The Boy in the Striped Pajamas

Use these activities to engage all types of learners, while requiring that they refer to and incorporate details from the text over the course of the activity. 

ACTIVITY 1: “Shuffle Play”

Some of the most famous pieces emerging from or responding to the Holocaust have been works of music: for example, Krzysztof Penderecki’s “Dies Irae (Auschwitz Oratorium)," which he composed for the 1967 opening of the International Monument to the Victims of Fascism at Birkenau.

Part A: Listen to Penderecki’s composition. As you do, consider how Penderecki uses experimental elements (recited readings, dissonant sounds, etc.) to convey emotion and meaning. More broadly, consider how music might differ from language in its ability to respond to great tragedy or other experiences that evade full human understanding.

Part B: Bearing in mind your reflections from Part A, create a playlist of at least 10 musical pieces to accompany The Boy in the Striped Pajamas.

• Your selections can come from any genre, and you do not need to include either “Dies Irae” or any other work directly inspired by the Holocaust (however, you are free to do so).
• Your selections don’t necessarily have to follow the novel's plot, but they should comment on or reflect various aspects of the work.