The sole occupant of the table was a tall, distinguished gray-haird man.

"I am embarrassed, steward, both for you and for my guests."

The elderly man rose, gave his name, shook hands with the two colored soldiers, and the three of them sat down at the table.

"I will have the porter bring a table," he said.

the possibility of equality for all people

the distance the train has traveled

the potential victory over Hitlerism

the difficulty of being a soldier

"I can eat without butter," said the Corporal.

They took turns sleeping for a few hours.

"You boys can't sit here."

For the first time his eyes met those of his host.

identifies with the two corporals because his son is a soldier

believes there should be separate types of cars on the train

performs an act of kindness because he feels superior to the two soldiers

is on the train because he is going to visit his son

quicken the pace of the story for the reader

highlight the brutality of war for everyone involved

emphasize the ethnicity of the major characters

show the reader that the two soldiers are very brave

smashing furniture and dishes

beasts of prey

military decorations

my mother found the courage to say

The building was old and made mostly of wood.

It was bombed during the war by the Russians and Americans.

Angry Germans set fire to it after a Polish Jew killed a German in Paris.

Fleeing German Jews burned the temple so the Germans could not occupy it.

the family and other Jew fleeing their homes

the family boarding the train to flee to their relatives

the family's decision to pack up their belongings

the kindness of the narrator's mother toward her neighbors

The German soldiers did not have time to raid the house.

The narrator's mother was able to put out the fire.

The U.S. government instructed the Germans not to harm it.

The narrator's parents had served in the German military.

describe how courageous her mother was

depict the power of the soldiers' weapons

illustrate the brutality displayed by the German soldiers

show that her mother and father served Germany

unity

fire

night

hope

They had to replace the belongings damaged by the German soldiers.

They could no longer practice their religion freely.

They were forced to separate because of the impending war.

They had to leave their home and country to survive.

contrast the narrator's life before and after Hitler's rise to power

provide a reason why the narrator's family had to leave Landau

detail the narrator's nostalgia for her childhood

explain that the narrator is Jewish

shows how significant the war medals were to her mother

expresses how afraid of the German soldiers she was

portrays the abrupt and frenzied nature of the soldiers' invasion

details the family's reaction to the soldiers' invasion

She fully understood how fortunate she and her family had been to escape.

She needed to revisit Landau to remember what had happened.

It enabled her to finally let go of her past.

It allowed her husband to understand what she had gone through.

During the dreary days of early November, the damp, cold mood of Mother Nature reflected our own only too well.

After they left, my mother sent my brother and me to bed.

We were fortunate to have distant relatives who ran a small hotel in Mannheim.

Now my brother and I could read the sadness and fear in our parents' eyes.

Both show how Jim Crow were enforced.

Both detail the persecution of Jews.

Both occur while Hitler was in power.

Both highlight the separation between the South and the North.

Sleep

Hospitality

Travel

Humor

sadness

elation

fear

gratitude