Chp.
9 Respond to one of the
following.
pp.
66-67—Clearly the German soldiers have discovered the bunker where the Gryns
were hiding. Do you think the man who
helped the Gryns and Father build the bunker ratted on them? Explain your answer.
pp.
68-70—Should Alex have listened to his father or to his mother about trusting
people when he was interacting with Bolek, the looter? (refer back to pp. 30/
31 for Alex’s parents’ advice about trust)
Should Alex have trusted Bolek and told him the truth? Explain your answer.
pp.
69-70—Explain why the looter (Bolek) says, “I’d even tell you about it [the
secret passageway], except that I can’t trust you any more than you can trust
me.” What is the looter getting at?
I think the man who helped the father and the Gryns did rat on them because who else would have. Plus I think he did it because he knew he was getting something for it or he was forced. I think that the man wasn't very kind to them and just ratted to get an awarded or something like that.
ReplyDelete-Emma Mac
There are many things Bolek could be getting at. One thing I think he is getting at is that in times like this you must chose who you trust carefully. Alex hardly knew this guy and even in his mind he was thinking about his fathers advice in trusting people. Bolek knew he should act carefully around Alex as much as Alex knew he should act carefully around Bolek. Another thing Bolek might have been getting at is that he is not a trustworthy guy. Basically what he said to Alex was "I can't trust you, you can't trust me". In those times you had to pick whom you trust carefully.
ReplyDelete~Hayley C.
I agree with you Hayley. I also think that in these times you really need to chose who you trust carefully. I also think that the "Philosophy" of trust that Bolek follows is similar to that of Fathers
Delete-Becca L.
I agree with you Hayley. What you said is completely true. In a time like this, you need to pick who you trust carefully. I think that he has a similar way of thinking as Father, (I agree with Becca too)
Delete-Iman S
I think Alex should listen to both his parents. Alex can trust the man first, but doesn't need to tell him the truth yet. Alex should first be careful around this man because Alex doesn't know this man very well. But afterwards if Alex thinks he can trust the man, then he can tell the man the truth. Alex can use what both his parents said and make a decision.
ReplyDelete-Tina H.
I agree with you Tina H. Using both of his parents advice would be a wise decision.
Delete~Hayley C.
I agree with you Tina. It doesn't have to be one method of trust or the other. Alex can use both of his Parents philosophy's combined with his own judgement in order to make the perfect plan of trust. I also agree that just because you trust someone, doesn't mean you have to give them the truth and/or the whole truth right away. Yo can wait until you are positive that you fully trust them. Really great points Tina!!!
Delete-Becca L.
I think that what the looter is saying that it is every man for himself and that you can trust no one when he says “ I’d even tell you about it, except that I can't trust you any more than you can trust me.” I think that the man is saying that it is every man for himself because a looter is very untrustworthy and Alex is trustworthy but the man doesn’t know that. The looter is saying that it doesn’t matter because it’s every man for himself. I also think that the looter ment by “ I’d even tell you about it, except that I can’t trust you any more than I can trust you.” is that he is saying that you can trust no one. I think this because he is saying that you can’t trust me and I can't trust you, you can’t trust anyone so why take a chance and risk your life?
ReplyDeleteEleasah W.
When the looter says “I’d even tell you about it, except that I can't trust you any more than you can trust me.” he is saying that in these times, you can’t truly trust anyone. Bolek obviously agrees with Father’s perspective on trust; which is be kind, but only trust yourself. Another thing Bolek could be getting at is that he himself is not a trustworthy person. He could be kind at heart, so he wants to warn Alex that he is dangerous before it is too late. Bolek’s words might simply mean that Alex can’t trust him, and he can’t trust Alex. No matter what Bolek meant by “I’d even tell you about it, except that I can't trust you any more than you can trust me.”, Alex shouldn’t be completely honest with Bolek; he should keep on the cautious side
ReplyDelete-Becca L.
I agree with Becca-Emma MEM
DeleteI think that the man that worked on the bunker with the Gryns and Alex's father ratted him out.
ReplyDeleteI think that because first of all how are you going to find out that they are hiding in that deliberate location. Two maybe to save his own life since he was probably going away to concentration camp he ratted them out in order to live. Third he could have told on them so he could get the rest of the food supply before they cleared it out.
In conclusion the germans would have needed some help to find their bunker.
~ John M
In chapter 9 Alex met a man named Bolek who told Alex that he knew how to get out of the Ghetto. He did not tell Alex how to escape because as he says,“I’d even tell you about it, except that I can’t trust you any more than you can trust me.”
ReplyDeleteWhat Bolek was getting at was that neither could trust the other. Either could be a snitch. They had just met each other. Bolek was pointing out the fact that they were already sharing an amount of information with each other that was not sensible, and perhaps letting their emotions get the best of them; talking to a person must have been nice living in that certain period of time.
Bolek did tell Alex where he was staying, so obviously Bolek did trust Alex to some extent, but perhaps it would be wiser if Alex never visited Bolek; for as Bolek himself said, "I can't trust you any more than you trust me."
-Maddie A
I agree with you; all your reasons are correct.
DeleteWIllie T.
The looter said “I’d even tell you about it, except that I can’t trust you any more than you can trust me.” because trust is give-get type of thing. If you are to trust one person enormously, they would give you enormous trust too. Trust is like friendship. It grows stronger as you become friends. So I think that the looter said that because he trusts Alex as much as Alex trusts him.
ReplyDelete-Ben B
I agree with you Ben that trust is a give and go sort of thing and it is like a friendship. If you give a lot at it the other person will too.
Delete~ John M
I agree that trust is a give and go thing. However at this time, you don't have time to build friendships and trust.
Delete-Elon L.
I agree with you Tina, since both parent's adivice is good in its own ways and for their own reasons, so Alex's best choice is to use both.
Delete- Jason Alpert-Wisnia >:-)
When Bolek said, "I'd even tell you about it, except that I can't trust you any more than you can trust me," he meant that nobody could really put full trust in people in the ghettos. Anyone that you see, even your best friend, could be a rat. He could even be getting at the fact that he could be a rat himself. This shows that Bolek would obviously agree with Alex's father more than his mother, and it proves that trust is a hard thing to obtain at this time. Bolek can't trust Alex because there's a chance that Alex is a rat, and that chance could be life or death.
ReplyDelete~Derek K.
Well what bolek meant is sometimes when people trust and tell them your secrets.You don't actually know if they trust you like you trust them.So when you tell them your secrets they can just other people without you knowing it.So maybe that is what he was getting at.
ReplyDelete-Shaniay C
Yes, Alex should have listened to his parents about trusting strangers. One reason is because since he was polish you don’t know what he could have done to someone he could have been nice or hurt Alex. Also, because everyone is just trying to live and anyone will do anything to stay alive. So, just be careful trusting people after you are supposed to be in the ghetto.
ReplyDeletep.68-70
Will K.
I think the looter is getting at that he can’t trust Alex and Alex doesn't trust him.
ReplyDeleteIn these times people would do anything to survive including even telling on their friends. The Germans would trade with the Jews;If a Jew gave them a Jew(or Jews ) they would repay them with a small amount of food or money.
If you trust someone then they trust you and if Alex trusted Bolek then maybe Bolek would have trusted him.
This is why Bolek says“I’d even tell you about it, except that I can’t trust you any more than you can trust me.”
~Sonia N
I like how you thought about that. Emma MEM
DeleteI think the man who help build the bunker rated because in the book it seemed as though it was well hidden and hard to find. Also when the germans searched all the houses next to alex's hide out the never really thoroughly looked for bunkers. Also in this time period people thought rating might help them survive the death camps and might even give them their freedom.
ReplyDeleteJohn B
I think that what the looter was getting at when he said, "I’d even tell you about it [the secret passageway], except that I can’t trust you any more than you can trust me." is for many reasons. First, he suspects that Alex doesn't trust him a lot, so he isn't sure if Alex will tell someone else about it. Secondly, he isn't sure if Alex would use the information against him, so that when the time comes, that Alex would demand food or else he'd tell everyone about the passage. Therefore, the looter Bolek didn't want to tell Alex about the passage
ReplyDelete~Max T
There are many things that Bolek is getting at. One thing is that they did not know each other very well. If you met someone on the street, and had a small chat with them, you would not tell them all of your personal information. This is a time of war so not trusting people is a very appropriate thing to do. Bolek is trying to tell Alex that every man is for himself right now. If they had a prior relationship, then he might have told Alex about the secret passage. While Alex was talking to Bolek, his father’s advice was probably going through his head. It is wise not to trust others, when you do not know them well, and they possibly could be dangerous (Bolek was “wiping his bloody fingers on the curtain.”) Basically, Bolek was trying to tell Alex that he can’t trust him, so Alex should not trust him back.
ReplyDelete-Iman S
I think that the guy who helped the Gryns build the bunker ratted them to the Germans. This is because he barely knew the Gryns and Alex’s father and didn’t get anything in return for helping build it. Also, he was transported. He might have been a rat or been tortured in a camp to tell the truth. On the other hand, the Germans might have spotted the activity around that area with Alex going in and out.
ReplyDelete-Elon L.
This comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteIt could also be that he was trying to survive, and survival sometimes makes you do things you know are wrong.
Delete-Elon L.
The guy is trying to get at that I don't know that you trust me yet so I cant show you yet.So they need to become better friends its like saying you need to trust me before I can trust you.
ReplyDeleteNick.T
I disagree, I think that he is just giving him a reason why he cant trust Alex. Emma MEM
DeleteI think that the man who worked on the home ratted the Gyrns out. This man had obviously quit being a construction worker -- maybe he had been fired since maybe if he was Jewish. So when time came, and they were looking for Jews, the worker might have needed help, and didn't want to die, so he ratted out the Gyrns to Germans, hoping for help, which does not surprise me, since what life was like in World War 2.
ReplyDeleteThis is by Jason Alpert-Wisnia
DeleteYes, I agree with you Jason, but what if he had actually been transported? Would this affect your response?
DeleteEmily E
I think that the man who worked on the home ratted the Gyrns out. This man had obviously quit being a construction worker -- maybe he had been fired since maybe if he was Jewish. So when time came, and they were looking for Jews, the worker might have needed help, and didn't want to die, so he ratted out the Gyrns to Germans, hoping for help, which does not surprise me, since what life was like in World War 2.
ReplyDelete- Jason Alpert-Wisnia >:-)
Bolek chose not to tell Alex about the secret passage. Bolek said that he couldn’t trust Alex more than Alex trusts him. I think he meant that to Alex, Bolek is a stranger, and to Bolek Alex is a stranger so they can’t trust each other equally. Also Bolek doesn’t know if Alex is a person sent by the Germans, and Alex doesn’t know if Bolek was sent by the Germans. Lastly they don’t know what they are by that I mean Bolek suspects Alex is a looter, and Alex suspects Bolek is a looter so they can’t trust each other in that sense because they don’t know for sure.
ReplyDelete-Daphnee-Anne G.
There are multiple possibilities that explain why the Gryns were discovered. One does not involve the man ratting them out, though that is more than likely. Possibility 1: The most obvious one, the man ratted him out. Possibility 2: Much less likely, the Germans did a search and found the bunker. While the man did not necessarily rat them out, that is the more likely alternative.
ReplyDeleteWillie T.
I like how you added other possibilities besides ratting them out, but since we have seen other times where Germans have missed hideouts, I don't agree that they found the bunker on their own.
Delete-Abigail D.
Question 3:
ReplyDeleteThe looter is getting at that in the ghetto, at this moment, it is every man for himself. The man and Alex don't know if one another is secretly friends with the Germans. (Or one in disguise.) They don't know if they are trustworthy enough to not tell anyone. They don't know if they can trust each other to get both of them out safely, and both get the advantages of using the secret passage. They have no idea if one of them will sneak out in the middle of the night to use the secret passageway to go find something to eat or keep them warm/dry/cool. At this point, nobody really knows anything for sure anymore. All they know is that they better do anything they can to keep hidden and alive, because there are people out there waiting for them to come out of their hiding places.
~Emily E
I agree with Emily's statement. When you are experiencing a time like this, it is every man for himself. Whether it's food, shelter, water, and other resources, it's best to not trust anyone too much. For all we know (and Alex) either of them could steal all of the supplies and make a run for it.
DeletePlus, they don't know each other too well, so trusting each other is not the best idea for the both of them.
Casandra G.
The looter said a quote that I found interesting. I thought he was getting at about since Alex isn't supposed to trust really anyone the man was saying that Alex probably isn't trusting the man any more than the man isn't trusting himself. He obviously can't trust Alex either because he is a kid, who knows what he could do...
ReplyDelete~Cal M.
I definitely agree with this, Cal. I like how you added that since Alex shouldn't always trust people, the man knows this as well, so he points it out.
Delete-Abigail D.
I think that the bunker that the bunker that the Gryn's and "Father" built was found by the soldiers because someone had "ratted" or spilled the beans." The reason why i think this is because the bunker was well built (Father has a lot of care in his son and wouldn't have made a slop bunker for Alex.) and hard to find. Therefore the average soldier would not be able to locate it without a rat... \
ReplyDeleteBen W.
I think that the man who helped the Gryns and father did tell the Germans where the bunker was. One reason he might have rated them out is because at that time there were so many rats, the Germans would reward you if you told them were a bunker is. Imagine getting free food for a week in exchange for you telling them where a bunker was, people would do that in a blink of an eye. Another reason he might have done it is because he was forced to by the Germans. It is possible that the Germans could have been looking for that bunker and they had heard a rumor that that man had helped make the bunker so they hunted him down and made him tell them where the bunker was.
ReplyDelete-Dylan Judge
I agree with all of your reasoning. It really made sense that he could have ratted or they could have forced him to.
Delete-Abigail D.
question three
ReplyDeleteWhen Bolek says “I’d even tell you about it, except I can't trust you any more than you can trust me.” Hes going back to what Alex's father said about trust “Be kind but only trust yourself” Bolek doesn't know that if he tells Alex where the secret passage way is, that he's going to keep it to himself. As far as he knows Alex could go and rat him out to the Germans. Bolek is kind to Alex he offers him help “‘But if you ever need help, come and see me and i'll see what i can do’” Though Bolek cannot tell Alex his most valuable information, how to escape because he might rat him out. He does offer him help which is the perfect example of fathers logic “Be kind but only trust yourself”
-Anna.j
Prompt three.
ReplyDeleteThe looter is referring to the times of war. If Alex were to be a rat or be a Nazi spy it would be very bad for the looter. In that time of war you really can not trust anyone you meet. Not even if they are the nicest person on Earth. The looter could not afford for a Nazi to find out about his secret. Even if Alex was not a spy or a rat, a Nazi could over hear them talking.
Jane A.
Section 3
I agree with your points, how any Nazi could be spying--and how you can't trust people right away.
Delete-Abigail D.
I agree with Cal. The points you made were something that ties into what I said. The looter could not trust a little kid in this time of war.
ReplyDeleteJane A.
Section 3
Yes, I definitely believe that the construction man who helped Father and the Gryns ratted on them.
ReplyDeleteFirst, Germans sometimes rewarded Jews for “ratting” other Jews out. So, who wouldn’t want to get some extra food for himself at a time like this? Almost everyone, if not everyone, would tell the Germans about the bunker to get a reward! So, it is VERY possible that the construction worker ratted the Gryn family out. It’s every man for himself in WW2!
In addition, there is yet another possibility of why the man could have ratted: it is somewhat likely that the Germans forced the man for answers, otherwise there could be a consequence. In times like those, no one wanted to make the Germans angry, so the man could have easily ratted on the Gryns to obey the Germans and not get in trouble.
Lastly, I know that Father was quite a smart person with lots of tricks up his sleeve. So, the bunker CLEARLY was not an easy task to find for the Germans. It only makes sense that someone had told them, and the only possible rat was the construction man.
In conclusion, I really do think that the man who helped Father and the Gryns ratted on them. He could have been rewarded for it, so of course anyone who was starving would do it to get food! The Germans could have forced him to tell, and HE was the only one who knew about it besides the Gryns, and Alex’s family, so he was the only one who could have told! It was too hard for the Germans to find, so he MUST have ratted.
-Abigail D.
I think the looter says he cant trust Alex any more than Alex can trust him, is the looter could think Alex is a rat and could tell the Nazis, and then the looter would get killed.
ReplyDeleteJon P
I agree because in those times nobody can be trusted
DeleteI think that it was a good idea on Alex's part to follow Mother's advise on trust. He didn't tell the looter too much, so the looter cant rat him out, but the looter told him where his adress was, so It seemed that the looter was trust worthy anyway. Also the looter couldn't have ratted Alex out without ratting himself too.
ReplyDeleteEmma M-E M.
I agree with emma because its not like hes telling the germans his plan, he is just telling someone kind, who can help him with his plan.
Delete-Rose K
I do think the construction worker ratted to the Nazis. I think this because he helped build the place, so my guess is he knew where everything was. Also, Alex's family and the Gryns were smart enough not to tell anyone about the bunker so he was probably the only "outsider" who knew. It wouldn't have been obvious except for the fact that the emergency food supply had been broken into. There is no way the Nazis could have found it. So there had to be a rat. And the only one it could be would be the construction worker!
ReplyDeleteSam Schwartz
ReplyDelete66-67
ReplyDeleteI think that the the old construction worker who helped Alex and the Gryns build the bunker ratted. I think this because in times of war people are desperate and do anything to survive. For example the man might have ratted because of promise to be given food.
-John S.
I think that it was good that Alex was kind, and that he didn’t tell Bolek the truth. In Alex’s situation, you have to be very careful, and you can’t do anything that could ever possibly hurt you, unless the other option is worse. In this case, Alex can either tell the man the truth, or lie. Lying would make more sense, because the consequences of telling the man the truth could be terrible. The man could rat out, and tell the Germans where Alex is hiding, and where all of his food is... It would definitely be safer too lie too Bolek because the consequences are minimal, and what would Alex gain by telling the truth?
ReplyDelete-Maya W
I agree with you Maya, because yes he barely knew Bolek at that moment, maybe even not at all. Lying is good in this situation because 1) He could rat you out. 2) He could "steal" your identity.
Delete~Cal M.
I think that the guy ratted out on them. I think that because food is scarce those times and they really need the food to survive. We already know how mean the Gryns are so he might not wanted to ask them so he stole it away from them.
ReplyDeleteTammy Y.
CChapter 9 of The Island on Bird Street the place Alex lived in was cleared. My suspicions lead to the construction builder that helped Alex’s father and Gryns build the hideouts ratted them out to the Nazis. Father wouldn't tell and Alex wouldn't either. I am almost 100 percent sure that the Gryns didn't do it because they would want to keep everything to themselves to survive with and the only other person who knows where things are located is the construction builder. It may be the construction builder or a person who searched in good places.
ReplyDelete~Vanessa Y.
No I do not think that Alex should have trusted Bolek because he seemed like a potential threat so I do not think he should have trusted him.Because what Mother and Father said to sum it up is you can trust people but not everyone.
ReplyDeleteI disagree with you because some people can be trusted. Bolek could help Alex and his father get out of the ghetto.
Delete~Vanessa Y.
I believe that Alex was listening to his mother. I believe this because when Bolek was being very kind to him Alex acted kind back. But also Alex did give some of the information that only he should know to Bolek. Mother said you should trust everyone and be kind. Father says you shouldn’t trust anyone but you still should be kind. Alex was being kind and trusting him. So that is why I believe he was listening to his mother. Does anyone else agree?
ReplyDelete-Timothy Y
NOOOO!
DeleteTo add on I believe that Alex should've listened listened to his father because if the looter wants to take Alex he knows exactly where to go.
DeleteI think that the guy ratted out on them. I think that because theres not a lot of food to go around
ReplyDeleteand you want to survive. there also probably desperate and they will do anything to survive during the war.
-jonathan i
ReplyDeleteBolek is saying that if Alex trusts Bolek then Bolek can trust Alex.
When it says, “I can’t trust you any more than you can trust me”
looter is saying that, he can’t trust Alex more than Alex can trust him.
Because , Alex doesn’t know looter then he can’t trust looter because , looter is a stranger to Alex that is a doctor. Also Alex is a just kid that is wandering around the ghetto trying to survive to looter.
~sarah s.
Explain why the looter (Bolek) says, “I’d even tell you about it [the secret passageway], except that I can’t trust you any more than you can trust me.” What is the looter getting at?
ReplyDeleteThe Looter is saying that for a couple of reasons . The first reason is because if he told the secret than he would give away his secret and he might risk his life. That is why the Looter wold not tell his secret.
-Forrest K.
I don't think he should have listened to his mother and father because he did not get harmed in any way with his interaction with the stranger. But he should have been more than just careful because if he remembered the stranger killed a man just a few seconds ago. Also he had made a mistake of talking to the man in the first place because the stranger could have been a kidnapper.
ReplyDeleteJesus R.
I think the guy that helped build the bunker for the gryns rattes out on them. I think this because there is not much food and when you help the Germans they might give you food.
ReplyDelete~Jack LeBlanc
I think it is certainly a possibility that the person who helped to build the bunker ratted them out. And that is probably what happened because he is the only one who knew about the bunker. But also it is possible that they made too much noise and the Germans heard them.
ReplyDelete-Bennett E
DeleteBolek meant when he said “I’d even tell you about it, except that I can’t trust you any more than you can trust me.” is that you can't trust people, especially when its a time of life or death.
ReplyDelete-- ili K.
The looter (Bolek) says, “I’d even tell you about it [the secret passageway], except that I can’t trust you any more than you can trust me.” He says this to Alex because if he told Alex, Alex could have told the Germans and Bolek would get killed and the passageway would blocked. When Bolek "except that I can’t trust you any more than you can trust me.” He getting at, he knows Alex doesn't/can't trust him never much and it's the same thing for him.
ReplyDeleteCammi M
I think what the Boleak was trying to get at was the fact that war is started from someone taking advantage of your trust. German set up the ghettos because they were trying to kill people without anyone noticing. That is breaking someones trust because you're trying to do something behind there back
ReplyDeleteMichael L
The looter is saying, “I’d even tell you about it [the secret passageway], except that I can’t trust you any more than you can trust me.” Because in war you can't really trust anyone besides yourself. Also, the looter is telling Alex to watch out. If i were Alex, I wouldn't trust the looter.
ReplyDelete~Kelley
I agree because as it said in the book," There were always rats" and the looter could have been tricking Alex.
DeleteBen K
I think that the construction worker had ratted them out because "rats" get to stay longer and get a reward but sooner or later, they will all be caught.
ReplyDeleteBen K
When Boleak said, "I'd even tell you about it [the secret passageway], except that I can't trust you any more than you can trust me," he was trying to tell Alex not to trust ANYONE with important secrets during the war. If the Germans knew about Boleaks secret they would find the hole, and fix it. Both Alex and Boleak understand each other's perspective on not telling those large secrets. They know the consequences and they were both fine without knowing each other's secrets.
ReplyDeleteMatt G
When Bolek says 'I'd even tell you about it , except that i cant trust you anymore than you can trust me". I think what he was trying to say is that dont trust ANYBODY right away, you have to know if they are trustworthy.
ReplyDelete~Olivia
I think Alex should of trusted him parents because you never know if the you can trust someone for a dangerous situation.
ReplyDelete-Richie
I think the looter is trying to teach Alex to trust people. Even in the war time trusting people is a little hard but there is still some cases that you really need to rely on someone and trust them. If you don’t trust someone first they are not going to trust you back (some case they will not trust you at all) The looter is trying to convince Alex that for him to tell the secret passage Alex must trust him first. Why would you tell someone a secret when you don’t earn their trust first?
ReplyDeleteAngela Liu
the looter (Bolek) says, “I’d even tell you about it [the secret passageway], except that I can’t trust you any more than you can trust me.” because they don't know each other or if they are trustworthy.
ReplyDeleteThe looter is saying that he can only trust Alex if Alex trusts him. I think this is an example of misunderstanding advice. Alex's mother told him not to trust anyone dangerous or harmful but in this situation he should tell the looter so he can get out of the ghetto with a more "solid" plan. Alex's plan is very risky and most likely won't work.
ReplyDelete-Rose K
I think the father was right, you can’t just trust everyone with everything. There are too many traitors. you have to only trust yourself, because you can trust yourself. Plus if you ever watched the movie Cleopatra you know that Julius Ceasar was stabbed by his BFFN (Best Friend For Never) Julius trusted Marc (Antoine) and he stabbed him in the back. That proves you can’t trust anyone but yourself.
ReplyDelete-- N N >-- ( that was Izzy sideways
-Izzo the Dino/ Ingleman
I think Bolek could be getting at a couple different things when he said, “I’d even tell you about it, except that I can’t trust you any more than you can trust me.” The first thing he could be getting at is that you can never fully trust anyone. He and Alex had just met. He wasn’t going to tell Alex his secret plan. Alex could have been working for the germans. In a way he was also giving Alex advice on trust, like both his parents did. But his was more like Fathers than Mothers. He was also saying that Alex shouldn’t trust him either. He should only trust himself, at least for now.
ReplyDelete~Morgan B-W
In the book “The Island on Bird Street”, by Uri Orlev Borlek was trying to get at what was said earlier in the book about trust. First, at the beginning of the book father said “be kind to everyone but trust only yourself.” This is exactly what Borlek did. He talked to Alex and was friendly to him. Also, when he said “i’d even tell you about it, except that I can’t trust you anymore than you can trust me” he meant what father said. He couldn’t know if Alex would rat him out to the germans. His “secret mustn’t ever become known to the Germans.” Plus, he doesn’t even know Alex. He was sizing the situation. It was pretty nice though that he even talked to him and offered to help. They even swapped jokes. All and all, Borlek was trying to get at what father said about trust.
ReplyDeleteSivan A.
Bolek the looter can’t trust Alex for many reason. One reason is that Alex could give Bolek away. Alex will get caught some day and could spill it out. Another reason is that they didn’t know each other before. These are good reasons on why Bolek didn’t trust Alex.
ReplyDeleteDerek C.
What Bolek means by "I can't trust you more than you trust me" is that they just met and the small amount they know each other can't make them trust each other. If Alex trusted Bolek he could steal his food or rat, he is a looter after all. In the place and time Alex is living when you trust someone you trust them with your life
ReplyDelete-Paige W
I don't think that Alex should have said anything when he was talking to Bolek. During that time, there were rats all over the place, and you never know who it could be. Alex couldn't have known if Bolek was a rat, but to be on the safe side, he should have not said anything.
ReplyDeleteAlex could and should have taken his father’s advice, which was "be kind, but only trust yourself." Especially during war, this advice comes in handy.
Julia Y.
I do think the man that was working with the Gryns and Alex's father on the bunker did rat on them. The reason I think this is because back in those bad times if you did something that helped the Germans you would get rewarded with something such as food which everyone was running low on. Also who else would have known about the bunker but him.
ReplyDelete~Amy K.
I think that the man who helped build the bunker did rat on the Gryns because who else would know about the bunker other than the builders or the people who used it. Also, you never know who you can trust.
ReplyDelete~AUdrey