The opposite of love is not hate; it’s indifference. The opposite of art is not ugliness; it’s
indifference. The opposite of faith is not heresy; it’s indifference. And the opposite of life
is not death; it’s indifference.
– Elie Wiesel
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas
By John Boyne
Summer Reading Project for Incoming 8th Grade Students
Response Journal
You will do the following assignment in a one-subject notebook or a composition
notebook. The notebook will be turned in the first day of school and will count as a test
grade. This assignment will be graded on content, neatness, and completion. Blue or
black pen is required (except on the cover page). Journal completed in pencil or other
ink colors will have 30 points deducted. Make sure you respond fully to what is being
asked. Many of these ask more than one question and many may take more than ½ page
to respond.
Page 1 – Design a cover which is appropriate to the theme of the book. This needs to be
your own drawing (not computer generated). Color is not required if the lack of it
expresses a mood you are trying to create. Be prepared to defend the lack of color if that
is the direction you choose.
Page 2 – Give a one page summary of the plot of the book.
Page 3 – Give at least a ½ page response to the following: Discuss the relationship
between Bruno and Gretel. Why does Bruno seems younger than nine?
Page 4 - Give at least a ½ page response to the following: What is it about the house at
Out-With that makes Bruno feel “cold and unsafe”? How is this feeling perpetuated as
he encounters people like Pavel, Maria, Lt. Kotler, and Shmuel?
Page 5 - Give at least a ½ page response to the following: Describe his reaction when he
first sees the people in the striped pajamas. What does Gretel mean when she says,
“Something about the way Bruno was watching made her feel suddenly nervous”? How
does this statement foreshadow Bruno’s ultimate demise?
Page 6 – Give at least a ½ page response to the following: Bruno asks his father about
the people outside their house at Auschwitz. His father answers, “They’re not people at
all, Bruno.” Discuss the horror of this attitude. How does his father’s statement make
Bruno more curious about Out-With?
Page 7 – Give at least a ½ page response to the following: Explain what Bruno’s mother
means when she says, “We don’t have the luxury of thinking.” Identify scenes from the
novel that Bruno’s mother isn’t happy about their life at Out-With. Do you think she is
unhappy being away from Berlin or angry about her husband’s position? How does
Bruno’s grandmother react to her son’s military role?
Page 8 – Give at least a ½ page response to the following: When Bruno and his family
board the train for Auschwitz, he notices an overcrowded train headed in the same
direction. How does he later make the connection between Shmuel and that train? How
are both trains symbolic of each boy’s final journey?
Page 9 – Give at least a ½ page response to the following: Bruno issues a protest about
leaving Berlin. His father responds, “Do you think that I would have made such a
success of my life if I hadn’t learned when to argue and when to keep my mouth shut and
follow orders?” What question might Bruno’s father ask at the end of the novel?
Page 10 – A pun is most often seen as humorous. But, in this novel the narrator uses
dark or solemn puns like Out-With and Fury to convey certain meanings. Bruno is
simply mispronouncing the real words, but the author is clearly asking the reader to
consider a double meaning to these words. Discuss the use of this wordplay as a literary
device. What is the narrator trying to convey to the reader? How do these words further
communicate the horror of the situation?
Page 11 – Give at least a ½ page response to the following: When Bruno dresses in the
filthy striped pajamas, he remembers something his grandmother once said, “You wear
the right outfit and you feel like the person you’re pretending to be.” How is this true for
Bruno? What about his father? What does this statement contribute to the overall
meaning of the story?
Page 12 – Give at least a ½ page response to the following: Discuss the moral or
message of the novel. What new insights and understanding does John Boyne want the
reader to gain from reading this story?
Page 13 - Give at least a ½ page response to the following: Have you been tempted to
justify bad choices as some form of obligation or duty? Have you seen small
rationalizations grow into larger, damaging results?
Page 14 - Give at least a ½ page response to the following: Who do you view as
different? Would you still play with them or consider them potential friends?
Page 15 – Give at least a ½ page response to the following: Have there been times when
you’ve betrayed a friend? How can you make amends with those you’ve shunned or
scorned?
Page 16 - Give at least a ½ page response to the following: How can you step into
another person’s shoes? Who needs our prayers, solidarity, and support today?