Holocaust museum display blog assignment #2

Blog assignment #2

Artifacts:

Painting- Crematorium I by Jan Komski

Passage: Night By Elie Wiesel

“Never shall I forget that smoke.

Never shall I forget the small faces of the children whose bodies I saw transformed into smoke under a silent sky.

Never shall I forget those flames that consumed my faith forever.” (Wiesel 34)

I was able to connect a passage from Night to this very powerful and moving artifact. I found this passage in Night to be so moving because I agreed with how Elie felt; Elie passed a crematorium and was in absolute horror of what he saw. Just seeing the innocent human beings being thrown into the crematorium was enough to make him lose faith in god. This picture is such a contrast to the language Elie uses; Elie is very horrified and disgusted in humanity while the men walking around in the crematorium doing their work, look very emotionless; like they don’t care. These men are tossing bodies into the flames nonchalantly, and seem to have completely shut off their emotions in order to throw away the lives of the innocent.

In the line “Never shall I forget those flames that consumed my faith forever” Elie is losing faith on the world around him and the people around him; basically everything. Like us, Elie cannot comprehend why such an evil act of burning piles and piles of dead bodies just to hide the Nazi’s crimes was committed. This painting by Jan Komski uses a contrast between black and white; dark and light which signifies the good of the innocent people being harmed and the darkness and evilness of those who are burning the bodies of innocent people. The black lines on the SS officer are more apparent than the ones on the dead bodies; I thought this was interesting. None of the faces of the dead bodies are facing us, and the officer is not looking at us either. This shows how shameful the act that they are committing is.

Overall, I can see the same themes of darkness and dehumanization in these two pieces of work. These passages work well together because they show opposite ends of perspective, one that shows the emotion of the SS guard, and one that shows the emotion of the witness to the hideous crimes.

CREATIVE PIECE: MIND MAP

Link to my Mind Map below!!
http://prezi.com/dz9as4q1ywdf/edit/#256_24309637

Holocaust museum display blog: essential question

How can something like the Holocaust Happen?

Artifacts:

• Rwandan genocide survivor interview

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/rwandan-genocide-survivor-recalls-horror/

• “Yes leader. we follow you!” Nazi propaganda poster
• First they came, a poem by Martin Niemoller

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1_9tD9ahQQuHh-oJTiBtptdOkS4bZgbVYcOf9ikZk2Xo/edit#slide=id.p

A tragedy such as the Holocaust ever occurring in society today, seems unimaginable-yet it happens in the deepest corners of the world. We wonder, how could something like the systematic killing in the Holocaust ever happen in the world? The answer starts off with a corrupt and evil genius of a figure head. This evil figurehead manipulates and brainwashes the public that so greatly admires him. The public that would fall for such a leader is one that is in need of serious reform; one that has hit rock bottom.

The societies that fall prey to such evil acts of mass killings are those that are in such economic and political despair, that they would turn to just about anyone willing to lead them. In the Holocaust, Hitler was able to convince the people of Germany that the reason for heavy war reparations from the world war, was because of Jews. The people of Germany were poor and impressionable, so Hitler took advantage of this. From the “Yes Leader, we follow you!” propaganda poster, you can tell that the majority of Germans supported Hitler and looked to him as “God”. The people in the poster are obeying Hitler and are bowing down to him which sends a message to those unsupportive of Hitler, that they should join in because he is the only thing that matters. Hitler was viewed as their saviour. The people in this poster seem to look up at Hitler in admiration, yet Hitler is scowling back at them which I found interesting. Perhaps people admired Hitler for his harshness and vigilance towards Jews.While this poster was used as a way for Hitler to gain support in the impressionable society, the poster was a way to show the people “who’s boss” as well.

In the poem “First they came” by Martin Niemoller I noticed how the narrator of the poem constantly feared speaking out because he was afraid he would be sent away too. In the first lines of the poem, Niemoller says

“First they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out-

because I was not a Jew;

Then they came for the communists, and I did not speak out-

because I was not a communist”

In every line the narrator is holding back from speaking his mind; every line he is losing his voice. I thought this related to Hitler’s position in society, and how scared people were of him. This is an example of how something like the Holocaust can happen; there must be a powerful leader that the citizens follow out of fear.

For something like the Holocaust to happen, you also need efficiency in killing, however morbid that sounds. The people carrying out the killings have to have the will to take away the lives of millions in just days. As discussed in the interview of the Rwandan Genocide survivor, Immaculee, it is stated that the genocide was “the most efficient carried out” and that 800,000 people were killed in a span of just 100 days. It is incredible to me how the people who carry out these systematic killings can just turn off their emotions like a light switch, and kill millions of innocent families and children.

What I'm Reading Now--Week 4

1. Gumuchian, Marie-Louise. CNN.com. CNN, 30 03 2014. Web. 30 Mar 2014. <http://www.cnn.com/2014/03/30/world/europe/ukraine-crisis/>.

The tension between the U.S. and Russia has either been slightly alleviated, or may have drastically heightened. The U.S. has already imposed economic sanctions on Russia after they annexed Crimea, and went against their wishes. Russia and America's representatives meet earlier for several hours to discuss sort of a compromise. America obviously doesn't want Russia to overtake Ukraine, and when Russia agreed to stop progressing into that land, America felt relief. Now America is on edge because Russia has troops stationed along the border of Ukraine which makes you wonder, will they keep their promises to not invade Ukraine? I guess we will have to wait to find out what conclusions were drawn from the meeting with the country's representatives. 

Us 

2. Almasy, Steve, and KJ Kwon. CNN.com. CNN, 30 03 2014. Web. 30 Mar 2014. <http://www.cnn.com/2014/03/30/world/asia/malaysia-airlines-plane/>.

I know that I have mentioned flight 370 multiple times in my posts, but it is such a relevant topic in our world today. I had mentioned before how hope was lacking in the search for flight 370 and that we may never actually find the missing plane. It turns out that we may be super close! New discoveries have shown some debris in the Indian Ocean that look very much like those of the plane's. If those debris are in fact from the flight, I am not so sure that there will be survivors. The families of the passengers are feeling more hopeful than ever but are at disagreements with government officials. They feel like they don't know the whole story and that the Malaysian government is hiding something from them. In this situation, of course you would want to know the truth and what the current status of your loved one's is. Unfortunately, this disappearance is a such a mystery that even the government officials don't have the answers. Hopefully the families of the passengers achieve the closure they are seeking.


3. Zakaria, Fareed. CNN.com. CNN, 17 02 2014. Web. 30 Mar 2014. <http://globalpublicsquare.blogs.cnn.com/2014/02/17/chinas-bold-environmental-move/>.

For many years now, China has been the factory capital of the world, while being the most polluting in the world. Beijing has finally decided to do something about this terrible threat to their environment. Did you know that there has been over 1 million premature deaths due to China's pollution? That's mind-boggling. The gross national income of China also dropped by nine percent also because of the insane pollution. Finally taking measures to eliminate pollution and better the quality of life, Beijing has ordered over 15,000 companies to release details about their emissions to the public. The government of Beijing also demands companies to release information about their wastes to the public. This is a huge step for Beijing, and hopefully it will set an example of what clean air is to other countries with poor environments, like India. 

Ove

What I am reading now-- week 3

1.
Fisher-Hoch, Susan. CNN.com. CNN, 24 03 2014. Web. 24 Mar 2014. <http://www.cnn.com/2014/03/24/health/tb-diabetes/index.html?hpt=he_c2>.
This article touches on the crippling diseases that are taking the world by storm. There have been new discoveries made for the Tuberculosis and it turns out that is stems from the common sickness: Diabetes. People who have diabetes are more susceptible to TB and it is harder to cure for them. In some cases, the body would reject the TB medicine and over time, it would produce drug-resistant TB. Patients who reject the medication have to go through an intensive treatment to rid their bodies of the infection and often times, they will relapse in the long length of time, or even die. I thought this was a world-wide important topic because 362 million people in the world live with diabetes and therefore are apt to get TB, which threatens the lives of most civilians. This is a serious situation.

2.
Pearson, Michael, and Mitra Mobasherat. CNN.com. CNN, 24 03 2014. Web. 24 Mar 2014. <http://www.cnn.com/2014/03/24/world/asia/malaysia-airlines-plane/index.html?hpt=wo_c2>
This ongoing fiasco with the missing flight 370 has been concluded, yet still has us asking so many questions. The families of those on board have been told that their loved ones are gone and that there is no chance in finding them. This is a very heartbreaking story and all though we hoped for good news, assurance of a ending to this tragedy provides the public with some closure. For the families of the passengers, this news that the flight crashed in the Southern Indian Ocean is terrifying, because they do not have the evidence to give them proof that their loved ones are for sure, gone. Hopefully the officials will find debris and other objects in the ocean to prove their theory.

3. Basu, Moni. CNN.com. CNN, 24 03 2014. Web. 24 Mar 2014. <http://edition.cnn.com/2014/03/22/health/india-end-of-polio/index.html?hpt=ias_c2>.
India has defeated the odds and has rid themselves of polio for good. People said India would be the last Country to get rid of Polio, yet they were wrong. The world could not be polio free without it's second largest nation being polio free and thankfully India has progressed. Through immunization and hygienic practices, India has sealed their reputation. India struggled getting enough people in the healthcare force to help deliver vaccines to children, and they finally pulled through. This is a tremendous effort on the country's part and it deserves to be celebrated, now we are one step closer to the entire world being rid of polio. 

What I Am Reading Now-- Week #2

1.
Starr, Barbara, Jim Sciutto, and Catherine Shoichet.CNN.com. CNN, 13 03 2014. Web. 13 Mar 2014. <http://www.cnn.com/2014/03/13/world/asia/malaysia-airlines-plane/index.html?hpt=wo_c2>.

Malaysia Flight 370 has been missing for a couple of weeks now and tons of new information has surfaced. Although many people have been saying that the plane had some manual difficulties, it is apparent now that there is more to the story. The two people on the plane with stolen passports hinted at foul play being involved in this mysterious disappearance, and foul play seems very possible in this situation. New evidence has surfaced showing that the Malaysia flight 370 signaled some pings after it supposedly"vanished" from the radar. Authorities have traced the satellite pings to the Indian Ocean and they believe the plane may have crashed in that vast body of water. The fact that the public and the family members of those on this plane don't know exactly the whereabouts of their loved ones, makes this a chilling investigation.


2. 
Krever, Mick. CNN.com. CNN, 12 03 2014. Web. 13 Mar 2014. <http://amanpour.blogs.cnn.com/2014/03/12/millions-of-children-affected-by-syria-war-a-strategic-issue-says-unicef-director-and-former-u-s-national-security-adviser/?iref=allsearch>.

The Syrian war has been going on for 3 years now and the effects on the nation's children are astounding. This is a global issue because children are the World's future, and when they are brought up in such violent situations, there is no guarantee that history won't repeat itself. Everyday in Syria,millions of children are starving and are in constant danger. If these children don't survive this brutal war, who else will be able repair the broken nation that stands before them? The situation has gotten so out of hand that the citizens of Syria don't know who else to turn to, and are praying for a miracle.  


3. 
Navarrette, Ruben. CNN.com. CNN, 13 03 2014. Web. 13 Mar 2014. <http://www.cnn.com/2014/03/13/opinion/navarrette-deportees/index.html?hpt=op_t1>.

As I mentioned in the first paragraph, Malaysia flight 370's whereabouts are still unknown and the plot seems to thicken everyday. This article I found goes into a deeper situation of airport security. How did the airport let two people with stolen passports board the plane? Maybe international travel security needs to be changed, maybe they should look at United States airports as an example for security. Not only can American Airports detect a faulty passport in a matter of seconds, but they can also check up on the foreigners entering the countries. I think that this whole situation with flight 370 could have been avoided with better security measures taken. I hope that international security tightens up.

The World Today- What Am I Reading About Now? 3/6/14

Ghitis, Frida. CNN.com. N.p., 06 03 2014. Web. 6 Mar 2014. <http://www.cnn.com/2014/03/06/opinion/ghitis-new-cold-war/index.html?hpt=op_t1>.

This article is an opinion article so I had a lot to think about it after I read it. The author says that we are entering a new Cold War because Vladmir Putin is repeating History. Putin has ended hopes that Moscow and the West would smooth relations and work hand-in-hand toward common objectives. To survive the new Cold War, the author gives us 5 lessons that we have learned from history to help influence the future. She says that America and Europe are most influential, Putin can't be messed with, you should be wary when you give up nuclear weaponry, you shouldn't expect support from all countries, and that violence may not be most helpful with resolving conflicts.