Swing Kids Test
What is a swing kid?
A swing kid is someone who listened to illegal music in the 1940s.
What special "gifts" did Herr Schumler give the Muller family?
Herr Schumler gave the Muller family the radio that Peter and Thomas had stolen early in the movie.
What is a Hitler Youth?
Hitler Youth was the youth organization of the Nazi Party in Germany. They brainwashed the minds of many young children.
What do Peter and Thomas steal? Why is this significant?
Peter and Tomas steal a radio. This is significant because it shows that they are different then other kids they're age who typically join the Hitler Youth.
Who is Thomas?
son of a wealthy family; most antagonistic of the trio
Who is Arvid?
was born with a club foot; plays the guitar; knowledgeable musician
Why won't Arvid play a traditional song that the German soldier requested?
Arvid won't play a traditional song that the German soldier requested because he said that the murderous acts can start with one song. The Nazis are killing Jews, Gypsies, handicapped and others and everyone is becoming blind to what is happening around them. They are getting too caught up in the moment of it all.
Who is Herr Knopp?
Gestapo man who visits Peter's mother and treats her with respect
Why did Thomas join the HJ?
He joined the HJ to be with Peter and because of the privileges of being in the HJ (access to power and having the sense of being "normal").
Why won't Peter flee when Thomas gives him the chance to escape?
He said that he doesn't care what they will do to him because he know who he is and who his friends are and he doesn't want to be a HJ kid by day and a swing kid by night. He thinks that if he should believe in one thing full time, then it might as well be what he truly believes in.
Why do you think Peter is beginning to question his beliefs?
I think Peter is starting to question his beliefs because the arrest of his father is beginning not to make sense. He knows in his heart that what the Nazis are doing is not just and that his father probably hadn't done anything truly incorrect.
Who or what do you think is the most responsible for the final choice Arvid made in how to deal with his situation?
I think that Thomas is the most responsible for Arvid committing suicide because he told him that the Nazis were coming for Arvid next, so he decided to end his life on his own instead of being forced to end his life by the Nazis.
Is the ending realistic? Why or why not?
I think that the ending of this movie is realistic because in the mid 1940s, swing kids were sent off to camps, imprisoned, and put in the army when they defied the Nazis.
What is the main plot?
In WWII Germany, Swing music becomes the underground movement of young people. Two engineering students attempt to be J kids by day and Swing kids by night. This decision affects their family and friends in many ways. Throughout this a charming SS officer complicates matters for Peter, whose father is taken away for defending his Jewish colleagues at the University.
What was in the boxes Peter delivered?
In the boxes that Peter has delivered to the Jewish families are the ashes of their father of each family.
What reasons did the Nazis not want their youth or adults listening to this music?
Music is very influential and can ultimately change their perspective on different ideas and subjects. Due to this, they were only allowed to listen to German music that would not change their views or influence them in a way they did not deem appropriate.
What were Peter's opinions of why the Jewish professors were terminated from the university? He expressed these opinions when he visited the women whose husband studied with Peter's father.
Peter thought that the Jewish professors must have done something wrong to get terminated from the university.
Why wasn't Peter sent to a juvenile work camp for the theft?
Peter wasn't sent to the work camps because his mother called Herr Schumler to avoid this punishment. Schumler liked Peter's mother and decided that he wouldn't have to join a working camp, he would join the HJ instead.
What do we learn about Peter's father?
Peter's father was a supporter of Jewish nation. He tried to help them and for that he was arrested and died.
Why did Herr Schumler warn Peter to stay away from the bookseller? What did Peter discover about the bookseller's special books? What does he do about it? Speculate why he behaves this way.
Schumler warned Peter to stay away from the bookstore because he is not sure if they are selling books, he thinks they might be selling other items that are beneficial to Jews. Once Peter discovers that he is delivering fake identification for Jews, he does not stop delivering these books once discovering this because he feels badly for the Jews and his father didn't believe in the Nazis views.
What are three ways that the Hitler Youth leaders try to influence how the boys in the Hitler Youth think and/or act?
The Hitler Youth influenced young children by repeating Hitler's values continuously, made them physically fit and told them that they were the ideal and perfect human being.
When the HJ arrive at the Bismark, the music changes quickly? Why?
The swing kids were trying to conceal what was truly happening at the Bismark and what music what really playing.
What do the HJ do to Arvid when they find him on the street with a Benny Goodman album? Why did they do this?
They beat Arvid, break his record and hurt his hand badly so that he might not be able to play. They did this because he was carrying swing music and he was accused of being a Jew lover and supporter when they attacked him.
What are three ways that the teenagers of Hamburg, Germany resisted the Nazis and hid how they were listening and dancing to forbidden music?
They listened to swing music, hid the swing music in stores by putting the records into the wrong covers, and they also danced in the dance hall while listening to swing music.
How do Thomas and Peter escape the raid at the Trichter?
Thomas and Peter escape through the back end of the stage to the alley.
Thomas has the chance to kill Peter during the raid at the Bismark. Why doesn't he?
Thomas doesn't kill Peter during the raid because he realized that he was killing one of his friends and that he isn't a murderer.
How and where does Thomas denounce his father? (Denounce = to turn into the government)
Thomas told the Nazis in Hitler Youth that his father occasionally speaks out against Hitler but he is too weak to act upon his beliefs.
What are the final two words of the movie shouted by Willie, Peter's brother? What do these words mean and why are they so significant?
Willie shouted the words "Swing Heil". Swing Heil is a significant phrase because it is a form of resistance against the Nazis and it shows the beliefs of the swing kids in this movie.
Who is Peter?
father is dead; has younger brother; unofficial leader of the trio of friends
Who is Emil?
former Swing Kid; member of the Hitler Youth
