7816vn+DA+Rules

//Rules, Life, and Death//

 Do you enjoy it when people explain rules? I don't, but then again, rules rarely mean life or death. In the book //The Devil's Arithmetic// there are two sets of rules: Rivka's rules and the camp's rules. They have three things in common: they both keep you alive, they both maintain order, and they both have someone to enforce them. These rules are the only things keeping the camp from total anarchy, and ironically, the only things keeping some of the Jewish prisoners alive. In these Paragraphs I will explain the extent of the two rules.

 The first set of rules is the camp rules. The four people to enforce //these// rules are the three-fingered woman (the blokova), the tattooist, the commandant, and Rivka. First, the three fingered woman greets the girls with cruel words, taunts, but most importantly the basic rules of camp. The first rule, and most important, was "obey the word shnell! (quick)" This rule is one of the most important because it tells the prisoners to listen or die. The purpose of this rule was to make the campers "stay in line." The next enforcer is the tattooist, who is a prisoner like them. While giving them their numbers, the tattooist tells the prisoners to remember their numbers, or else they will not survive long in camp. This is important because the rest of the campers' lives depends on their codes.This rule was made to dehumanize the campers and deprive them of their identities. Third is the commandant, who explains one of the most vital rules, "never complain." This rule was important because it gave the Nazis an easy excuse to kill people. The intent of this rule was to discourage confidence. The last enforcer was Rivka; she said only one rule, but it was the most important: "Make sure you know your bowl." This rule created hopelessness because it told the Jews that their whole lives depended on a tiny bowl. The intent of this rule was to deprive the Jews of freedom.

 The next set of rules is Rivka's. She is a lot nicer than the Nazis, and her rules help the prisoners stay alive longer. Her first rule was, //know when to fight//. This rule would keep the campers out of trouble. The intent of this rule was to teach people when to hold tempers, and when to defy the Nazis. Her second rule was to //remember your number as yourself//. This was important because the Nazis would call people by their numbers, and if you don't remember you can't make it. The intent of this rule was to keep the Jews identity. The last rule was to never stand next to a Greek. The importance of this rule was that Greeks can't speak Yiddish, so they won't understand orders. The intent of this rule was to prevent being taken away because of another person's action. Rivka's overall intent was to make camp easier, and safer for prisoners. But more importantly, she wanted them to keep their

 Both sets of rules have their downsides. They both have a core purpose, though, and that purpose is to make life easier, whether it is for the enforcer or the prisoner.In This case Rivka wants to help the prisoners survive, but the camp wants to help the prisoners die.