Refugee (Alan Gratz)

How does Mahmoud’s decision to walk out the doors of the detention center demonstrate a change in his perspective and his character more generally? Provide specific evidence from pages 279-284 to support your answer.

How does Mahmoud’s decision to walk out the doors of the detention center demonstrate a change in his perspective and his character more generally? Provide specific evidence from pages 279-284 to support your answer.
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Last updated by Jill W
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In the end, Mahmoud makes the decision to walk away from the facility and to bring attention to the plight pf the refugees in order to prtect his family. In choosing to walk to Austria, Mahmoud becomes part of a movement, a tool of awareness.

When Mahmoud realizes that he is allowing himself to be invisible, he decides “It was better to be visible” (282). He confronts his fears and the rest of the world, pushes open the door, and marches through Hungary to Austria. They literally stop traffic as they march, and gain international attention - showing the rest of the world that the crisis is no longer something they can ignore. As this story takes place while the crisis is still unfolding, this invisibility also forces the reader to confront their own treatment of the Syrian crisis, and their own role in participating in the invisibility of the Syrian refugees.

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