Vanessa's Blog
Thursday, May 24, 2012
Introduction
Facing History and Ourselves is
one of the most rewarding classes anyone will ever take. This course introduces
a whole new perspective on the Holocaust as well as other time periods. The
films and documentaries shown are eye openers for everyone because this class
allows you to not only learn about specific eras, but also about how you
reflect on the subject. Because the title of this course includes “ourselves”,
you will learn more about yourself as well as these time periods. Because you
will react differently to what is shown in this class, you will develop a new
perspective and outlook that will be completely altered from the one you had
before taking this course. Before signing up for this class, I did not know how
much I would take away from it. Facing
History and Ourselves was, at first, just another class that would give me
the credits to graduate. But I also chose it because it sounded interesting and
I had heard that Mr. Gallagher was an outstanding teacher and totally different
from any other teacher in Westborough High School. Both of these things proved
to be true. I reluctantly admit that I am not the type of person to reflect on
my classes and I instead focus more on the grades that I receive. I am a very
shy and motivated person which made taking this class a rather transition. I
never think twice about the classes I take or the teachers who teach me, but Facing History and Ourselves has given
me the opportunity to do so in the future.
What Facing History Meant To Me
At first, Facing History and
Ourselves was just another course to fill my schedule. Just as I would with any
other class, I looked at the description in the manual and decided that it
might be interesting. This proved to be more than true. In addition to this
class being interesting, it was also an eye opener in many instances. Being a
student, I have learned that the courses I take are not just about the grade
that I receive in the end, but also about taking things away from them. Facing
History and Ourselves has taught me to focus more on what I am learning rather
than strive for the A plus. As a person, I learned to look at things from a new
perspective and see things from all angels in all of my classes. Among the many
films we watched in this course, there were three that really stood out and
were most meaningful to me. The film The
Grey Zone made me realize that the Jews actually fought back against the
Nazis during the Holocaust. I had not known this before and it was an eye
opener. Also, The Boy in the Striped
Pajamas gave me new perspective on how truly manipulative the Nazis were.
We also recently watched real footage of the death camps from the Holocaust
which was unbelievably life changing for anyone who watches it. After seeing
these films, it amazed me to see that the Jews had the will to fight back in
the conditions they were in. Since The
Grey Zone is based on true events, it is truly admirable to see that based
on their condition in the death camps footage, the Jews were able to fight
back.
In the movie The
Grey Zone, Jews inside the prison camps were able to fight back with the
little hope that they had left. Before seeing this film I did not know that
they attempted to escape in the way that they did. It surprised me that so many
of them were able to come together and work on a plan to get out of the death
camps. This film was meaningful to me because it showed me that the Jews were
not as weak as everyone thought they were. They were strong and courageous
people who used their last bit of life to try and escape. Being an educated
Christian girl living in the United States in the twenty first century, it is
hard to put myself in their position. However, I can honestly say that I do not
think that I would have had the strength to fight back and plot against the
Nazis inside the camps. It was truly admirable what they did. Not only did
people go against the Nazis, but the Nazis themselves went against their own
families.
The Boy in the
Striped Pajamas is a very controversial film. It shows multiple instances
where the Nazis decide to go against their own families and continue to follow
Hitler’s leadership. One time that this happened was when the father’s Nazi
assistant implies that his own father does not agree with his choice of being
part of the Nazi Party. Even after his father refuses to accept his son’s
choice, the assistant continues to be a part of the hateful group. Another
instance where this happened was when Bruno’s father turns away from his wife
and two kids in order to continue to be a Nazi. This ultimately leads to his
son’s death after accidentally getting gassed in Shmo’s camp. This had a big
impact on me because it showed how powerful Hitler was and how much he had
control over his party. It is also shocking how easily the Nazi soldiers went
against two important people in their lives in trade for being part of the
cruelest group of people ever to exist. Seeing how strongly people felt about
the Jews was shocking to me. This film was one of the most meaningful films we
watched during this course because it left me with the impression that the
Nazis were even more evil than I had known. Not only did these two men choose
Hitler over their families, but it also led them to be a part of killing
innocent people. Seeing Bruno die really tugged at my heart. It is especially sad
when you are able to get to know the character before something terrible
happens. In this case, we see two young boys form a forbidden friendship only
to see it go away. This film also allowed me to get a new perspective on how
the Nazis were able to kill innocent people.
The most horrid video I have ever seen is The Death Camps. I cannot begin to relay
the feelings I had while and after watching this. It is the most devastating
film I have ever watched. Since this is actual footage from the Holocaust, it
hit me that what happened in history is real. It not only made the Holocaust
real, but other events in our past real as well. Even though I have seen so
many films about this time period, I have always been able to convince myself
that isn’t real in order to prevent myself from getting upset. However, this
film was the most real thing I have ever seen in my entire life. Even after
having learned about the Holocaust during school in the past, this film was
still shocking. It showed what he American troops found when arriving at the
death camps which was dead bodies, gas chambers, tools to beat people with, and
living, but very sick, Jews. The Jews were in such poor condition that some
were not able to be saved. Out of the millions of Jews killed during imprisonment,
there were more that died even after the Nazis abandoned the camps. Seeing the
skeleton-like bodies was so shocking and horrifying. To me, it was the most
unpleasant sight I have ever seen because the Jews were in such poor health
that they truly looked like they were already dead. This film was the most
meaningful one that this course showed me because it had the biggest impact on
me. All of the films that we watched were sad and devastating, but knowing this
film has actual footage, made it the hardest but most rewarding one to see.
Through The Grey
Zone, The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, The Death Camps, and many other films, this course has taught me to be a better
person. It has showed me so many new and significant things about the Holocaust
and that time period that it is almost overwhelming! The most important thing
that I will take away from this class is to stand up for what I believe in.
After taking this course with Mr. Gallagher I can honestly say that I will do
my best to follow through with this valuable lesson.
Bruno and Shmo form a forbidden friendship.
In the concentration and death camps.
Children of the Holocaust.
The Grey Zone.
Map of concentration camps.
Works Cited
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas.
Google Images. Online Images. 24 May 2012.
Concentration and Death Camps.
Google Images. Online Images. 24 May 2012.
Children of the Holocaust. Google
Images. Online Images. 24 May 2012.
The Grey Zone .
Google Images. Online Images. 24 May 2012.
Map of concentration camps. Google
Images. Online Images. 24 May 2012.
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