Paper on Who will write our history by Kassow. I will send the book via kindle/amazon if you provide an email address.
To what extent are they separate from each other in the course of the book?
What are the messages that the author wants to convey on each of these levels?
To what extent does he use different sources and/or different narrative strategies for each one?
How successful is he in integrating all the elements to form a single book?
Now, here are some more detailed prompts:
What is the role of the introduction? How does it help Kassow establish and reach his goals for the book?
Why is the story of Ringelblum’s early history important in this biography of him? What does it add to our understanding of the man?
Chapter Two discusses Ringelblum’s political beliefs and affiliations. Though the text is very detailed and quite obscure for a twenty-first century reader, why does Kassow insist on including it? What dimension does it add to the narrative?
Then there is a discussion of Ringelblum’s work organizing welfare activities in the Warsaw ghetto. Which aspects of the book does it shed light on ?
Once you have finished reading, think how each chapter deals with the three different aspects I raised in the initial prompts. In which ways does it add to and enrich the story Kassow is trying to tell and the points he is trying to make?
