Welcome to the Island on Bird Street reading blog. Respond to the daily questions in a concise and thoughtful paragraph (includes a topic sentence, supporting details, and closing sentence.) - 3 points
To get 4 points, you must reply to your classmates respectfully and continue the discussion online.
ALWAYS sign your post with your first name, last initial.
I believe that Alex lied about the gun, because he didn't want it to be taken from him. If he said it was the gun that made the noise, they probably would steal it for self-defense. She also would have been scared of him and probably tell her parents. Alex himself needs the pistol for self defense anyway.
ReplyDeleteCasandra G.
I agree and disagree. I agree because this could have been the reason why he lied (he didn't want to get it taken away), but I mainly thought it was to not scare the girl.
Delete-Abigail D.
Alex lied to the girl for many reasons.
ReplyDeleteOne reason is that he did not want to be appear to be hostile or dangerous. He did not want to scare her with the gun, making it seem like he is not what he seems. Maybe if the Martha knew he had a gun she would have reacted differently. Another reason is that he lied about shooting the gun because she might think that he is useful. What I mean by that is she thought it was a real gunshot and it was a rock thrown against tin. Actually it was a real gunshot but if she thinks he can do that effectively, maybe he can do other things. Maybe things to earn his role in their group.....
In conclusion Alex has reasonable things why he lied about shooting the gun.
~ John M
There are many reasons to why Alex lied to the girl about firing the gun. One reason is he did not want to make a bad impression on the girl. If he said "I shot a gun"Alex would have seemed hostile, and violent. The girl most likely would have been frightened of him and then she would have run off. Her running off could have ended up with bad consequences. Though lying is bad, sometimes there are reasons to why you must lie.
ReplyDelete~Hayley Cline.
I agree with Hayley that Alex wanted to make a good impression on the girl because trust is very important to gain for the reasons Alex's Mother says.
Delete-Becca L.
I agree with Hayley, I think that the lie Alex made was a white lie. It was for the girls protection and so that she would not have been frightened.
Delete-Iman S
I think that Alex lied about the gun for many reasons. First of all, the girl is young and Alex might be afraid that she would freak out and tell everyone that he has a gun. Then the Germans would know,and Alex would be in big trouble. He could've also done that because he doesn't want Martha to think that he's a dangerous killer. Also, a gun isn't very common among the Jews,and she might want to try it, and when Alex refuses to give it to her, she might threaten to tell her parents... Therefore,Alex had some good reasons for why she didn't tell Martha about the gun.
ReplyDeleteBy Max T.
DeleteI agree with you Max T. The girl probably would have freaked out if she knew about the gun shot
Delete~Hayley C.
I think Alex lied to the little girl about shooting the gun for a few reasons.
ReplyDeleteAlex might have not wanted to scare the little girl,then the little girl might tell her parents about how he rescued her from the man with a gun.If the little girl told her parents about the gun they might just want it for themselves and try to find him and take it.
Alex also might have lied to the little girl because she might have reacted differently than what she did. She might have thought he was a German and ran away from him. A Lot of Germans at that time had guns and she probably knew that they were used to kill people.
In conclusion this is why he lied to her about shooting the gun.
~Sonia N
I agree with you Sonia N. If the girl had known about the gun shot, she probably would have reacted differently.
Delete~Hayley C.
I agree with both Hayley and Sonia that the girl might act different if she knew it was a gun.
Delete-Vanessa Y.
There are numerous reasons for why Alex lied to the girl. My first thought is that the girl would have probably been alarmed if she knew that Alex had a gun so he chose to lie to her for that reason. Secondly Alex might have thought that the girl could tell a Nazi and Alex would suffer a consequence. It could have been a brutal consequence for Alex. Lastly she could’ve thought he was going to hurt her like the guy that was there was going to.
ReplyDelete-Daphnee-Anne G.
In the book Island On Bird Street by Uri Orlev, Alex lies to the girl about shooting his gun.
ReplyDeleteHe did this because he did not want to frighten her. In this time of war and struggle, it is hard enough for a nine year old child to carry the weight of the situation itself; Not to mention, she had just been kidnapped by a big, scary man! If Alex, a boy only 2 years older than her said he shot a pistol, intentionally aiming at a man, can you imagine how frightened she might have been?
Also, Alex wanted to gain her trust. After Alex saves her, he uses a white lie to gain her trust. In these times of war and struggle, you need all the help you can get. If mothers philosophy about trust is true (which I believe it is), then that family will be there in Alex’s time of need.
Alex had good reasons for lying to the girl, and in the long run, it will most likely help the girl, and help himself.
-Becca L.
I totally agree with your entire piece. I really liked how you related this to mother's philosophy--it made sense!
Delete-Abigail D.
I think it was her father because she yells "No Father!"
Delete-Iman Sayeed
I don't think it was her father because she told Alex that her parents were out looking for food. Emma MEM
DeleteI think Alex lied so he would not scare her. It is clear that she is already scared and she probable would have been scared to talk to a boy who had fired a gun in her direction. Alex wanted to talk to her and gain her trust. She would not have trusted or talked to him if he had said what he really did.
ReplyDeleteI think Alex made a good choice by not scaring. If the girl's father came and saw that the same boy he had fought with over food had scared his daughter and shoot a gun in her direction the father would have hurt Alex.
Jane A.
Section 3
I agree with this because he didn't want to scare her. I also think that he made a good choice, which is exactly what you said.
Delete-Abigail D.
i agree with you and i liked how you used evidence from the book
DeleteAles lied about the gun to the girl because he dosent want a little kid knowing about that stuff like if your son or dauter you don't want the thinking about shooting things thats why little kid whats little things like scoobydoo you don't see the shooting pistols
ReplyDeleteI agree with Daphnee. I did not even think about the girl telling a Nazi. One small problem with that piece of evidence though is that the girl is a Jew and she will probable be punished for hiding. I know that she is a Jew because of the fact that she was hiding and that she was being starved too.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Daphnee. I did not even think about the girl telling a Nazi. One small problem with that piece of evidence though is that the girl is a Jew and she will probable be punished for hiding. I know that she is a Jew because of the fact that she was hiding and that she was being starved too.
ReplyDeleteJane A.
Section 3
I believe that Alex lied to the girl (Martha) about shooting his gun because she was just a little girl at the age of 9, and he probably thought it would scare her if he told the truth.
ReplyDeleteFirst, Alex was smart not to tell her because even he himself was shaken up by the shot. He thought to himself, “The shot scared the pants off of me.” Alex only lied about shooting the gun so she wouldn’t be nervous or frightened.
In addition, he witnessed “a large man with a big sack on his back dragging a girl [Martha] by the arm”, so Alex actually protected her from getting hurt. He did not want to make her feel scared again because he shot a gun, so he made the right decision to make her feel comfortable by not telling her that he shot a real bullet. She was a bit less worried after he lied, which gave Alex some relief.
Lastly, since Alex had been separated from his mother and father, I noticed him longing for a friendship. Since he didn’t want to ruin his chance of being friends with Martha, he lied about the gun so she wouldn’t panic and possibly run away. It was only a little fib to make sure she was okay. Thankfully, it worked well because Alex did gain her trust and friendship, since “she took a pin from her hair and gave it to me [Alex].”
In conclusion, I definitely believe that Alex lied to Martha about shooting his gun only to make her feel comfortable and not frightened. He also did it because he really needed someone to talk to, and become friends with. It was actually a very smart choice to help him cope with everything that has been going on--all he needed was a conversation with a new person.
-Abigail D.
Well maybe why alex lied to her because she's a little girl and when your little you get scared really easily.Since their in the time of war and your very little even the tiniest things seems scary to you because everything is so new and you dot know whats going on.Alex didn't want to hurt her or make her scared.So he lied to her to protect her in his own way.
ReplyDelete-Shaniay C
Thats probably why. Emma MEM
DeleteI agree with and i like how you had a lot of reasoning
DeleteI think Alex lied to Martha because he doesn't want to scare her considering her age of 9.
ReplyDeleteMaybe he doesn’t want Martha go through what he is going through because hiding is enough. I think for Alex saving Martha is because she asked her father to gave him food too.
Alex’s father has taught him many ways to keep alive. He wants less people to know about the pistol because his father has warned him.
Angela Liu
Alex lied to the little girl so that he would not scare her. The little girl was obviously scared, and she was talking to a boy that she barely knew. If Alex had told her that it was a gun, he would have scared her even more, and she probably would not have trusted him. He wanted the girl to gain his trust, so he had to make a white lie. Alex also lied to the girl, because she could have ratted him out to a Nazi, or her parents. If her parents found out, they might steal the gun from him, or hurt him in some way. Then, he would have gotten caught, and everything would have gone downhill. I think it was a good idea for Alex to lie to the little girl. If he hadn’t, then there would be complications.
ReplyDelete-Iman S
I agree with you Iman that if he got caught with a gun it would be very bad
Delete-Dylan J
I agree with you, Iman. I like how you said she was obviously already scared.
Delete-Abigail D.
I agree with your statement that "I think it was a good idea for Alex to lie to the little girl" because there was no reason to tell her the truth.
DeleteWillie Thacker
I agree with you, Iman, that he did it not to scare the girl. But what if she was faking because she could get away with it because she was a little girl?
Delete~Emily E
Alex doesn’t show Martha the gun for a few reasons. One reason is, Martha is scared so showing her the gun would have scared her even more and then she wouldn’t talk to Alex because Alex said he wants someone to talk to someone so if he showed her the gun she would run away. Another reason is, Martha's father has already taken food from Alex so if Martha told her dad that Alex had a gun then Martha’s Father would probably take the gun from Alex because that would be a big advantage, if you had a gun you go to other people bunkers and tell them to give you food or else you would shoot them. In the end it was good that Alex lied about the gun because if he didn’t it would have been bad.
ReplyDelete-Dylan J
I agree with you Dylan that it would be bad if he showed her the gun. You are right with all your reasons.
Delete~Derek K.
I agree that you shouldn't show the gun to Martha because she will be scared. However, I disagree with the part about giving food or else... I know the man was unkind but in the Holicost, you don't do that no matter what. That is just showing Hitler that he is winning and makes him feel more powerful. No one would stoop that low to take food...
Delete-Elon L.
I think Alex lied to the girl because he didn't want her to be frightened because then she would be in more danger. But I think it was more because he didn't want her to tell anyone that he had a gun,plus that she wouldn't go on and rat on him and Alex would be in trouble. Alex lied because he didn't want to be caught and be in trouble but he didn't want to hurt anyone he just wanted to protect the girl
ReplyDelete- Emma Mac
I think Alex lied to Martha because she was very scared about the sound it made. Alex also didn't want to show Martha the pistol. If he showed Martha the pistol, then people would know about the pistol if Martha told her parents. Alex lied to Martha for good reasons. He was protecting both him and Martha.
ReplyDelete-Tina H.
I think that Alex lied to the girl about the gunshot for a few reasons. One reason is that Alex didn’t want the girl to know that he was armed so she wouldn’t tell other citizens. He did this because when he needs to shoot someone the element of surprise can make a difference so if everyone knew about it then the element of surprise won’t be there. Another reason is that Alex lied to the girl is because he doesn’t want to get caught. If the girl told an official than Alx would get the gun confiscated and would most likely be killed.
ReplyDeleteEleasah W.
In chapter 8 Alex lied to a girl named Martha about being in the possession of a gun. One reason I think he did this was that lots of people would want a gun for self protection. If Alex had told Martha she might have told her Father. In past chapters we learned that her Father was violent and does not feel guilty when he steals from children. He would have liked very much to have that gun, and by lying Alex made sure that the gun would not be stolen.
ReplyDeleteAnother reason Alex might have lied to Martha is that if Germans found out about the gun they would shoot him immediately. Martha might have ratted him out, and the Germans would kill him.
Lastly the reason that I think is most likely is that he did not want to scare Martha. Just a day earlier she had taken his food. If she found out that he had a gun she would be frightened that he was trying to shot her not the man who was attacking her. Martha was already frightened by her encounter. Alex felt pity for her, and decided not to tell her.
Whatever the true reason was, Alex made the right decision by not telling Martha he had a gun.
-Maddie A
I think Alex lied to the girl about shooting his gun because he didn't want to frighten her. If he had told her that he had a gun, she may have told that to the Germans or worse. So I think Alex lied about the gun to save the girl and himself.
ReplyDelete-Ben B
Alex lies to the girl about shooting the gun because he didn't want the fact that he HAD a pistol to get out. Also, if the girl knew that he had a pistol, she could get scared, which is one thing by itself, and tell her parents or tell someone of an even higher power. Then, the whole ghetto would know that an eleven year old is armed, which would not be good for Alex.
ReplyDelete~Derek K.
I would acted like there was someone in my hideout eatting my food. I would have been upset seeing a kid eat all my food that I had found and rightfully clamed. Also, knowing that that food was the only food for my family for the whole war. This would have been really upsetting and the really sad part was it was very important for anyone during the war, it was scary to see people do what they do to get food.
ReplyDeletep.53-55
Will K.
When Alex lies to the little girl, Martha about the gun. He does it so he doesn't scare her off. Someone just tried to kidnap her, so shes a little shaken up “Martha was too scared to move”. So telling her he has a gun isn't the smartest idea to get her warmed up to him. Shes very wary of him. He’s a stranger and all though he just saved her, she has no idea of his intentions. When Alex took a step towards Martha “She backed away as though I was a German.” If Alex were to tell her that it was an actual gun she would probably become scared and panicked. Then she might tell her father who could come and try to take the gun from Alex. Lastly, Alex wanted someone to talk to “I was dying to talk with someone” since Alex has been all on his own, he's lacking in human interaction. So he doesn't want to scare away his only chance of that.
ReplyDelete-Anna.J
I think Alex lied because he did not want to scare her or make her think he was dangerous. Also he was dying to talk to someone and this was a good chance and if she ever knew he had a gun she would have never stayed. She might even have told her father who might have come looking for Alex and take the gun.
ReplyDeleteJohn B
I agree with you, John. All of your 3 points made sense and there were a lot of possibilities for him to get in trouble if he didn't lie.
Delete-Abigail D.
I agree with you John. He WAS dying to talk to someone and if he did tell her he shot the gun she would run away.
Delete~Cal M.
Alex did not admit that he had a gun because Martha was already threatened and very scared. If you show a nine year old girl that was just mugged (almost anyway) and you barely know her; that you have a gun, well she will be scared. Also, Alex wanted a human friend of sorts or at least someone else he can trust. Showing the gun can just make the girl feel uncomfortable and nervous around Alex. And as I said before, Alex wants her trust. Furthermore, the girl might have told her parents. If they find out they might leak to a Nazi or German. Alex would then be shot at and probably killed.
ReplyDelete-Elon L.
There was no reason to tell her the truth; Alex would have gained nothing from it. However, there was quite a few reasons not tell her that he had gun and could shoot. The worst possible outcome of telling her he has a gun is she gets very scared and tells a rat. While the worst case scenario is unlikely, the best case scenario is almost bound to happen, and also very bad; she again runs away, and Alex loses his one potential ally in the entire ghetto.
ReplyDeleteWillie T.
I think that there were different reasons why Alex could have done this.
ReplyDeleteFirst, Alex had no reason to tell her, what would've it done for him? She could have been friends with a German for all he knows!
Second, he may not have wanted to scare the girl away. She may have food or supplies that can keep him alive, and if he scares her, he isn't getting any of those.
Third, he may have done it in the defense of having the gun. If he said that the gun had made the noise, the girl may have taken it from him for her own use.
Fourth, adding on to number three, the girl may have wanted the gun to defend her and/or her family if she had one. She could get someone big and strong to come kill Alex so she can get his gun, (and everything else if she discovers it.)
Emily E
Alex lies to the girl about shooting the gun because he wants to identify this girl so badly if he says he did shoot the gun then she could possibly run away and get really scared of Alex. This would prevent his curiousness. Also its just plain traumatizing for a boy to tell a nine year old girl he shot a gun. She would be even scared. Also she doesn't have her parents at the moment to protect her and make her feel comfortable.
ReplyDelete~Cal M.
I think that alex lies to the girl about shooting the gun because, as his father said, you cant trust anybody, and, for the girls own sake, for instance, she may think that other people have guns, which would make her scared to go anywhere
ReplyDelete-Karl M-E-M
My thoughts on this issue are quite simple and very similar to the majority of others...
ReplyDeleteAlex lies to girl and doesn't tell her that he shoot a gun. Alex does this knowing that in the girl's lifetime she has learned to associate guns with violence and particularly German soldiers, who won't think twice about killing a child. Therefore Alex avoids scaring her and merely tells her that he banged a rock against metal.
Ben W.
I think Alex lied to the girl because if she found she would have told someone he would have gotten killed by the Nazis
ReplyDelete-Jon P
I think the reason Alex told Martha that he had just hit a stone against a tin was that the little girl was already scared from the man who had captured her, Then was frightened to a further degree when she witnessed the gunshot. I think if Alex had told her that it was a real gunshot she would have been completely terrified at Alex, and probably not let him help him and further. Also, if she knew that he fired a gun, I would have lead to more questions, ans seeing as he couldn't trust her, It was just all together more simple to tell her that he hit a gun against a tin.
ReplyDeleteEmma M-E M.
I think Alex lied to the girl about the gun because it would have scared her to much. I think this because he said he would love another person to talk to.
ReplyDeleteJohn S.
I think that Alex lies to Martha about him shooting his gun for three reasons. The first is that it was a secret between Alex and his father, and even though Alex’s father had never directly told Alex that he should never tell anyone about his pistol, it was an unspoken rule. Telling Martha about the pistol would be like a slap in the face to Alex’s father if he came back. Also, it might have scared Martha away if she knew that Alex had a pistol, and then she could have told her parents, who would probably try to steal it from Alex. So, I think that Alex had many good reasons not to tell Martha about the gun.
ReplyDelete-Maya W
I think that Alex lied to the girl because theres reasons for her not to know and he lied to her for a reason. He lied to her about that he was shooting because he wanted to protect the girl with the gun. Jewish aren't allowed to have guns or else they'll be killed and if Alex told her she might tell everyone. He will be I great danger then. She is at a point where she knows what a gun is and be able to understand the situation so he might not trust her.
ReplyDeleteTammy Y.
Chapter 8 of The Island of Bird Street, Alex lies about shooting his Pistol to the girl whose father stole food from Alex in the previous chapter. Alex did the right thing by telling her it wasn't a pistol and it was rock and tin foil because of 2 reasons.
Delete1) If he did tell her it was a pistol she would have thought him as a hostile and violent person and could hurt her.
2) Things might have happened differently if he told her it was a pistol. She might of ran away from him or tell her father when he came back. Most of the time you hear people say don’t lie but sometimes you have to.
~Vanessa Y.
I think that he didn't tell the girl about the gun because...If the girl told her parents they would probably take it or kick him out and tell the girl to stay away from him.
ReplyDelete~Edward A.
I think Alex lied to Martha about his gun for two reasons. One, so he didn't scare her and not have a potencial friend, and two, so she didn't go back to her parents and run the risk of the guards knowing one of the people remaining has a gun.
ReplyDeleteBennett E
I think Alex lied to the little girl so it would not scare her even more. The situation they were in was scary, let alone without the gun; add the gunshot to that situation and a whole new level of scary occurs. Alex was trying not to worry the girl or to freak her out, by bringing the gun into the equation.
ReplyDelete-- ili K.
I agree with ili because who knows what would happen if Martha got scared. She could run away and get lost.
Delete-Rose k
I think Alex lies to the girl about shooting the gun for many reasons. One reason I think Alex lies to the girl is because, she would have gotten scared. If she got scared Alex would loose her company, or she could have run away and get kidnapped by the person who tried to take her away before. Alex could have lied to her about shooting the gun because she could have gone up to the Germans and told them about him, and they would kill Alex for having a gun. These are the reasons I think Alex lies to the girl about shooting the gun.
ReplyDeleteCammi M
I agree because these examples could all happen and could get Alex into some serious trouble.
DeleteBen K
I don't think that Alex told Martha about the gun because he didn't want to scare her. I also don't think that he wanted her to tell her father that he had a gun. If Martha's father found out he had a gun, he might go after him!
ReplyDelete~Kelley
I think that Alex lied to the girl because she could have gotten very scared and ran away and told the Germans or anyone else.
ReplyDeleteBen K
Alex lies because he wasn't sure that he could trust a little girl to keep one of his deepest secrets. Guns were very rare in the warsaw ghetto and he didn't want his to get discovered. The Germans wouldn't stop until they found the gun and shot Alex to the grave with their own. Another reason was that he didn't want to scare her. He really liked being able to finally talk to someone, but bringing in the fact that he could kill her easily wouldn't be the greatest relationship starter. Alex just couldn't risk either losing his relationship or getting discovered.
ReplyDeleteMatt G
I think Alex lied to the girl for many reasons. One reason is that he didn’t want the girl to know about the pistol. Another reason is that he didn’t want the girl to get scared of him. Another reason is that Alex didn’t want the girl to tell her parents. These are good reasons on why Alex lied to the girl.
ReplyDeleteDerek C.
I think he did not tell the girl about shooting the gun because she could have told anybody that he had/shot a gun.
ReplyDelete~Olivia
I think that Alex lied to the girl about shooting the gun to protect her. If Alex told the girl that he shot the gun, she would get really scared. If she got really scared she might of run away and get lost. When she gets lost she might get captured by the Germans or die. Her parents would be very upset and look for her. When they go looking they could also get captured and get sent away forever. Overall, telling the girl that he shot the gun would be a very bad idea.
ReplyDelete-Rose K
I think Alex lied to the girl about shooting the gun to protect her and to make her feel safe. If he had told her that he really did shoot a gun she would have been terrified. Not only would she be terrified, but she probably would have told her father or mother. By knowing that he had shot the gun to save her might make her feel safer but it might make her father go crazy. He seems to be the over protective and violent type so Alex would probably get hurt. And even if she didn’t tell her father she would be terrified of Alex and might run away and get lost and captured again. Alex was doing her a favor. So in a way, by not telling her. he saved her and his life...Again. Another very likely reason was that he was taking his fathers advice which was to be kind but only trust yourself. He was very kind to the little girl but he only trusted himself to know about the pistol.
ReplyDelete~Morgan B-W
In the book “The Island on Bird Street”, by Uri Orlev I think Alex lied about the gun because he didn’t want her to tell her dad about the gun, then he could get in trouble. First of all, at the beginning of the book it said you could get in big trouble if you had a weapon. That why Boruch had to hide his knife in his shoe. Plus, Martha could have gotten scared by him if he knew he had power and if he was a “killer”. To add on, Martha’s dad doesn’t like him so he would probably rat him out. It would give Martha’s family more food too, because they could find his food. In addition, he probably just felt like it was the right thing to do. At the moment he was just really surprised that he shot and what just happened. In fact it “scared the pants off” him. Lastly, you just saved someones life, you don’t know what to say. As you can see, it makes sense why Alex lied about the gun.
ReplyDeleteI think Alex lied about his gun because , if he had told the girl she would have been freaking out and maybe get even more frighten , thinking that Alex might want to assault her , like she had just been.
ReplyDeleteWhat if Alex told did tell the girl? Then she might over react and run home and tell her mother or father , then her parents would have told the German soldiers. Alex would have been killed or sent to the camp and would have slowly died there.~Sarah s. c.
Alex lies to the girl about the gun because he doesn't want the girl to be scared and run. Alex also doesn't want the girl to know because she might tell someone or "rat" on him and Alex might be killed.
ReplyDeleteBella C.
There are a couple reasons why Alex lied to the girl about shooting his gun. First, if Alex tells the girl that it was him, then she might get scared, nerves, tell her parents,or even tell the Germans. If the girl gets scared then she will no longer trust him or help him. Alex’s mother said, “relate to people with trust and human kindness, they will always help you,” and,“an intelligent person knows when to follow one rule, and when to follow another.” Alex’s meant that you have to know what to do in order to survive, and that is exactly what Alex was doing. Alex made the right decision by lying to the girl. Also if the girl told the Germans, then they would take his gun away and might even have been shot. I think Alex did the right thing by lying to the girl.
ReplyDelete~Amy K.
Alex lied to the girl about shooting the gun. He did this primarily to keep himself safe. If he had told her, she could have told a rat or ratted herself, which would make the Germans be prepared for Alex’s gun if they see him. Also, it would scare her even more than she already was, so it would be more likely that she would tell someone about Alex.
ReplyDelete-Jacob B.
I think Alex lied to the girl so she didn't tell her father he had a gun, her father might have gone after him if he had found out Alex had a gun.
ReplyDelete~Audrey