Friday, January 13, 2012
Introduction
My name is Derek Taranto, an 18 year old senior at Westborough High School. Now that I have finished the semester long course Facing History and Ourselves, I can truly say it has changed my perspective on life. The course is based around the Holocaust, but teaches about much, much more. It shows the horrible effects of incredible hatred and ultimate inhumanity towards fellow human beings. The course reveals the roles associated with perpetrators, victims, and bystanders involved in the Holocaust. It provides the pupil with enough information and perspective to completely understand all aspects of the Holocaust; letting the students discover for themselves answers to the most complex and broad questions, such as how and why this happened. This method, called Civic Agency, gives the student insight enough to completely picture what Nazi Germany was truly like. I chose to take this course because I knew the teacher of it would be Mr. Greg Gallagher. He is, without question, the most sincere and respectful person I have ever met. Learning such powerful lessons can be an intense personal experience but Mr. Gallagher creates a comfortable and easy environment which helped me absorb so much more than I ever thought I could. The course consists mostly of films and class discussions, which is a great means to express the human emotion associated with the class. The course brought up so many important moral issues, creating a very personal experience for me. I urge you to continue reading onto my essay so that you can learn the influence this course had on me and hopefully realized the potential it presents for yourself.
Make a Difference Essay
For me, Facing History and Ourselves taught me much more than I ever thought school could. I have become so accustom to traditional learning and concrete information that this class took me by surprise. I was not ready for the intensity of the course and my avid mind absorbed all of it, and, although it definitely changed my perspective about many things, I will never be able to truly apprehend my feelings regarding the course. The knowledge I gained from this course I am sure will stay with me forever and will help me throughout my life; however I choose to live it.
The most influential film for me was the very last one we watched. This one contained real, raw footage of the extermination camps exactly how the U.S. Army found them when the Nazis were defeated. The images were both extremely real and disturbing. It showed the cruel nature and inhumanity of the Nazis and German people. There were thousands of thousands of dead bodies, people on the verge of death, and people who looked as though they’ve already accepted death. I felt some satisfaction knowing that the soldiers made German citizens from nearby towns be escorted around the camps and view the atrocities for themselves. It was to no surprise that nearly all of them denied knowing about any of the things going on in the camps. I wondered if they felt any guilt or responsibility at all for the horrible treatment towards the Jews or if they still felt contempt towards the Jews. I, myself, felt a small instinctive amount of guilt about what happened because, for the first time, it became fully aware to me the power and hate human beings can inflict on one another. I am now forever burdened with the knowledge of how evil free will can be.
Another film I feel that was vital in contributing to the impression I got from this course was The Boy in the Stripped Pyjamas. This film did an excellent job at juxtaposing the innocence of a child with the heartless and immoral acts of the German Nazis. Through the eyes of the little boy, Bruno, one can see the simplistically bizarre nature of the Holocaust. To a mind that has been unaffected by Nazi brainwashing and propaganda it is presumed that all humans are created equal. Whether Jewish or Catholic, German or Polish, Bruno sees no difference and meets a fellow child, which he immediatly begins making a friendship with. His innocence blinds him from the evil that goes on in the concentration camps, as it rightfully should. No child that young should ever have to learn about the horrible events that occurred within those electric fences. Most unfortunately he learns of the worst aspects about the camp firsthand; an ending to the movie that would bring a tear to anyone's eyes. The movie stirred up a lot of new questions and ideas to contemplate regarding the children during the Holocaust, both German and Jewish. For them, they were exposed to a world of events that should never be repeated again in human-kind. Many lost their lives but those who didn't still lost a conventional childhood and learned very convoluted and horrid messages. I feel at my current age of 18, I am just becoming mentally mature enough to handle this information and could not imagine the affect it would have on a small child.
The film Saving Private Ryan had a very intense affect on me also. I have seen the movie several times but watching just the beginning scene in the context of the Holocaust seemed to arouse new feelings. Leading up to the movie I built an intensely strong hatred towards all Nazis, matched a sense of hopelessness and powerlessness towards the subject. I felt a huge amount of respect for many men that died that day in order to seize the beach. Although many of these men did not know the complete extent of what they were dying for, I realized how their deaths helps win the war and stop the genocide of all Jewish people. I, an 18 year old boy, 68 years later, truly respect and admire the ultimate sacrifice of every man that died that day. I plan to enlist in the United States Army after high school and such a fate seems fearful, yet extremely noble. Before this course I greatly contemplated whether or not to enlist and now looking back I feel at the root of my internal struggle was selfishness. I learned it was the simple fact that I did not was to risk my own life merely for the lives of others. My biggest fear has always been death, making my life the most valuable thing to me. I never wanted to sacrifice this for just for another person, which occurs to me now to be pure selfishness. After experiencing this course I have completely decided to enlist in to Army for several reasons. Not only would dying in battle be the most noble death I could ever achieve, I realized I respect those soldiers that stormed Omaha Beach more than any other people in the world. I hope someday I become selfless enough to put my life on the line to save others. Also, before this class, I viewed wars as an indirect and sometimes ineffective ways to solve problems. I have learned the necessity of wars and wish I could could go back in time and enlist to fight in WWII right now. One soldier really can make a difference and it's that difference, that selflessness, that defines your character and gives meaning to your life. The only thing I want to do in my life is give meaning and purpose to my time on this world. The soldiers that defeated the Nazi army had meaning in their life and was part of an effort to save the lives of millions of millions of people, which is why I respect them so much.
All of the films and material watched during this course has help to give me great insight into my life and what I want to do with it. My extreme disgust towards the Nazis has forced me to become a better person. I now have a better understanding of who I am and who I want to be. This is why this course has provided me with more knowledge and information than I ever could have imagined.
The most influential film for me was the very last one we watched. This one contained real, raw footage of the extermination camps exactly how the U.S. Army found them when the Nazis were defeated. The images were both extremely real and disturbing. It showed the cruel nature and inhumanity of the Nazis and German people. There were thousands of thousands of dead bodies, people on the verge of death, and people who looked as though they’ve already accepted death. I felt some satisfaction knowing that the soldiers made German citizens from nearby towns be escorted around the camps and view the atrocities for themselves. It was to no surprise that nearly all of them denied knowing about any of the things going on in the camps. I wondered if they felt any guilt or responsibility at all for the horrible treatment towards the Jews or if they still felt contempt towards the Jews. I, myself, felt a small instinctive amount of guilt about what happened because, for the first time, it became fully aware to me the power and hate human beings can inflict on one another. I am now forever burdened with the knowledge of how evil free will can be.
Another film I feel that was vital in contributing to the impression I got from this course was The Boy in the Stripped Pyjamas. This film did an excellent job at juxtaposing the innocence of a child with the heartless and immoral acts of the German Nazis. Through the eyes of the little boy, Bruno, one can see the simplistically bizarre nature of the Holocaust. To a mind that has been unaffected by Nazi brainwashing and propaganda it is presumed that all humans are created equal. Whether Jewish or Catholic, German or Polish, Bruno sees no difference and meets a fellow child, which he immediatly begins making a friendship with. His innocence blinds him from the evil that goes on in the concentration camps, as it rightfully should. No child that young should ever have to learn about the horrible events that occurred within those electric fences. Most unfortunately he learns of the worst aspects about the camp firsthand; an ending to the movie that would bring a tear to anyone's eyes. The movie stirred up a lot of new questions and ideas to contemplate regarding the children during the Holocaust, both German and Jewish. For them, they were exposed to a world of events that should never be repeated again in human-kind. Many lost their lives but those who didn't still lost a conventional childhood and learned very convoluted and horrid messages. I feel at my current age of 18, I am just becoming mentally mature enough to handle this information and could not imagine the affect it would have on a small child.
The film Saving Private Ryan had a very intense affect on me also. I have seen the movie several times but watching just the beginning scene in the context of the Holocaust seemed to arouse new feelings. Leading up to the movie I built an intensely strong hatred towards all Nazis, matched a sense of hopelessness and powerlessness towards the subject. I felt a huge amount of respect for many men that died that day in order to seize the beach. Although many of these men did not know the complete extent of what they were dying for, I realized how their deaths helps win the war and stop the genocide of all Jewish people. I, an 18 year old boy, 68 years later, truly respect and admire the ultimate sacrifice of every man that died that day. I plan to enlist in the United States Army after high school and such a fate seems fearful, yet extremely noble. Before this course I greatly contemplated whether or not to enlist and now looking back I feel at the root of my internal struggle was selfishness. I learned it was the simple fact that I did not was to risk my own life merely for the lives of others. My biggest fear has always been death, making my life the most valuable thing to me. I never wanted to sacrifice this for just for another person, which occurs to me now to be pure selfishness. After experiencing this course I have completely decided to enlist in to Army for several reasons. Not only would dying in battle be the most noble death I could ever achieve, I realized I respect those soldiers that stormed Omaha Beach more than any other people in the world. I hope someday I become selfless enough to put my life on the line to save others. Also, before this class, I viewed wars as an indirect and sometimes ineffective ways to solve problems. I have learned the necessity of wars and wish I could could go back in time and enlist to fight in WWII right now. One soldier really can make a difference and it's that difference, that selflessness, that defines your character and gives meaning to your life. The only thing I want to do in my life is give meaning and purpose to my time on this world. The soldiers that defeated the Nazi army had meaning in their life and was part of an effort to save the lives of millions of millions of people, which is why I respect them so much.
All of the films and material watched during this course has help to give me great insight into my life and what I want to do with it. My extreme disgust towards the Nazis has forced me to become a better person. I now have a better understanding of who I am and who I want to be. This is why this course has provided me with more knowledge and information than I ever could have imagined.
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Work Cited
Normandy Invasion. Google images. Image. 12 Jan 2012
Sodipodi Flags Germany Swastika. Google image. Image. 12 Jan 2012
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. Google images. Image. 12 Jan 2012
United States Army. Google images. Image. 12 Jan 2012
World War II: The Holocaust #35. Google images. Image. 12 Jan 2012
Sodipodi Flags Germany Swastika. Google image. Image. 12 Jan 2012
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. Google images. Image. 12 Jan 2012
United States Army. Google images. Image. 12 Jan 2012
World War II: The Holocaust #35. Google images. Image. 12 Jan 2012
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