What Facing History and Ourselves Meant to Me

What the class Facing History and Ourselves meant to me, is almost an impossible question to answer, not because I learned the hardest , most complex theorems or defied any well known theory’s but because it has taught me things that no other class has. Facing History and Ourselves has opened my eyes to the horrors of the past, in a way different than any other high school History or social studies class has. What I have learned through Facing History and Ourselves is something you can’t be taught, it is an experience. What I have learned through this experience, I will bring with me throughout my life, and use it every day.
The Class is based around the Holocaust, the murder of millions of people by the Nazi’s in Germany under the power of Adolph Hitler. In class we have watched countless video footage, looked at Pictures, and read article’s all relating to this dreadful event. We learned about this terrible period of time with one main goal in mind. That goal is to learn about what has happened in the past, analyze why, and prevent it in the future. But through learning this I have learned so many other lessons.

picture of Adolph Hitler
In class we have read countless articles about Hitler and how he manipulated thousands of people with his power. Hitler started as a minority, in the Nazi political party, and initially lied and cheated his way to power. He did this by signing non existent peoples names on the party ballot so that people would think they where 500 member,when in reality there were only fifty. Hitler also used his amazing speaking techniques to allure the children of Germany to join him. Hitler started the Hitler youth because he knew he needed the children of Germany to continue his reign when he was no longer around.

When hearing about how Hitler manipulated the youth, sadness passes through my mind. It’s sad that Hitler could use these children like this, just for the sole benefit of himself. The mind of a child can so easily be manipulated and Hitler used this to the best of his ability to get what he wanted. But what is almost worse is what the Germans, the generals, and theple who knew about what was going on and did nothing. These People were not evil monsters; they were you’re your everyday people like you and me. But the fact that none of them could step up and do anything about what was going on, but they just watched as the Jews were persecuted, starved, and tortured. These people who just stood by were the common population of Germany the parents, the workers, doctors, friends, sisters and brothers, but no one did anything. I find it shameful that they could just stand by while the Jews were being wronged and what’s even worse they were being mistreated for nothing.
Along with the articles we read in class we also watched movies about this time period. Some of the movies we watched include The Pianist, Saving Private Ryan, and The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, but these are only a few. These movies, for me, really put everything into perspective. Seeing these movies puts you in the point of view of the Jews, it lets you walk in there shoes, experience what they experienced. This really made the difference for me. Being able to walk in someone else’s shoes and mentally experience what they experienced having the same thoughts running through your mind as they did, being scared when they were scared. Watching movies for me is an experience, that’s why movies are such a powerful source. The movies were a huge aspect of this class to me they really brought everything together for me.
The documentary’s we watched also hit home for me. What really got me with those, was the rawness of it all. To see what literally happened there during that period of time is unbelievable. To see piles of starved, dead bodies, of the Jewish people and know that they are just everyday people that hadn’t done anything wrong, they were friends, brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers, no better than anyone one else but also no worse.
We also watched a documentary in class revealing a scrapbook of the members of the Nazi’s. To see this literally made me sick to my stomach. Knowing that what looked like everyday nice people were out having a good time, partying and hanging with their family while also persecuting Jews. This angered me to see because it didn’t portray them in a evil way ,that I would have liked to see, but just like everyday people. Its scary to think people just like you and me did this to the Jews.
The Nazis believed they could do this because they believed that they were superior to the Jews and mostly everyone else. The Nazis not only prosecuted Jews, but also African Americans, Gypsies, and homo sexuals. The Nazis believed that anyone who wasn’t white, with blue eyes and fully German was inferior to them. The Nazis judged everyone by what they looked like and they stereotyped the Jews publicly.
The class facing History in ourselves put me in the mind set of Jew, and Mr. Gallagher has handed us all the information needed to come up with an educated opinion on our own, of what happened in this terrible period of time, and that’s exactly what I did. It gives me so much pride in us, The United States of America, as a country to know that we helped to save so many of these people, when the people of their own country just stood by. If I have learned anything in this class, it is not to stand by while anything that you don’t agree is happening. If you don’t agree with something, do something about it, and change it. Being a bystander is just as bad as not doing anything about it at all. This I use in my everyday life, in school and outside of school. What I have learned in this class I will take with me and use it throughout my life in all aspect of life. This class has meant show much to me and I will take my learning’s with me forever, what I learned in this class cannot be forgotten.