P6, C3, 1: "Smoking Gun"

"British guard on duty near guardhouse at entrance to unused cotton mill which has been converted into POW housing for German prisoners of war" (1939) by William Vandivert

According to Soni, ICE and Border Patrol knew all Signal's workers were undocumented, but the only ones they arrested were those who escaped from the workcamp. As Soni explains, "The terror of being caught by ICE agents was exactly what kept the men trapped in the man camps" (284).

But why did the ICE agents participate in this scheme? What was their motivation? Why would they want to help a company that employed undocumented workers?

Only answer this question after you've read part six, chapter three and all of the preceding chapters. 

P6, C3, 2: "Smoking Gun"

Detail from "The Consecration of the Emperor Napoleon and the Coronation of the Empress Josephine by Pope Pius VII, 2nd December 1804" by Jacques-Louis David

According to Soni, when the workers were at their lowest point, Aby inspired them with these words, in which he invokes the name of his young son, Bobby: "I would rather lose my life than my honor. Let Bobby inherit my honor" (288).

Aby's view of honor involves something more than simply telling the truth. How do you think he would define it for the other workers?

What does "honor" mean with respect to the Honors Program at ECU?

If you complete the requirements of the Honors Program, you will be an Honors graduate. But is that the same thing as performing honorably? What is the difference?

If someone in the Honors Program does not behave honorably (by cheating on assignments, for example), does that diminish the value of the program for other members? 

Only answer this question after you've read part six, chapter three and all the preceding chapters.

P6, C8: "Thanksgiving"

"The Musicians" (1991) by Fernando Botero

At several points in the book, the workers are inspired by the phrase "Hum ek hain!," which he translates as "We are one!"

This phrase means so much to the workers because of the sacrifices they have made with and for each other and their families. They have endured adversity and persisted together.

Have you ever been a part of a group that developed a profound sense of togetherness by overcoming adversity together?

How did your experience compare with the experience of the Indian workers?

Only answer this question after you have read part six, chapter eight and all of the preceding chapters.

P6, C9, 2: "Alvin Ladner's America"

"Light/Dark" (1977) by Marina Ambramovic

Soni takes solace in the fact that he "made the Indian men human" to Ladner (322).

Have you ever had an experience in which you thought of someone you didn't know very well as an enemy, but when you got to know them better or learned more about them, you felt differently about them?

If so, describe that experience here.

Only respond to this prompt after you have read part six, chapter nine and all of the preceding chapters.

P6, C9, 1: "Alvin Ladner's America"

"Hunters in the Snow" (1565) by Pieter Breugel the Elder

According to Soni, Ladner felt that it was "downright dishonorable" for ICE to force him to "pick up an undocumented man in his fifties to deport him over a decades-old drug offense" (319).

Why would Ladner consider it "dishonorable" for ICE to arrest and deport someone who broke the law? Isn't that their job?

And if Ladner believed it was unfair for ICE to serve private employers "to exploit immigrant reconstruction workers after Katrina, calling in raids on payday to avoid having to pay them," why did he help out Signal when they called in ICE to capture the undocumented workers who abandoned the work camps?

Only answer this question after you've read part six, chapter nine and all of the preceding chapters. 

Epilogue: Forgetting

Soni reports that a monument built as a reminder of the highwater mark of 2005's Hurricane Katrina was later painted over.

Why do you think they did that?

Under what conditions is it a good idea to take down monuments in order to help people "move on"?

Under what conditions is it important to remember traumatic events?

Is this one of those cases?

What made Hurricane Katrina a moment worth remembering other than the hide watermark?

Only answer this question after you've read the entire book.

The Great Escape Takeaway

So you've read The Great Escape now. In 100 words or less, identify the part of the book that is most likely to stick with you the longest. What's your take away?

Don't answer this question until you've finished reading the entire book. Claiming to have read the book without having done so would be dishonorable. Far better to take a late penalty than to sacrifice your integrity for a grade. Owning your life choices can be the first step to enlightenment.