My name is Matt Oriol and I am a senior at Westborough High School. Since I started high school my favorite academic subject has been history. The primary reason is teachers vast views of their history courses made it interesting. I hate reading and writing about things that don’t relate to my life. I like to learn about things that I think are important. I like learning about the past and thinking about what it would be like to live in a different time. It is important to learn the good and the bad things from history so we can continue to do good things when we can. Why, to try not to repeat horrible events in history.
I wanted to take Facing History and Ourselves ever since Mr. Gallagher told us about the course composition lightly two years ago. He said it was learning about history and having opinions. It was also about how we feel about ourselves and other people. The course uses the WWII era to force us to see what is important and to correct things before error happens.
This is not a reading and writing course. It is about thinking and re-correcting yourself s\to see what your course of action would be if we were to experience any wrong situation. The three facets of this course that meant the most to me were watching videos and documentaries of the Holocaust, discussing them in class, and discussing them with my family.
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
What Facing History and Ourselves Meant to Me
What this course taught us was to never be a bystander. It taught us to notice what happens around us. It taught us to listen to people and decide what we think. We need to make our own decisions and not just go along with other people. It is important to be respectful and hear other peoples ideas, but you have to make your own decisions and do what you think is right. You can’t just be a bystander or a follower and go along with the crowd.
BYSTANDING consists of watching and letting something bad happen around you without DOING ANYTHING ABOUT IT. People who stand by and watch something bad happen are as bad as the people doing those things. If most people are afraid to think and do what is right things can get out of control. In the movie Amen, Kurt Gerstein, a NAZI, witnessed the death camps and tried desperately to notify someone outside of NAZILAND to tell them about the horror occurring there. When he told the Catholic Church what happened most of them ignored the issue. They One Catholic priest that DID listen was so frustrated that nothing was done that he labeled himself as a Jew to the Nazis. The Nazis didn’t respect him or treat him any better than anyone else. They treated him just like all the other Jews and was sent to his death in the gas chambers. This showed that anyone could be a target for Hitler’s War, except Hitler himself. It also showed that since important powerful people (like the Pope) weren’t standing up for the Jewish community when they could have make a difference. The Jews needed aid, yet they didn’t receive it until it was too late.
NOT PAYING ATTENTION and knowing what is going on is dangerous. The movie The Boy In The Striped Pajamas was an excellent example of this. In the movie an 8 year old German boy and his family move to a new home noticeably near a death camp. Curious of what he thought at first was a farm the boy goes to it after escaping from his nervous mother. He finds another boy of his age at the “farm”. They become friends and they spend a lot of time together. The boy was rounded up along with the “people in the striped pajamas” not knowing what was about to happen to them. Unfortunately the group of Jews there in the stripes last around 4 or 5 months and then they are executed, and a new group of Jewish Striped men replace them. The German Boy dies in the gas chamber because he befriended the Jewish boy despite his situation. His family is too late when they realize what happened to their child.
Being a FOLLOWER is even worse than just being a bystander. It was a big part of how World War II could even occur. When Germany fell into depression it turned to a group of radicals organized by Hitler, and his NAZI party, even though Hitler lost the Presidential office. In the movie The Pianist Jews were made into “police” by the Nazis who told them they would be spared, even though in the end they were not. They were convinced to help round up other Jews on their way to concentration camps. They just went along instead of standing up for themselves and fighting. They were compliant and hoped they would survive. These Jewish police were basically followers, rounding up their own people and putting them on trains. This resulted in more harm to them than if they had taken a stand at the beginning and refused to join in with the Nazis. They wound up helping a bad cause and being killed themselves in the end.
The lesson of the holocaust is NOT to be a bystander or a follower. This could allow something like this to happen again. The movie Uprising is a realistic example of people not failing themselves by resisting being bystanders. In this movie you see a rebellion by the Jews not to willingly give up and be executed by the NAZI’s. The Uprising was of the people in Warsaw. They were Jews who collected a large amount of weapons and chambers. Unfortunately they were not big enough group to have a big effect.
This course has had a great affect on me as a student and as a person. I realize how important it is to be aware of what goes on in the world and to have opposing opinion about it if it’s morally wrong. I watch the news more often and have ideas about what our country should be doing in wars around the world and economically. I saw a recent article again and cannot emphasize enough when someone is shot or kidnapped and I think why in God’s name do people in this time of economic and emotional depression need to hear this kind of news. To me it says I can’t feel as secure in my state or country if more of these fringe groups are going to kill people. People should be educated in articles of concern in order to fix this ongoing issue.
I learned a lot about the Holocaust. I didn’t know how horrible it was. It is important for everyone to know. I bought some of the movies we saw parts of in class. I watched them with my family. They were not fun to watch but it was important for my family to learn as much as I did about that time. Until you experience those reconstructions of history you can’t begin to grasp
My advice is to respect other’s individualism and your own, because if you do not, an opportunity for another Holocaust will occur. The imprint the Holocaust has left will never leave. Out of respect we need to remember what occurred and make sure that humanity does not again repeat horrible history by killing people who they think do not deserve to live. For any reason!
BYSTANDING consists of watching and letting something bad happen around you without DOING ANYTHING ABOUT IT. People who stand by and watch something bad happen are as bad as the people doing those things. If most people are afraid to think and do what is right things can get out of control. In the movie Amen, Kurt Gerstein, a NAZI, witnessed the death camps and tried desperately to notify someone outside of NAZILAND to tell them about the horror occurring there. When he told the Catholic Church what happened most of them ignored the issue. They One Catholic priest that DID listen was so frustrated that nothing was done that he labeled himself as a Jew to the Nazis. The Nazis didn’t respect him or treat him any better than anyone else. They treated him just like all the other Jews and was sent to his death in the gas chambers. This showed that anyone could be a target for Hitler’s War, except Hitler himself. It also showed that since important powerful people (like the Pope) weren’t standing up for the Jewish community when they could have make a difference. The Jews needed aid, yet they didn’t receive it until it was too late.
NOT PAYING ATTENTION and knowing what is going on is dangerous. The movie The Boy In The Striped Pajamas was an excellent example of this. In the movie an 8 year old German boy and his family move to a new home noticeably near a death camp. Curious of what he thought at first was a farm the boy goes to it after escaping from his nervous mother. He finds another boy of his age at the “farm”. They become friends and they spend a lot of time together. The boy was rounded up along with the “people in the striped pajamas” not knowing what was about to happen to them. Unfortunately the group of Jews there in the stripes last around 4 or 5 months and then they are executed, and a new group of Jewish Striped men replace them. The German Boy dies in the gas chamber because he befriended the Jewish boy despite his situation. His family is too late when they realize what happened to their child.
Being a FOLLOWER is even worse than just being a bystander. It was a big part of how World War II could even occur. When Germany fell into depression it turned to a group of radicals organized by Hitler, and his NAZI party, even though Hitler lost the Presidential office. In the movie The Pianist Jews were made into “police” by the Nazis who told them they would be spared, even though in the end they were not. They were convinced to help round up other Jews on their way to concentration camps. They just went along instead of standing up for themselves and fighting. They were compliant and hoped they would survive. These Jewish police were basically followers, rounding up their own people and putting them on trains. This resulted in more harm to them than if they had taken a stand at the beginning and refused to join in with the Nazis. They wound up helping a bad cause and being killed themselves in the end.
The lesson of the holocaust is NOT to be a bystander or a follower. This could allow something like this to happen again. The movie Uprising is a realistic example of people not failing themselves by resisting being bystanders. In this movie you see a rebellion by the Jews not to willingly give up and be executed by the NAZI’s. The Uprising was of the people in Warsaw. They were Jews who collected a large amount of weapons and chambers. Unfortunately they were not big enough group to have a big effect.
This course has had a great affect on me as a student and as a person. I realize how important it is to be aware of what goes on in the world and to have opposing opinion about it if it’s morally wrong. I watch the news more often and have ideas about what our country should be doing in wars around the world and economically. I saw a recent article again and cannot emphasize enough when someone is shot or kidnapped and I think why in God’s name do people in this time of economic and emotional depression need to hear this kind of news. To me it says I can’t feel as secure in my state or country if more of these fringe groups are going to kill people. People should be educated in articles of concern in order to fix this ongoing issue.
I learned a lot about the Holocaust. I didn’t know how horrible it was. It is important for everyone to know. I bought some of the movies we saw parts of in class. I watched them with my family. They were not fun to watch but it was important for my family to learn as much as I did about that time. Until you experience those reconstructions of history you can’t begin to grasp
My advice is to respect other’s individualism and your own, because if you do not, an opportunity for another Holocaust will occur. The imprint the Holocaust has left will never leave. Out of respect we need to remember what occurred and make sure that humanity does not again repeat horrible history by killing people who they think do not deserve to live. For any reason!
Monday, January 17, 2011
Works Cited
http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0a/Ss_officer_fritz_klein_bergen_belsen_concentration_camp_1945.jpg&imgrefurl=http://terrorpolitics.blogspot.com/&usg=__A3xq111-1fxdYCadJinOkjferIc=&h=410&w=849&sz=69&hl=en&start=72&sig2=tCuizATgCg5KxTkB1vkarQ&zoom=1&tbnid=uJwpRUeoM4vk-M:&tbnh=75&tbnw=156&ei=KjI2TcubAoSClAerz7nNCg&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dhospital%2Bconcentration%2Bcamp%26hl%3Den%26biw%3D1920%26bih%3D888%26gbv%3D2%26tbs%3Disch:10%2C798&itbs=1&iact=rc&dur=300&oei=CzI2TdamO4rHgAfO14yRCw&esq=2&page=2&ndsp=71&ved=1t:429,r:13,s:72&tx=15&ty=13&biw=1920&bih=888 - piles of bodies from german hospital
http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://uczyc-sie-z-historii.pl/user/photo/Projekty/Kop%2520tam%2520gdzie%2520stoisz/mw-camps1944.JPG&imgrefurl=http://uczyc-sie-z-historii.pl/en/projects/view/73&usg=__AgfzZA6fD_4FXaFYaqmHpz6A0k4=&h=340&w=516&sz=47&hl=en&start=0&sig2=KJoXiIJsmtlEzlFB0WSXRA&zoom=1&tbnid=kSxzOZLAyP65KM:&tbnh=103&tbnw=156&ei=1TI2TebIGMnagQfS87yrCw&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dnazi%2Bconcentration%2Bcamp%2Bmap%26hl%3Den%26biw%3D1920%26bih%3D888%26gbv%3D2%26tbs%3Disch:1&itbs=1&iact=rc&dur=287&oei=1TI2TebIGMnagQfS87yrCw&esq=1&page=1&ndsp=69&ved=1t:429,r:9,s:0&tx=89&ty=62 - map of NAZI concentration camps in Europe
http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://lh3.ggpht.com/_vy3UL7MX7Ok/RrpBTMD0-NI/AAAAAAAAABc/Jdvt0-LnxF8/hitlerblondi75dpi9ex.jpg&imgrefurl=http://leooshkosh.blogspot.com/2005/11/six-things-liberals-have-in-common.html&usg=__39MMIuov-IU5OpCBKtXElD8JR0s=&h=400&w=274&sz=33&hl=en&start=0&sig2=2rlaAKcjmoj3bzYYKbpp-g&zoom=1&tbnid=U2xPWGTNy2qykM:&tbnh=127&tbnw=87&ei=RzM2TcuAIsPogAfrp7CyCw&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dgerman%2Bshepherd%2Band%2Bhitler%26hl%3Den%26biw%3D1920%26bih%3D888%26gbv%3D2%26tbs%3Disch:1&itbs=1&iact=rc&dur=395&oei=RzM2TcuAIsPogAfrp7CyCw&esq=1&page=1&ndsp=76&ved=1t:429,r:8,s:0&tx=29&ty=85 - Hitler and German sheppard dog
http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.storialibera.it/epoca_contemporanea/nazionalsocialismo/nazismo_e_chiesa/images/nazismo_e_chiesa.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.storialibera.it/epoca_contemporanea/nazionalsocialismo/nazismo_e_chiesa/index_en.php&usg=__SmZLvs-8jfojj6WOPI-wTlyhoD0=&h=170&w=250&sz=22&hl=en&start=0&sig2=-mVLRF82DCLX1k5Ha4ktPA&zoom=1&tbnid=vYhLveDjHHMLpM:&tbnh=109&tbnw=145&ei=5jM2TYLzKMOblgeOy8nXCg&prev=/images%3Fq%3DNAZISM%26hl%3Den%26biw%3D1920%26bih%3D888%26gbv%3D2%26tbs%3Disch:11%2C0&itbs=1&iact=hc&vpx=1420&vpy=256&dur=99&hovh=136&hovw=200&tx=157&ty=85&oei=ejM2TanfOMK_gQeb8bmgCw&esq=15&page=1&ndsp=81&ved=1t:429,r:24,s:0&biw=1920&bih=888 - NAZI gathering
http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.scrapbookpages.com/mauthausen/MauthausenPhotos/OldPhotos/MauthausenGate.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.scrapbookpages.com/mauthausen/KZMauthausen/index.html&usg=__veVf-xpMltk7MiczNLIzvbTR0Kk=&h=342&w=576&sz=42&hl=en&start=0&sig2=7BLj9HPAX-djz6dMdUqhBw&zoom=1&tbnid=0lBaBIYml0WYNM:&tbnh=85&tbnw=143&ei=QzQ2TdfQBsL6lwf9sey-Ag&prev=/images%3Fq%3DMauthausen%2BConcentration%2BCamp%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DG%26biw%3D1920%26bih%3D888%26gbv%3D2%26tbs%3Disch:1&itbs=1&iact=hc&vpx=94&vpy=110&dur=380&hovh=173&hovw=291&tx=145&ty=97&oei=IzQ2TbfzHsLAgQfI7PSkCw&esq=6&page=1&ndsp=71&ved=1t:429,r:0,s:0 - Mauthausen Concentration Camp
http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://ivarfjeld.files.wordpress.com/2009/11/warsawghettouprising.gif&imgrefurl=http://ivarfjeld.wordpress.com/2009/11/13/&usg=__k5s8CaxSnv_tXRCAIxNLcqUQyhQ=&h=296&w=547&sz=75&hl=en&start=0&sig2=sZ3TemteBcNXVUxhwYhbAw&zoom=1&tbnid=dCUNjYAcndxlaM:&tbnh=79&tbnw=146&ei=oDY2Tchby9OBB6f6waUD&prev=/images%3Fq%3DWarsaw%2BGhetto%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DX%26gbv%3D2%26biw%3D1920%26bih%3D888%26tbs%3Disch:1&itbs=1&iact=rc&dur=239&oei=oDY2Tchby9OBB6f6waUD&esq=1&page=1&ndsp=72&ved=1t:429,r:0,s:0&tx=82&ty=46 -Jews in Line against the wall
http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.holocaustresearchproject.org/ghettos/images/building%2520the%2520ghetto%2520wall.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.holocaustresearchproject.org/ghettos/al-diary.html&usg=__sVkQ3ezqYWoAdEnT_gkmye0X9PM=&h=704&w=668&sz=154&hl=en&start=0&sig2=pWCDPTVcaTImZtUIKQEpHA&zoom=1&tbnid=XswY2RcQrvr-_M:&tbnh=121&tbnw=115&ei=Jzc2TcbUDcKAlAe0przkAg&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dbuilding%2BWarsaw%2BGhetto%2Bwall%26hl%3Den%26gbv%3D2%26biw%3D1920%26bih%3D888%26tbs%3Disch:1&itbs=1&iact=rc&dur=300&oei=Ajc2TcKzIcbdgQf6j8ywCw&esq=8&page=1&ndsp=69&ved=1t:429,r:19,s:0&tx=22&ty=77 -The Warsaw Ghetto Wall
http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://uczyc-sie-z-historii.pl/user/photo/Projekty/Kop%2520tam%2520gdzie%2520stoisz/mw-camps1944.JPG&imgrefurl=http://uczyc-sie-z-historii.pl/en/projects/view/73&usg=__AgfzZA6fD_4FXaFYaqmHpz6A0k4=&h=340&w=516&sz=47&hl=en&start=0&sig2=KJoXiIJsmtlEzlFB0WSXRA&zoom=1&tbnid=kSxzOZLAyP65KM:&tbnh=103&tbnw=156&ei=1TI2TebIGMnagQfS87yrCw&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dnazi%2Bconcentration%2Bcamp%2Bmap%26hl%3Den%26biw%3D1920%26bih%3D888%26gbv%3D2%26tbs%3Disch:1&itbs=1&iact=rc&dur=287&oei=1TI2TebIGMnagQfS87yrCw&esq=1&page=1&ndsp=69&ved=1t:429,r:9,s:0&tx=89&ty=62 - map of NAZI concentration camps in Europe
http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://lh3.ggpht.com/_vy3UL7MX7Ok/RrpBTMD0-NI/AAAAAAAAABc/Jdvt0-LnxF8/hitlerblondi75dpi9ex.jpg&imgrefurl=http://leooshkosh.blogspot.com/2005/11/six-things-liberals-have-in-common.html&usg=__39MMIuov-IU5OpCBKtXElD8JR0s=&h=400&w=274&sz=33&hl=en&start=0&sig2=2rlaAKcjmoj3bzYYKbpp-g&zoom=1&tbnid=U2xPWGTNy2qykM:&tbnh=127&tbnw=87&ei=RzM2TcuAIsPogAfrp7CyCw&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dgerman%2Bshepherd%2Band%2Bhitler%26hl%3Den%26biw%3D1920%26bih%3D888%26gbv%3D2%26tbs%3Disch:1&itbs=1&iact=rc&dur=395&oei=RzM2TcuAIsPogAfrp7CyCw&esq=1&page=1&ndsp=76&ved=1t:429,r:8,s:0&tx=29&ty=85 - Hitler and German sheppard dog
http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.storialibera.it/epoca_contemporanea/nazionalsocialismo/nazismo_e_chiesa/images/nazismo_e_chiesa.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.storialibera.it/epoca_contemporanea/nazionalsocialismo/nazismo_e_chiesa/index_en.php&usg=__SmZLvs-8jfojj6WOPI-wTlyhoD0=&h=170&w=250&sz=22&hl=en&start=0&sig2=-mVLRF82DCLX1k5Ha4ktPA&zoom=1&tbnid=vYhLveDjHHMLpM:&tbnh=109&tbnw=145&ei=5jM2TYLzKMOblgeOy8nXCg&prev=/images%3Fq%3DNAZISM%26hl%3Den%26biw%3D1920%26bih%3D888%26gbv%3D2%26tbs%3Disch:11%2C0&itbs=1&iact=hc&vpx=1420&vpy=256&dur=99&hovh=136&hovw=200&tx=157&ty=85&oei=ejM2TanfOMK_gQeb8bmgCw&esq=15&page=1&ndsp=81&ved=1t:429,r:24,s:0&biw=1920&bih=888 - NAZI gathering
http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.scrapbookpages.com/mauthausen/MauthausenPhotos/OldPhotos/MauthausenGate.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.scrapbookpages.com/mauthausen/KZMauthausen/index.html&usg=__veVf-xpMltk7MiczNLIzvbTR0Kk=&h=342&w=576&sz=42&hl=en&start=0&sig2=7BLj9HPAX-djz6dMdUqhBw&zoom=1&tbnid=0lBaBIYml0WYNM:&tbnh=85&tbnw=143&ei=QzQ2TdfQBsL6lwf9sey-Ag&prev=/images%3Fq%3DMauthausen%2BConcentration%2BCamp%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DG%26biw%3D1920%26bih%3D888%26gbv%3D2%26tbs%3Disch:1&itbs=1&iact=hc&vpx=94&vpy=110&dur=380&hovh=173&hovw=291&tx=145&ty=97&oei=IzQ2TbfzHsLAgQfI7PSkCw&esq=6&page=1&ndsp=71&ved=1t:429,r:0,s:0 - Mauthausen Concentration Camp
http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://ivarfjeld.files.wordpress.com/2009/11/warsawghettouprising.gif&imgrefurl=http://ivarfjeld.wordpress.com/2009/11/13/&usg=__k5s8CaxSnv_tXRCAIxNLcqUQyhQ=&h=296&w=547&sz=75&hl=en&start=0&sig2=sZ3TemteBcNXVUxhwYhbAw&zoom=1&tbnid=dCUNjYAcndxlaM:&tbnh=79&tbnw=146&ei=oDY2Tchby9OBB6f6waUD&prev=/images%3Fq%3DWarsaw%2BGhetto%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DX%26gbv%3D2%26biw%3D1920%26bih%3D888%26tbs%3Disch:1&itbs=1&iact=rc&dur=239&oei=oDY2Tchby9OBB6f6waUD&esq=1&page=1&ndsp=72&ved=1t:429,r:0,s:0&tx=82&ty=46 -Jews in Line against the wall
http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.holocaustresearchproject.org/ghettos/images/building%2520the%2520ghetto%2520wall.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.holocaustresearchproject.org/ghettos/al-diary.html&usg=__sVkQ3ezqYWoAdEnT_gkmye0X9PM=&h=704&w=668&sz=154&hl=en&start=0&sig2=pWCDPTVcaTImZtUIKQEpHA&zoom=1&tbnid=XswY2RcQrvr-_M:&tbnh=121&tbnw=115&ei=Jzc2TcbUDcKAlAe0przkAg&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dbuilding%2BWarsaw%2BGhetto%2Bwall%26hl%3Den%26gbv%3D2%26biw%3D1920%26bih%3D888%26tbs%3Disch:1&itbs=1&iact=rc&dur=300&oei=Ajc2TcKzIcbdgQf6j8ywCw&esq=8&page=1&ndsp=69&ved=1t:429,r:19,s:0&tx=22&ty=77 -The Warsaw Ghetto Wall
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