Repeatedly throughout the book we see Mr. Malter earnestly advising Reuven to befriend Danny. Once they are friends, he is persistent in making sure that Reuven is there for him, and supports Danny. Mr. Malter was not only aware of Danny's brilliant mind, but he understood his anxiousness to leave Hasidism. This desire was not stemmed from bitterness, although that by no means would have been unwarranted. However, Danny's desire was driven by him not wanting to be tzaddik, but to be a psychologist. There is a scene in the book where Reuven watches a fly caught in a spider's web. Intently Reuven observes as the fly struggles to escape the web, before the spider can make it's way to it. Reuven blows at the fly, attempting to help free him from
Danny and Reuven’s relationship was a link between father and son, but this grew into something more, something life-long and unchanging. This friendship was true, it meant a lot to both of them, and their parents. However, after large disagreements in both Danny and Reuven’s religious lives and families, Reb Saunders excommunicates Reuven from the Hasidic community and Danny’s life.
Potok uses diction and syntax to dramatize Reuven's experience with Reb Saunders by using diction to relate Reuven's incident to the German Holocaust. For example, Reuven's first feeling is the loss of breath. "His reaction had caught me so completely by surprise that I had quite literally stopped breathing, and now I found myself gasping for breath." (Potok) Reuven's loss of breath relates back to the German Holocaust because of, "the brick cells where men sentenced to death by suffocation were walled up." (Rosenthal) During the German Holocaust, there was also suffocation dungeons. "Into the suffocation dungeons the visitor is taken for a moment and feels himself strangling." (Rosenthal) The diction used in both 'The Chosen' and 'No News
Reb Saunders and David Malter show similarity in terms of the way they act as a father and teacher. After the baseball incident, Danny visits Reuven and says, “ ‘I have to become a rabbi and don’t want to be one. You don’t have to be a rabbi and do want to be one,’ (p. 99).” Reb Saunders and David Malter teach their own child against their will, so the children decide to teach each other against their fathers’ will. The fathers know what their own child want to be, yet they still continue to teach both children in their own way.
Danny Saunders and Reuven Malters could not be more different in appearance. Following Hasidic traditions, Danny had long earlocks, wore a tzitzit, and wore shoes with a metal bottom. Also, by he is in college his beard is full-grown. The only aspect, appearance wise, that the boys had in common in the beginning of the story were their black skullcaps. Reuven had always worn glasses, but after spending countless years reading every chance he got, Danny needed them too. The stress caused by the reading and from the pressures of his family became too much on his eyes and they started to turn red and develop bags underneath them. As the firstborn son, Danny had known, for as long as he could remember, that he was to take his father’s place as tzaddik and lead his own congregation. But Danny knew that he did not belong up on a podium preaching, just like Reuven knew that he was not meant to be a math professor. Reuven’s father, David, was one of his best friends. He talked to him
Wes Moore, the name of two men, two men whose lives seemed quite similar at first, but as their lives went on, one man traveled the path he was on and the other turned his life around. The intention each man had was not always good but different outcomes can come from different intentions as seen in each mans lives.
Danny and Reuven represent deeply committed friends. Their live intertwine when historical circumstances , religious realities, and their father's differences in child rearing dramatically affect their respective senses of security and happiness.
The relationship between Danny and Reuven is a very big theme in The Chosen. Danny and Reuven are two boys who have grew up within a few blocks of each other, but in two entirely different worlds. They meet for the first time in at a school baseball game between their two Jewish schools. Even though at first their only feeling for each other is one of hatred, they eventually get over their differences and become the best of friends. They learn a lot about each other and about the others life and religion. The boys’ fathers have very different views and that’s gets them in trouble. Danny’s father disagrees with Reuven’s father’s point of view on a certain topic, and forbids Danny from ever seeing Reuven again. After some time Reb gets over himself and permits Danny to see Reuven again. This situation goes back to the fathers’ ways of raising their child and their view on their religion.
The Saunders share dinner each night, shrouded in Reb’s silence, whereas the Malter clan discusses the day and the Zionist movement. Towards the end of the novel, Danny reveals to Reuven, “you can listen to silence and learn from it” (267). Reuven cannot comprehend the meaning behind Danny’s statement because of the parenting technique David Malter utilizes; even with just father and son, conversation is constant. Reuven remains unsure of the point Reb Saunders tries to prove until the man orders an end to the boys’ friendship. Only then does he understand, as the boys communicate through looks instead of words. Not only do the parenting styles of each family differ, but the dynamics diverge. It is clear that Reb Saunders will not tolerate anything than what he declares, while David and Reuven act as an equal pair in their family dynamic. Both boys learn from the other’s father. David gives Danny knowledge through reading and books, proving that life involves more than just religion; Reb helps Reuven understand how to overcome differences and understand different points of view. Reb Saunders and David Malter interact with their sons in different ways, yet teach the boys invaluable
At the beginning of the novel, their whole friendship wouldn't have started if one, Reuven didn't listen to his urging father and forgave Danny, and two, if Danny didn't stubbornly persist in visiting Reuven in the hospital, where he patiently waited for him to vent his anger. "Also, yesterday I hated him; now we were calling each other by our first names. I sat and
However, when dealing with same-sex marriage and legalization, well, this doesn’t bother me, and people choose their preference. Therefore, I'm, okay with it. Yet, in the David Reimer story, and the damage done to him as an infant, I would say that it is wrong to teach a boy to become a girl, all because the doctor messed up the circumcised procedure. On the other hand, sexual orientation misunderstanding is that heterosexual and homosexuals are very different in function and brain structure. Yet it's not a choice, but characteristic that cannot be changed into a person.
In Chaim Potok’s The Chosen, two contrasting characters are introduced—Reuven Malter and Danny Saunders. They are opposites. While Reuven is forward—speaking his mind, Danny Saunders shows a stark contrast—an inflective soul, listening to silence, and growing from it. These characters set the stage for a lasting relationship to form, to be strengthened, and to be stressed.
Throughout the chapters of On The Rez, by Ian Frazier, it becomes apparent that the author has a need to be friends with Le War Lance for the understanding of the book. Despite the first impression of Le being a moocher, as the chapters wear on, it becomes apparent that what Frazier and Le have is a special friendship not bound by modern society. Their friendship is based on both affection and assistance. This unique friendship aids in the overall understanding of the book.
Lynn Nottage’s play, “Ruined”, is an eye-opening story that takes place in the Democratic Republic of Congo during the Civil War. The play is centered around women who have been sexually abused, and are living and working in a brothel owned by the protagonist Mama Nadi. The play gives deep insight to the hardships women had to go through during that time. The play is a melodrama and a great example of a contemporary version of realism. This play also illustrates three important characteristics of storytelling we discussed in class: stories teach, stories allow us to personalize issues, and stories build compassion.
He overwhelms his son by taking control of his future and planning out his life. The boss’s plan for his son is to take over the business which gives the son no other choices or opportunities concerning his future. “Ever since his birth, the boss has worked at building up his business for him; it had no other meaning if it was not for the boy” (Mansfield 508). It seems as though the physical action of the boss smothering the fly is associated with the sufferings that his son has experienced. Both the boss’s son and the fly go through similar yet different forms of suffering throughout their lives. Interestingly, while the fly is struggling to live, the boss utters, “Come on, Look Sharp” (Mansfield 509), just as he would say to his suffering son. Both the fly and victims of wartime fighting (his son) are innocently killed by cruel forces over which they have no control (Schoenberg).
[Germany] is renowned for being home to some of the most charming looking towns in all of Europe. Cities like [Cologne], [Dresden] and [Koblenz] (to name but a few) are postcard perfect treasures, yet among all of them, you may be hard pressed to find one which is as enticing as Regensburg. The town which sits on the confluence of three rivers (the Danube, Regen and Naab) is one of Germany’s oldest and seems to have the best of everything. Its stunning UNESCO-listed centre is simply superb, the cobblestone alleyways, imposing cathedral and myriad of other architectural gems make it an absolute delight to explore. Small, compact and easily navigated on foot, Regensburg is one of the easiest and most surprising destinations in [Bavaria]. Less-known than others, it is