I like Oskar's father's philosophy of existence...very simple, very
true...or is it?
On his quest to find the Black on the envelope, Oskar lists the things he packs. What things stand out to you? Why do they stand out?
Oskar writes letters to famous scientists quite frequently, it seems. Have you ever written to someone famous? Did you get a reply?
What do you think Oskar's grandmother has nightmares about? How do you know this?
Why is Mr. Black crying?
Besides what is documented here in this chapter, what else do you think could be on the list of things only humans do?
On his quest to find the Black on the envelope, Oskar lists the things he packs. What things stand out to you? Why do they stand out?
Oskar writes letters to famous scientists quite frequently, it seems. Have you ever written to someone famous? Did you get a reply?
What do you think Oskar's grandmother has nightmares about? How do you know this?
Why is Mr. Black crying?
Besides what is documented here in this chapter, what else do you think could be on the list of things only humans do?
69 comments:
While reading Oskar's packing list, one of the things that stood out to me were the "iodine pills in case of a dirty bomb". After doing some research, I found out that iodine pills are given to protect against radiation. They were given to victims of nuclear attacks like the Japanese after Hiroshima and Nagasaki. These pills being a part of Oskar's packing list is odd because the setting of this novel is post-9/11. After the Cold War, the U.S. wasn't under any major threat for nuclear attacks, so there doesn't seem to be a good reason for Oskar to carry these. As this chapter goes on, Oskar talks about the 2-way radio system him and his grandmother have. Through this, we come to find out that Oskar's grandmother has frequent nightmares. I believe these nightmares are about losing Oskar because she's already lost two important men in her life, her husband and her son. Also, Oskar's narration about his and his grandmother's relationship shows how protective his grandmother is of him. If she ever were to lose Oskar, she'd for sure fall apart, and so it makes sense to believe that her nightmares are about losing Oskar.
Oskar's father's philosophy is deeper in the sense that no one knows what moving that grain of sand one millimeter will change, it could just move with the wind and not mean anything, or it could be the one grain the stops another and then those stop another until they build up to a great dune, a greater outcome than anyone could have ever predicted. Mrs. Black is crying because of marital issues with her husband. The reason I've come to this conclusion is based on the fact that when Oskar first enters the house Oskar notes that Mr. Black was yelling for her and she ignored him every time. More evidence of this is that when she begins to cry Mr. Black looks in the room and says something again without going to Mrs. Black on the reason she would be crying. Based on personal experience I'd say if someone cared for another person they would be more concerned about why the person they loved was crying, but instead Mr. Black proceeded to leave while Mrs. Black ignored him.
I have never wrote to a famous person but my close friend did. She wrote to one of her favorite musicians while he was in prison (I guess he assaulted someone).He never actually sent a letter back but after he got out of prison he came out with a list of the top ten letters he got in prison that touched him the most and hers and her sister’s letters were in the top 5.
I think Oscar's grandmother probably has nightmares about the night her husband left her. She always talked about the night he left in her letters and it seemed to upset her when Oscar brought it up once. Another possibility is she could be having nightmares about the day Oscar’s dad died. Maybe she has nightmares about loosing Oscar because she says that Oscar reminds her of his grandpa and dad so much.
I agree with Heli that the nightmares are not only about the loss of her husband and her son, but that they are also in fear of loosing Oskar. With so much loss in her life, I believe the thought of loosing her grandson is the thing that scares her the most. Honestly, Oskar is really the only person she has left in her life and I think she also fears of loneliness. So, I believe all these things contribute to her nightmares. I love Oskar's fathers idea of life, that the most insignificant thing can change the world, in a good or bad way. If you live your life this way, you're definetley going to achieve great things. Personally, I really enjoyed this philosophy because it inspires me to try to better the world even if I'm just a 17 year old in the small town of Bedford. It proves even something insignificant action by one person can change the world.
Oskar's grandmother seems to have nightmares very often. These nightmares are probably about losing Oskar because she's already lost her husband and her son and this has effected her so much. They were both very important to her and now she feels like Oskar is the only thing she has left. Not only is Oskar all that his grandmother has left, but the reader also comes to find out that she is very protective. She would probably feel like nothing without Oskar and she'd fall apart, and so it makes sense that she would be so protective and scared for Oskar and it would even make sense that it would get into her dreams.
I agree with the previous comments, Oskar's grandmother has experienced so much loss in her life, from her sister to her husband and her son. She is afraid of losing Oskar as well. I also believe that she has nightmares about what has happened to her as a girl. While reading the book it is slightly confusing but possible to connect the dots and figure out who is related to whom and in which way.
Later on, Mr. Black begins crying because he hasn't heard a thing in so long and when he does it is overwhelming to him. He turned his hearing aids off when he lost his wife and went so long with them off that he almost forgot how some things sounded. When he hears the world once more, it is like he's come alive again. Oskar gave Mr. Black a reason to hear and gave him a new adventure rather than leaving him to spend countless more years locked away in his apartment alone.
I agree with the previous comments. Oskar's grandmother has experienced so much loss in her life. I think she is afraid to loss Oskar. He is the last thing she has in her life, something that hasn't been taken from her. Oskar and his grandmother have a very close relationship and I don't think she could handle losing him. I believe her nightmares are about losing everything she has left in this world.
While, yes, he does explain the concept in a very simple understandable manner, I think it is his intention to explain it in a simple way in order for others to try to understand what can become a very complex and difficult to understand concept. For the most part, I believe what he says to be true. Anything and everything that someone or something does has either a negative or positive impact on the future, whether the outcome will be positive or negative is unknown at the time of the decision. This outcome may be seconds later or twenty years later, but it still has an impact on future. Even an individual who chooses to do absolutely nothing but simply exist in life has an impact because he could have used his time to improve life around him. The lack of doing something or anything can have very negative consequences, but in turn, doing something big or small could result in a very positive outcome.
It's true Oskar's grandmother has lost all she has, but Oskar. When you only have one thing, one piece of hope left that's what you'll cling onto. The nightmares enforce this in his grandmother that Oskar is all that's left. I find his father's philosophy very optimistic. Even you did move the grain of sand, not much else could happen from it, but what mattered is that it was moved. It's almost like the saying "take baby steps" they might be small and insignificant at first, but further on is when they mean the most.
I don't believe there's anyway to really understand why Mrs. Black is crying. Simplistically though, I think she's crying about life. Life is stressful, hard, and messy to say the least. Maybe that's why her house is so clean. She's attempting to makeup for how reckless her situation has become. Her husband also seems very disconnected in their relationships. He doesn't do more than mutter when he sees a complete stranger in their house and only screams for his wife. Her career also does not seem to be going as planned. Atleast, it doesn't seem as if it's going anywhere. Maybe Oskar's pure and off-track talk with her was just a breaking point. I don't believe Oskar said anything to set her off. Mrs. Black was on the verge of crying anyway. Oskar just happened to be a witness.
I think Oskar's grandmother has nightmares about her loved ones. She seems to love everyone and has lost people close to her before so it would make sense that she has a fear of losing more. Anna, Thomas, and Oskar are most likely the center of those dreams. She might relive the destruction of her home and family in Dresden. She might also picture Thomas walking out on her and leaving her alone forever. She could even imagine Oskar becoming angry and cutting off contact with her. Oskar's grandmother seems very sensitive to her relationship with other, so it would make sense for her to show her anxiety in her dreams. She is afraid of being alone again and would do anything stop loneliness from creeping into her life. Loneliness is inevitable however and so probably also makes its way into her dreams.
I think that Oskar's father's philosophy of existence is very true. It is a simple way of putting the whole meaning to everything we do. I interpret it as; everything we do changes something and makes a difference. We may not see the change if it is very small but that does not mean it doesn't make a change. Small changes make up a bigger change in the world or just what you're doing. Just like with the grain of sand. You may not even see that grain of sand but if it wasn't there all the other grains of sand would shift. You might not see it with one grain of sand but if you continue to take more and more then you begin to see the change. This change all started with that one grain of sand that you couldn't see. I think his father's analogy was great and a very simple way of putting it.
The one item that stands out to me Oskar's packing list is iodine pills "in case of dirty bombs".
After doing some research on iodine pills , I came to the same conclusion as Heli. Like Heli, I found that the pills are used to treat radiation poisoning. However, I also researched dirty bombs- because at first I thought Oskar was just referring to a "normal" weapon, but then thought that "dirty bomb" might be a specific type of bomb. Dirty bombs are weapons of radiation combined with conventional explosives. Studies suggest that the explosive materials are more lethal than the radiation, itself. Although dirty bombs are designed to spread a large amount of radiation over great distances, the lingering radiation years after a dirty bomb detonation would "fairly high, but not fatal". Dirty bombs were more strongly associated with terrorism after 9/11, and therefore citizens saw dirty bombs as a greater threat. Fear of another attack plays a large role in Oskar's mind after losing his father, which explains why Oskar packs the cure for a sudden radiation attack in his travel kit. Oskar's fear of another catastrophe consumes his life, which can be seen in his cautionary measures taken for simply walking around the city.
I definitely agree with all the above comments pertaining to Oskar's grandmother's nightmares being about Oskar. I also think that the nightmares are about her past relationships and the bombing in Germany. I found the iodine pills very interesting on the list. Is Oskar afraid that New York will be hit by terrorists again? This just shows how much Oskar was effected by his father's death.
I think Oskar's grandmother's nightmares are about the bombing during her childhood in Germany. She was the only person in her family to survive- one of few in the town- and she loved her family dearly. I think this is why she and Thomas had such a strong understanding of one another, they both loved and lost Anna. A major theme in this novel is how people deal with tragedy and the loss of loved ones, and I think that's why the author listed the things Oskar packed. As the rest of the comments have said, Oskar's packing of the iodine pills shows how scared Oskar is for another terrorist attack to occur.
In conjunction with what Abbie, Heli and Madalin said, the iodine pills stood out to me, and I never knew that they were used to treat radiation. Like Madalin said I think Oskar has been so greatly affected by the 9/11 terrorist attack that he wants to be prepared at all times for another attack, such as a dirty bomb. His mind obviously works different than ours, most of us wouldn't even think to bring iodine pills for something like that.
I think Oskar's grandmother has nightmares about being alone or losing Oskar. She doesn't have much left and I think the fact that she's lost the two most important men in her life (Oskar's father and Oskar's grandfather), the thought of losing Oskar is very hard for her to cope with so she has nightmares.
I think that his father's description of his philosophy of existence was simple but like Abigail said in reality it is much more complicated. His father had to give Oskar the simple version of his philosophy to get him to understand just how important he his to the world around no matter how he feels about himself.
I also agree with everyone else about what his grandmother has nightmares about, but I don't think it is only one single thing. I think that her nightmares vary from the bombing of Dresden and the loss of her family to her husband leaving her to the death of her son to being the cause of Oskar being injured or leaving her.
When I was in 3rd grade, I wrote a letter to the now-former president George W. Bush. I wrote a very persuasive letter (written in blue crayon) about the dangers of war and how he should send the troops home. At the time, I knew nothing about war, and to be honest, I don't really know why I decided to write the letter. It was free time in Mr. Shepard's class and I thought "Hey, war is bad. We're in a war." and after I put the two together, the legendary letter came to be.
I received a letter back a few months later (which I was very, very excited about). I might still have the letter, but I haven't seen it in a long time. The letter was written by Bush, himself!! Or..at least that's what it said...his staff probably wrote a generic letter and sent it to every kid who was as persuasive as I was. Nonetheless, I was very excited. It explained how the United States needed brilliant minds like mine to help lead out country in the future. The president complimented me?? What!? This was the best thing since sliced bread to me!! Included with the letter was a picture of the President and the First Lady (which was less exciting, but still I GOT A LETTER BACK, so that was really all I cared about.)
Since 3rd grade, my knowledge of war has expanded and now I know that writing letters in crayon to the President probably wont change his/her foreign policies. However I think the innocence of my younger self is something commendable.
I agree with Oskar's father's philosophy. Know matter how small something seems to be, it will impact the future. If a person procrastinates on something too long and wants to do it the night before, thats fine. If an emergency happens that day the person decides to start or finish their work, then they have a choice of either not seeing or talking to that person again, or getting fired or getting a bad grade that ruins their GPA. Due to this persons simple thought of deciding until the last minute to finish their work, it has affected them in major ways. Oskar’s father’s philosophy reminds me of the butterfly effect where a simple initial condition ignites later into a large change in the future.
I personally have not wrote to anyone famous but I had a close friend write to his favorite guitarist, he never got a reply. It was to Jimmi Hendrix! This was back in elementary school; little did he know that Jimmi Hendrix passed away in the 1970's. If I had to choose someone to write to I would pick Neil deGrasse Tyson, he is basically the Morgan Freeman of astrophysics. He just makes everything much more understandable no matter how ambiguous the idea or theory. I would ask him about what inspires him to do what he loves.
This chapter shows how close Oskar and his grandmother are. They have a two way radio that they use to contact each other whenever they want to talk. Oskar learns that his grandmother has frequent nightmares. I think that these nightmares started from the amount of loss in her life. Her husband left her, and her son had died. These were the two most important people in her life, and I believe the thought of losing Oskar was what her nightmares were mostly about. Oskar is the only person she has left in her life, and she fears losing him.
I thought Oskar's dad's philosophy on existence was very interesting. I think it is very true that every person makes a dramatic impact on the world. Even for a miniscule action there is a direct reaction. All of these seemingly insignificant things can build up to create a totally different situation. I think it was a great thing for him to say to Oskar because it made Oskar excited and changed his perspective. I think Mrs. Black was crying because of problems with her marriage. When Oskar shows up, Mrs. Black is visibly upset and tells Oskar that it isn't a good time. When Oskar enters, there is obvious tension in the house and he notices how unhappy they both seem. They are avoiding each other and she seems to be apathetic to her husband's distress. The problem seems to be fairly serious and significant.
I agree with Dylan Chambers on the reason Mrs. Black is crying. It leads us to believe it's the relationship with her husband. The way her husband calls her and she doesn't care if he needs anything. How she cries and her husband acts like he doesn't notice and does nothing. How the one thing Mrs.Black cares about is the cleanliness of her house. I think Oskars dad's philosophy on existence was interesting and true. Everything exists and while existing affects one another. How if you move one grain of sand from the Sahara you affect everything. I feel like this could give Oskar a view that no matter how small you are you could make a difference on everything. How Greg mentioned the butterfly affect it made me think of that too. A small change can make a bigger or equal change.
Yeah in some aspect Oskars fathers’ theory seems true but all theories are just that.... theories. I liked how he compared human existence to the Sahara. That one simple movement can change everything without even knowing it. I write to Barack Obama a long letter and he replied with a signed picture of him. It was really cool. I still have that letter to this day. I think his grandmother has nightmares about the Dresden bombings and losing her sister or how she broke her promise to her husband by getting pregnant because he didn't want any kids. Maybe that's why he left her or she just has so much guilt over the things shes’ done in her life. She left her home to live in a country where she feels like an alien not to mention she “stole” her died sisters boyfriend and married him. There could be many factors as to why she is having such bad nightmares. Besides whats listed I think that only humans use their thumbs all day texting.
Oskar's grandmother could be having nightmares about three things. She could be dreaming of her son dying over and over again in the 9/11 tragedy. He was her son, I would imagine that would hit her pretty hard. She could be dreaming of the complicated relationship she had with Oskar's grandfather and watching him leave her. She was definitely more in to him than he was in to her. Or she could even be having nightmares about Anna's death. They were sisters after all.
I strongly believe in Oskar's father's philosophy and it is quite an intriguing philosophy to think about. If one little thing was different in your life then your whole life could be different. If your parents hadn't met or grandparents hadn't met you would cease to exist. If you truly think about it, it is amazing how the world works out and how the universe works. It is a constant exchange of give and take, when one door closes a new one opens, when one path appears another ones fades into oblivion. Little things that you do in life may impact others enormous amounts and actions may leave impressions that last a lifetime. I find it odd that Oskar takes a Larousse pocket dictionary (a French dictionary) out in the streets of New York where not many people speak French. Once I wrote a letter to Derek Jeter of the New York Yankees but got no reply and it was pretty disappointing. On a list of things that only humans do is that I believe humans are the only ones to do things such as own property, harness the power of electricty, create calenders, and create orderly government.
While Oskar packs his bag to search for the owner of his key, there was one item that just didn’t make sense. It was the iodine pills in case of a dirty bomb. Not going to lie, I had no clue what the heck an iodine pill was, so I had to research it (as did almost everyone else). Iodine pills can be used to treat radioactive accidents. Why was Oskar worried about radioactivity? It all leads back to his dad. His dad’s death hit him hard, it wasn’t expected and it was such an awful way to go. The attack of 9/11 left Oskar so scared of bombs that he carried around pills to help clean up the mess bombs make. No child should ever have to grow up thinking about that kind of thing.
Oskar likes to write to famous scientists. I think he does this to fill the void of his father. He grew up asking his dad billions of questions and attempting to create inventions, but suddenly there is no one to ask. Therefore, he writes to famous scientists. Oskar wants to hear from someone, he wants there to be someone in his life that will sit and be creative with him. That is why he gets so excited when he receives a reply from Steven Hawking, even though it was an “I’m too busy to talk to you message,” it still represented something important to Oskar. It gave him hope that someone would give him the care he so desperately wanted, but couldn’t have- a father figure.
Personally, the only important thing I have ever sent was an email to a college coach, someone important to me. I can see why Oskar got so excited when he received a reply. Getting something back, even if it’s generic, is so exciting and fun. It makes you feel like you’re important, too.
In seventh grade, my science teacher forced the class to write to the governor of Michigan about environmental issues in the Great Lakes area and what he should do to stop them. I got particularly impassioned with my topic on "brownfields:" abandoned factories that leak chemicals into the water and kill fish and junk. I wrote the best letter I could, begging the governor to tax companies that left hazardous chemicals behind along with their failed business (I didn't understand the concept of bankruptcy). I received a letter back months later which was very similar to Oskar's response from Stephen Hawking. It was a stock letter, shipped to myself and all the other kids in my class. Unlike Oskar, I was enraged. I didn't want to be acknowledged, I wanted to be applauded! And maybe have a law written in my name or something like that. However, I think that the main reason Oskar had a different response than mine was not because he was younger or star-shocked; it was because he didn't have an expectation. One good part of Oskar's perpective on life is that he lives simply. He doesn't concern himself with what could be, but only what has happened. His expectations were low. He didn't even expect to get a response. But he does, and that was is excites him the most. It didn't matter what Hawking's letter said. It only mattered that it was.
I agree with many of the people who have commented on Oskar's grandmother's nightmares already. She has experienced a lot, and I think it's possible that her nightmares change every night. Emily Kuhn mentioned Oskar's grandmother losing her family in Dresden, and even though I haven't read that far yet, I think that that's likely what she dreams about most. She might have nightmares about the 9/11 attacks and Oskar's father being killed, and the trick Oskar pulled on her to make her think he was missing.
I was in Melanie Moore's science class when we wrote letters to the governor of Michigan. Unlike her, I had no idea what to write about and had no strong feelings on any subject, so I wrote about something my mom told me was going on. If I remember correctly, back then they wanted to expand the road down the road from where I live. My mom told me they were going to cut down trees to do it, so I wrote my letter asking them not to cut down the trees. I found out after my letter was long gone that the expansion was going to take place over the Ohio border, so I felt stupid. I prayed my letter would get destroyed before anyone saw it. I got the same stock letter in the mail that Melanie did, and I was relieved, and assumed no one really read it.
I think Melanie got it with why Oskar was excited to get a letter back from Stephen Hawking; he got a letter from Stephen Hawking. He wasn't angry that he wasn't given a lot of thought, and he wasn't relieved that no one thought his letter was stupid.
Oskar's fathers philosophy is so simple yet shares that same message as the "if a tree falls in a forest and there's no one there to hear it, does it make a sound?" philosophy. Every decision you make has some significance, but how significant the reaction will be is a mystery. We don't know who our choices will affect, how and when they're affected, so that makes Thomas's philosophy more complicated. In seventh grade I wrote a letter to the state senate asking them to look into a more eco friendly light bulb for schools, because they use so much light during the day and science rooms, like my dad's, keep lights on all night too. I got a response that was completely computer generated and had nothing to do with my topic. Needless to say, 12 year old Josie was not pleased with Michigan's government at the time.
I think that Oscar's grandmother is having nightmares about her husband leaving her and the events that happened to her and her husband that made him stop speaking. I think she dreams of that because Oskar said that he didn't know what she was dreaming about so there was no way for him to help her. Lastly, Oskar makes some great points about things that only humans do. I think that along with what he says, humans are the only animals that can be with one person for life, or many. Animals like gorillas have multiple "mates" at different points in their lives, while others like swans mate for life. Humans are the only animal that are in between. We're not as faithful as many animals, but there are still many people who are with their significant others for their whole lives.
Oskar’s father’s theory of existence is simply complicated. The words he uses are simple, because he is explaining his reasoning to his son, who is a child, but he is presenting a powerful idea. In this theory, change is at the center: no matter how big or small a change is, it is still a change, and that will affect the universe in different ways. With the example of the Sahara desert, Oskar’s father assures Oskar that even a change as tiny as moving one grain of sand can make a difference in the world, or, more specifically, in the large desert, which has existed for millions of years. Oskar’s father’s philosophy is true, because change happens every day, and each individual change, big or small, possesses the power to change human history.
After reading Oskar's packing list, I had to reread it a few times. At first I was completely surprised because he packed a little something for almost every scenario. He was prepared for what ever curveball. Surprisingly so, the item that stood out the most to me was plastic bags for evidence. It seemed like Oskar was going on a crime scene investigation as if the key were to lead to a dead body or something. I just wondered what he thought would be considered evidence when he was simple looking for something that his key fit into. While reading I just want to take a step into his imagination and figure out what he thinks is going to happen on his journey. Also, he says that he packed iodine pills in case of a bomb, but where does a young boy get a hold of pills like that? I think he packed those as an ailment of his imagination.
I also like Oskar's explanation of our existence and I think he is absolutely correct. when looking at the bigger picture of the world, very few of us are going to be written down in the books from doing something extraordinary. The supreme majority of us will go through the motions, graduate high school, college, start a family, get a career, end of story. While our own lives seem so significant to ourselves, in reality, we are as important as moving a grain of sand compared to the rest of the world. His explanation really is simple that we are so insignificant. Although to our own family lines we are important but I think Oskar and his father talked of the bugger picture and how if we were never born that that the lives of others and the universe would most likely be unaffected.
I agree with most of the comments already posted. Oskar's grandmother has lost a lot throughout her life and she is afraid of losing someone very important to her: Oskar. He is precious to her and he is one of the last things she has yet to lose. They are very close and sh loves him very much. I think she is scared of losing him and everything else in her world in her nightmares. She is also probably having nightmares about all of the tragedies that have taken place in her life such as the death of her sister and the destruction of Dresden. She could also be having nightmares about her sons death in the 9/11 attack. I don't blame her for having the nightmares after all the tragedies she's been through. I have only had to endure the smallest of tragedies and I have had awful nightmares.
In seventh grade, I wrote a letter to Rick Snyder. The letter I wrote to him was about problems occurring with the sand dunes. I only wrote to him because it was an assignment that we had to do for class. I wasn't really that concerned about the sand dunes or even getting a letter back. However, I did get a typed letter back from him. I was really excited about this until I actually read it. He, or some secretary, wrote back to me about air pollution. This made me really disappointed because I didn't even write to him about air pollution. It would have been better if he didn't write back to me at all instead of writing back/sending a generic letter about something close to what I wrote about.
I agree with many of the previous post about Oskar's grandmother’s nightmares. I think the bulk of them are about her losing Oskar or Oskar getting hurt I think when she has these nightmares she wakes up and has to talk to Oskar so she knows he is still there and ok. I also agree that she could be having nightmares about her husband leaving or Oskar’s dad dying.
I've written letters to Michigan senators countless times for class about important issues affecting not only the U.S. but the world. It was problems like global warming. I never got a reply because I guess senators have better things to do besides replying to letter, they're more interested in their own agenda.
Oskar's grandmother has frequent nightmares, and I believe that her nightmares were about fire because when she was a girl she suffered a house fire. We know this because she makes references to losing everything in a fire.
When Oscar wrote to Steven Hawking I felt so happy because Steven Hawking is my favorite Scientist/Role model. I have always wanted to meet him in person and when Oscar got a form of reply from him I felt so bad for him. I wrote to President Obama about how nuclear power should be used more often. This was for a school project. About 2 months later I got a letter back, but it was a typed response that had nothing to do with my idea. I felt devastated. I fell like Oscar deserved a response just like me.
As many people have said above, the Iodine pills definitely stood out. I understand why he would bring them (because of 9/11; you never knew what would happen next) but in a sense it is a bit irrational. Also he packed boxes of juicy juice.. when it is very clear that kids of that age should be drinking little hug juice jugs.
I love that Oskar is writing to famous scientists because at least he is getting his feelings out to someone. These scientists also give Oskar hope and inspiration for his life ahead;hopefully when he will not feel as alone in his quest for answers. I believe in grade school I wrote to someone in politics, might have even been the president. I remember getting a response though, and it was of course the general "thanks for writing... I appreciate the time you put into expressing your thoughts.." and slabbing my name on the front and a signature at the bottom. Not super eventful, but probably the only letter I had addressed to my name at the time (So a big deal, obviously).
Writing a letter to someone famous was one of my favorite things to do as a child. As children we all go through different phases and my latest one was cooking. I was extremely obsessed with watching cooking shows and my favorite chef Rachel Ray. I clearly remember writing to her, expressing my love for her show. I even remember asking in the letter if she would send me one of her cook books. I waited every day after I sent that letter for a response. I was a hopeful optimist and would check the mail every single day for a reply to my heartfelt letter. To my disappointment, I never received a response from Rachel Ray and my spirits were crushed. I was so hopeful, like Oskar when he wrote to all of those scientists that I would receive a special response. Even if Oskar didn't get a response he still wrote to everyone which is amazing to me. He didn't care and just wanted to get his thoughts on paper.
In seventh grade, I wrote a letter to Governor Rick Snyder regarding fluorescent light bulbs and the small fraction of mercury that they contain. I did receive a letter back and the governor's signature looked real as if he actually signed that letter. Whether or not he actually wrote the letter is a different story considering he's a busy man, but I still felt good as a seventh grader to receive a letter from the office of the most powerful man in the state of Michigan. I can relate to Oskar considering that most the letters he received were let-downs. The Governor told me that there was nothing he could do considering a recent law was passed by the federal government banning incandescent light bulbs and replacing them with mercury containing fluorescent bulbs.
I entirely believe Thomas Schell's philosophy on life. After reading his analogy about the Sahara desert and the single grain of sand and the impact that moving one grain could mean, I thought back to the movie What a Wonderful Life. George Bailey wishes he was never born and then is able to evaluate how his town and family is without his impact and it was extremely different. Without his presence, his wife would not marry, their kids would be nonexistent, the town would be ran by some bitter old man, and his own brother would've died at a very young age. Thomas Schell's philosophy on life tells that every little thing we do alters our life and the lives of the people around us whether our impact is noticeable or not.
Thomas Schell's philosophy of existence reminded me of my favorite movie, The Butterfly Effect. This movie revolves around A man named Evan, who has the ability to travel back in time. Evan had a rough childhood, so he "goes back" multiple times to try and fix what happened. When he returned to the present, everything was different. Not only had his life changed, everyone he had ever met was impacted. The Butterfly Effect itself is principle of the chaos theory. It states that a butterfly could flap its wings and cause a hurricane somewhere on the other side of the planet. This principle is closely related to Thomas Schell's theory, in the aspect that one small change can lead to drastic changes. Whether big or small, a change is still a change.
I love the way Oskar is prepared for pretty much anything due to what all he puts in his bag before he sets out to continue his search for the key. He packs a little bit of food, juice, a flashlight, and a map of New York; these are all very sensible and smart things to pack when going out on your own. This shows how mature Oskar is in the fact that he can think of things that, if he were to get lost, would be items he could use to take care of himself and find his way back home. However, the book also highlights the fact that he is still a kid as well by describing the things that he packed that would either be used only in a very rare situation or just for a reason to have them such as the iodine pills that he packed, as well as chopsticks and plastic bags for evidence.
When I was a child, I never wrote anyone famous. And maybe it was because I already knew that the responses weren't really personal. Regardless, I wish that I would have. I can see that it made a big difference to Oskar, and it's quite possible it might have made a big difference to me. It brought Oskar a new sense of encouragement that couldn't be achieved through reinforcement from his mother or grandmother.
From what we know about Oskar's grandmother, it is clear that she has been through a lot of devastation. When she dreams, it must be about either losing people from the war, or 9/11. But it is also possible that she dreams about losing her husband. There could be a different type of fear and pain that comes from a loved one choosing to leave. All in all, I would bet on her nightmares involving losing people that she loves, one way or another.
Oskar took with him some very unusual items when searching for Black. I'm not sure why Oskar would need iodine pills which would seem pretty extreme because I doubt he would come across some radiation or a "dirty bomb". I don't understand why he doesn't worry about the dangers of running around and talking to strangers at all. He has little to no background of these people he goes and meets and assumes they knew his dad. Oskar's grandmother gets nightmares about 9/11. That was extremely traumatizing for her. She lost her husband not long before and then her son died in 9/11. Oskar's grandmother made it obvious in the way she worried about Oskar when he disappeared. Oskar is her grandchild and she doesn't want to lose him as well. It must be very hard to lose a child no matter what age. This is why Oskar's grandmother devotes most of her time to Oskar and making sure he is OK.
I believe Oskar's grandmother has nightmares about losing Oskar. She has already experienced so much loss in her life with her son. A person can only take so much loss before they completely lose it. She is starting to lose it with these nightmares every night, but she can hold it together. I can tell these nightmares are about losing Oskar because she spends so much time and effort on trying to help him and make him happy. Losing another child would completely crush her.
I have never written to someone famous due to the fact I don’t think I’ll get a reply and feel it is a waste of time. I see people who have written to people who are famous and see that they either don’t get a reply or a reply from a secretary with a generic letter.
The things that stand out on Oskar's packing list are plastic bags, iodine pill, and white gloves." I think that the plastic bags stand out because it's not like Oskar is going to run into a crime scene or anything, so why would he need something to keep evidence in? Also, nobody really cares that much about litter in New York City since there are so many people there; therefore, there is also a lot of garbage there. Maybe this bag for litter contributes to his father's philosophy of existence and that every little object and every little reaction the object makes within its environment is significant. Next, the iodine pills to are used to prevent against the harmful effects of radiation such as in the event of a "dirty bomb." This stands out because it shows the paranoia that continues to negatively effect Oskar in the aftermath of 9/11. This also shows that his father's death affects the decisions that he makes daily. Next, the white gloves stand out because it shows that his Obsessive Compulsive Disorder also influences his life and prevents him from living a life with out fear of germs. His could also show that he uses these gloves so that he keeps his purity and innocence when touching the impurities of New York City.
Like the others have stated, while reading what was being packed the iodine pills stood out the most. I initially thought that they would be used for something else as iodine is very poisonous, but I could not believe that they were used to treat radiation. I found this to be very interesting. I also agree with what Emily Kuhn had said, Mrs. Black keeps such a neat and clean house to compensate for how messy life is. Mrs. Black cannot control how messy her lie is, but she can control how messy her house is. I found that point very interesting because I had not picked up on that while initially reading.
A couple things that stand out to me that Oskar packed were the iodine pills in case of a dirty bomb and the dictionary. Why does he pack a dictionary? He could probably recite from memory from hanging out with his dad so much. I feel he is so smart he doesn't need it. What was he expecting to happen to him while out? The apocalypse? Even if there was a bomb, which there can't be because that is against the Geneva Convention, there would be no time to use the pills if it was close enough. They maybe could work better if there was leaking radiation not a bomb.
I agree that the grandmother has nightmares about her husband and son.bshe has had so much loss in her life that it only makes sense that she has nightmares about losing Oskar as well. I think Oskar is all she has left in her life, and losing him would send her spiraling towards depression. I also believe she has these nightmares of losing Oscar because with the loss of him comes loneliness. Oskar's fathers idea of life really got me thinking. It was so simple that it was hard to look at it just at the surface and not go in depth. I liked how he believed that an insignificant t hing could change the world. It made me analyze every little thing that I could do that could possibly change the world in some way. I believe if everyone followed this philosophy we could all achieve our goals.
Oskar's list of things that’s he packed that seemed strange included iodine pills and, Larousse Pocket Dictionary. Both of these items in the book don’t have a reason for bringing alone. Everything else that Oskar mentions is either obvious for a mystery case, or has a reason right after the item in the list. Oskar's grandmother probably has nightmares about losing her only grandson that we are aware of. Oskar is literally her world, always making sure he is okay.
Oskar's father philosophy about the world is super crazy and i believe it to be super true. Think if one grain of sand were to move a millimeter it could cause a chain reaction of other grains of sand to move and then upon trillions and trillions grains of sand are moving and could make a dust storm big enough to wipe out a city or even make a massive landmark that world has never seen before, just because of the wind moving a grain of sand a millimeter. I totally agree with Dylan and what he said about Oskar's fathers philosophy, it truly does make you feel kind of insignificant. You feel as if one particular cog on the engine of life stopped rotating that everything else in the world would succumb and the engine would be no more just because a singular cog stopped working. Oskar's father philosophy is amazing to think about, it truly makes you feel lucky to be alive and living in world in which he hope a cog does not fail on us.
I wrote to a famous person a few years ago as a part of a school project and did receive a reply. The famous person was not that famous, he was the state representative, but I did receive some sort of reply that was expected. The reply was from a secretary, typed of course, with a signature at the bottom. I expected the letter to be what others received so it was a letdown for me, but expected. I believe the reason why his grandmother has so many nightmares is because she has lost her husband and son already and fears losing Oskar and being left with no one, as stated by others above. Losing people is a tough situation to be faced with and is mentally straining for a person. Oskar is the only real person she can still talk with and losing him in his own hunt will leave her in a similar possession to her husband, Oskar’s grandfather.
Oskar finds a certain satisfaction by writing to famous scientists. He has such a young, imaginative, and brilliant brain that he always wants to know more. That is why he asks people like Stephen Hawking if he can mentor him, simply because he wants to know more. I have written to a famous person once and it was Michael Jordan. Even though I never had the pleasure to watch him play myself my grandpa would always talk about how amazing he was and even how his presence on the court could completely change a game. I was only six or seven when I wrote to him and I asked for a signed pair of shoes. He responded a few months later with a letter that now I know wasn't even from him that said he hopes one day to read and personally reply to what I had to say. On this level I connect to Oskar because he too didn't actually receive a response from Stephen Hawking. Unlike him however, I was heartbroken. My parents tried to tell me he was a very busy guy, but I didn't listen. Instead, I cried myself to sleep that night thinking my hero would never like me.
Oskar’s grandmother has nightmares of her husband leaving. I know this because most pieces of conversation with her go back to this. Mr. Black is crying at the young death of Oskar’s father, in sympathy. Only humans discriminate against each other, people of the same race based on color traits. Many different colors of the same different species stick together, where throughout human history that is rarely the case.
I agree with a lot of the previous comments. Oskar packed the iodine pills to keep him safe from the dirty bomb. I reasearched this, as did many others, and they are for the protection of radioactivity. I feel as though Oskar packed these just for the fact that his father was killed in such a tragic way. The pills are sort of his protection "for his mind". He's very open when it comes to his thoughts and that is very interesting to me.
Oskar writes to scientists frequently, yes. I think that this is a way for Oskar to be able to communicate with someone as he did with his father. He and his father often spoke intelligently and deeply. Now that his father is gone, it's a way for him to connect to his past. Although I have not written to scientists, I have tried to connect with famous people with my cousins. Of course we never got replies back, although we were never very disappointed because we often forgot about it within days.
I think that it is completely true that Oskar’s grandma has lost everything she has, minus Oskar. You have to hold on to the one thing you have left and you have to use all of the hope you have. His grandmother has nightmares that reminds her that Oskar is all she has left. Also, I think that his dad’s philosophy is very positive and hopeful. It is like saying small steps may seem small but can end up making a big difference.
I think that it is completely true that Oskar’s grandma has lost everything she has, minus Oskar. You have to hold on to the one thing you have left and you have to use all of the hope you have. His grandmother has nightmares that reminds her that Oskar is all she has left. Also, I think that his dad’s philosophy is very positive and hopeful. It is like saying small steps may seem small but can end up making a big difference.
I think that it is completely true that Oskar’s grandma has lost everything she has, minus Oskar. You have to hold on to the one thing you have left and you have to use all of the hope you have. His grandmother has nightmares that reminds her that Oskar is all she has left. Also, I think that his dad’s philosophy is very positive and hopeful. It is like saying small steps may seem small but can end up making a big difference.
I have written to a few Senators, Congressmen and Congresswomen, and I may have written to the president but I'm not sure if I truly did. I only wrote this for school work in elementary to write to the government mostly about climate issues and invasive species. I doubt that anyone of them actually read any of them. They probably had their secretaries read all of them through all the other hundreds they had then write a standard letter saying how much he/she appreciates our letter to such and such issue and promise that they will do everything in their power to help make said issue better and, again, thank you for the letter. Even if I did know that the letter didn't actually get to the person I sent it to, it felt good that someone actually read what I wrote and paid at least some attention to it.
I think Oskar’s grandmother has so many nightmares because of all the traumatic things that have happened in her life. She has suffered so many losses and Oskar is basically the only thing she has left. She lost her husband and her son, the last thing she needs is to lose Oskar as well. She was also in the bombing tragedy. Throughout her life she has faced a series of hardships, from losing people to being in the bombed area. She does not want to lose her one important companion. I also think she has nightmares because she fears being alone. If something happened to Oskar, she would not have any one to keep her company, or be around when she is in need. Overall I think she has nightmares because she does not want to lose Oskar, and she fears the idea of being alone.
The only thing that really stood out to me about Oskar's supplies would be the "iodine pills in case of a dirty bomb" which highlights his recurring fear of dieing in a terrorist attack of some sort, e.g. being nervous around Arab people on the train and refusing to use the elevator. The Grandmother has had a very traumatic life. I'd be having nightmares too if I had survived the bombing of Dresden, my husband left me, and then my son got killed in the 9/11 attacks. It must have been a horrible experience for her for Oskar to just up and disappear in such a big city, even if she did find him eventually. Mrs.Black was probably having a really horrible argument with her husband. The poor woman was already under stress and bringing up her refusal letter from the elephant scientist was probably just the straw that broke the camel's back.
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