As stated in the introduction post up top, Facing History and Ourselves is a must take course for any Junior or Senior as it introduces them to what the Holocaust was actually like and how anyone should stand up and do the right thing no matter what. The course will benefit in you many ways and will change your daily life. As this essay progresses, you will see the benefit of this course not only as a student, but also as a human being.
The first day of class starts out with a bang. Mr. Gallagher talks about the rules of the class and how everyone is free to say whatever they want. Everyone is encouraged to voice their opinion about topics being discussed in class. He will talk about the difference between being a bystander, a victim, a perpetrator, and a rescuer. Not only does he say this, but he also explains to us how the course will be one that we will never forget about. The first 4 to 5 weeks is pretty slow. We read various articles and discuss in groups what the writer is speaking about. After these 5 weeks are up, Mr. Gallagher explained to us how the course will take a huge turn and change us as people.
As you may have heard, this class involves an ample amount of films that will be viewed in class and that we later blog about. We watched many films such as Freedom Writers, 12 Angry Men, and After the First. All were great films, but the one that stood out to me was Freedom Writers. For those who do not know, it is about a teacher who is teaching an English class that is filled with kids who are involved in gang wars and who have extremely rough lives. Most teachers give up on these kids, but she stuck with them and believed them. She lost her husband and was ridiculed by many of her colleagues, but she did what was right and helped those kids learn that they can become something better than just some gangster. It was a film that displayed how anything is possible if you are willing to not only work hard, but also do what is right even when things look bad. Because of what Mrs. Gruwell sacrificed and did, many of those kids went on to college and stayed away from violence.
After these few “starter” movies we watched, we got into the deeper stuff. The course has forever changed as we now delve into the Holocaust and the atrocities the Nazis had committed. We start off with a BBC documentary on the Nazis and how Adolf Hitler rose to power. Watching the film, I finally understood why it happened. I did not like it, but at least I understood more and got to see more of the acts they had done. They spoke about the death camps and how they would run nonstop only to carry innocent Jewish people to their deaths. Zyklon B was discussed when they spoke about the gas chambers and it just became extremely tough to continue watching at some points. However, the purpose is to help the audience visualize the cruelty of the Nazis and that is what was accomplished.
As stated previously, we watched a good amount of movies about the Holocaust. One of the films that I really had an appreciation for was Amen which tells the story of Kurt Gerstein, a Nazi SS officer. Unlike other Nazis, he is absolutely appalled by what is happening at the death camps. On multiple occasions he tries to alert the outside world by attempting to let the Pope know of this, however, he never succeeds. He is obviously afraid to voice his opinion publicly as he fears for the life of his family and his own. He enlists the help of a priest, but that fails as well. Finally, at the very end, he informs the French authorities of what he has helped the Nazis commit and they take him into custody. At this point it is unknown whether or not he killed himself, or if other Nazis murdered, but he does die in French custody. Like many other films we saw, this was also a true story. Kurt Gerstein and his willingness to help the Jewish people, demonstrates the meaning of doing the right thing. He shows that not all Nazis enjoyed what they did and his alleged suicide makes me think of how unbearable it was for him to know he was causing pain to innocent men, women, and children. Also, despite knowing the consequences, he tries his best to put a stop to the death camps. Despite failing, we know that his intentions were pure and that is what counts.
The next film nearly brought me to tears. The Grey Zone was really crazy film to say the least. It accurately depicted what went on in the death camps and how some Jews were forced to lie to the other prisoners about the gas chambers. Seeing them do this was just beyond awful. There is no word one can really use to describe that. Seeing the Nazis take out Jewish outside and shoot them in the head for very little reason was also very, very disturbing. At the end, we get to see through the eyes of the little girl as she tries to escape, but ends up getting shot down. As you hear her voice talking about how her ashes go up into the air, there is no denying it is very creep and chilling. This was the movie that made the Holocaust become truly alive. It depicted how senseless everything was and how there was absolutely no reason for any of this to happen. For some reason, I kept thinking about bullying and how senseless that is as well. Although the Holocaust is not entirely like bullying and vice versa, there are similarities and both things should not happen ever.
In conclusion, the course is not something you should pass up on, but instead something you should look forward to taking. There will be days where you leave the room depressed and in utter shock as to what you have seen, but it makes you a better person with a different outlook on life.
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