Introduction

     The Facing History course to me was about defining yourself as a person. Looking at past events and situations that have formed the world we live in today. In the course we looked at the injustices experienced by many different types ethnic groups experienced in the past from blacks, to Jews, to Teenagers. At the same time we evaluated ourselves and had group discussions so we could share ideas and opinions on certain situations and events. At first I did not know much about the course until my guidance counselor recommended it to me around the end of sophomore year. I heard Mr. Gallagher was very passionate about the class and now that I have taken the class I have the utmost respect for Mr. Gallagher. I found the course extremely inspirational, how it challenges students to think about their past, present, and future. It challenges us to evaluate ourselves, our ideas, our opinions, etc. Through looking at what has happened in the past, it makes us think about our decisions and what we want to do with ourselves. The class shows us the different perspectives of different people as to understand what was happening at the time.

     I’ve done a lot of traveling and have lived in another country so I believe a have a different perspective. This course has helped me in define myself as a person and made me look at myself in many different ways. We are all in the process of creating our own beliefs and personalities, and this class has helped me in becoming the person I am. I’ve been through a lot in my past, dealing with my parent’s alcoholism, moving constantly so I basically had no true friends I really got to know, having lived in a completely different culture, country, language etc. In the end I would never want to change any of it though. My experiences have given me knowledge that I’d like to apply to my everyday life. This class has helped me put together a lot of thoughts in my head. I wouldn’t change anything I’ve been through because it’s helped form the person I am today, and not to sound egocentric or anything, but I like that person.

What Facing History Meant to Me

    Facing History and Ourselves was an extremely meaningful class to me. Never in my High school career had I ever had a class like this one. There are so many factors to the class I liked from the movies we watched, the class discussions, and just the general thinking that the class provoked. I like the way the class was executed. We went from simpler stories such as “The Bear Who Wasn’t” to such an intense and impactful movie like “The Boy in The Striped Pajamas” and “The Gray Zone”. Everything fell into place very well, the way the course built up really made it much better. This class has put into question a lot of aspects of my life; it has made me realize the meaning behind certain things and has shed new light on my past experiences. The class is raw and shows us the brutal truth behind many aspects of history. We need to learn from our own experiences and analyze the world we live in. We must question our beliefs and the beliefs of others if we do not agree with them.

     One of the biggest things I felt the course revolved around was the Holocaust, but informing us about the Holocaust was not the main point. Although it was of great significance, the course was more about making the student think about what makes them who they are. In the beginning we are introduced to stories, movies and articles that didn’t have to do directly with the Holocaust. We talked about things such as the Armenian Genocide, The Little Rock Nine, 12 Angry Men, The Freedom Writers, etc. They all dealt with viewing yourself as a person and looking at what is happening and has happened around you.

     At the very beginning of the course I was excited to see what it was all about. We read a children’s book called “The Bear Who Wasn’t”. I immediately analyzed the book and tried to figure out what sort of idea it was trying to prove. The bear was told over and over that he wasn’t a bear until he started to believe it. It’s representative of how society lumps things together by things that they have in common. It’s like saying everybody that listens to metal is a Satanist and worships the devil; this is obviously untrue and ridiculous. I higher authority tells you what you are when you should tell yourself what you are.

     Another part of the course showed us the movie “The Freedom Writers”. I thoroughly enjoyed this movie because it was a bit more modern and relatable. Yet again we had a smaller group of people defying the higher authority. The teacher in the movie has just started teaching a class of kids that are already condemned by the school just because they are expected to fail due to the history of many classes similar to that one. The teacher manages to get through to each and every student and in the process making a very personal connection to each and every one of them. It’s not their fault they have to grow up in such horrible environment. She shows them the extent of their intelligence and that what they’ve been through has meaning and should be shared with the world. They are stereotyped for their appearance and how infamous the image portrayed by them. In the end they became famous for their stories and what they had to share with the world.

     The movie “12 Angry Men” was another movie we watched that had a great impact on me. How one man contradicted what the rest of the group thought was correct. The ideas behind the movie amazed me. Showing all the points and analyzing as many points of a child on trial for assaulting his father. The film shows how you should analyze as much as you can when it comes down to deciding whether it’s life or death for a person. If there is space for reasonable doubt you shouldn’t make assumptions. I believe anybody that is to be on a jury should have to watch this film.

     Some the strongest and most powerful images, stories, and films I have ever seen came from the Holocaust section of the course. Seeing all of this shows you the extent of evil, survival, hope, and so many other aspects that we as people can be brought to. The acts that took place during the Holocaust are inhuman; the images I saw resembled something that hell itself would resemble. The method in which the course took us through the events leading up to the Holocaust, how it was able to happen, how it began, how it was executed, and how it ended perfectly put a student to have the most effective experience. How the ideology set forward by the Nazi’s brainwashed an entire nation. How they systematically killed Jews and disposed of them in the most horrendous and disgusting ways.

     The build up to the last movie we saw put together so well, teaching us about how the ideas spread through Germany after WWI. Then how the Nazi’s rose to power and began to brainwash thousands upon thousands of people. Then the Nazis started WWII and began throwing the Jews into ghettos. The examples of how the Jews formed their own militias amazed me, the balls it took to stand up to one of the most powerful military groups in the world at the time. It truly amazed me the will to survive those people had. As for the Jews in the concentration camps there where different stories of sheer bravery. Some of the acts committed by Jew to fellow Jew in an attempt to survive for even a bit longer where hard to watch. My stomach was in knots every film we watched.

     So in conclusion, Facing History and Ourselves has been by far one of the best experiences I have ever had in my High School career. This class has been an amazing experience and I am extremely glad I was able to take it. This class has furthered defining myself as a person. It makes me want to have a voice with my community. It has shown me many aspects and what I should improve of myself. I recommend this class to anyone I know. It is a great class to take on your way out of high school being either a Junior or a Senior.

Citations

The Bear Who Wasn't. Google Images. Image. 12 May 2012

The Freedom Writers. Google Images. Image. 12 May 2012

12 Angry Men. Google Images. Image. 12 May 2012

The Grey Zone. Google Images. Image. 12 May 2012

The Boy In The Striped Pajamas. Google Images. Image. 12 May 2012