Question

name ____ date __ period __
from the diary of wacław głouszek day 4
\liberation???
today, april 3, at 3 pm, on the road to bergen, we saw the first armored reconnaissance of
the english army. we were overjoyed. who was still alive and could still walk, was running to
the fence to welcome the army that liberated us from the cruel hands of the germans. some
were climbing on the roofs and were greeting our saviors from there. our joy was
indescribable. we couldnt speak for joy, but a handshake said it all and the eyes were
brimming with tears. we couldnt stop talking that day. everyone was expecting and was fully
convinced that our torment has come to end and the bright future has come. alas, our joy
was premature. we were hoping that our slavery, our worries about the future were gone,
that the longed - for freedom was finally here and then soon we will come back to our country
or join our army. these were our dreams, desired and cherished for a long time and they
turned to dust. we were deceived thinking that the conditions we lived in would change any
day but they still persist. how long will they persist is the question that is difficult to
answer - will it last a while will it stay. this is how it looked when the english army came.
hearing that the english were coming, everyone rushed to the fence and saw... the hungarians,
the army that allied itself with the germans, standing guard and refused to allow us to get to
the fence. we were about 30 m from the road. we were cheering, our joy had no bounds, we
were welcoming the english, some were crying, the others were thanking god for giving them
the strength to survive and pray for further gods grace.
suddenly we hear a shot, another shot - the hungarians are chasing us away from the fence,
by force, using rifles. the moment was beyond sad - on the day of liberation, on the day of
immense joy for which we had been waiting so long, being tortured, abused, tormented for so
many years, uncertain whether we would live and now... it turned out that some people were
injured and dead by the hungarian shots.\

1. what does \premature\ mean? why does the narrator say that their joy was

\premature\?

1. why do you think the hungarian guards refused to allow the prisoners near the fence,

even with the english army present?

Explanation:

Question 1

1. Meaning of "Premature": "Premature" means happening too soon or before the appropriate time.
2. Why their joy was premature: The narrator says their joy was premature because they thought liberation (from German control) and a better future had arrived, but the harsh conditions they endured (slavery, worries, lack of freedom) continued. The Hungarian guards (allied with Germans) still restricted them, and some were injured/killed by Hungarian shots, showing their troubles didn’t end as they hoped.

The Hungarian guards were allied with the Germans. Even with the English army present, they likely refused to let prisoners near the fence to maintain control (following German-aligned orders), prevent prisoners from reaching the liberating English forces, or due to loyalty to the German - controlled regime, wanting to keep prisoners in subjugation.

Answer:

• "Premature" means occurring before the proper or expected time.
• Their joy was premature because, although they initially believed liberation and a better future had come, the difficult conditions (like restrictions from Hungarian guards allied with Germans, and violence leading to injuries/deaths) they faced persisted, so their hope for an end to torment was unfounded too soon.

Question 2