Saturday, December 19, 2015

Jerry: The Man Responsible for All Misfortune

Chapter 5 gives us a peek into the lives of some well-off British prisoners in Germany during the war. They are nourished, optimistic and eager to share with the American soldiers, but very ignorant as far as their knowledge of the outside world.

A British man thinks that Billy's child-sized coat is ridiculous and unfair, calling it "...a deliberate attempt to humiliate you. You mustn't let Jerry do things like that" (98). 'Jerry' is the name that the British use to refer affectionately to the Germans.

Millions of people were cruelly generalized by Hitler and his subordinates, but hearing that practice be reversed is just as troubling. Perhaps those who use the term 'Jerry' are not fully aware of the damage that has been caused by 'him', or maybe they just take their safety and freedom for granted.

The man giving advice to Billy seems to think that he is a small and vulnerable child, which is not an unfamiliar feeling for Billy. However, the British, who have been given sufficient food and well-fitting clothing, have barely experienced the horrors of the war going on around them. They assume that obtaining a larger coat is as simple as asking for one. Why would the British believe that self-advocacy is the answer to all the other prisoners' problems? Are they extremely trusting, or completely oblivious?

5 comments:

  1. I like your point, it's interesting.

    To respond to your question, I think the British are both trusting, as well as oblivious. Because the British don't know what's truly happening around them, they are trusting that everything must be fine. To put this into perspective, it can be related to when your best friend doesn't tell you anything bad, so you think everything is okay with them. In this case, the British is you, and the best friend is the rest of the world. The British haven't been informed of anything horrible, so they trust that if something bad were to happen, they would be informed. Either that, or they don't see how truly horrible the situation around them is, and in that case, they're completely oblivious and maybe ignorant. However, it's hard to think that they don't realize the war around them, so perhaps they're just hoping for the best. But I think it could go either way.

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  2. I like the idea of the Americans and the British as friends that tell each other when they are in danger! I agree with your point about their innocent ignorance, they might just be hoping that everything will turn out well in the end.

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  3. In my opinion I see the british to be a sort of comforting force surrounding Billy's life, I could be wrong but in my opinion their is not a lot of childish references in this book, its as if they are covering up the bad in the war, and are only showing the good. To put this into a perspective the Germans would tell the rest of the world the concentration camps where well, a great place to live, a place full of cafes and laughter and friends. Almost as if it was just a village segregated against the rest of the world. They are trying to my this sound as if its a okay place to be, and not as terrible as it really is.

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  4. In my opinion I see the british to be a sort of comforting force surrounding Billy's life, I could be wrong but in my opinion their is not a lot of childish references in this book, its as if they are covering up the bad in the war, and are only showing the good. To put this into a perspective the Germans would tell the rest of the world the concentration camps where well, a great place to live, a place full of cafes and laughter and friends. Almost as if it was just a village segregated against the rest of the world. They are trying to my this sound as if its a okay place to be, and not as terrible as it really is.

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  5. Billy does say that the Germans were "proud" of the Englishmen because they were model prisoners. This is ironic because they are practically free, and frequently interact with their captors on a friendly basis. The Englishmen do seem to act as a protective cushion around Billy and his comrades, I agree.

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