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 __Rules__

 It seems that life is run by rules, like no chewing gum in school and no running in the halls. In the book //The Devil's Arithmetic,// the protagonist Hannah (Chaya) learns that the concentration camp is run by rules too. In this book, Nazis give concentration camp rules. Rivka, a young, fellow, imprisoned Jew, gives her rules. Similarities between these rules exist, like the Nazis and Rivka want the prisoners to stay alive, want to maintain order, and they both believe that the prisoners have to remember their numbers. Though there are similarities between these rules, many differences between these rules exist as well.

 In the concentration camp, several people give out the rules, including the three-fingered woman, the tattooer, and the commondent. One of the rules are that the prisoners must not speak unless engaged in conversation with an official. The prisoners should also never say no to the Nazi officials. Learning the word //schnell// (hurry) is an essential rule in the camp too because it must be obeyed instantly. The intents, or purposes, of these rules are to show who's boss, keep the prisoners afraid of the Nazis, and, even, to have an excuse to hurt the prisoners. As you can see, these rules are very harsh and cruel, but Rivka's rules are told to help the Jews survive.

Rivka is a Jew prisoner who has been in the camp for a year and has survived. Her rules are key to the survival of the prisoners. One of her most important rule is that you must make the number you are given part of your life. You do this by making every individual number and letter mean something, like an important memory that changd your life. Another one is that you must hide the little children in the midden, which is a trash heap that the Nazi soldiers don't go near. The prisoners also must never go near Lileth's cave. Purposes and intents of some of these rules are to help the Jews keep their humanity, to help the Jews remember their past, and to prevent little kids from getting killed. Many rules in life are opinonized to people as unfair, but none of the modern rules are as cruel as the concentratuion camp rules.

Though these rules were brutal, Rivka made her own rules that helps her survive and save others. Can you imagine how many //more// prisoners would have died if there were no helpful rules? It would be too large, and it would just add more to the brutal arithmetic.