Boy in the Striped Pyjamas
Area of Study - Analysis Template
1. The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas
2. Mark Herman
3. 2008
4. What does the text highlight about the concept of belonging?
The film tells a story seen through the innocent eyes of a 8 year old boy, Bruno, who is unsure of his place in the world. The most evident concept of belonging is his hitch in his transition from childhood to adulthood. Throughout the film, he faces the conflict between accepting the harsh "Jew-killing" reality of the world or stay immersed in his fantastical world filled with adventure. Bruno also feels alienated from society having been moved from Berlin to the countryside, resulting in his isolation. On another level, he must further decide his place and to whether support his Nazi father's actions and stay true to his "Fatherland" or stay a companion with Schmal, the 8 year old Jew that Bruno befriends.
5. What connections about belonging can you make between this text and your prescribed text?
In Dickinson's poems, there is a sense of disconnection with society that the poet experiences due to her isolation and seclusion from the world. Similarly, Bruno, in The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, experiences the same sense of disconnection due to his unsurity over what is right or wrong. He feels out of place and confused throughout the film as a result of his youth as well as his lack of knowledge about the hostile situation in the world. Also, where Dickinson regards her relationship with nature as the most dominant one in her life as depicted in "What mystery pervades a well", Bruno does the same in reference to his relationship with the Jew child, Schmal. Like nature, Schmal is an enigmatic character which Bruno does not seem to fully connect throughout the film, largely due to physical barriers such as the electric fence and mental factors like the judgemental character of Lt. Kotler and his father. Lastly, Dickinson realises her importance and place in the world due to her seclusion. Likewise, for the
1. The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas
2. Mark Herman
3. 2008
4. What does the text highlight about the concept of belonging?
The film tells a story seen through the innocent eyes of a 8 year old boy, Bruno, who is unsure of his place in the world. The most evident concept of belonging is his hitch in his transition from childhood to adulthood. Throughout the film, he faces the conflict between accepting the harsh "Jew-killing" reality of the world or stay immersed in his fantastical world filled with adventure. Bruno also feels alienated from society having been moved from Berlin to the countryside, resulting in his isolation. On another level, he must further decide his place and to whether support his Nazi father's actions and stay true to his "Fatherland" or stay a companion with Schmal, the 8 year old Jew that Bruno befriends.
5. What connections about belonging can you make between this text and your prescribed text?
In Dickinson's poems, there is a sense of disconnection with society that the poet experiences due to her isolation and seclusion from the world. Similarly, Bruno, in The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, experiences the same sense of disconnection due to his unsurity over what is right or wrong. He feels out of place and confused throughout the film as a result of his youth as well as his lack of knowledge about the hostile situation in the world. Also, where Dickinson regards her relationship with nature as the most dominant one in her life as depicted in "What mystery pervades a well", Bruno does the same in reference to his relationship with the Jew child, Schmal. Like nature, Schmal is an enigmatic character which Bruno does not seem to fully connect throughout the film, largely due to physical barriers such as the electric fence and mental factors like the judgemental character of Lt. Kotler and his father. Lastly, Dickinson realises her importance and place in the world due to her seclusion. Likewise, for the