sworn to live and die for the Fatherland. The soldier with the iPhone scrolled up the map to see their destination. This interview is 44 minutes long, so preview it beforehand to ensure it meets the needs of your students., for some different chapters in the book.. He also knew they were much more strict about letting people in than Turkey was. [I wanted to do my] best to foster and facilitate the inclusion of marginalised voices in these spaces. Lito! Her grandfathers name was Mariano, but Isabel called him Lito, short for AbuelitoGrandpa. Being at the Games has also helped him identify areas that he needs to improve on. Detailed quotes explanations with page numbers for every important quote on the site. He couldnt breathe. Couldnt breathe! Seor Castillo was trying to get the motor started. In all the times hed dreamed of this day, his father had always been there to recite a blessing with him. He bowed and praised Allah again three times, stood and praised Allah again, then got down on his hands and knees and put his head to the floor, praising Allah three times more. Ivn was a year older than Isabel and lived next door. Are you looking for Refugee novel study lessons? In the days to come, Josef learned that his family wasnt the only one the Nazis had attacked that night. A specimen. Like this book? Isabel thought he meant Luiss girlfriend, but instead he pushed some of the sacks of food and jugs of water out of the way and pointed to the bottom of the boat. You werent allowed to say things like that in Cuba. Papi! But she was too short and there were too many people. They didnt call it that then. Put that on. The villagers on the beach cheered for them, and Seor Castillo revved the engine, leaving the charging policemen in their wake. Captains got the engines maxed out. Has to, the other said. Young people around the world are going to inherit the earth and be around to deal with a lot of the consequences of the actions of those who are our elders. He thrashed in the rubble, panicking. Have students write a short essay discussing the theme of the novel. Mahatma Gandhi, byname of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, (born October 2, 1869, Porbandar, Indiadied January 30, 1948, Delhi), Indian lawyer, politician, social activist, and writer who became the leader of the nationalist movement against the British rule of India. And the worst part was, Klaus had joined them. To feel it. Tens of thousands of people poured into the streets, demanding the release of political prisoners and more freedom for everyone. Shed quit the hospital when Hana was born, but not before the war had begun. Not now. She had to find her father. Something in the darkness outside his room moved with a grunt and a scuffle. I have his ticket, she told the sailor. Aim to finish reading the novel in 4 weeks or less. She listened now, intently, trying to hear the heartbeat of Cuba in her own music. Aleppo had been an amazing city to grow up in. It was better to be visible. Lito was her mothers father, and he and Papi had never gotten along. They came to the door of the Jewish train car, and the Hitler Youth spun Josef around. This is like the Stone Age. Down a side street just like this one, Mahmoud found Khalid getting beaten up by two older boys. Syria, 2015, Bashar al-Assad. She and Youssef had agreed she should cover up more than she usually did in Aleppo, in case they ran into stricter Muslims outside the city. Thank you! Isabel cried. Josef and Ruth clung to each other, terrified and wet-faced with tears. Do you understand? I Yes, Josef stammered. If his parents had died in the airstrike, would he want revenge on their killers? Mahmoud Bishara was invisible, and thats exactly how he wanted it. Children with missing limbs. The whole prayer took Mahmoud about seven minutes. Hours later, the train pulled in to Hamburg Central Railway Station. You can view examples, Have students create a life map of one of the three main characters. No, we dont, Seor Castillo said. Back in Syria, it was a tradition to be escorted to your wedding by a parade of cars, to help carry you into your new life. These boys had just wanted to beat someone up. Ivn and his father are the ones who build the boat to go to Miami, but it is only with Isabels help that they are able to get the gasoline for the Fernandezes and Castillos to go. But as relieved as he was, he knew they still had so very far to go. Ready or not, if we want to live, we have to leave Syria. Vogue caught up with Mahmoud in Glasgow about the incredible poem she delivered at Cop26, and why she wanted to highlight the experiences of refugees who are being directly impacted by climate change. Mahmoud couldnt understand why his mother had bothered to save their backpacks until he saw that they were stuffed with clothes and diapers. When another raft made out of an old refrigerator sank, everyone laughed. Other children darted in and out among the adults, laughing and chasing each other into the alleys of tents off the main drag. Soon the whole boat was singing, and Lito stood and held out a hand to Amara, inviting her to dance. Youre Mariano Padrons granddaughter, arent you? the fisherman said. Week 1 Work on activating your students prior knowledge. Isabel smiled. For John Gratz Some of them wore regular clothes: white shirts with the sleeves rolled up, gray slacks, brown wool caps, leather work boots. Invisible, just as Mahmoud liked it. What were you thinking? the boy whispered. If you were invisible, the bad people couldnt hurt you, that was true. Dont move! Mahmoud cried. PDF downloads of all 1748 LitCharts literature guides, and of every new one we publish. This poem is about a speaker in exile. Perla Issa is a researcher at the Institute for Palestine Studies (IPS) in Beirut. I think thats the only way change can happen because the people who make the decisions are seldom the ones who have to live with the consequences.. Perhaps youre close enough that we should take you to a concentration camp too, like your father. No! Mama cried. Isabels father, Geraldo Fernandez, had always been a handsome man, but he didnt look it now. Theres no food for any of us, and no money to buy it with if there was. Men with gunshot wounds. Until 2011, when the Arab Spring came to Syria. All Isabel could see was the metal side of the boat in front of her face, but she heard a commotion behind her. I find that refugees are constantly left out of [the conversation]. Bar mitzvah? Whether you were visible or invisible, it was all about how other people reacted to you. He is currently a Researcher in public health with The University of Jordan. Isabel caught up with her father and grandfather, then parted ways with them on the Malecn, the broad road that curved along the seawall on Havana Harbor. like a bomb exploding, and Mahmoud went tumbling into the sea.. Pleasedont. Ruth wrapped herself around Josefs leg and wailed. What if there was a line of police waiting to arrest them at the beach? But when refugees did something they didn't want them to do - when they tried to cross the border into their country, or slept on the front stoops of their shops, or jumped in front of their cars, or prayed on the decks of their ferries - that's when people couldn't ignore them any longer. When they stayed where they were supposed to be - in the ruins of Aleppo or behind the fences of a refugee camp - people could forget about them. Rubble was strewn everywhere. In 1938, his home is raided by Nazi storm troopers, and his father is taken to the Dachau concentration camp. It is interesting to note, at this point, the cyclical nature of the places the refugees are heading: Isabel to the U.S. from Cuba, Josef to Cuba from Germany, and Mahmoud to Germany from Syria. Even if I rarely saw it., I had managed to scare even the monsters, and when you can scare monsters, you can be sure you've become one yourself., Thats what libraries were for: to make sure that everybody had the same access to the same books everyone else did., Josef followed the small group of kids through the raised doorway onto the bridge of the St. Louis. Not only does Mahmoud have to deal with the weight of giving away his sister, but he also has to deal with the ramifications of that choice on his mothers mental health, and the possible consequences of what could have happened to Hana. To stand up. A synagogue, on board the ship? Papa said. And I thought that love for nature is something thats sort of intrinsic and inherent in all human beings as far as I know early on, and it evolves, it changes. Missiles and bombs thudded nearby, close enough to shake loose parts of walls. Hey, Isabel! Ivn said, making her jump. Youll just be our little secret, Isabel whispered. Where are you going? the soldier at the window asked. Josef had been a fool, and now he and his family were going to pay the price. Mahmoud Bishara was a 12 year old boy living in Aleppo, Syria, in the year of 2015. They were right. Amara laughed and Luis smiled. Underneath this painting were the words, FIGHT AGAINST THE IMPOSSIBLE AND WIN. If you could stop the next tornado from hitting your home, the next hurricane from wiping out your city, the next drought from starving your people, the next lightning strike from ending your life, wouldnt you?, Mahmoud who was forced to flee Sudan with her parents at the age of just one due to the political situation there wanted to make sure voices of refugees were included in the conversation, given that an estimated 90 per cent of refugees come from countries that are the most vulnerable and least ready to adapt to the impacts of climate change. An hour later, they were met on the road by four soldiers waving for them to stop. Waleed! Because no one will let us get past the Stone Age. And why did it matter which one got there first? Be free, Papi said finally. By tradition, ten or more Jewish men, a minyan, was needed for a public service. One of the girls had found a long piece of string and was dangling it over the side, tickling the noses of passengers who were sleeping in chairs down on A-deck. I would have hugged my parents and told them I loved them., That means letting them read books that are too easy for them, or too hard for them. If theres enough people, Josef reminded his sister. He didnt look happy about it, though. Its a trap. You'll be able to access your notes and highlights, make requests, and get updates on new titles. This is all a misunderstanding, Papa said. They would forgive you and say But I need you before its too late, essentially.. More bullets whizzed by overhead, and soon the rebel soldiers whod been riding with them were returning fire, their automatic rifles booming in Mahmouds ears like he was in a barrel and they were beating on the outside of it with hammers. Athletics. It was usually held on the first Shabbosthe Sabbath, the Jewish day of restafter a boys thirteenth birthday. No room! Ivn thought he was being sneaky, but Isabel knew exactly what he and his father were building in their shed, and it wasnt a doghouse. When all this is over, Ill find you and arrest you, and theyll send you away for good. Luis pulled the angry policeman away, pausing just long enough to give Isabel a worried look over his shoulder. The two policemen had hit the surf and were running high-legged through the waves. Learn exactly what happened in this chapter, scene, or section of Refugee and what it means. Have student research background information about Cuba, Syria and Germany. Lets have a song, Lito said. So its a good honour for the team to be increased. Creating notes and highlights requires a free LitCharts account. Whether you were visible or invisible, it was all about how other people reacted to you. For me, teaming up with [The United Nations Refugee Agency] UNHCR as a goodwill ambassador for Cop made sense because we need to start bringing refugees and vulnerable populations to the forefront. Mahmoud felt as stunned as his mother sounded. You'll also get updates on new titles we publish and the ability to save highlights and notes.