Going into the course, Facing History and Ourselves, I had the slightest idea of what it was truly about. I had always been fascinated about the holocaust topic, but I never really understood all the levels and details of how horrific it really was. When I walked into Mr. Gallagher’s class on the first day of the course, he taught us about a simple word that can go a long way. Respect. Before this class I was naïve and arrogant in many ways. Saying words like “gay” if something is stupid or calling someone a Jew if they are cheap is unforgivable and wrong. It’s these stereotypes that caused millions of deaths of innocent human beings not long ago. This course allowed me to comprehend all of this. The course first off benefited me as a student at WHS. Before the class I would talk over teachers, or not pay attention to lectures if I wasn’t interested in them. I learned that if you do this, you could miss something that will really affect your life. This once again all comes down to respect. If you respect your education, then you will pay attention and do well in your classes. This class however did much more than that for me. It showed me so many things that I will carry for the rest of my life. This class showed me the aftermath and of what can occur if you discriminate against a group just because they are different. Everyone is equal and everyone does deserve a chance no matter what. This class has also taught me that this very well could happen again if we are not careful. When I look back at the holocaust I always imagined it so many years ago, when in reality it was not that long ago at all. This really stood with me because I myself could never imagine doing anything so terrible, but millions of girls did that very thing at my age. That makes me second guess myself in the strength of my opinion and voice on if I would have been broke down to actually think that doing this to the Jewish community was the right thing to do.
One thing movie that stuck with me throughout this course and what I connected with the most was the documentary that we watched on the last full day of class. In this film there was real footage of people in concentration camps. The images shown in the video I can tell you right now I will never forget. I felt extremely sick to my stomach watching both men and women throw other millions of people who died of many ways into a pit of other dead bodies. The look on their face was completely normal with no reaction or emotion in what they were doing. I did not see one person die or flinch or be delicate with the bodies. It’s horrifying to think that someone could actually be used to doing this as a normal routine. During the film there is also footage of men where you can literally see every bone in their body. I could never imagine the pain of not eating for as long as they did. It’s also scary to see how fragile and tormented they really were.
Another movie that stuck with me was The Boy in the stripped Pajamas. Although this film is not based on a real story, I think that it was great in showing how the younger generation was affected by the war as well. I mainly thought it was great how they showed the interaction between the two kids and the teacher. The teacher was telling them that Jews are not people, and that Hitler is basically equal to god. I always didn’t understand why children were thinking this way, but it wasn’t there fault. The Nazis I have learned from this class have used extreme propaganda in order to have people follow along with their beliefs, and as a goal; terminate the Jews. I also liked the different style choice of this movie. During the first part of the year we watched a lot of documentary style films, and I am happy we watched a movie that was still informative.
One of the most important messages that I learned and will take with me after this course is how terrible it is to be a bystander. By being a bystander you are in as much fault as the perpetrator. This is because you know what’s going on, but you’re not doing anything to stop it. So many people could have stopped Hitler from rising to power, or help stop the termination of the Jews, but instead they stood there and did nothing. Bystanders are here through other conflicts too such as bullying. If you see a teen getting bullied you should no matter what do something. If they commit suicide you should feel just as guilty because you stood by and did nothing. This is what we have to stop. I know I will never be a bystander again, and it is because I took this class.
Overall this class changed my view on so many things. I knew that the holocaust was a terrible event that happened in history but I never actually understood the details of how horrific it was. This class has changed all that for me. I definitely think that this class should be a requirement for the freshman or sophomore grades. The class is both extremely interesting and important. I think that people would find this very useful in every day scenarios as well. Bullying is now such a problem and I think that classes like this would help stop it from occurring. From what I was saying before, respect can go a long way. If everyone uses respect then everyone will feel better and comfortable with them selves, and people would be included and happy. This class has been amazing. I am so happy I chose to take it and I will remember it all my life.
One thing movie that stuck with me throughout this course and what I connected with the most was the documentary that we watched on the last full day of class. In this film there was real footage of people in concentration camps. The images shown in the video I can tell you right now I will never forget. I felt extremely sick to my stomach watching both men and women throw other millions of people who died of many ways into a pit of other dead bodies. The look on their face was completely normal with no reaction or emotion in what they were doing. I did not see one person die or flinch or be delicate with the bodies. It’s horrifying to think that someone could actually be used to doing this as a normal routine. During the film there is also footage of men where you can literally see every bone in their body. I could never imagine the pain of not eating for as long as they did. It’s also scary to see how fragile and tormented they really were.
Another movie that stuck with me was The Boy in the stripped Pajamas. Although this film is not based on a real story, I think that it was great in showing how the younger generation was affected by the war as well. I mainly thought it was great how they showed the interaction between the two kids and the teacher. The teacher was telling them that Jews are not people, and that Hitler is basically equal to god. I always didn’t understand why children were thinking this way, but it wasn’t there fault. The Nazis I have learned from this class have used extreme propaganda in order to have people follow along with their beliefs, and as a goal; terminate the Jews. I also liked the different style choice of this movie. During the first part of the year we watched a lot of documentary style films, and I am happy we watched a movie that was still informative.
One of the most important messages that I learned and will take with me after this course is how terrible it is to be a bystander. By being a bystander you are in as much fault as the perpetrator. This is because you know what’s going on, but you’re not doing anything to stop it. So many people could have stopped Hitler from rising to power, or help stop the termination of the Jews, but instead they stood there and did nothing. Bystanders are here through other conflicts too such as bullying. If you see a teen getting bullied you should no matter what do something. If they commit suicide you should feel just as guilty because you stood by and did nothing. This is what we have to stop. I know I will never be a bystander again, and it is because I took this class.
Overall this class changed my view on so many things. I knew that the holocaust was a terrible event that happened in history but I never actually understood the details of how horrific it was. This class has changed all that for me. I definitely think that this class should be a requirement for the freshman or sophomore grades. The class is both extremely interesting and important. I think that people would find this very useful in every day scenarios as well. Bullying is now such a problem and I think that classes like this would help stop it from occurring. From what I was saying before, respect can go a long way. If everyone uses respect then everyone will feel better and comfortable with them selves, and people would be included and happy. This class has been amazing. I am so happy I chose to take it and I will remember it all my life.
