By: Shelby Barney Memoir Historical Investigation Planner
PRIMARY SOURCE
This is a photo of Block 20, in Auschwitz. It was the hospitals Tadeusz stayed at. I chose this picture because it is the picture of the hospital where he stayed when he had typhus, and then he was taken care of. The caption is: “Block No. 20. One of the hospital blocks in KL Auschwitz for typhus patients.”
SECONDARY SOURCE They used plenty of experiments on the Auschwitz prisoner, to, test out their new drugs or medicines. It is related to the book because he was used once for the experiments, when he had typhus. The doctors thought he needed medicines, so, they gave him a medicine that wasn’t officially approved yet. Another source is their markings. They all had 5 or 6 numbers tattooed on to their arms for identifications. IT was quick but, painful. It was putting a needle into your arm, making a small hole, and putting the ink in.
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REVIEW/SUMMARY This book is about a boy that makes a successful escape from the gestapo (police). He is unaware what the future holds for him. He stays at many places after his escape, but they and up finding where he is staying. Then he gets caught and sent to jail. Life in jail is hard for a 16 year-old boy. Every week they call 1 person from each cell, to, go tell the head director why they are in jail. If they don’t say anything or lie, they are beat to where some of them die from pain. Tadeusz (the boy), was called up one day, and came back to the jail cell, in a lot of pain. He was then sent to three or four different concentration camps in 2 years. He was put through fire, beatings and typhus. He met Death on his doorstep about three times during this. But, never once did he die. He was then sent to three different concentration camps, including Auschwitz. He experienced Typhus (a strong fever, that can kill anybody if not treated immediately) twice, then a severe burn on his entire upper body. He was treated in the hospital each time from 2-5 months. Taduesz got a job at the hospital, when he was feeling a bit better. That is what made his stays so long.. During his stay in Auschwitz, he met his father at the hospital. He was doing good, but two weeks later, he died of severe typhus. After he was transported to 2-3 other camps, before he was rescued. The was going to end because the Germans were fleeing. He was saved by his best friend, Taduesz, and then they had escaped and had not been seen. The war had ended and everything would never be the same again, for yound Tadeusz.
Escaping It is a chilly Autumn evening in Poland. I can hear the wind blowing the icy rain against the window. My mother is doing the dishes after cooking a tasty family meal. I know that we are all thinking the same thing though; this could be our last. We know we are at war, and everything is dangerous. No one can walk on the streets, or in a store without being so scared. Mother never lets me or my younger brother go anywhere alone. “It’s too great of a risk,” she would always say, "You know what the Germans are capable of!” It is then, when I think about what our world has become; and what it might become. I help my brother get his bath, and then get him in his pajamas. Then I do the same thing. Once I am done, I say goodnight and get my brother into bed. He sleeps near mother and father because they fear that if he sleeps in a room by himself, he will never make it out of a house invasion. I get into bed and think to myself. “What will happen if they come for US? What will happen to my family? Where will I stay?” And all I could reply was, “I don’t know.” I could hear my parents talking in their bedroom. Their room was right next to mine, but, I could barely hear them. “What will we do if the Gestapo come!?” Mother says. “I don’t know. I really don’t,” Father answers.
“We can lose everything you kn…………” Ito drowsy to stay awake, I only listened to half of the conversation. . I was awoken to a quiet banging. Then, the banging became louder. I had no idea what was going on. Then, Father came flying through the doorway yelling, “Get out! Get out through the window!” Then I became more aware of my surroundings. We were being invaded by the Gestapo! I didn’t have any idea what to-do. I heard what my Father had said, but, I knew my family was in danger. I could hear Father run down the stairs. I saw my mother and little brother in the room a crossed from me opening the window. Then my dad asks, “Who is it?” There was a really loud bang and then footsteps, running full speed up stairs. I knew what I had to-do;….jump. Just in time for them to come running into my bedroom, I jumped out my window. I was lucky that it was dark because they didn’t see me. I ran to the end of my yard and jumped my nieghbor’s fence. Since I was in Boy Scouts, I know the basic survival skills. And luckily, I still remember them. I sat behind the fence, hoping I wouldn’t be seen by anyone. I heard my mother scream. Followed by a gun shot. I was trembling with fear. „What has happened to them? Did they shoot Mother, or Father, or my little Brother?” Tears swelled up in my eyes, I could feel my heart sinking. But, I knew that I had to get out of here. I ran full-speed into the road. I ran about 2.5 kilometres when I heard heavy footsteps running behind me. I turned, but, didn’t see anybody. Then I heard somebody yell in German. “OH-NO! It‟s the Gestapo!” I thought. My immediate reaction was to go into the house to my left. But,
they had a dog. I couldn’t risk getting caught. So I ran to the field to my right. There was a large hay stack in the middle of it. I jumped into it and sunk down low. “Find that boy!” One of them yelled. Then all of them ran past me. I gave a big sigh of relief and when I couldn’t hear them anymore I sunk even deeper into the hay. I could feel that it was warm compared to the coolness in the air. I had thought about what I still have. My favorite watch, clothes, but no shoes. I didn’t know what was going to happen to me. All I knew was that someone in that house didn’t make it. And more than likely, it wasn’t the Gestapo. As I was falling asleep on the ground, I thought, “Right now, you have to think about you. The past needs to be left behind. I have to find somewhere to hideout and stay for a while. All I know is I have made a successful escape. I have made it through a house invasion. Now it‟s just what the future holds for me. Now it‟s a matter of life or death.”
Sources: "Google Images." Google Images. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Nov. 2012. http://images.google.com/ Sobolewicz, Tadeusz. But I Survived. O wi cim: Auschwit Birkenau State Museum, 1998. Print.