SkylerGenelly

Ms.Gardner
English10H/Period4
21October2015
SilenceandSegregation

Chava."AllaboutJewishCulture,Traditions,andLifestyle."
OrthodoxJews.com
.
OrthodoxJews.com,2014.Web.08Nov.2015.

Chavasarticleisalmostlikeaguidebook,statingtheprinciplesanddissimilarities
betweenYeshivaandHasidicJewishlifestyles.Shedetailsonthespecificgarb,the
isolationassociated,theculturalaspects,andsegregationwithinbothwaysoflife.Chava
concludesherarticlebyexplainingtheModernOrthodoxmovement.Shetouchesonthe
factthateventhoughtherearelargedifferencesbetweenHasidicandYeshivishJews,
theybothbelieveinsimilarpractices,bothhavelargefamilies,andbothrefrainfrom
permeatingoutsideoftheircommunities.

ChavausesastrictlyinformativeandexplanatorytoneindescribingthetwoJewish
lifestyles,layingoutapilefullofintelligenceonthesubjects,andallowingthereaderto
takeinonlynecessaryinformation.Itissimple,yeteffectiveinconveyingthebasic
structureofeachreligiousfactionaswell.Shegetsherpointsacrosswithanglosaxon,
objectivedictionthatdoesntborethereaderbecauseithasapurelyinterestingmeaning.

Totheliteraryscholar,thearticleshedsalightastowhyDannyandReuvenhave
specificrulesthattheymustfollowinlife.

Kouvar,ElaineM."AnInterviewwithChaimPotok."ContemporaryLiterature27.3(Fall
1986):
291317.Rpt.inContemporaryLiteraryCriticismSelect.Detroit:Gale,2008.
Literature
ResourceCenter.Web.21Oct.2015.

ThisinterviewbetweenKouvarandPotokoffersaninsighttotheprodigious,
complexthoughtsofPotok,whileexploringhisvariousbooksconnectionswiththe
world.Potoksopinionatedresponsestouchondiversesubjectsthatrangefrom
definingwhatexactly
makes
anovelandtheprocessofwritingone,tothelabelingof
beingaJewishwriter,tointertwiningselfidentityintohisnovels.Potokalso
addressesthevariousthemesthatrunthroughouthisnovels,themainofwhichis
isolation,andalsotheongoingbattleinwhichhischaractersseemtohavewiththe
demonicsideoflife.

KouvarsquestionsforPotokdigdeepintotheessenceofhisnovels,andallowthe
readertorelatemorepersonallywiththecharactersnotonlyonthesurface,but
alsowiththehistoricalrootsofJewishtraditions.Kouvarmovesseamlesslyfrom
questiontoquestion,provokinggreaterresponsesthatallowthereadertofully

immersethemselvesinPotoksworld.Sheusesscholarlydiction,makingsureto
alludeorrelateeachquestiontohisbooksandalsothereligionofJudaism.Potoks
responsesarethoughtfullyexecutedandwellversed,helpingtocreateacultural,
literary,andprofoundinterview.

Kremer,S.Lillian."ChaimPotok."
AmericanNovelistsSinceWorldWarII
:
FourthSeries
.Ed.
JamesR.GilesandWandaH.Giles.Detroit:Gale,1995.DictionaryofLiterary
BiographyVol.152.
LiteratureResourceCenter
.Web.8Nov.2015.

KremersbiographyofChaimPotokoffersbackgroundtoPotok,hiswritingstyle,and
Jewishroots,whileprovidingliterarycriticismtopastbooksthatheaswritten.Kremer
touchesonthespecificityofPotoksfundamentaldesignofculturalconfrontationinhis
novels.ThebiographyincludestheframeworksurroundingPotokslifehisjobhistory,
maritalstatus,andcreativework,alongwithotherfascinatingtidbitsabouthis
commitmenttoJudaismandmotivesforwritingnovels.

Kremerwriteswithsophisticatedandinformative,yetengaging,dictionthatemphasizes
theinfluenceofOrthodoxJudaismwithPotokandhisliterature.Thebiographycatersto
anaudiencethatwishestoknowabreifhistoryaboutPotok,butalsoananalysisofhis
workstiedintothathistory.KremerscomparisontotypicalJewishAmericanauthors
andPotokdemonstrateshowreligiousandracialthemesdonotneedtobeimpediments
totoleranceandcomprehension.Kremerelevatesthebiographyfrombeingpurelyfactual

toevaluatingthelevelsofPotokslifeandworksonadeeperleveloftruththatisclear,
yetthoughtprovokingandanallaroundgoodread.

Nissenson,Hugh."TheSparkandtheShell."
NewYorkTimesBookReview
7(1967):45.
Rpt.
in
ContemporaryLiteraryCriticism
.Ed.JeanC.StineandBridgetBroderick.Vol.
26.Detroit:Gale,1983.
LiteratureResourceCenter
.Web.8Nov.2015.

Nissensonsreviewisauthenticandunequivocal,touchingonliteraryaspectsthat
rangefromtheroughandunpolishedstyleofthenovel,tohowsimple,yet
mysterioustheplotis,andtohowthesilenceofGodsuffusesthroughoutthe
novel.Thesomewhatcasual,yetpowerfulreviewsumsupthethemeofsilencein
conjunctionwiththesufferingoftheJewishpeople.Throughoutthereview,
NissensonincludesthepolyphonicrelationshipbetweenReuvenandDanny,along
withtheindividualconflictsthattheyencounter.

Nissensonisinsightfulinhisreview,creatinganambianceofdeepintellectualstatus
thatallowsthereadertoreachintotheirownfeelingsandreflect/comparewithhim.
Thearticlewasdefiniteandprogressiveinthought,transfiguringkeyelementsof
thenovelintothereview,liketheHasidicmelodies.Overall,Nissensoncreateda
reviewthatwasblunt,yetcreativeinthought,colloquial,yetinformativeintone,

andpolysyllabic,yeteuphonicinlanguage,allofwhichaddedtoanewexplanation
hisperspectiveofthenovel.

Pittman,Frank."FathersandSons."
PsychologyToday
.SussexPublishers,2015.Web.08Nov.
2015.

Pittmansarticleontherelationshipbetweenfathersandsonsdetailsonhowoverthe
years,fathershavelosttheirauthority,passedonlesslove,wisdom,andpower,howthe
functionofafatherispurelyeconomical,andtheemotionsthatcomefromunsuccessful
fathersonrelationships.Pittmanalsoalludedtopersonalexperiencesandmoviesto
conveythemetaphorsformanslife.Heconcludeshisarticlewithacontroversial,yet
compellingstatement:boyswhowerefatheredwishtobefathers,whileboyswhowere
notfatheredareafraidofbeingfathers.

Pittmanuseshisownsentimentaltonemixedwithalearned/factualonetocreatean
articlethatholdsstatisticalfactsandpureopinionslikethenumberofpeoplethatget
divorcedayearandthepainthateveryboywhodoesnthaveafathermustfeel.He
offershisownadvicetofixtheproblemoffathersonrelationshipswithasenseof
optimism.Forthosewhohaveread
TheChosen
:Dannyandhisfathersrelationship
differscompletelyfromthatofReuvenandhisfather.Itmaybeduetothereligious
beliefsthateachhold,butitalsocomesfromthewaythattheirfatherswereraised.


Schmidt,Sandra."SightBecomesInsight."
TheChristianScienceMonitor
(20July1967):5.
Rpt.in
ContemporaryLiteraryCriticism
.Ed.JeffreyW.HunterandDeborahA.Schmitt.
Vol.112.Gale,1999.
LiteratureResourceCenter
.Web.8Nov.2015.

Schmidtsreviewoffers,insimpleterms,ashort,precise,andhighlypositivecritique.
Shepointsouthowdistinguishedthebookis,howitisinsomewaysamalesrightof
passagebecauseofthecharacterspersonaldevelopmentinthenovel,andhowitisnota
typicalJewishnovelthathastorelyonYiddishslangorJewishgestalttoconveyits
tone.Schmidtalsofocussesinontheaffectionandpathosofthefathersonrelationship
inthenovel.

ThereviewservesafreshinsightofaChristianauthorsperspectiveonJewishwriting.It
isnotnegativelymoralisticorbiasedwhatsoever,itmerelyprovidesSchmidtstakeon
thenovel.HerwritingisaccessibletofollowasSchmidtcategorizesherreviewintotwo
sections:innerdevelopmentandsoundinginsilence.Schmidtreallyemphasizesthe
themeofboyhoodtomanhood,atakethatreallyhasntbeenaccentuatedinother
reviews.HerscintillatinglanguageandclearthoughttakesSchmidtsreviewfromstrictly
anoverviewtoanengaginganalysis.