In the chapter titled "The Cleaning Lady," Frau Penk apologetically responds that she had planned on coming to tell Frau Schneider that she can no longer work for her. Answer the following questions and write a well-developed, cohesive essay using examples from the text and your research or personal experience:

1. Why can Frau Penk no longer work for the Schneiders? Is this fair?

2. Do you think Frau Penk should ignore the law and do what she thinks is right? Why or why not?

3. Are there any alternatives to Frau Penk just quitting?

4. Frau Penk says her husband used to be a communist and therefore they have to be very careful. What do you think she means by this?

5. What would you do in Frau Penk's place?

Essay Topic 2

In the chapter, "Conversations on the Stairs," we see the first example of the courage of the narrator's father, though he is, like most humans a mixture of seemingly conflicting emotions and behaviors. Choose one of the following questions and write a well-developed, cohesive essay using examples from the text and your research or personal experience:

1. Take one major character and show how the character is a mixture of both admirable and less-than-admirable traits. Why do you think this is so? Is anyone ever always one way or another?

2. Most of us have had the experience of doing something that was "not like us." We are fearful when we are usually brave, or vice versa. Mean when usually kind; pessimistic when usually optimistic, etc....Relate one or two incidents in your life when you did something that was not like you. Explain why you did it; whether you regret your choices, and if you would make the same choice again.

3. Choose several well-known politicians, celebrities or other persons who have done things that seemed out of character for that person, or did something completely opposite of what s/he indicated s/he intended. State the situations and analyze each situation, answering the same questions in number 2 above.

Essay Topic 3

In the chapter titled, "The Hearing," the Judge tells Resch's attorney he sees no legal ground for evicting the Schneiders. the following questions and write a well-developed, cohesive essay using examples from the text and your research or personal experience:

1. Research pre-WWII Germany and learn about the legal, political and human resistance to Hitler's growing repression and control of Germany.

2. How much resistance is offered? Who offered the most--religious institutions? Social institutions? Political groups?

3. How do those groups oppose Hitler? Protests? Legal injunctions? Elections?

4. Why do you think those groups/individuals fail to halt Hitler's advance to power?

(see the answer keys)

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