plot+against+america




 * The Plot Against America by Philip Roth**

//Katie Haskins, Max Linden, and Brian Martin.//


 * Week One: December 4**


 * Max:** C & D
 * Katie:** A & B
 * Brian:** //absent//

The main character is Philip Roth, modeled after the author. His brother, Sandy, is seven years old and they both live with their family in the 1940's. They are an ordinary Jewish family, living in Newark, New Jersey in an alternate history where America is fascist. Max said he's drawn to them because they have many similarities. They both have average Jewish families, living in New Jersey and both support the democratic party. The antagonist of the story is Charles Lindbergh. He is a supporter of the Nazis and is trying to take over America.
 * Assignment:**

We started off our meeting by eating Chips Ahoy! Brian was absent so we only had 2 people in our group. Katie and I each did 2 roles. Katie started off the meeting by complaining about the book. She then led the discussion with the assignment questions about the characters. First, we both described the characters and decided whom we liked and whom we didn’t like. We then described the main characters and the background information about them. We then described the antagonist, Charles Lindbergh and the things that he does that are bad. Next we went over my questions. First we discussed if Lindbergh’s presidency would affect the Jewish people. Katie said that she thinks that he will try to take away some of their rights and make it seem like it is a bad thing that they’re Jewish. Max said that he thinks that America will align itself with Germany and will persecute the Jews. We agreed that it was a good thing that Sandy destroyed the portraits of Lindbergh because in a way it was honoring him, but we don’t think Philip should destroy his stamps of him because his stamps are important to him and he shouldn’t have to get rid of them. We also agree that Philip’s dream foreshadows the influence of the Nazi’s in America. Max said that he thinks that he had the future of America in mind, but he wasn’t doing it in the right way. Katie said that if Lindbergh was president, the United States would have stayed in the depression longer. Max added that if they went to war, hundreds of people would have died and altered America.
 * Summary:**

1. **How do you think that the life for Jewish people in America will change under the presidency of Lindbergh? How do you think it will change for everybody else?** A. Katie thinks that the Jewish people will lose some of their rights under his presidency. Lindbergh is going to make it so that it is a "bad" thing to be Jewish. I think that The United States will align itself with Nazi Germany and persecute the Jews in America.
 * Questions:**

2. **Do you think that the brother should have destroyed the portraits of Lindbergh? Do you think that the narrator should destroy his stamp of Lindbergh just because of what he is doing against the Jewish people?** A. We believe that Sandy should destroy the portraits because they are honoring Lindbergh and the things he is doing is or can hurt his family. The narrator, Philip, should not destroy his Charles Lindbergh stamp because his stamp collection is important to him and means a lot to him.

3. **What do you think the dream of Washington’s stamp changing into Hitler’s stamp foreshadows? Is there evidence to prove this foreshadowing?** A. We think that it foreshadows that the influence of the Nazi's and Hitler will begin to infiltrate and take over America. We also came to the conclusion that the stamp changing did not literally show the takeover of America by Hitler, but instead the takeover of Hitler's ideas of America. We also agree that the evidence to further add to the possibility of this happening is that Lindbergh is aligning himself and the country with Nazi Germany.

4. **Do you think that Lindbergh truly has the future of the United States in mind or do you think that Lindbergh is pretending in order to gain power?** A. Charles Lindbergh had America's future at his top priority, but his way of "bettering" America was by aligning the country with Germany. He wants to keep America as a world power, but is doing it in a messed up way; by letting thousands of Jews be killed.

5. **How do you think the election of Lindbergh instead of Franklin Roosevelt will change history? How will the world change and how will The United States change?** A. With Lindbergh as president, the depression might have lasted longer without WWII creating "total war" jobs. Lindbergh will change history because hundreds of thousands of Jews will die, Britain and the rest of Europe will fall to Nazi oppression, and America will officially be aligned with Nazi Germany. Hitler will rule most if not all of Europe. The United States will change because he will take over almost all authority in America and turn Fascist. Under his rule many people will lose some of their rights that they usually have in a democratic society.


 * Week 2: December 11**


 * Max:** B
 * Katie:** D
 * Brian:** A & C

The book is easy to read for me, but is difficult to read for the other two. One of the main reasons that it is difficult to read is because their is hardly any conversation and is written as a narration. Katie thinks that it reads like a textbook. It uses some words that are hard to understand, but for the most part it uses easy understood language. This book is definitely written for adults based on the way that things are said. There is little dialogue which bores many younger readers.
 * Assignment**:

Even though today was the second week of book club it was the first that i was there. we began with noshing on some cupcakes after eating our cupcakes we discussed the book. Since this was my first week i learned that the other member of my group felt the same way towards the book. For this part of the book we learned lindbergh's plans and that he really was an anti-semite. also we learned that philip's father is right in being paranoid. he and other jews are being segregated now and it may turn as bad as it is in germany.
 * Summary**:

After summarizing the book in the discussion questions we answered max's questions. his questions seemed to be centered on the plans. This is most likely because this is where Lindbergh came into power and started putting his antisemetic ideas into actions.

1. **Do you think that the OAA is part of the "plot against america," to try to take away cultural diversity?** A. Yes, I think that Lindbergh created the OAA in order to isolate the Jewish people and create segregation towards the Jews. If the Jews were equal like they were supposed to be, isolating them from the rest of the world does not show the equality. 2. **Do you think that it takes for someone you know to be involved in war to put it in perspective for you, such as like it did for Sandy?** A. Not necessarily, but the fact that Alvin came back from the war after losing a leg to the Germans, it really amplified the hatred that the Roth family has for the Nazis and Lindbergh. 3. **What do you think Philip's father means when he says, "the unfolding of the unforeseen is everything"?** A. This quote shows that Mr. Roth believes that as things have unfolded before them, such as the election of president Lindbergh and the alignment of the U.S with Germany, could not have been predicted and everything that can go wrong for him and his family has gone wrong. 4. **Do you think that Philip's father is right when he says that people are "against him" or do you think that he is just paranoid?** A. People are acting like they are against him such as the man at the hotel and the police officer because they treated the Roth's as second-class citizens. Mr. Roth was clearly done wrong to by being kicked out of his hotel room for being Jewish, but the officer refused to help him and also thought that he did not have the right to be given the room. 5. **Do you think that Rabbi Benglesdorf really believes in Lindbergh or is he just being used?** A. Rabbi Benglesdorf is being greedy and only following Lindbergh because it will probably benefit him in some way.
 * Questions**:


 * Week 3: December 18**


 * Max**: A & B
 * Katie:** C
 * Brian**: D

The mood or tone of this book is a depressing one because of the amount of antisemitism and hate that is hurled at the Roth's. Many depressing things are happening like Philip losing his stamp book and Alvin losing a leg in the war. Other things include the segregation of Jews and the brainwashing that Lindbergh put on the United States citizens. However, many parts of this book have the characters trying to lighten the mood through jokes to each other and friendly good conversations.
 * Assignment:**

For the first half of the class, the three of us just sat and ate our Oreos, which Max brought. We didn’t start our discussion until about halfway through, since we were busy editing our Wiki since it would not work for us last week. Our discussion started off with the assignment about the tone of the novel and then we got into the questions that Brian had prepared. When Brian asked his first question, Max was first to answer that Philip's life is more difficult now because America is so anti-Semitic, making it harder for him to grow up normally. Katie answered question, saying that he wants to run away because he does not want to go to Kentucky and he wants to stay in Newark. To the third question, Max answered that the history of the Roths is close to America's because whatever happens to America is happening to the Roths since they are Jewish and being perseuted. We all agreed that the Roth parents were not heroic because they are the ones who support Lindbergh. Lastly, we all agreed that the fact that Lindbergh brainwashed him, changes the Rabbi's mind. The meeting was overall successful and we got accomplished all of our tasks. Nothing at all interesting happened.
 * Summary**:

It's making the American society anti-Semitic, and it's is making it harder because so many negative events are happening. He wants to runaway because he doesn't want to move to Kentucky. Yes because whatever happens to America then that affects the Roths because they are Jewish and if they go over to the Nazi's then they will be persecuted. No because they are the people that support Lindbergh and go against the whole families beliefs. The fact that he is brainwashing them and is probably feeling that if they speak for him they will gain some personal benefit.
 * Questions:**
 * 1. What ways is history changing his childhood from a normal one?**
 * 2. Why does he want to run away?**
 * 3. Is the history of the Roths close to America's?**
 * 4. Do you feel that Bess and Herman Roth are heroic?**
 * 5. What changes the Rabbi's mind and the others about Lindbergh?**


 * Week 4: January 8**


 * Max**: D
 * Katie:** B
 * Brian**: A &C

One of the themes of this novel is that people are sacrificing their beliefs in exchange for power or money. Also, that people are power-hungry and will do anything to get the power that they want. The Jews are trying to be silenced, such as Winchell's assassin ion and the OAA are examples of ways to isolate the Jews. Images that Roth shows are that a pilot is running a country, which shows the stupidity of America. Also, his peaceful brother is starting fights with his own family, showing that the country is getting out of control. A Jewish radio journalist, Walter Winchell, steps up to speak out about Lindbergh and his antisemetic policies and before him, the Jews had no voice and it shows that they need someone to speak up for them.
 * Assignment**:

Today for the first half of class we ate the cupcakes i brought in. It was a very successful nosh time. Then we went into the questions of topics for the week. we answered all of them perfectly. These questions were centered on the idea of themes and imagery. Max and I had some trouble with the imagery because there did not seem to be much in the book. As for the themes we had a lot of the in mind which are located above this paragraph. One of the main ideas for the story is that the Jews needed people to speak up. In one of my classes there is a poster that defines this perfectly. It basically says that this man did not speak up when the Nazis came for others and when they came for him no one was left to speak up for him. After noshing and eating we went into max's questions. They centered on the effects of Lindbergh to the Roth family. Which is what the book is about so why wouldn't they focus on this. we all agreed that this book was getting a little more interesting. I use the word interesting and not better because the interesting, to me, is showing that it is enjoyable to read. And if a book is getting better it means that it is good and that you would want to read. Basically it is just getting more intense because of the content in the book. I still wouldn't recomnend it to anyone.
 * Summary**:

1. As time progresses and President Lindbergh gains power, how does American life change? How is Philip being robbed of a normal childhood because of this?
 * Questions**:

A. Life for Jewish people is misleading and confusing. Things for Jews are not as they appear. Philip knows this and is leading a life of confusion and fear.

2. Why do you think that Philip wants to run away, but Herman, his father, wants to stay? Do you think that the family should run away or stay?

A. Philip is young and has not lived in the U.S for as long as his father. Herman has seen a normal America and is hoping to return to it rather than run away from an anti-Semitic leader. We think that they should stay in the U.S and not let themselves be pushed around and allow Lindbergh to win.

3. What are the causes of the dramatic changes in the Roth family? Do these changes reflect any changes towards the country of America?

A. The changes of the Roth family show anger, paranoia and panic. The Roth family seems to be falling apart. This reflects the country of America because many people are showing anger towards the Jewish people. When president Lindbergh disappears, the people panic and begin to become paranoid and respond in riots.

4. What does Winchell represent and why is his voice so important to the Roths and other Jewish families around the country? Is he also important to the non-Jews in America?

A. Winchell represents the Jewish people in America. His voice on the radio shows that somebody is finally speaking out against the spread of anti-Semitism. He is so important because the Jewish people and the Roths finally have a voice. He is important to the non-Jews of America because he might make them realize the wrongs of anti-Semitism.

5. Is the violence within the Roth household caused by something more than paranoia and tension built up in the Roth’s?

A. The violence and quarrels in the Roth household are caused by fear. The Roths are being forced to live in fear of the future and not be able to speak their feelings because of anti-Semitism.


 * Week 5: January 15**


 * Max**: A & C
 * Katie:** D
 * Brian**: B

Would you recommend it to peers? Why or why not? Katie: no because it was awful. Max: no it would be hard for many people to understand. Has this topic been discussed more/less effectively in another book or books? Katie: less because its fiction Max: no it has barely been discussed Should this book be considered for the school's curriculum? Katie-No because it is horrible Max- yes because it shows the purpose behind WWII and what it achieved. It also shows how bad the world could have been and how anti-Semitic it could have been if WWII never happened. To start off the meeting, we ate Candy-Blasted Chips Ahoy. Then Kris gave us a cream soda that Max drank. Once our nosh session was over, Brian started us off with the discussion leader questions. Katie and I agreed that this was not a book that we would recommend to peers. Katie also thinks that everything about this book should be kept away from school curriculum, but I believe it would be good to show the effects of Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s presidency and how important his leadership was during WWII. This book would be good to show the what-ifs of WWII.
 * Assignment**:
 * Summary**:

Next, we did Katie’s questions. She was awfully grumpy. She came with the main theme of asking questions that were not specifically answered in the book, such as why the Roth family was fighting, where Lindbergh disappeared to and whether or not we viewed Anne Morrow as a hero or not. To most of these questions, with the exception of the one about Lindbergh, we all had the same answers. Anger, fear and hate was causing the Roths to fight, but Lindbergh’s disappearance was different. Brian believes that Lindbergh disappeared to Germany because he was losing power in America and wanted to be closer to his “friends” in Germany. I believe that when Lindbergh was going to see his son in Germany, he tried to take his son back, but the Nazi’s killed him. Katie also has that same opinion.

We agree that Alvin and Mr.Roth fought because they are scared about what is going to happen to them because they are Jews. Also, since they can't speak out about what they think, they have a lot of build up anger. Its strange because in history, the Italians were on Hitler's side, so it seemed strange for him to be on their side. Yes, Anne Morrow was clearly not anti-semitic like her husband, as evidenced by her letter to Aunt Evelyn, and by the fact that after Lindbergh went missing the new Vice president tried to have her put into a mental hospital. Mr. Mahwinny was part of the countries movement to re-educate Jewish youths on the summer vacations, which made it ironic that he became the person that Mrs. Roth reached out to when Seldon needed help. When he went to Germany to go see his son, the Nazis kidnapped or killed him because they were scared that he would say something about them to someone, so they just wanted to get rid of him.
 * Questions**:
 * 1. How do you think the fight between Alvin and Mr. Roth**
 * 2. Do you think it is odd that the Italian tenant sided with the Jews?**
 * 3.** **Do you believe that Anne Morrow is one of the heroes in the novel?**
 * 4. Were you surprised that Mr. Mahwinney came and took care of Seldon when his mother died?**
 * 5. What do you think really happened to Lindbergh?**