Campbell at the Movies is taking place all through July. On Wednesday night, July 8th we watched The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. If you would like to consider some questions for discussion, check out below and post a response.
see you at the movies!
Discussion questions for The Boy in the Striped Pajamas
1. Prejudice is an attitude while discrimination is a behavior. Explore • these differences?
2. What is a stereotype? Why do people stereotype groups that are different from them? How does the movie depict Nazis stereotyping Jews?
3. When the mother learns that Jews are being exterminated at the camp, she questions her husband. “How can you?” she asks. He responds: “Because I’m a solider.” How do these two perspectives contrast?
4. Why do you think Gretel believes the viewpoints of Lieutenant Kotler, the tutor Liszt, and her father about Jews. Although Bruno is younger than his sister, he questions their viewpoints. Why?
5. One the early turning points for the mother in the movie is saying thank you to Pavel for treating Bruno. What has changed for her at this point? Why do you think she seems open to considering a different perspective?
6. At times, the father is shown as a loving parent and husband. How is this possible given his role as a Nazi officer giving orders to treat people in humanely?
7. How does Bruno justify continuing his friendship with Shmuel despite what his father, sister and tutor said about Jews?
8. The barbed wire fence is a physical separation between Bruno and Shmuel. What other types of separation does the fence represent in this story?
9. Neither Bruno nor Shmuel really know what is going on at the concentration camp. Why is that, and what allows them to keep their innocence?
10. What events and experiences lead Bruno to gradually give up some of his innocence and see things differently?
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