Yellow Star

Roy decides to arrange Syvia’s recollections as a novel in verse. How does this form assist in the telling of Syvia’s story as opposed to the other formats, such as a traditional first-person fiction narrative or nonfiction novel?

Despite Syvia’s advanced age, her recollections retain the child-like quality of her lived experiences in the ghetto: “Bang! Bang! A man in the crowd did a funny jump, then fell on his back, his yellow star facing the sky” (131). How does this stylistic choice impact the way the story is received? Is the content more or less distressing and effective when delivered in the voice of a child?

How is irony present in Syvia’s recollections? For example, consider the Nazi’s comment to the Jewish woman imply when he says, “‘You are lucky tonight, you can keep one of the children, and you will all live.’ They made the woman choose. Then they took one child away” (75). Examine the fate of the children and the helplessness of parents in the ghetto in your answer.