Javier 1

Elpidio Javier
English 113B
Professor Ditch
8 May 2015
Triumph Over Tribulation
Being faced with a traumatic event is very drastic as it may effect a person
psychologically or externally. Its attached to those whom are exposed wherever they go,
whether being alone or surrounded with people around you. Finding ways to conquer traumatic
events can help increase positivity, and decrease distress from themselves. The Guernsey
Literary Pie Society is set in the year 1946 during the chaos of war as people are going through
agonizing events in their lives. In spite of the Germans taking over Guernsey Island during
World War II, the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society book club finds ways to escape
from the war by creating friendships and sharing bonds with one another internally, which give
them the strength to overcome oppression.
People are affected drastically when they are faced with traumatizing events. In the
Guernsey Literary Potato Peel Pie Society, the people of Guernsey have a hard time living
because of the Germans taking their food and making everything scarce. Being unable to have
something to eat is very traumatizing as it can lead to many situations such as internal problems,
illness, or death. Marie Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows state, Everyone was sickly from so little
nourishment and bleak from wondering if it would ever end (Shaffer and Barrows 64). Ann
Shaffer and Barrows explain about food becoming harder to obtain during the war and hoping
that it would come to an end because of the Germans taking all of it, making people suffer and
sick form little nourishment. In the article, Relief Crisis Unfolds as Iraq War Progresses, Kapp

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and Clare state, But it warned that most of the population would run out of food in less than 6
weeks and said the cost of covering basic needs would run to US$1 billion. The quote explains
about war happening in Iraq and supplies are lessening more and more where people soon suffer
and end in getting sick or being decease. Kapp and Clare also claim in the article, We
understand we have an obligation to put food and medicine in place so the Iraqi people can live a
normal life and have hope. Unable to be supplied with food is very traumatizing as it causes
many problems within an individual such as pain, anorexia, or an eating disorder. In relation to
the Guernsey Literary Potato Peel Pie Society, having no supplies can lead to many situations
and can cause many effects or symptoms.
Friendships and families helped the literary society get through the distress they
face. Ann Shaffer and Barrows states, True reason for Juliets regained spirits was her friendship
with Sophie Stark and the Stark family (Shaffer and Barrows 46). Due to Juliets parents dying
in a motor accident at a young age, trying to stay stable becomes hard for Juliet. She goes to live
with her uncle but because of her parents death and her uncle not having time to pay attention to
her due to his studies, Juliet runs away twice. After finding Juliet he second time, Simon
Simpless and Juliets uncle both agree and send her to a boarding school in which she comes
across a friend she makes named Sophie Stark. Because of the friendship of Sophie and the Stark
family, they helped Juliet overcome the problems she was going through and gave a helping hand
for Juliet to bring herself back on her feet and to help keep the negative out of her mind. The
video, Caines Arcade by Nirvan Mullick, is a documentary explaining about a 9-year-old boy
who built a cardboard arcade in his fathers used auto parts store hoping to have customers who
would like to play. Although he doesnt get any customers to play in his arcade, Nirvan is
exposed to the arcade while in search for an auto part in his fathers shop. Nirvan becomes

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interested in Caines hard working and determination and plans an event to help him have a lot of
customers for his arcade. With Nirvan and Caines friendship, both of them gave a helping hand
to each other as Nirvan became inspired by the 9 year old and made his dreams come true by
giving him customers to play his arcade that he built. Within the book club, all the members
made friendships with one another and shared mutual interests. The documentary connects to
friendships because with the help of Nirvan Mullick, it helped Caine be known worldwide and
have his dream come true, which was to have customers for his arcade. Shaffer and Barrows
states, We read books, talked books, argued over books, and became dearer and dearer to one
another (Shaffer and Barrows 51). This quotes explains the people in the book club all having a
bond towards each other. In the beginning, many of the members just knew who others were or
didnt know them all well, but as time passes friendships are made because of the books they
would discuss.
There are varieties of ways to overcome agonizing events. The forming of the book club
helped Amelia, Dawsey, and the rest of the members overcome the trauma from the war. Ann
Shaffer and Barrows states, Other Islanders asked to join us, and our evenings together became
bright, lively times- we could almost forget, now and then, the darkness outside (Shaffer and
Barrows 51). During the war, disaster takes place among cities and everyone living through it
becomes too traumatized and less likely to show happiness in themselves. As Amelia Maugery
creates the Guernsey Literary Potato Peel Pie Society, members start to form and, with everyone
sharing there same interests on books, friendships are made within people, and it would help
them forget about the situations theyre going through. With disasters, Germans taking over by
force, and the war happening, all tragedies become forgetful to the members of the book club
because of the happiness they find and sharing mutual interests in books with one another. In

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The Secondhand Bookseller by Marina Nemat, Nemat goes through many devastating events
in her life. At a young age she is arrested for speaking out against Khomeinis regime, spending
more than 2 years in a prison, tortured, and almost executed. Nemat states, Three days later I
had read The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe twice and had fallen in love with it. I wanted
more (Pg. 2). In this article the protagonist, Marina Nemat, explains about her childhood and
the passion she has with readings books. Unfortunately, due to her family being poor and not
having enough money to buy a book, Nemat seeks to find ways to grasp a hold of any book she
can with her intent to not give up. Books give a helping hand to Nemat as it helps her get over
the hard times she faces of living a poor lifestyle and not being able to afford anything except for
little food. She becomes determined to get a hold of as many books as she can to read because it
helps her overcome and forget what shes going through in her life. This comes into relation with
the novel because books are what help everyone get through the problems they are all facing,
such as the people of Guernsey having to go through the calamities of war and also in the article
where Nemat finds a way to escape reality, such as the hard life she lives, by being exposed to
books.
Books helped the people of Guernsey still have hope in spite of what was going bad, such
as the Germans taking over, upon them. In the book, it says, We clung to books and to our
friends: they reminded us that we had another part to us (Pg. 64). At this time, as the people of
Guernsey are living through the German takeover, everyone of Guernsey are hoping that theyll
leave the island. Unfortunately, it stretches on and on that made supplies become scarce. The
people of Guernsey would start to get sickly due to there island being taken over and keep them
wondering if it will ever end. But even with all the outcomes that has happen to the people, the
people of the book club still have hope as they hold on to the friends they made with one another

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and the books they have obtain to read and share. Nemat states, I have this much money.
Doesnt matter what book, as long as its good. In the article, Nemat has a passion towards
reading books as it helps her get through whats happening externally, which is living a poor
lifestyle and not being able to afford what she wants. In the beginning she asks her mom if she
can get her a book but the mom says she can only once a month due to her family not having
enough money to afford other things besides food. As she crosses paths at a bookstore, she tries
her best to get a hold of any book to read because of the love she has for reading. Ann Shaffer
and Barrows states, We began to meet for the sake of the Commandment at first, and then for
our own pleasure (Pg. 50.) As Amelia, Elizabeth, and other friends stay past curfew, everyone
decides to leave to their homes and hope that they wont get caught by the Germans.
Unfortunately, the group gets caught and are questioned why are they out past curfew, having
Elizabeth and friends think they will be going to the jail. Elizabeth saves everyone by telling
them about a book club that they were supposedly in at that time and in a shocking turn around
the Germans take Elizabeths word. Elizabeth and the rest go to the Commandment to create to
the book club officially, in which grants them to meet during the evenings without getting in
trouble. As time passes, the members only get to together just because they are forced to because
of the Commandment, but as they begin to get to know each other and read many books to share
and have discussions about, the club and the books become a pleasure for them, making them
escape whats happening in their island. The books help the members avoid the events happening
in Guernsey and overcome it by being with each other and sharing what they all like.
When a person comes across something that traumatizes them drastically, it can
affect them in many ways. It tends to lead to psychological causes, disorders, or anything
unpleasant to a person because the traumatizing event becomes stuck in their head for a long

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time period, in which only the person themselves can get away from the event. As Guernsey
comes across many traumatizing events such as food supplies lessening and their island being
controlled by the Germans, the people find ways to uplift the horrific events they are all going
through by forming a book club, making friendships and having families around each other to
escape the terror they face, and being able to have books to read and share, helping the members
forget about the causes, such as the Germans and low supplies, happening.

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Work Cited
Caines Arcade. Nirvan Mullick. 2012. Film
Nemat, Marina. The Secondhand Bookseller. Print
Ann Shaffer, Marie. Barrows, Annie. The Guernsey Literary Potato Peel Pie Society.
2008. Print