Sam Klefstad's Blog: January 2011

Introduction

Being Jewish I have had a lot of time and education on the subject throughout my childhood. When debating on what classes to take, I thought that maybe this course could give me another look on the holocaust and its history. Last year while taking Mr. Obrien’s history class, I became very interested in WWII and the events that took place during it. When I realized that this course was being taught on the holocaust, I became very interested in it because of my high interest WWII and its events. This class also seemed to be really interesting because the entire course was taught by showing films and documentaries, and for me that was a huge part in choosing this class. Watching a film every day in between classes on a subject that I love was a big influence on me choosing this class. What this course does is it really changes your perspective on everyday things that you might have not have paid attention to. The course also does a great job on keeping you on your toes when you walk in to class every day. It gives you different angles and perspectives on different sides of the holocaust. Every angle that could be looked at on the subject is achieved by watching the films in this class. It includes Nazis, Nazis who find this wrong, a child in the ghetto, and everyone else. I think that this class also was a class to take because you were interested and not just going to watch movies and relax. Taking this class I think that everyone really got something out of it and it affected everyone.

Making a Difference Essay

The course Facing History and Ourselves changed myself as a person and as a student, but what showed me how valuable this course was the ways it has changed me without me realizing it. Everyday life seems pretty normal and routine for most people, and that is what this course has changed for me. For the first week or so, our main focus was bystanders, victims, and individuals. As a person there are many situations that I would have looked at before taking this class and it would not have affected me at all. But after taking this course, things that I wouldn’t think twice about really catch my eye to the point where I feel like I should step in or I can change the situation. I began looking at situations from a different perspective, which was not someone who can’t do anything to change it, but that maybe if I become involved in the situation, I can actually make a difference whether it is big or small. With that, I started to realize that before taking this class, I was someone who thought that not every little thing counts, that there are some things not worth involving myself in because I would not be able to change anything about it. But while taking this class, my look on being a bystander is that those are the people who don’t believe in themselves. They are the people who are unable to get the confidence to do something about a situation because they think they won’t change anything. But for me, I am now a person who understands, every little tiny thing that someone does to try and change something, or make a difference, that those are the people who care. They are the people, like I hope I am, that do things because they are the right thing to do, without taking anything back. What really made me think of this was the film we watched on the chemical specialist, who did everything he could to make a difference in the concentration camps. Every opportunity that this SS officer got to change something, or to make a difference, he did it whether it was big or small. Also, this man was one officer who thought that if he tried hard enough, he could change the Nazis mind to the point where things would begin to end. That is someone who I look up to because this man tried to stop the Nazis at all costs, while he was being looked down upon by all of his peers who he worked with, even his father. He was a man who did not care what other people thought of him while trying to save the Jews, because he knew he was right. That kind of determination and self-power this man had inspires me to believe that I will always do the right thing, whether or not my peers or anyone else believes it is. As a student, I realized that giving back to the class and to the teacher by doing the work and actually putting time into a class can make it a whole lot better. Getting involved was one thing that was focused on during this course, and I have seen myself getting more involved into classes because doing this shows respect, and also the class is more enjoyable. Before this class it was like I was doing work to do the work and get a good grade, but during this course I saw myself doing the work because I enjoyed it and had an opinion on things that I thought would be valued by others. This was not a specific lesson in the course, but it was expressed in many different ways throughout this course. For example, we discussed how many people these days do favors for others because they think they should get something in return, but that is something that this course teaches is wrong. This class focuses on doing things for another person is done because they should be, not because you will get something in return. I think that personally I was always one of those people who believed in that type of thing, but I never really recognized it in that way. Also, because I can recognize those types of things that, it is very easy for me to tell the difference between people who are doing things because they are right, and the people who do favors because they believe a favor should be in return for them. I think that every person who takes this course, will come out of it doing those favors just because, but most will be unable to realize they are doing it which is what is so fascinating. Throughout this course we watched a film or documentary almost every day, and every day they would be just as breath taking and capturing as the one before it. They all made an impression on me and definitely gave me more of an idea of what went on during the holocaust, but there was one film we watched that was the most jaw dropping and had the biggest impact on me as a person. This film was the last film that we watched in this class, and it was the film that was ordered by our President to be made when they first visited all the concentration camps as soon as the war was over. By filming these camps right when the war was over, the amount of evidence that had been destroyed by the Nazis before surrendering was minuscule to what was captured on these cameras. The things that were shown on this film were without a doubt the most horrifying thing I have ever seen before. Despite all that, I couldn’t help but watch the entire thing without blinking. It was the most capturing film that was shown to me during this course and throughout my entire life. Actually watching live footage of one of the most disturbing events in history makes you really think of how inhumane the Nazis were. But with that, you begin to ask yourself questions such as why the Jews? How can they do this without any remorse? But these questions are not ever going to be answered because they can’t. It is something that you can ask so many questions and maybe you will get some answers, but the only true way of understanding something like this was to live in it.

Sam Klefstad's Blog

Thursday, January 13, 2011

Introduction

Making a Difference Essay

Works Cited