INTRODUCTION

Facing History and Ourselves is one of the most beneficial classes I have ever taken. Before taking this class, I recognized the immorality of genocide and oppression of others, but this class really opened my eyes to the harsh and brutal treatment victims of genocide had witnessed. I first heard about the class the summer after my 5^th grade year of school. My cousin, Yasameen had taken the class at her school and was fundraising in an attempt to help other schools have the opportunity to take the class. She had won a contest and was even able to meet Paul Rusesabagina. I did not know who he was, but Yasi told me and immediately I was interested. I forgot about her taking the class until my freshman year World History Course. We did a Model United Nations and each student chose a country to represent at our Model Assembly, I chose Rwanda. Every week leading up to the Assembly, we were responsible for presenting an article to a discussion group, based off of the geographical location of our countries. I would always search for articles surrounding the progress and restoration of the Rwandan genocide. I was delighted to hear that amends are in the process of being made, but I wanted to learn more. I watched the movie, Hotel Rwanda, but still wanted to learn more. As I was signing up for classes for my sophomore year, I looked to see if there was a class that would discuss this, but I was sad, when I realized that it was not available to me. A few months passed and I found out that I would be moving across the country, a disappointment, but in turn it was a blessing in disguise. In the course catalog for Westborough High School, there was a course for Facing History and Ourselves. I was ecstatic and could not wait to take it. At the time it was only available for seniors. Knowing that I would be taking all my core classes in addition to Spanish all 4 years of high school, I had to plan this well. Instead of taking “fun” electives, I opted to take my extra gym classes early, so I knew that I would have space for Facing History and Ourselves in my schedule for my senior year. At the beginning of the course, we were asking to write our teacher a letter explaining about ourselves and why we chose to take the course. Originally, I thought it was about Yasi and my interest in learning what she had, but when I sat down to think about it, I really wanted to take this class for myself. Facing History is not a History class, it’s a morality class. This class is more about learning about the type of person you are than it is learning about the facts behind genocides such as the Holocaust. Yes, the facts are important, but it’s about empathy and destroying the Us vs. Them barrier. It’s about forgiveness, but not forgetting; forgetting is ignorant and allows atrocities to reoccur. This class had such an impact on me. I am Persian and during the 9-11 tragedy in 2001, I remember the fear I had. Because of my last name and who my father was, I was targeted at the airport. They took my backpack at 6 years old and started screening for bombs. They touched my special “blankie” and I was so scared that I would not get it back. I remember my parents telling me that I had to hide what nationality I was, because I could get kicked out of my private school. Until 3^rd grade, I was ashamed of who I was. I would try and deny and hide my Persian culture, not wanting anybody to know I was Middle Eastern, a “terrorist.” These generalities were really hard for me, but then it came to a point that I realized being Persian is the culture I am more proud of. I come from a loving family, incredible food, and great values. Facing History is a class I have really been able to connect with and it is the best class I have taken in high school. I recommend it for all.

WHAT FACING HISTORY AND OURSELVES MEANT TO ME

It is nearly impossible to put into words the affect that Facing History and Ourselves has had on me. Having bearing witness to the brutality and the atrocities that occurred during the holocaust has really has affected me. There are so many classes that we take in high school and soon begin to forget the lessons that we have been taught. When I ask my mother for assistance with some biology or calculus homework, she cannot remember, but then again, what use will these classes have for me? I want to become a juvenile public defender. I want to stand up for others who have nobody else to be their advocate. Although, I came to this conclusion long before taking this class, Facing History and Ourselves has reaffirmed my commitment to being an up stander. This class was not about the Holocaust, it was about me and how I would behave if placed in certain situation. I choose not to be a bystander and allow atrocities to happen, but instead be an up stander and help others if they cannot help themselves. I will not discriminate and create an Us vs. Them, like in Dr. Seuss’ Horton Hears a Who, “a person’s a person no matter how small.” Each person is created equally. We are all human and deserve to be treated with dignity and respect. Our identity is not composed simply of racial prejudges and cultural background. It is primarily composed of what type of person you are and how you contribute to society as a whole. During the time I was participating in the course, I lost a friend from my hometown in Washington State to a suicide. Claire killed herself because she was bullied. This is not okay. Shortly after I lost Claire, I witnessed some online bullying and a site called “Westborough Improvements,” an anonymous Facebook page in which students could post things that they did not like about others on the internet anonymously. I contacted the site and the perpetrator of the online bullying and told them to stop, delete their comments, APOLOGIZE, and delete the site. I told pictures of the nasty things that were said, so I would have proof if I needed to confront an administrator with the evidence. Luckily, however the bullying, at least this incident, had ceased. I talked to the victims of the cyber bullying and ensured their safety corrected their self-image and have followed up to ensure their confidence. Teenagers are vulnerable and this hatred can have drastic effects on them. I was an up stander and will continue to be one. I will stand for what I believe in, even if nobody else supports me. We need to learn from our mistakes and correct them. I will not tolerate hatred of any kind and continue to stand by my morals. Facing History and Ourselves has given me the confidence to stand by these beliefs.

In the beginning of the course, the class read a book together, The Bear That Wasn’t. Although it was a children’s book, the meaning still bears truth to it. It is about a bear who was living in the forest. Then one day, his house was destroyed and replaced with a factory. The bear was confused because he had been displaced, but moving up the chain of command at the factory, it was continually impressed upon him that he in fact is not a bear and instead is a silly man with a beard and a fur coat. Since normally children’s books are about teaching morals, I believe the veracity of the book is very powerful. It teaches children about bullying, but desensitizes it slightly, by making the protagonist a bear rather than human. The fact that it was a bear also adds to the meaning, because it creates the idea of a universality of bullying. I believe the most powerful part of the book was when the bear was placed among its peers and the peers even agreed with the high ranking officials in the factory and then the bear started to believe them. This was a primary example of others tearing down one’s identity. It is a metaphor for the Holocaust. People would turn on their own kind for fear that they would fall victim to the extreme terror. Also, the victims of the oppression eventually started believing the bully, because they had been told it so many times and it had been ingrained into their minds. The book was very powerful, despite that it was only a children’s book.

Later in the course, we watched The Freedom Writers. Having never seen this film, I did not know what to expect, but it presented our class with the lingering racial tensions and prejudices that people would carry with them. However, the most powerful part of the movie was when Mrs. Gruwell advocated for her students and they eventually began to advocate for themselves; their voices were heard and their story could be told. They began to rise again the oppression they were faced with. Much like during the Holocaust, this was a form of rebellion or uprising against the oppressor. It gives me hope that some people can try and save themselves from the awful situation that they have been placed in.

Continuing the course, we began a series of documentaries. Nazis: a Warning from History. In this series, we were able to see the way in which Hitler came into power and promoted himself as Chancellor of Germany. Although it was hard to watch and upsetting, it was also very intriguing. I could never imagine a government electing him by choice, knowing the morals that he stands for, but with a country having lost the war and in extreme poverty and ruins due to their debt, people were looking for someone to blame. Hitler chose the Jews, based on the same principles we examined during the film, The Longest Hatred. The saddest part about these films is that the hatred was ongoing and lacking validity. Hitler provided jobs through forced labor and provided a way to eradicate the “evil,” as he called it, from the country, the mechanized killing of 13 million people. I can remember the interview with Resi Kraus. She denied ever have turning in her neighbors stating that the signature on the search warrant was not hers but it is her name and address. She then blamed the reporter for having brought up the Holocaust 50 years later. She later started commenting on the weather, with a complete disregard for the seriousness of what has happened due to her actions.

We watched the Milgram Experiment documentary. Having watched this previous in a psychology class, I was able to notice more details. When the teacher struggled to continue with the experiment, the experimenter simply said “the experiment requires that you continue,” “you have no choice but to continue,” and that “no blame will be given to you and you are not responsible for any actions created in the lab.” This experiment responds directly to the Holocaust and the way in which the Nazis were brainwashed.

As time went on through the course, the videos became more intense.

We watched Swing Kids, a film showing children in the Hitler Youth Program turning against their friends and families for the benefits that they had been receiving as a Nazi. It also showed the way in which friendships were broken and some youth had turned against their morals. However, there was also a side to the movie that showed rebellion, through the use of swing dance. There was violence in the movie, which I struggled to watch, but the discomfort I experienced while watching these movies was nothing compared to the torture and brutality that the victims of the Holocaust were receiving. I chose to watch these movies, because I need to bear witness, so I can attest to what I have seen. Some will remain ignorant to the pain and suffering, but I will have seen it first hand.

One of the movies I struggled most to watch was The Pianist. After watching the movie, I began crying in the hallway. The Nazis barged into houses in the Warsaw Ghetto in Poland at night and treated Jewish families with no respect. There was this one scene in which the Nazis came into a family’s house as they were eating dinner. They ordered everyone to their feet and continued to yell at the grandfather who was seated in a wheelchair and could not stand. They ordered him to stand and he struggled to try to get to his feet. They instead took the man seated in his wheelchair and pushed his off the balcony from the top floor onto the cobblestone road below them. The rest of the family was then ordered outside and told to run down the street. They were chased with bullets. A young boy tried to escape and climb up the side of the building. They let him climb partially up and then shot him. That way if the shot didn’t kill him, the fall would. I really struggled to watch this brutality and the sense of helplessness.

We also watched Uprising. This film gave me hope, but it was completely falsified. The small percentage of people that were able to fight back does not combat those that were not able to. However, these people stood for their morals and their beliefs. This was a powerful message. I just struggled with the idea of using violence to fight violence.

However, I believe that they had no other choices. I was faced with many more moral dilemmas throughout the course of the class, including Sophie’s Choice. When she arrived the Auschwitz, she was first sexually harassed by a guard and then she recited her background stating that she was Christian, not Jewish. However, she was still Polish. The guard gave her an option and said that she could take on of her children. She has a daughter that looked about 4 years old and a son that was about 9. She pleaded that she could not choose, but the guard threatened that it was either she make the decision and choose one child or he would take them both. She has no time to think and she gave the guard her daughter. In class we were then asked to reflect and think about what we would have chosen if we were in the same situation. This situation is inhuman and I struggled to come to a conclusion. I am not God nor am I a Nazi and I could not choose a child, but then again, I could not let them both go, I struggled for days contemplating the decision making pros and cons charts and trying to decide. I did not know what to do and I still do not. Many people judged Sophie for the decision she made. I could not come to a conclusion after days of thinking it over. Sophie did not have days, she did not even have ours or minutes, she has mere seconds to make a decision, being in such a terrible position.

 

WORKS CITED

The Bear That Wasn’t. Digplanet.com. Image. 21 May 2013.

The Pianist Movie Poster. Allmovieposter.org. Image. 21 May 2013.

Sophie’s Choice. Gamification.com. Image. 21 May 2013.

Swing Kids. Listal.com. Image. 21 May 2013.

Uprising. Tvspielfilm.de. Image. 21 May 2013.