Introduction

Facing History and Ourselves is a course that focuses in on learning about the Holocaust.  During the duration of the course the class viewed films showing exactly how the Holocaust was able to happen.  Starting with the rise of Hitler into power in Germany and the extremely high number of followers that believed the words he spoke.  Next came the discrimination of Jewish people, blaming them for the pour economy in Germany.  Jews were treated horribly and forced to wear the Jewish star on their clothing so everyone knew that they were Jewish.  The Nazi’s then forced Jews into Ghettos, wrenching them from their homes in the middle of the night and bringing them to filthy conditions that were barricaded from the rest of Europe.  Once in the Ghettos many starved to death from the lack of food and others died from disease and illness that spread rapidly due to the tight quarters and human remains that were left on the street.  We saw how the Jews were transported to the concentration camps and we saw what occurred once one was within them.  We saw chimneys, we saw the smoke, and we saw the terror.  We saw the lies, we saw the humans that had no morals what so ever as they stood behind twenty men and shot them all in the back of the head, or as they brought a group of woman and children into the gas chambers telling them they were going to take showers, only to lock the door and listen to their screams. 

                I took this course because I had heard many upperclassmen talking about it and how good of a class it was.  My cousin in particular had taken the course the year before I did and had said that he enjoyed it very much, and I being one to follow in my families footsteps decided that I wanted to take it as well.  This however was not the only reason for my decision, I have a knack for history, I enjoy class discussions and learning about how the world got to where it is today.  When reading the course description I was much intrigued that I would be studying about the Holocaust, even though it is such a tragic period I thought that it was something worth learning about.  After taking this course I realize that it first went above and beyond my expectations, and second that the course was more about discovering who I am through learning about the Holocaust. 

                I come from a family that has lived in the small town of Westborough for almost 100 years now.  We have a tight family bond considering about ninety percent of our family lives in Westborough and most of us live on the same street as one another.  Many of my ideas and opinions come from those of my parents and grandparents and I am often called “old school.”  However this does not bother me I enjoy my music from the 70’s, and 80’s and I tend to enjoy watching older movies starring John Candy and Chevy Chase more than I do new releases.  I wouldn’t trade the relationship I have with my family for anything and I quit like having wisdom being only a door away.

Essay

What Facing History and Ourselves Meant to Me

           

            We walk the halls everyday making the choice to smile at those who we wish to or turning our heads to those we don’t.  We sit in class and laugh when a stupid mistake is made or when somebody trips.  We talk behind each other’s backs and tend to enjoy the feeling of bringing someone down, feeling the gain of power over another individual.  We live in a society of constant media.  Have you checked your Facebook lately? Who’s bashing who? Who’s ripping somebody else to shreds by typing words on a screen?

            I have never cared much for Facebook; I don’t feel a need to put every waking minute of my life on the internet; however I often get a laugh reading what everyone else is doing.  I cannot say that I have never partaken in any of the things from above however I am proud to say that I have never torn anybody to pieces whether it be in person or over the internet.  I rather enjoyed the conversation we had in class about “cyber bullying”, it pertains to the lives that we live today and I think that it was good for all of us to have a chat about something that we see every day.  We often go through our days not thinking about every little word we say or type and what we often do not realize is that something that does not matter to us might matter to someone else.  Over the time that I have sat in class learning about the Holocaust I have had a lot of time to think about myself and who I am as a person. 

            Through studying the Holocaust and the events that took place I realized that ignorance played an outstanding part in the process.  While watching the “Boy in Striped Pajamas” I was deeply angered at the attitude that the family members of the officer held.  I could not believe the looks that they would give the Jewish servant in their own home, the example that they were setting for their children was awful.  And the thought that they could stand there and tell their children it was okay because “the people on the farm were not like them” or “they aren’t actually human” was unthinkable.  Through watching movies like this I began to think about the example that I set for both my younger brother and cousins whom live next door to me.  I realize that even though it may not seem like it, they do in fact watch everything I do whether it be what I say, or a facial expression.  I would never want to have the ignorance that the family did in “the Boy in Striped Pajamas” so I made a point to be more careful with what I say and do around my younger family members.

            During the Holocaust Morals were often thrown out the door especially by members of the Nazi army.  How could one change so quickly from an innocent young boy to a mass murderer.  Even after all of the brainwashing and propaganda that we saw I would sit there hoping that somebody would have the confidence to stand up and say this isn’t right.  That very thing happened in the movie “Amen”, where an S.S. officer witnessed what was happening with the chemicals he was creating that he thought were supposedly being used to kill vermin but instead were being used to gas the Jews.  This officer was outraged at what he had seen and tried to stop what was going on, he went to all the high powers that he could yet nobody would listen to him or for that matter believe him.  I struggled to watch as this man helplessly went from person to person pleading for help in saving the lives of millions.  And in the end it was him who ended up dead and the master minds behind the whole thing being rewarded.  Even though it was not the ending I had hoped for I was glad to know that there were some men who did not believe that what was going on was right and were able to maintain their morals throughout the course of the whole thing even though it did not benefit them in any way and in fact most likely got them killed.  Watching a movie like this made me think of my families own morals and the things we say and do in the comforts of our own home.  When a family member says that our government should simply shoot anyone who is coming over the border illegally I find myself responding by saying something like “and who are you going to find to do that job, what person in their right mind is going to stand at the border and shoot anyone who tries to cross” instead of agreeing with them or even worse saying nothing at all and sitting in silence. 

            This course has showed me both who I am as a person and who I strive to be.  I am very thankful that I had the opportunity to take this course especially with such an excellent teacher like Mr. Gallagher.  I believe that this course has made me a better person and a better member of our society.  I can only hope that one day when my own children attend school that they will have the same opportunity that I did in taking this course.  It is a course that I wish everyone could take, I think we could have a better country as a whole if everyone saw what was shown during the duration of the course.  This course makes you judge every aspect of your personality and it only allows you to improve it and make yourself better.  Even though we live in the age that we do I know that I personally was able to watch the films and say to myself, this is what I hope I would do if I was ever in that situation.  I can say that I now walk the halls acknowledging those I might not have before, and even giving a little smile to someone I may not know, even if they turn their head to me.    

Works Cited

Philips, Rena H. Students entering a classroom from a High school hallway. Digital image. AL. Alacare, 15 Mar. 2010. Web. 12 Jan. 2012. <http://blog.al.com/live/2010/03/mobile_superintendent_drops_pl.html>.

Lewis, Neil A. S.S. Officers standing around talking. Digital image. Holocaust Survivors and Remembrance Project. New York Times. Web. 12 Jan. 2012. <http://isurvived.org/InTheNews/Auschwitz-SSguards_floric.html>.

Facebook logo. Digital image. The New Facebook Messages. Facebook, 16 Nov. 2010. Web. 12 Jan. 2012. <http://www.trevorclinard.com/?p=194>.

Schickel, Richard. Image from The Boy in Striped Pajamas. Digital image. Time Entertainment. Time, 7 Nov. 2008. Web. 12 Jan. 2012. <http://www.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,1857440,00.html>.

Graf, Jurgen. Mass grave. Digital image. Historical Revisionism. Web. 2012. <http://www.vho.org/GB/Books/dth/fndGraf.html>.