Terrible Things by Eve Bunting

 

 

 

Part I

Directions:  Please answer these questions after reading, “Terrible Things”

 

1.         How did the animals in the woods get along before the Terrible Things came?

2.         Who first notices the Terrible Things?  How did he know they were there?

3.         How did the animals react to the Terrible Things when they first came for the creatures with feathers on their backs?\

4.         How did Big Rabbit respond to Little Rabbit’s question:  “Why did the Terrible Things want the birds?”

5.         How did the animals explain the selections made by the Terrible Things?

6.         Why do you think the Terrible Things take away the animals one groups at a time?

7.         Why does Big Rabbit disagree with Little Rabbit when Little Rabbit wants to move?

8.         How are the Terrible Things descried?

9.         What verbs are used to describe their actions?

10.       Why do you think Terrible Things is capitalized?

11.       Look at the illustrations.  Why do you think they are in black and white?

12.       Describe the images.

13.       Would the images be better if they were in color?  Why or why not?

 

 

 

 

Part II

1.         Do you think the story “Terrible Things” is an allegory of the Holocaust?  Why or why not?

2.         Why do you think the author told the story of the Holocaust in this way?

3.         What kind of excuses do the other animals offer to explain the fate of each group as it is taken away?

4.         Why do you think the Terrible Things take away one group at a time?

5.         What does the story imply about non-Jews’ reactions to the fate of Jews and others in the Holocaust?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

First They Came for the Jews

By Pastor Martin Niemoller

 

First they came for the Jews

and I did not speak out

because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for the communists

and I did not speak out

because I was not a communist.

Then they came for the trade unionists

and I did not speak out

because I was not a trade unionist.

Then they came for me

and there was no one left

to speak out for me.

 

 

 

 

 

Answer these questions after reading the poem, “First They Came for the Jews”.

 

1.         How does the poem make you feel?

2.         Why is there no one left?

3.         How is this poem similar to Terrible Things?

4.         How is it different?

 

 

 

 

Create a double-bubble Thinking Map to compare and contrast the story Terrible Things with the poem “First They Came for the Jews”.

 

 

 

Double-Bubble Map

When comparing and contrasting, we use Double Bubble Maps. This is similar in concept to a Venn Diagram. Two items being compared are written in the two center circles. Outside bubbles show items that share qualities with only one object - these are contrasting qualities. Center bubbles (that connect to both circles) show similarities between the two items being compared.