Thursday, May 19, 2011
Introduction
The Facing History and Ourselves course is designed to raise awareness of global issues that are prevalent throughout history. The goal is to create a better future by examining the great injustices of the past. Through the course, the student first observes them self and the way that they respond to outside influences. Towards the conclusion, the Holocaust is shown in effort to avoid future grotesque actions. By studying intolerance and racism, students gain a better understanding of civic value. In order to examine the numerous instances of intolerance, films and readings, including first person accounts, are utilized. Through viewing historical injustice and the students’ intrinsic reaction, they will be able to not only learn about the past, but also themselves. The course focuses on identity, membership, history, judgment, memory, legacy, and participation. The Facing History curriculum is designed in order to help students discover who they themselves really are from an ethical standpoint. Students discover their identities and how they affect both their behavior and decision making. The concept of superiority and inferiority are explored in a historical context, via the Holocaust, to prove to students the value of human life. From personal experience, one of the most helpful aspects of the course is teaching the person how to maintain their individuality while placed in groups. The student learns how to be a well rounded person who is able to step in when intolerance and adversity presents itself. Overall, the course leaves students with a better understanding of themselves and the world around them by employing historical evidence of injustices.
What Facing History and Ourselves Meant to Me
The Facing History and Ourselves course assisted me in discovering my identity as an individual in society. The numerous documentaries and first hand accounts of intolerance and injustice throughout history forced me to examine myself through both my behavior and decision making. After enrolling in the course, I began to see certain ethical dilemmas in a new light. As result, I feel that I have become a better person in the way that I interact with other human beings. I never used to consider myself a mean person, but now I take an extra step to exercise morally correct decision making. The Facing History course forced me to think not only about ethical predicaments in a historical context, but made me think about how I would react when confronted with problems. Through films and readings such as The Bear That Wasn’t, “Uprising”, “The Boy in the Striped Pajamas”, the “Nazi Death Camp” video, and others, students learn about themselves and what characteristics allowed for such atrocities to occur in the past.
In The Bear that Wasn’t, the bear struggles to uphold his identity when outside sources tell him otherwise. As the bear awakes from hibernation, he finds himself in an unfamiliar situation; He is in the middle of an industrial factory. At first, the bear attempts to explain his identity, but eventually caves to pressure and conforms to the group of workers. The bear in the factory represents how one responds in new situations. What is important is not how others define a person’s identity, but how they want to be defined. In an adverse situation, a person needs to apply themselves in a manner which suits their identity, not how others see them. Ultimately, the bear realizes that he has lost his identity and becomes a bear once again. The story can serve as a model for people when faced in new, challenging situations. The story taught me how important it is to define your identity for yourself, not to let others decide what it is for you. Nobody knows who you want to be except for you; It is the individual’s responsibility to establish themselves.
In the beginning of "Freedom Writers", Mrs. Gruwell decided to wear her pearl necklace because of her desire to create an atmosphere of respect. By putting herself on the line continuously throughout the film, she helps the students discover a new aspect of life. She treated them with dignity and encouraged them and acted as an outlet for many of them to gain counsel on their problems. The discrimination within the school was not as extreme as with the Nazis, but there was obvious racism occurring. She helped her students to overcome the stereotypes and develop their potentials and futures. She helped the students discover their true identities. “Freedom Writers” as a lesson had one of the largest impacts on me as an individual. Seeing how the difference in treatment from Mrs. Gruwell showed me how being a little extra nice and friendly could mean the world for some kids. I try to listen to all of my peers, not only my friends, and really understand what they are trying to say.
"White Man's Image" portrays the lengths that the Americans took in order to assimilite the Native Americans. Through stripping the Indians of their culture and homes, and forcing traditional American customs and education on them, they attempted to re-invent the Native American population. When thinking about the conflicting interests at hand, I personalize the situation. If all of the WHS students were told to throw out all of their norms and values, the reaction would be highly negative. The movie showcases the results of a group of people thinking that they are superior to others. The segregation and racism utilized by the white men showcase their ignorance. I never have considered myself a racist person, but the emphasis that the story provides works on. 
In "A Class Divided", Mrs. Ellis is able to educate adults in the same manner in which the 3rd grade class was. I was surprised that the adults were as receptive to what was happening. It was very bold of her to take a position in raising awareness in the time period. There is no difference between employing racism and judging based on eye color. Her experiment really helped people understand the civil rights movement. The innocence of the children displays how there is no difference between blacks and whites. While adults are caught up in intolerant beliefs like racism, the children are wondering what makes them so much better themselves.
The film "The Grey Zone" took the viewers inside the death camps and allowed real insight as to just how horrid they were. The camp functioned like a factory, constantly pushing more Jews through to their death. The most disturbing part, to me, was when they showed the gas process and the pulling out of fingernails. The Jewish people had no idea what their "shower" really meant. This shows how the element of surprise was employed to trick the Jewish people into their death. This method of deception disgusted me.
Seeing the way the Jews attempted to organize a defense in the movie "Uprising" showed me the Holocaust from a new perspective. We were able to see the gradual intensification of the malicious tactics used in the Warsaw Ghetto. The biggest thing I took from the film was the effect of seeing the attempted uprising. Even though the Jews who fought back were committed with their lives, their attempts to fight for freedom proved completely futile. The German force was far too strong and their fighting only delayed the inevitable. It is an atrocity to see just how impossible the battle was. The way that the Jewish people’s surmise was inevitable emphasizes just how disgusting the crimes committed by the Nazi people as well. Overall, this course has meant discovering my own personal identity and teaching me how to exist as a moral human being in society.
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