An Analysis of Child of the Holocaust by Jack Kuper

There have been many memorable books concerning the holocaust but I dont think any have touched me in the way that Child of the Holocaust did. This book follows the true experiences of the author at 9 years old as he struggles to hide his identity, his faith and everything about his life, in order to survive. He is so resilient and has an amazing way of being filled with hope even when totally consumed by fear. What stays with me the most though, is the authors lack of self-pity through all of it. I found this book impossible to put down and yet at times, the all too vivid images which the author describes were difficult to face. This book is so different from any other that I have read on this subject and I had problems trying to pinpoint why. Perhaps it is the point of view of a child that makes it more tragic and heart-wrenching. Perhaps it is his obvious innocence and the fact that he was often cast aside by those he sought protection from. Perhaps it is that at times, it seems the only person who had compassion and respect for life was the author himself. This is a book that will not soon be forgotten. I can also say it is one of the few books I have ever read, that has made me want to turn back to the beginning and read it again right away. There is a sequel which is titled After the Smoke Cleared but looking around, it is really hard to find. I am hoping though that like Child of the Holocaust it will be printed again. Note: Even if you read this many years ago you might want to read it again as this new edition states it has been substantially revised by the author. For those who are film buffs there was also a televised play by Jack Kuper about his life. It was in 1960, shown by the CBC and was titled Sun in My Eyes. As we learn in the book, the title comes from a polish myth that Jews could not see the sun. Research shows that this is probably the first time the CBC addressed the subject of the holocaust directly. This unique childhood memoir of the Holocaust has been praised as powerful (Cincinnati Enquirer), touching (Jewish Digest), and heartbreaking (Library Journal). A true story of rare beauty and remarkable power, it has become an enduring classic. One day, when Jacob Kuperblum was eight, he came home to his town in Poland. His family and friends were gone, rounded up by the Germans only hours earlier. He would never see them again. Thus begins a journey of survival as a young boy travels from town to town in a desperate search for safety and shelter, growing up in fear, deprived of his home and his people and even his identity. All that survived was his spirit and his indomitable will to live. Child of the Holocaust is the acclaimed account of Jacob Kuperblum an unforgettable and moving tale of adversity and triumph. Jack Kuper was only nine years old when he came home to find everyone in his family gone. The night before, Germans had come to his village in rural Poland and taken away all the Jews. Now alone in the world, he has to change his name, forget his language and abandon his religion in order to survive. Jack wanders through Nazi occupied Poland for four years, with no place to hide and no one to trust. The harrowing true story of how he survives has been hailed as a classic, as powerful as The Diary of Anne Frank. It has been in print in various editions in English and a dozen other languages since 1966. For a new edition released this year in Canada, Jack Kuper revisited the manuscript for the first time since he wrote it more than 40 years ago. He was able to include the correct names of those who helped him and to add new material. Jack Kuper escaped Poland and immigrated to Canada at the age of 15. He spent much of his career in advertising, producing and directing award-winning TV commercials. As a filmmaker he has written and directed several shorts. His film RUN! was honoured at the Venice Film Festival. He is also the author of After the Smoke Cleared, the sequel to this book. He now lives in Toronto with his wife Terrye and speaks often to groups about his experiences during the Holocaust.

Banking and Finance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Banking and Finance - Essay Example Interest on the bond is provided every six months and the principle amount is given at the maturity date. Generally, bonds are issued by the corporation and government bonds are differentiated according to the payment of interest, the market they are issued in, the currency they are to be paid in and the legal status etc. Corporate bonds can be purchased through the security market. Company bonds provide high rate of interest but have more risks as compared to the government bond. While selecting the bond, the risk tolerance of the investor should be taken into consideration. Those who are ready to bear risks, can invest in corporate bonds and those who cannot afford any risks, can choose the government bond. â€Å" The credit risk associated with bonds range from relatively safe Treasury bills to extremely risky junk bonds to corporations or countries that are in a questionable financial position† (What are the Different Types of Bonds Available?, 2009, para. 4). The various kinds of bonds are as follows: Zero Coupon Bonds: The zero coupon bonds are those which became famous recently Zero coupon bonds are those bonds on which the companies do not provide the interest but issue the bonds at a discount rate with comparison to the maturity value. The difference between the issue price and the maturity value represent the return or interest. This can be explained through the following example: Suppose the company issues bonds at a value of $200 for each bond during a period of 5 years. Under zero bonds, the investor would not get interest on his investment but at the end of the particular period he will get $220 for each bond. It would then constitute the gain or interest on his investment. As per this, The issue price of bond = $200 Maturity value of bond = $220 Here $20 represents the gain or interest of investment Fixed Income Bonds: Fixed bond is a long term debt paper in which the rate of interest is fixed in advance. Under fixed income bonds, the inve stor would get a fixed and constant return on his investment at a regular interval and at the time of maturity, he will get the principle amount. Fixed income bonds provide safety to the investor on his investment, so these are preferable to those investors who would like to get stable return on their investment. Mostly state and central government issue this kind of bonds and these bonds are treated as a high safety investment. â€Å"The central or national governments also have the power to print money to pay their debts, as they control the money supply and currency of their countries† (Government Bonds, n.d., para. 2). Example: Consider an investor who makes investment on 12% bonds having a face value of $ 150. Suppose he invested on 100 bonds. The investor would get interest rate as given below: Investor makes investment = 100*$150 = $15000 The rate of interest is 12% Return = 15000 * 12 /100 = $1800 Floating rate bonds: In case of floating rate bonds, the interest provi ded to the investors during their investment is not predetermined. Interests on such bonds are paid in fluctuating basis, from time to time, according to the benchmark price. Under such bonds, the interest rate is determined in accordance with the market interest rate along with some other external factors. â€Å"The amounts of these variable payments are determined by the current market interest r

Redesign an Open-Space Office to Improve Productivity Research Paper - 2

Redesign an Open-Space Office to Improve Productivity - Research Paper Example A study published in the journal of Environment & Behavior recently showed a negative correlation between noise and cognitive performance. This effectively means distractions such as noise which are common in open office settings lead to a reduction in performance of workers. Another negative aspect associated with open office is lack of confidentiality in the work place. This can be evident and prevalent especially if there are customers coming in and requiring discussions involving private information. This can be a real challenge in the setting of an open space office where many workers are working simultaneously and therefore private discussions can’t be achieved effectively. Some customers may also feel uncomfortable discussing their queries in offices where other people are likely to listen to and get to hear their private information intended just for particular officers. A research done at the California University established that over a half of people working in offices are not satisfied with open offices mainly because of the limited amount of privacy. As such the issue of privacy has become a major complaint among office workers subjected to the open plan kind of working