Refugee History: Creating Understanding. Historically, one hallmark of human culture is the unfortunate distinction of how we treat the most vulnerable in our society. Furthermore, in western culture, the stories of those abused (including harmed children) are overlooked in exchange for ignorance surrounded by a privileged life. To learn more about overlooked historical events, an excellent read is the fictional novel, Refugee. Alan Gratz masterfully uses three, independent, historically accurate stories, to illustrate the journey refugees must take for their freedom. From the Night of the Breaking Glass, and a poor boy on a plastic dinghy attempting to escape Syria, to a girl crossing unimaginable distances on a small boat, this book showcases how humans have …show more content…
The context and events Alan Gratz chooses helps the reader understand the terror that people and their children have faced. It further amplifies the story by setting a stone of understanding to the desperation these children faced for survival. Key examples the Gratz includes in his story range from Josef storming the ship demanding the passengers aren't sent back to Isabel, continuing on after her friend is killed in Germany, to Mahmoud walking 12 hours to Austria. Pozner shrugged, and he shook. What choices do we have? We can’t go back to it. Your father knew that, too. That’s why he did what he did. If we succeed, we’re free. If we fail, at least the world will realize how desperate we are.” (Gratz). In this quote, Gratz accurately acknowledges the terror at the sheer thought of Nazi Germany through Pozner's conversation with Josef. They both know they can't go back, and they’ll do almost anything to ensure they won't return to Nazi Germany. To conclude, Alan Gratz uses historical context to portray the desperation and the horrors of the kids fleeing