There are some moments in this world that bring out the best in people. Unfortunately, it is usually in times of danger and distress that people show their true heroism. In the novel The Zookeeper’s Wife two zookeepers, Jan and Antonina rescue the lives of hundreds of Jews on the run from the Nazis. Jan and Antonina risk not only their lives, but also the lives of their family to help those in need, but hiding Jews in the empty zoo animal cages. Diane Ackerman, the author of the novel, brings this family back to life and tells the heroic story that this world needs to hear. Even throughout the bloodiest times in history, there are true moments of peace and hope.
Author Biography: The author of the book, The Zookeeper’s Wife is Diane Ackerman who is a well-known poet, essayist, and naturalist. She is the author of two dozen highly acclaimed works of nonfiction
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Even though the title of the novel indicates that she is just a wife, and Jan is the actual zookeeper, it becomes clear throughout the book that she is a zookeeper in her own right. Early on, Antonina is presented to the readers as a housewife, doing the domestic chores that waited for her each day. These chores include taking care of the animals in the zoo, including nursing and healing the sick animals. Since Jan is called away on many occasions due to the war, Antonina is left to watch over the zoo’s animals. She has a way with the animals and can understand their wants and needs. She has an, “uncanny ability to calm unruly animals,” (1.22) and communicates with them just as she does with humans. This interesting quality is significant to her character, as when the Jews move in, she is able to use her traits to fare for the refugees. She has the uncanny ability to emit waves of understanding a calm nature, which came in handy when she, with the power of her thoughts, was able to push away the German soldiers invading her
Leadership was the main issue within the city zoo with its coercive power William (Bill) Lau, as one of the board's meeting minutes showed that the board discussed “open warfare” between mangers; backbiting and rude behaviour during meetings … which signifies major leadership issues. Everything seems to be in complete chaos minutes also reported that “working with Bill is experienced by some as difficult, intimidating, or scary.”
Zoos, rehabilitation institutions, and many other environmental centers provide opportunities for the public to witness animals that cannot be seen on a daily basis. Whether to keep animals in captivity is morally hard to decide, especially for me personally. In the essay, “Against Zoos,” by Dale Jamieson, he writes about the positives zoos provide, and then reiterates them; making positives turn into negatives. Jamieson makes statements about humans being superior over animals, and how we should not be thinking that we are better. We tend to take a lead role over other species, because of our “higher intelligence.” That should not mean that we treat wildlife as if they are something lower than us. In more ways than one, we as humans are
As is written in the article, “He says zoos play a major role in educating people about animals and promoting wildlife conservation.” Ultimately, what the person is trying to clarify is how zoos play a vital role in our associations to conserve flora and fauna. Conjointly, without zoos, people will waste the wildlife and continue to pollute the earth. Without zoos, animal life would cease to exist. You may go against the grain and consider that zoos must be banned for the fact that they are very deadly to the environment. Nevertheless, I still hold my conviction that zoos are a must. At length, zoos persuade the public to conserve the
As the animal rights movement has developed and grown substantially in recent years, there has been an increased focused on the welfare of captive animals. A popular institution that has received much attention for keeping animals captive is the zoo. Because of this focus, zoos have responded by publicizing their positive benefits for existence in order to justify keeping these animals on display. Since the term “zoo” can have a wide variety of meaning and characteristics, it is important to define what constitutes a zoo in this essay. Zoos are defined as a facility in which animals are confined within enclosures, displayed to the public, and
She claims that while zoos are not necessary for education, the “educative message delivered by zoos is, at best, distorted and, at worst, damaging to the cause that the zoos purport to champion—that is; the conservation of species.” Because she does not consider the educational opportunities and programs that zoos and zoological parks can offer, so her opinion on these establishments is unfavorable. However, by offering a wide variety of programs and opportunities, zoos create a unique experience for their visitors. If the animals are under proper care, there is no reason for society to believe that zoos are “cruel and
This requires sturdy materials and extensive planning. Zoo staff, zookeepers, tour guides, curators and exhibit organizers etc... essential for running and maintaining happy guests of both the animal and humanoid persuasion. Imagine going to the zoo and not peering through fence slots or windows to see confined wildlife, but instead being immersed in a seemingly untouched and wild habitat. Architect Bjarke Ingels runs the architectural firm, Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) and is currently trying to design a revolutionary Zoo for the Givskud Zoo and Safari Park in Denmark.Ingels recently spoke with National Public Radio about the project, telling reporter Arun Rath that his ultimate goal and greatest challenge is to make a zoo that can create a "successful cohabitation between humans and different species of animals." This cageless Zoo concept would give park goers the capability of sharing experiences with the animals, almost as if they were on a Safari.
Zoos present a certain blend of nature and culture. They have always provided a way to bring natural wildlife and urban Americans together as a means of entertainment. Yet, throughout the years the role of zoos have changed. Though once used for amusement, zoos are now being used for education on preservation and the welfare of endangered species. One may wonder where and how the idea of zoos started and just how they, and the environment around them, have changed throughout history.
The chaos and destruction that the Nazi’s are causing are not changing the lives of only Jews, but also the lives of citizens in other countries. Between Night by Elie Wiesel and The Hiding Place by Corrie ten Boom, comradeship, faith, strength, and people of visions are crucial to the survival of principle characters. Ironically, in both stories there is a foreseen future, that both seemed to be ignored.
When one thinks of the Bronx, we think Yankee Stadium, the Bronx Zoo, and the Botanical Gardens. But ultimately, many neglect the Bronx as the poorest county, with the highest dropout rates, and unemployment rates in the State of New York. I spent the last five years trying to fix some of these issues, working especially with children from the ages of nine to seventeen with a nonprofit organization called CBALL. We aim to empower young leaders and prevent children from falling victim to the criminal culture that plagues the Bronx. A direct correlation exists between the well-being of the residents in the Bronx and the crime rates. For example, seven out of the twenty New York City neighborhoods with high violent crime rates come from the Bronx. As a future attorney, I would like to attack this problem legally. For this reason, I actively swapped my ride along with Ben Cruz to intern with the Bronx Defenders. Do to their stellar reputation; I was eager to see the Bronx Defenders approach towards helping the borough. Also, my experience of that day impressed me and inspired me to one day potentially work for the Bronx Defenders.
In a crowded city such as Manhattan, it was no wonder that a man like Jerry felt lonely. He was without a friend, a mother and father, and the typical 'wife, two children, and a dog,'; that many others had. Jerry was thrown in a world that he felt did not want him, and his human flaw of wanting to escape loneliness led to his tragic death. In Edward Albee's play, The Zoo Story, all Jerry wanted was to be heard and understood, and in the end, after sharing his life story with a complete stranger, he got his final wish - death. The Zoo Story not only tells of the alienation of man in modern society, but also reflects the philosophy of twentieth century existentialism.
I first watched The Zookeeper’s Wife when I was in the 6th grade. Although I did not understand all that was going on, I knew that it was retelling the horrors of the Holocaust. Six years later, this past summer, while sitting on the plane coming home from California, I came across the movie on the tiny, pixelated screen. Clicking on the movie, the summary read, “The Zookeeper's Wife tells the account of keepers of the Warsaw Zoo, Antonina and Jan Zabinski, who helped save hundreds of people and animals during the German invasion”. Sitting back in the less comfortable, cramped airplane seat, with pretzels in my hand and a blanket thrown over me, I pressed play.
Now there are modern zoos in almost every city in the world that boasts different arrays of animals. With all these different zoos around the world, we see different approaches on how these animals are treated and what they are subjected to.
Charles doesn’t leave the zoo much. He lives within the zoo and is fed regularly by the kitchen there. He doesn’t socialize with the other workers except for the owner of the zoo how he talks to about once a month. They only talk for an hour about how things are going at the zoo and how he is taking good care of everything and that’s things couldn’t be better. Charles is living a normal single life being a zoo keeper and he’s content.
In Edward Albee's play, The Zoo Story, Jerry tells Peter bizarre stories about people he has encountered that influence his shallow and lonely existence, to demonstrate Albee's view that society is unnecessarily consumed by indifference, unkindness, weakness, and emptiness. In an attempt to cause Peter to realize that his own life is filled with emptiness and shallowness, Jerry tells Peter about the lives of some of the people in his boarding house. He talks about the colored queen, the Puerto Rican family, the landlady, and the woman who cries all the time, in hopes of causing Peter to compare the meaninglessness of his life to their lives. In doing this, Jerry hopes Peter will realize that his life
Since approximately 1250 B.C., ancient Egyptians had created and practiced the capture and display of animals in what are now known as zoos (Fravel). Records describe such exotic animals as birds, lions, giraffes, and tigers in captivity (Fravel). Since then, zoos have continued to entertain millions with the exciting chance to view exotic animals up close and personal. Even in ancient Greece, exotic animals were on display in fighting arenas, and in enclosed viewing areas. Originally in America, zoos were just created so that royalty and the wealthy could flaunt their exotic animals to the public (Leolupus). Today, with species threatened and habitats disappearing worldwide, zoos are serving a new purpose other than the mere exhibition of