The Wind Knows My Name - Allende

How is Rudolphs description of Vienna as "one of the prettiest places in the world with its Baroque and Art Nouveau building coexisting harmoniously" significant?

Vienna won't coexist harmonically as long as he is Jewish

What sparked the events of November 9-10, 1938?

A German diplomat shot 5 times by a Polish Jew who got deported with his family

What does Allende often do to present her view?

Uses specific bias and wording

How does Allende use Rachel to demonstrate the amount of stress the people were under?

She is popping pills supplied but Peter to try and get through this. She had always been a super level person but has a panic attack the night before Samuel is put on Kinder transport

How does Allende show the Nazi impact on personal relationships in Vienna?

Peter Steiner can't accept Jewish patients and he can't be friends with Rudolph

When was Kristallnacht?

November 9-10, 1938

According to Rudolph, why do the Jews value education over material wealth?

Their education can not be taken away from them while everything else can

How is Rudolph Adler doubly in danger from the Nazis?

He's Jewish and a Communist

What extreme measure do Adler and Steiner take regarding Adler's office?

They put Rudolph's office under Steiner's name

How does Allende demonstrate the Nazi's impact on Viennese Jewish Children?

Samuel's Aunt Leah started teaching Jewish students because the German's kicked them out of school

How is Samuel a prodigy?

His violin skills - this is portrayed when he plays his violin before going onto the Kinder transport and then is able to bring his violin with him.

Why does Rachel avoid ostentation (not wanting to stand out or show her wealth) and what does this show us about her family's experience in society?

Her family has always stayed together and the risk of provoking envy in others has been instilled in her from a very young age.

Why does Allende describe Kristallnacht and how is this significant?

She uses the word "commotion" which does not describe the true horror, meaning Rachel has not seen the worst yet.

How did World War 1 ruin Theobald Volker's life?

His son died in the battlefield causing his wife to commit suicide.

How has Samuel built a relationship with the Colonel?

Samuel likes having an audience when he plays music and Colonel is always there to listen to him. Samuel's parents are always busy, so both of them being isolated means they can keep each other company

"Boiling Frog"

The Nazis seized their chance after a man killed a diplomat and shot him 5 times, indicating to the Nazi that they could start their damage, "Kristallnacht"

How does Allende use Peter Steiner's character to demonstrate the danger of mob mentality?

Allende shows how easy it is to fall into the pressure of the Nazi when Steiner almost falls into the trap of acting as a Nazi when he grabbed the flag to try and blend in as a Nazi

How was the government behind "spontaneous" riot?

They are supporting from the shadows. The only thing standing between people and doing bad things is getting trouble, the government is not going to punish them.

How does Allende foreshadow that "The Violinist: Vienna, November-December 1938" (24-37) is tragic?

She says Rudolph would never see his family again and that Samuel's childhood ended as soon as he stepped in the Kinder transport

How do we see Steiner's dedication to his friend?

He spends the night running around looking for Rudolph Steiner, which puts himself in a very dangerous position.

What is the significance of the radio's depiction of the events of Kristallnacht?

(EXAMPLE OF PROPAGANDA) The radio says the disturbances have been provoked by the Jews which is not true. The radio is controlled by the Nazis

Why won't Colonel allow Steiner to talk to Rachel?

Steiner is dressed as a Nazi and Colonel is going to protect Rachel so Steiner saying he is just a friend is not convincing enough

How does Allende describe the changes that occurred in Vienna after Kristallnacht?

The Jewish community had to pay for the damages of the German nation - serious victim blaming

How does Volker become Samuel's substitute grandfather?

They both always felt alone, so they kept each other company.

Explain: "A few days after the pogrom, when there was no longer any doubt that the iron shackles that fettered the Jews would quickly strangle them..." (29)

The laws and restrictions are so heavy that the Jews realize they will eventually be exterminated

Why does Rachel refuse to leave Austria immediately?

Her family history is there and wants to get Rudolph out instead of separating

Explain how Rachel's visit to the Chilean consul was "another unfortunate episode in the tragic reality she'd been enduring for months now" (931)

She doesn't get the visas and everything has been so traumatizing that rape is just one more thing

How does the Kinder transport show the desperation of Jewish families?

They wanted their kids in safety regardless of the circumstances of being separated

What is the significance of the medal that Colonel gives Samuel?

The colonel says he is just lending it to Samuel which gives Samuel hope that they will see each other again and that things would end up okay.

Why might the scene at the train station lead to a comparison between Samuel and Orpheus?

Samuel is not allowed to bring his violin until he plays it and amazes everyone. Compares to Orpheus because he is also an outstanding musician.

What lasting image does Samuel have of "the day his childhood ended"

His mother bathed in tears waving her handkerchief at Samuel at the train station being held up by the Colonel.

How does Samuel show physical manifestations of stress in his first home placement?

His hair starts falling out in clumps. He keeps getting shifted around from place to place because of his depressed state and sickness.

How does Allende characterize the British during the war?

The British were very optimistic of winning - slogan: Keep Calm and Carry On

How does Allende depict the hardships that Austrians and Germans faced after the war?

Through their desperation shown through the suffering they went through after the war: they had to eat cats and dogs and sometimes even mice.

Why might Allende have had Peter Steiner die the way he did?

To show that it is not just Jews that went through concentration camps, EVERYBODY was in danger

Why does what Samuel learns about his father make his mother's fate more tragic?

He was dead the entire time his mom was waiting for him, she ends up dying because she waited for him, she could have fled sooner/in time

Why might Samuel feel a greater kinship with jazz musicians than simply a love of music?

Jazz musicians were also persecuted which is another bonding thing in addition to the music that loves to make

Explain: "She had no roots in any other land" (Leticia)

Her village was destroyed and her family was murdered. She never knows what to say when people ask her where she is from

What is the significance of how Leticia entered the country?

She is on her dad's back who swam across the Rio Grande

Why won't her father speak of El Mozote?

Words dilute and deform memories so by saying things he didn't want to forget anything - pain keeps memories sharp

How does Leticia survive the massacre?

She happened to be gone when the massacre occurs when her dad brought her to the hospital when she had stomach problems

Why does Allende put El Mozote in The Wind Know My Name?

To show reasons as to why people migrate - she is shining the light on refugees and the people who need to cross the border

What is Allende's opinion of the US role in Latin America politics?

The the US supported fascist dictatorship to keep economic control over Latin America's region

How does Allende convey the atrocity of the El Mozote massacre?

She uses specific vocabulary like "murderers" and "blood bath" to show the atrocity rather than just an event.

What is a coyote?

People that are supposed to be guides and safely get you across the border — some of them take advantage of the people

How does Leticia continue to demonstrate the trauma of the crossing?

She knows what happened to her family, and has the reoccurring nightmare of the river of her and her dad swimming across

What criticism does Allende make of the church in her depiction of the pastor?

She makes a critique of the church in terms of it wanting couples to stay together even after the man was abusive - very misogynistic

Why does El Salvador continue to be dangerous?

Criminals and narcos were protected by membership in the maras and that no government was able to dismantle them

What role did the government play in covering up the massacre?

At first, they pardoned all the people and covered it up — The Untied States does this when the United States benefits from it

What does Selena call her black suit and why does she call it this?

Her "begging outfit" because she used it when she had to ask for donations of money and time

What does the Magnolia Project do?

Helps illegal immigrants enter the country

What are iceboxes?

Detaining rooms for the refugees/immigrants that were kept at super cold temperatures

How is Frank's initial motivation for joining the Magnolia project less than pure?

Frank wanted to get in Selena's pants

Why do the women in Selena's family all use the name Duran?

Long line of mortal women and men come and go in their lives, so they stick with a matrilineal way of keeping their last name instead of men who usually leave

What is unusual about Selena's grandmother?

She is a medium psychic who communicates with the dead

How does Allende provide her opinion of judges appointed during the Trump administration?

She says the judges speed things along and want everything as simple as possible. Trump appointed judges who are more conservative, which naturally means they will be less open to immigration

Why do the Duran women think Selena is lucky in terms of her relationship with Milosz?

They say that no reasonable woman would ever want a full-time husband, her husband, who is a truck driver, is gone most of the time and can still provide or her which is seen as a benefit to her family

What does Selena dream of doing?

She wants to go to Law school and become a Lawyer so she can fight these battles herself and not need to depend on other people like Frank

Why does Frank defending Alperstein call his character into question?

Alperstein is not a good guy - he trafficked minors and laundered money

What is the significance of Selena's explanation of Marsol and Anita's attempt to enter the country

People whose jobs are to not let people in, are even denying those who obviously need help like Marsol with a gunshot wound

How does Allende present the immigration courts as ridiculous?

They were going to ask a SEVEN year old girl if she wanted to go back to her country so they could deport her. Selena also saw the judge ask a ONE year old, who hasn't even said their first word yet

What example of guard abuse does Anita suffer?

They were kept in the icebox for three days

What judgement is Allende making in the group home children being assigned a number?

They lose their identity, the staff were often unable to pronounce their names or remember them. Just one more thing the children are losing

What explanation does Selena give when Frank questions why parents would attempt the crossing?

Selena says they would rather have their kids in safety than watching them die

Why does Allende call the American Government "at least somewhat responsible for the mess" Latin American countries are in?

The U.S. government was only defending the businesses and the super wealthy - all of the political rhetoric was about protecting the American economy

When does Selena "deploy" her charms?

When required to ask a favor of a man in relation to the children she defended

What is the purpose of Anita's internal monologue?

(With Claudia) - shows how Anita is aware what is going on

What is Azbahar and why is it better than heaven?

An enchanted kingdom where Anita and Claudia are princesses and animal and people live happily - it's better than heaven because you don't have to die to go there

What does Nadine's list of what she learned during boarding school show?

To lie like expert and have rebel-like habits. For her it was not so much about learning but more about going against it

What picture does Allende paint of the upper class's process of finding a husband?

Girl's of her social standing were presented to societies at dances, concerts, picnics, and were driven around in horse-drawn carriages or steamboat trips down the river where they were evaluated

How does Nadine horrify her family?

She bragged about having a black great grandmother - racism was still a thing

What was the temple?

Where pirates of the Caribbean had once auctioned enslaved Africans and other booty from their plunders

Why is Nadine thrilled to learn that Samuel is Jewish?

Because her racist relatives would hate it when they found out

How does Allende demonstrate how different Samuel and Nadine are?

Samuel is introverted, Nadine is extroverted. Samuel plan his decisions and Nadine goes with the flow

Why might we critique Samuel as a father?

He has never changed a diaper once and only started to make connection with his daughter when she started creating her own thoughts

Why was Berkley such a turbulent place to live in the 60s and 70s?

The center of the Hippie movement

What supposedly haunts the house in Berkley?

Prostitutes because it used to be a brothel

What difficulties does Nadine and Samuel's marriage face?

Different morals - He wanted a relationship like the Evanses - they were inseparables and did everything together

Explain: "If I'd had a fit like that at Tita Edu's, she would've stuck my head in a bucket of cold water and that would have been the end of it, that always worked. But luckily that's not allowed here; if someone did that to a kid, they'd take them to jail. I wonder why. It's much worse to make kids stay in the hielera or take them away from their mamas, don't you think, Claudia?" (121)

Allende digs on the government - they call it abusive when someone punishes a kid by sticking their head in a bucket of water but think it is okay to separate children from their parents.

Why do the Duran women see Selena and Milosz'a future marriage as the perfect arrangement?

There's a lot of affection, they both enjoy sex, and he is gone a lot so she has a lot of space

Why is it Ironic that Frank can't imagine anyone he knows falling into the dire circumstances that migrants face?

In two generations, Frank has conveniently forgotten that his family has also crossed borders - shows us how quickly we can forget the past which makes it harder to understand people's situations

What are pink Taxis?

Taxis driven by women for women

What is blue gold?

Indigo - super expensive

What happened to Rutilio and why does Eduvigis suspect foul play?

He died because he got buried in cement and they could not get him out in time. Eduvigis suspects that he was murdered for being a union leader

Why does Eduvigis know the maras were not behind Rutilio's death?

They would have publicized it

Why was Marisol terrified of Carlos Gomez?

Marisol worked as a maid in the same place Carlos worked as a security guard - he is the one that shot her before she came to the US

How does Allende characterize Carlos Gomez in his meeting with Selena?

He said he generally liked them younger and undeveloped but Selena looked eatable

What reason are we given for why Gomez might have wanted revenge against Marisol?

He said that Marisol was the only woman that ever rejected him

What scandal ended Gomez' career with the National Police, and how has Allende set us up to believe the scandal was true even if the charges were dropped?

He was accused of raping and beating an 11-year old girl but right before trial the parents dropped the charges

How has Allende positioned us to abhor Gomez's father?

Gomez's father was in charge of the massacres of El Salvador which explains where Gomez gets it from

How does Genaro's explanation of Gomez' continuing employment characterize him?

He gets closer and closer to the criminal world with each job he gets

What dangers do migrants face from coyotes according to Genaro

Coyotes can easily manipulate them for more money, and if they don't get what they want they can easily kill or let the migrants go

What are the most dangerous places for a woman to live?

Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador - all contain Femicide

What did Marisol find out about Gomez that put her in danger?

Marisol knows that Gomez is involved with a bunch of officers that are illegally selling guns to the government that are supposed to be against that.

How is "they round migrants up and drop them on the other side of the border without a care for where they come from" (156) editorial?

"Without a care" - it generalizes it to make it sound like they don't care every time. Certainly sounds judgmental on Allende's end

ON TEST

Look for Specific words and phrases by Allende when looking for significance in phrases

Why does Anita struggle in her foster home?

Señora Maria sees Anita as rude, and even puts Anita in the closet as punishment. Anita has never been called rude, so she sees it as unfair.

Why is Anita removed from the foster home?

Anita told Selena that she got locked in the closet

Why does Leticia bring Paco to the house?

Nadine has died so Mr. Bogart is lonely and he needs company

How is Camille characterized in the phone call?

She seems to only care about money and inheritance. She does not have a good relationship with her father. When Covid hit she does not seem to ask if her dad is okay.