Going into the Facing History and Ourselves course, I was
unaware of how a film could affect my perception of history and myself. As the course progressed, however, I learned
that the “civic agency” that Mr. Gallagher always talks about could truly be
achieved by immersing oneself in these films and trying to grasp the situations
being portrayed. The Holocaust is so
unimaginable for teens in a suburban Massachusetts town, but the lessons I
learned in this course can apply to any walk of life. Genocides still occur. And hate and oppressive behavior will never
cease to exist, but the sheer scale of the Holocaust is something I can only
hope will never be repeated. Mr.
Gallagher has a very deep connection to this time in history and I understand
why he is so passionate—ignorance to this mass killing is an extreme detriment
to our society. Collectively, the films
displayed the horror of the Holocaust and ingrained those images in my
mind. There are many lessons I learned
throughout the course from the various movies and most importantly, each one
gave me a better understanding of my own character.
“Belonging”
was the first concept that we explored in class and the film “Mrs. Elliot” was
shocking to me as it demonstrated how easily a person can be convinced of their
status in society. The study was done on
young kids and adults alike, and in both cases, the majority of the individuals
involved did not speak up for themselves or the victims being oppressed. It became pretty apparent that belonging is
an innate human desire and a person will usually do what it takes to be a part
of a group. This is such a simple idea,
but I believe it was my biggest take-away from the entire course. I learned that individuality is equally as
important as belonging to a group. When
your own thoughts are questioned by a larger group of people, it is your duty
to challenge them and not submit to their power. The most intellectually smart German citizens
joined the Nazi party first and the nation as a whole was one of the most
progressive countries in the world; yet, the need to belong took over. The course has challenged me to make a
consistent effort to stick up for myself and others. There is always going to be a victim, and
whether it is me or someone else, it does not matter. Mrs. Elliot showed how people can be so
convinced that they are better than someone else. My upbringing has always been to treat
everyone equally, and I strive to never lose sight of this key value.
Collectively,
the documentaries about the Nazis taught me a lot about how the Holocaust could
even be possible. Yes, Hitler’s
ambitions were sick and twisted, but his German contemporaries enabled him to
carry out anything that he wanted.
Anti-Semitism exists because humans want to belong to the group in
power. The bystander allowed the
Holocaust to occur as well as the genocide in Rwanda and the discrimination
against African-Americans in the U.S. In
each instance, a particular group was targeted and although they were harshly
treated to an extreme, no one on the other side of the fence wanted to alienate
themselves and stick up for the victim.
Out of all the films we watched
pertaining to the Nazis, “Swing Kids” was the most relatable for me. The main characters were all young males
around the age of 20, and I felt like I could put myself in the shoes of Peter
as he struggled to keep his identity. I
was able to really see how these men were deprived of their freedom and forced
to believe in something they may have totally despised. Peter obviously wanted to belong to a group
as he loved being a “swing kid,” but he could see past the glamour of the Nazi
party; still, he was eventually reluctant to join. I admired Arvid the most because he was able
to completely resist joining the regime, and I was sympathetic to him because
at times, no one had his back. I began
to realize that Arvid is the type of person that this course strives to
create. He is the “resistance,” and
despite being less physically capable than everyone else, he maintained his
dignity.
“The
Pianist” was probably my favorite film that we watched as far as the acting and
directing, but more importantly, it illustrated the dire conditions of the
ghetto and juxtaposed life for the Jews before and after the Nazis controlled
Poland. Szpilman was a well-regarded citizen
of Warsaw and was known as a gifted pianist; nonetheless, his family and
belongings were stripped of him and his only focus was to survive. Jews were treated like dispensable garbage as
they lay dead in streets and some were murdered just to serve as an
example. The particular scene I am
referencing is when the Nazis barged into the building across from Szpilman and
a crippled man was thrown out the window, still in his wheelchair. Terrible images like this really stuck in my
head and I began to realize just how worthless the Jews were in the eyes of the
Nazis.
The
final film that we watched in Facing History was footage from the Nuremberg
trials. We didn’t have a class
discussion about the film because the images pretty much spoke for themselves. As the Allies liberated concentration camps,
they discovered the killing machines that left bodies piled up and men and
women on the verge of death. The sleep
and food deprivation and the torture left human beings in an incomprehensible
state; they were living in total agony and no innocent human being should ever
have to endure that. This film was
unlike any of the fictional movies that we watched before it because the
realism was absolutely shocking. I
thought about what I had just watched throughout that school day.
In
retrospect, I am thankful that I was able to take this course because it gave
me a stronger awareness about how to treat others. I hope that my memories from the films and
lessons will be long-lasting, so that I will never forget the travesties that occurred
during the Holocaust. Mr. Gallagher
taught me that the power of a group should never take precedent over my own values
and beliefs. As college nears, this
lesson is relevant as the majority professors impose their own beliefs on
students. Everything I learned in Facing
History and Ourselves is applicable—it is about doing the right thing and
standing up for the victim.
