The Importance Of International Literature

Reading international literature is important for all ages. International literature can cover major issues around the world, or it can simply teach people the ways other cultures do things. When chosen wisely, reading international literature in school can be life changing. However, there are instances where international literature is not carefully selected, and that can hinder students’ choice to want to read international literature again. In Dr. Patricia Bloem’s article, International Literature for U.S. Children and Young Adults: In Search of Difference, she discusses how a wide selection of international literature can influence students in more ways than literature written for a United States audience. In order for students to be exposed …show more content…
War is categorized as one of the major bad events around the world. Students must understand that there is evil in the world, and that means discussing war with them. World War II was one of the largest human wars that destroyed lives of thousands. Survivors and later generations had to live with the repercussions that the war left. I believe students must be exposed to the ideas of conflict in the world. The survivors of the holocaust had major after effects on the lives of many people. Although many holocaust survivors did not talk about their experiences, it is important to recognize the terrible situations they were put through. In Nightfather, the main character, who is unnamed, is the daughter of a holocaust survivor. Her father, Ephraim, diagnoses himself with “camp,” a disease he believes those who endured concentration camps are left with. In the beginning of the story he compares it to something far worse than measles or chickenpox so his children can relate. He claims that camp follows him everywhere. In today’s terms, camp would be classified as post traumatic stress disorder. Her dad, Ephraim, is not silent about his time in the camp. He talks about his experiences in the concentration camp almost everywhere he goes. He leaves no detail left to his family’s …show more content…
I think the book was originally written to give a perspective to readers about the life after the holocaust for survivors and their families. Just because the camps were liberated did not mean that they were living without repercussions. Bloem’s article discusses how readers should be exposed to an experience they are unfamiliar with when reading international literature, “Reading internationally allows readers to step into and experience another culture” (Bloem 208). Nightfather is a model for that ideal. This books allows the reader to look at the holocaust from a different perspective than is normally written about. Since the narrator is a child the book lets you feel the struggles her and the rest of her family faces from her dad’s illness. Eventually her dad is sent away for treatment, but that further hurts the family. There is a thin line between Ephraim’s stories and reality, and the family struggles with which one they identify