The Moon is Down Question 6

            One thing I have always remembered about history through all my years would be World War II.  Ever since kindergarten, I have had history and each year we learned about World War II.  In eighth grade, we did a whole unit on the Holocaust.  The Holocaust took place during World War II, where all the Jews were taken to concentration camps.  In the concentration camps, the people were tortured and put to work.  Millions of men, women, children, and infants died because of the harsh treatment and lack of food and water.  This section of the century was horrible and unforgettable.  I think that is why the teachers drill the information about it into our minds.  Everyone should know how sad that event in history was so it will hopefully never happen again.  The reason for that whole story of my past history lessons was because The Moon is Down took place somewhere in between 1939 and 1945.  In that span of seven years, millions of lives were taken but trillions of people’s lives were changed.  This information is important and needs to be taught in school to all children no matter what age.  Some of the more gruesome details can be left out for the younger children but they should know about Adolf Hitler and the Nazis. 

            Another reason why we read The Moon is Down by John Steinbeck is because the events that happened in the war were horrible but in some ways interesting.  We need to know the reasons why the war happened and why so many lives were taken.  History is my least favorite subject but whenever we start the unit on World War II, it moves up on my list of favorite subjects.  I find the topic so amusing but it also shows me that if I ever become a leader, I should never take the steps that Adolf Hitler took. 

Steinbeck, John. Novels, 1942-1952: The Moon Is Down ; Cannery Row ; The Pearl ; East of Eden. New York: Literary Classics of the United States, 2001. Print.