While reading the book, I had a few questions.
1.) Why can't the prisoners get another portion of food? Can't they just get another bowl of food if their are still hungry?
I think that the author is trying to show that they are extremely strict on the food, and the amount of food each prisoner gets because I think that the camp doesn't have enough food for a prisoner to get two portions of food each day. In other words they can't get enough food because I think they only get limited food per month.
2.) Why do the prisoners have hope when they go to sleep? Just for the guaranteed minimum ?
Here I think the author is trying to explain that the prisoners pray for the less amount of work, and more relaxing time. What I'm trying to say here is that the prisoners are hoping that they get a break. They want to get a day or two to get some rest and sleep later than they usually do every single morning, have food and relax the whole entire day.
3.) Why do only the guards get to have a fire to keep warm? Why can't the prisoners have fires to keep warm?
Here I think the author is trying to say how strict theses camps are. I think he is also trying to say that the prisoners should suffer because of what they have done. For example kill somebody, robbed a store, or did something bad that represented something. In other words the author is trying to say that they should suffer even more because the guards want them to think more about what they have done, and that they should take it serious or else their stay will be even more unpleasant.
Nice post Owain,
ReplyDeleteI am going to answer your first question which is Why can't the prisoners get another portion of food? Can't they just get another bowl of food if their are still hungry?
I agree with you I think that the authorities are trying to be strict by limiting the amount of food each prisoner can get. I feel like even thought they are trying to be strict, if the prisoners get proper food they would be stronger and they would have more strength to do whatever the authorities tell them to do. That would not only benefit the prisoners but also the authorities. I fell like the authorities should think more before they take action.
Owain,
ReplyDeleteI like how your post is very organized and it is east to read everything. In my opinion, the answer for the first question would be that they give a limited amount of food because they have to learn how to live in a guards' life, which is very strict.
On the third question, I think it is related to the first one. Guards have strict and limited lives, yet prisoners have even more since they are being punished. I think it is also for the prisoners to know how the guards are in a higher anarchy than prisoners and they have more privileges.
Juliana
Hey Owain, not only do the camps have limited food, but also, they are using hunger as a form of punishment. In fact, I think the objective they have on hunger is working pretty well because we read that there were some people that even ate the remains of other people's bowls. As for your second question, I agree with you that they want time to reboots their energy for the next day, but think of it like this, if there was more relax time, it wouldn't be called a work prison. Finally your third question should have the answer to the first question, they use the cold as another form of government, but do you think they have enough wood? What do you think would happen if someone cut down a tree in the camp and used the wood themselves?
ReplyDeleteHi Owain
ReplyDeleteI´m going to add some details to your answer in number three, I think that the prisoners couldn´t make a fire not because the guards wanted to punish them, because they were running out of resources and the ones that they had were for the guards because they had more privileges. For example the food were few and they were apart of the civilization so they could´t get resources from civilized people.
I beleive that the reason the gulags make sure they don't get as much as their tummies want to make sure they keep working for food, like an achievement. It could also be because they don't have enough food to go around so they try to conserve it for the next day.Overall i think you did a great post.
ReplyDeleteOwain, I liked your post, and I would like to answer your first question. "Why can't the prisoners get another portion of food? Can't they just get another bowl of food if their are still hungry?" As they mention in the book, they are given a certain amount of food. If they would be able to eat as much as they want, they wouldnt be fit to do all the training. Also, you need to remember that they are prisioners, and that they are supposed to be trained in a rigid way.
ReplyDeleteOwain, i liked you post,
ReplyDeleteAnd i would like to answer to your third question, Why do only the guards get to have a fire to keep warm? Why can't the prisoners have fires to keep warm?
I agree with you about the author trying to show the reader how strict these camps are, and how people suffer a lot there. People who go there are usually the ones who committed a crime so the guards want them to suffer there to think about what they have done.