Holocaust Thingy [World Studies]

Holocaust: Greek Origin: Sacrifice by Fire.

Nazi Germans murdered six-million Jewish people. Along with them, they slaughtered the disabled, Roma, and Slavics.
The Nazis came into power in Germany early on in 1933. Their leader, Adolf Hitler, was a believer in the Aryan race. He believed the extermination of all those not apart of it was essential to the future of the Aryans. They killed them as part of the "Final Solution" to the "problem" facing the Aryan race. With them out of the world, the only remaing people would be those that they viewed as pure.


To follow through with the "Final Solution", the National Socialist Government established concentration camps where the Jewish and other minorities where sent and endured forced labor. These camps were headed by the SS and police officials. The purpose of the camps was to monitor the population of the minorities. Later established were ghettos. The purpose of the ghettos was to contain the minorities in the process of being taken to the concentration camps.


Between 1941-1944, German authorities deported Jews out of Germany to occupy killing centers. They were also referred to as extermination camps. They were most often killed in large gas-chambers but were also killed by being shot. These camps were made for the intentional killing of more than 2,700,000 Jews. Most of the arrivals at these camps were immediately sent to the gas-chambers. The only exception were the small grooups chosen for a work force, which often met the same fate, eventually.


In the final months of World War II, "Death Marches" took place. These were forced marches to avoid the Allies from liberating the prisoners. So the prisoners were pretty much just running from the people who were trying to help them. Ironic. These marches continued to the end of the war. The very day that the Germans surrendered. Prisoners were liberated, and the lives of the remaining Jews instantly became hopeful.


THE END OF THE HOLOCAUST :]

Tell-Tale Heart

So, Edgar Allen Poe wrote this "great" piece of literature called the Tell-Tale Heart, but honestly I do not see the greatness of it. A psychotic man is very uneasy with his co-workers blue eye. He says it is like that of a vulture. And in the end he results to killing him, only because the eye was open. If it had not been for the eye, and the man's insanity, then it is probable that the blue-eyed man would have lived.

As an activity to analyzing The Tell-Tale Heart we tracked the plot....in detail. What I have noticed about the main character, is that his actions are very uncertain. By that, I mean that the man does things, and acts in such ways, but in the end he is very edgy because of his uncertainty.

For example, when the man decides he commits to killing the blue-eyed-vulture man, he never actually does it until something pushes him to do it, or makes up his mind for him. In this case, the thing that pushed him was the man's eye being open.

The events following this also displayed him being unsure of his actions and doings. When he is chatting with the police officers, he has knowingly stashed the vulture-man's body underneath the hardwood floors on which they are standing. He has already killed him, so there is no turning back, but the man displays guilt for what he has done. In this case, guilt is a form of uncertainty. His uncertainty gets the best of him.

A Taste of Summer

Sparkling in the summer sun, the ripples on the water's surface undulated, reflecting the light and giving off a glare. In an instance the surface was shattered with the bodies of children who willingly flung themselves into the awaiting water. Jumping and flailing their arms about, the neighborhood children were just taking a break from another one of their pick-up games.
"Bottom of the fourth inning; 6-4." Jack clarified.
"I don't want to play anymore." said Quinn.
"I'm hungry, let's go to Nicky's." announced Tina.
Then they set off on the three block journey toward the fast-food restaurant. They crossed streets carelessly and hardly bothered to stay on sidewalks, instead they preferred the street. These were not the most well behaved friends a girl like Lucy could have. Sure she loved them and all, but sometimes they got too crazy.
While Lucy didn't really participate in their foolish actions, part of her enjoyed the danger of it all. Here in their neighborhood, the kids called the shots.
And with them calling the shots, endless summer days were spent with one another. From riding ATVs, to going to the park, to hanging around and passing the time with baseball. The children of the streets were inseperable. That's how it was. Nobody had a curfew, and parents knew each other well.
Back to the block within ten minutes, they pondered about the endless possibilities for the afternoon.
Hopefully they don't get in too much trouble...
to be continued.

Pride in the Name of Love

One man come in the name of love
One man come and go
One come here to justify
One man to overthrow

In the name of love
What more in the name of love
In the name of love
What more in the name of love

One man caught on a barbed wire fence
One man he resist
One man washed on an empty beach.
One man betrayed with a kiss

In the name of love
What more in the name of love
In the name of love
What more in the name of love

(nobody like you...)

Early morning, April 4
Shot rings out in the Memphis sky
Free at last, they took your life
They could not take your pride

In the name of love
What more in the name of love
In the name of love
What more in the name of love
In the name of love
What more in the name of love...
--------------------------

Yes, this is U2's Pride in the Name of Love.
The song as a whole is about people who have lost themselves due to love.
The first verse:
The first verse symbolizes people that have different intentions in the name of love. People generally act differently and do different things when they act in the name of love. For example:
One man come here to justify
One man to overthrow.
---
One man has come with peaceful reasoning. Only to prove his point.
One man has come with intentions that are not very peaceful and may even cause some violence.

The second verse:
The first line symbolizes the soldiers who died in love for their countries. The 'barbed wire fence' is referring to those used in trench warfare during World War One.
As I came to learn, the third line symbolizes Roger Casement. He was captured, arrested, and finally executed because he took a significant part in the Easter Uprising.
The fourth and final line symbolizes how Jesus had been betrayed with a kiss. Jesus had been betrayed with a kiss, by Judas.

The Last Verse:
The Last verse is all about Martin Luther King Junior. April 4th 1968 is the specific April 4th discussed in the song. The shots that rang out in Memphis sky were the gunshots that 'took your life and he was free at last'. But they 'could not take your pride'.

As I said before, overall the song is about the many people who have lost themselves due to love.

On the Reservation

Recently, we have been reading Montana 1948 in class. In my opinion its a pretty decent book, it doesn't have a standstill plot and the book isn't that long ;)

Uncle Frank rapes and molests the Indian women, so as a woman living on the reservation, they should fear him. I know I would run from him in terror and clock him in the head with a shovel if he ever got near me.

On the reservation, he is one of the only things we have to fear. He stands out among our people because he is an outsider. But Ollie Young Bear is someone I am just a tad less disgusted with than Frank. Young Bear has adapted a new life from our own, and would just as soon turn himself American as he would bat an eyelash. It disgusts me because he is not proud. He is not proud of what he is. He wishes he was white rather than one of us, we wonder what his parents must think. They could not possibly be proud for what he has become, it is only assumed that they are ashamed. He is like a dog to the white people, he pleases them and becomes more like them. The white people, they like him, they say we should all become like Ollie Young Bear because then we will prosper in life, as they believe that he shall. He is well liked among the white population, but to us, he is nobody special. If anything, he is less than normal.

Propaganda 2011

So propaganda......that is deceptive or distorted information that is systematically spread. Okay so basically it's when you know something is bad or misleading, but you market it in such a positive way that people fail to see the harm in the product.

I think a great example of this in 2011 would be cigarettes. The funny thing about cigarettes is, not only do the marketers know that they are bad for your health, but everyone in society knows. Yet, even though the health hazards are known, smokers continue to buy them.
Before the risks were well-known, many people bought cigarettes. By the time the knowledge of the hazards spread around, many people could not quit. They were addicted and once they got sucked into the world of cigarettes, the propaganda for other cigarette brands was everywhere.

Commercials are propaganda. The average person watches television so many hours a day, seeing hundreds of commercials a week. The strategy of a company is to show the positive perks of a product and either exclude the negative altogether, or put it in size two font on the bottom of the screen where nobody can read it. They emphasize the products good qualities and effects, why you should buy it, and how much better it is than other leading brands, not to mention the cheap price.


We live in a world of propaganda and I believe that we can deal with it. We can just slow down, and not be so quick to assume we're being told the entire story. We should not rely on commercials for our information. And before we actually buy something, we should know *what* we're buying.

Black Boy

Unlike The Scarlet Letter and The Great Gatsby, I actually enjoy reading Black Boy. Maybe it is just hearing it like it is straight from a little kid, or even just that the plot moves faster than the other books we have read, but I do not dread having to read every night. Well, not THAT much.

Richard grows up a lot throughout the book. I mean that both literally and mentality wise. As a six year old kid, though, you probably do not want to experience some of the things that Richard has. Growing up around the time that he did also influenced a lot of what he had witnessed and how his mentality had developed.

He witnessed a lot of events that could be described as having to do with racial tensions, or even straight out racism. At a younger age he was still blind to how society was, but as he grew up he learned.

I also dislike most of his family members. They treat him like crap and insist that they know better than he does. His Grandmother practicaly tells him that he is dead to her because he does not want to take up her religion. His Uncle wakes him up one night and then goes crazy on him and wants to beat him. Aunt Addie beats him at school AND at home. Aunt Jody gets on his case and is just nosy.

No wonder Richard doesn't grow up correctly, his family is screwed up. This is one of the major reasons that Rich has a different life than most kids.

Hungry for Attention

Is he alone?  This is not very specific, but my answer is: no, he is not alone in his cravings for attention. Many people crave it, and throughout the chapter I see that his brother quite enjoys it too. He may not be a prominent figure like Richard, and we can see that his acts are not nearly as extreme, but they are there. When Richard lit the house on fire, what was his brother's response? He went and tattled to their mother. He starves for attention as did Richard only he wanted to be looked at positively whereas Richard didn't care how foolish he looked in attempt to get attention.

He also tells on Richard many other times. When Richard kills the kitten, his brother is there and waiting. He runs off to their parents and tells on him. While Richard is sitting there being scolded, the book eludes to tell us that his brother is sitting off to the side inwardly content with the output of the situation.

It just goes to show that many of the characters have the same insatiable hunger for attention. Others, however, are more subtle and do not make it as obvious. Richard, being a young boy, clearly displays his crave for attention. His brother, although young, shows it in a less obvious way. What else can Richard do? Most kids, even from birth can never get enough attention.They show it first when they cry as newborns and the act continues and can even end up as stupid stunts, as it has for Richard.

How being an immigrant shaped my life......

This was the reading I felt defined an American for who they were, not because of of where they or born or how they have adapted to the culture here. This woman carried many traditions with her throughout her life and I feel she should be considered an American.

People come to America from other countries for a better life, and that's why she came. Her family moved because of the start of World War II. So that alone should qualify her. But she goes farther, as she continues to celebrate her heritage while residing here. That's what America is. It's simply a very diverse place where many different races, ethnicties, and cultures clash together and live among one another.

She and her family are Jewish who fled Germany before things got bad for them. Being the committed people that they were, and not giving up their beliefs, they remained Jewish and proud here in America. Just because there was only a minority of Jewish people, did not persuade them to convert.

This is what being an American means. Residing in this country, while holding onto your cultural beliefs to make America a 'melting pot'.

How boring would it be if everybody was Catholic or something? No thoughts beyond that.....No 'what ifs?' as to questioning religion. Not even being totally unaffiliated with religion...

King Still King?

Is Martin Luther King Jr. still influencing our society? Of course, the King is still King. He has made such an impact on our society many years ago, and we still see the effects later on. In my opinion, he and Rosa Parks did it all. They opened the doors for the narrow-minded people. Way back when, when Rosa Parks sat in a white person's seat, they started something so revolutionary, that it stuck with America through the generations. This is....de-segregation. They have started us on a never ending path of un-segregation. This path goes on and on forever, as we hope to stay like this. Here in 2011, I think we can agree that we have done pretty well to stick to the ‘path’.
The King is still the King because he took charge. He took charge the way a leader should. And he is still remembered today because of that. He is also famous for his ‘I have a Dream Speech..’. The King is still King because of his ability to talk to the people. If he was truly a king, the people would feel more connected to him.
Obviously, even in today’s society, we want someone who will listen to us, somebody who understands our lives. As my last statement, just a recap of what I’m talking about…….
The King is still King because what he did is still with us today.

Krik? Krak!

Children of the Sea had to be my favorite reading so far. It was interesting but still defined. As a reader, I thought it was the best example. This is because, by telling a story like this, you go into detail to  the point that you know everything that's going on...or most of it anyways. As opposed to a poem or short passage like some of the other readings, this longer passage told an almost complete story. Another way that this was an effective way of writing, is the fact that the entire story was a series of letters from a man to a woman. I'm pretty sure neither of them ever received any of them, but they keep writing to each other faithfully. I thought it was horribly romantic. The horrible part about this, was the impression it left on the reader at the end. It leaves us to think that the male character dies at sea when the female hears of another shipwreck discovered. That is also where the letters end. But thinking about this, the corrupt government would prefer for the people of their country to believe that they did become shipwrecked in order to try and prevent others from trying to escape the country. The relationship between the father and daughter also somewhat improves. She goes from thinking of him as selfish and mean, to a man who gave everything he had for her. Which is exactly what he had done.