Holocaust AOW Impressions Blog

One impression that I had was that there are things about the Holocaust that people don't think about. When you think of the Holocaust victims you probably think about Western European Jews. Many of these people were killed, but there was another demographic that was victimized. According to Kezia's article, mentally ill and physically disabled people were rounded up and killed. They were first gassed, but then neighbors complained so they starved them to death. People forget that these people were also part of the enormous massacre. Another thing that people don't know is that the Soviet Union and the Nazi's starved innocent towns, according to Dylan's article. These powers would cut off all of the food supplies going into the towns. This was the way that they controlled them. The cause of this was that one in five people died in the Ukraine. These are facts that are overlooked because people aren't fully educated. 

Another impression that I had was that Holocaust related events are happening today. Some people compare Syrian refugees to Jewish refugees. Jackson's article says that many Jewish refugees weren't allowed into the country because they were thought they were spies. Americans didn't want to be in fear of people watching them, so many were turned away. Today, Syrians are turned away because they are thought that they are terrorists. Again, Americans are afraid of refugees. It seems that history is repeating itself over again. Another event that is related to the Holocaust that is happening today is that siblings have been reunited. Hazelle's article talks about how a brother and a sister have been reunited after sixty-six years. These siblings were separated when the sister had to go away to a working camp when they were young. Very recently they saw each other with the help of the Red Cross. The Red Cross has helped over 500 families with the same impact. 

 

Character Traits Nicks Story

There was around three traits in the video that I though of while I watched the video about Nick. One trait that Nick possesses is courage. He can go around without being embarrassed of his disability. Many other people wouldn't want to go out in public in his condition. Another trait that I thought of is  perseverance. There was probably many times in his life that he didn't want to go on and he wanted to quit. However, he persevered and now he is extremely happy about his situation. The third trait that I thought of was uniqueness. The disability that he has is extremely rare. This means that he is unique, this could have been good or bad for him. He made it the best of what he has and he isn't mad at life. So, he made it for the good.

I can relate to this because of when I persevered through swimming. A couple of years ago I couldn't go in the water without holding my nose. I would be scared if I let my hand off of my nose because water would go up there. This past summer, I had learned how to to do it without holding my nose. It took me a long time and water would keep going up my nose but now it is barely a problem. This relates to Nicks story because I didn't give up and he didn't give up either.

Berlin Memorial Activity Blog

        During this activity I learned a few things about how Hitler and the Nazi's enforced their laws. One of these things was that at the very beginning of the Nazi rule, the laws were mild. They didn't go full out cruel on these people yet. Very gradually, they turned the Jews into objects. Another thing I learned was that Hitler and the Nazi's destroyed the Jews psyche. By enforcing all these laws and restrictions, they made the Jews outcasts. They didn't have the same rights as the Aryans so they felt different. An example of this was that they couldn't go to the same schools. This made this kids think that they weren't good enough which lowered their morale. The point of the Nazi's doing this was to make the Jews weak so they wouldn't fight back.

         I think this monument was built because Germmay wanted to honor those who passed. Perhaps they felt like they owed it to them to memorialize them. They probably felt horrible that they sheltered the murder of millions of people. By putting up the monuments, Germany might have been saying sorry. The dead can't be brought back so they educated people so this wouldn't happen again. The monuments showed people what could happen if history repeats itself.

         Over the years of the Nazi reign I noticed that the laws were not passed all at once. The first year they passed many laws to show who had power. All of these laws acted as a new playground bully saying that they were in charge and no one could disobey them. Also, many new leaders have many different rules once they come into office so it wasn't that unusual. Then the next year they didn't pass as many laws to maybe not scare anyone off. The Nazi's didn't want there to be a huge outbreak with other countries so it was milder. As they had more power they made more laws that they could easily enforce. This resulted in the harsher laws that applied to many people.
       
        One restriction I would have the most trouble dealing with was not being able to graduate. This would really get me distressed because I could have been going to school for many year to be a doctor, for example. To be a doctor you have to attend school for more then 4 years. All of that hard work and money would go to waste. I would have to start another profession that I wouldn't be as passionate about. Another restriction that I would have a lot of trouble dealing with would be the inability to testify in court against an Aryan. This would be problematic because an Aryan would most likely do something violently towards me or my family. I would want justice and compensation for whatever they did. The German or Germans would get away with putting me in danger and I couldn't do anything about it. This would really make me distressed.

Quarter 2 Reflection

*What is something you have accomplished since the new year that you are proud of?

        Something that I have accomplished since the new year is that I have not had any missing assignments. I am very proud of this because I have not had to go to working lunch at all. To achieve this, every day I make sure that I have everything done for each class. I make a mental list of all my classes and all the assignments that come with them. It has really helped me throughout the year. For ELA I always check Edmodo, this comes in handy when I can't remember what Mrs. Larson had said. This makes me very happy that I have accomplished this and I hope that it will continue.

*In what area do you think you made your biggest improvements in English Language Arts?

        The area that I think that I made the biggest improvement in English Language Arts is analyzing a text or quote. Before this year, I would only explain the quote and what it means. Now I dig deeper into the meaning so I can really pull apart the text or quote. I explain how it effects people in life and how it effected people in the text. By doing this it could possibly show another side to it that your wouldn't have seen before. I can see this based on my performance of analyzation last year. 

*What has been the most challenging part of 2nd Quarter for you and what did/can you do to help overcome this?

        The most challenging part of the 2nd Quarter is keeping up with my 20 Book Challenge. I have had so much to do after school that reading for entertainment wasn't one of my priorities. The books that I have picked out were interesting, they just didn't come before homework or after school activities. One thing I can do to overcome this is to read in the mornings. I could wake up earlier so there could be maybe 10 or 15 minutes of just reading. Doing this can wake my mind up so I can be alert in the morning. 

Juxtapose To Kill A Mockingbird blog

1.  What do you think is the most important difference between the written and filmed version? Provide evidence with specific details.

         I think that the most important difference between the written and filmed version was that the perspective of the movie was different from the book. In the book, the whole story is shown through the eyes of Scout. However, in the movie it is shown through the eyes of multiple people. In the movie some of the perspectives are Atticus and Jem. In some scenes Scout wasn't present, so she wouldn't have been able to know what was going on. An example of this is how when Jem and Scout were waiting in Atticus' car, while he was in the Robinson's house. Scout was fast asleep so she wasn't able to see that Mr. Ewell came to their car and spit in Atticus' face. 

          I feel like this is an important difference because it makes the tone of the movie different from the book. When it is told through a childs perspective the mood is more mild and light. When it is told through and adult, however, it can be harsher and darker. And example of this in the movie, is when Judge Taylor talks to Atticus about the Robinson trial. He explains to him that he wants Atticus to take on the case. The makes the movie feel more serious. We didn't get this scene in the book because Scout wasn't a part of it. She was around playing and messing with Boo Radley. At that point in the book we didn't feel that sense of reality. It was all just children's games.

3. What is the purpose in having different versions of a story? Think about how different versions contribute to the overall understanding and interpretation of that piece of work. Use specific concepts to support your opinion.

          There are a few purposes in having different versions of a story. One of these purposes is giving the viewers a better understanding of the scene. For example in the book, To Kill A Mockingbird, you had to make inferences and guesses based on the textual evidence to understand what the people looked like and the setting. In the movie, it gives you exactly what they looked like and their surroundings. Another example for a purpose is that you might be able to understand the occurrences of a story more. In the book, when the attack of Jem and Scout occurred, I was very confused. I did not understand what exactly was happening and it didn't make sense to me. However, in the movie I was able to see what was happening and I wasn't as confused. 

Found Poem Blog

What Is Best For The Family

Aunt Alexandra was of the opinion
Declaring what is Best For The Family
Teaching me how to be a lady
Try to behave

She fitted into the world of Maycomb
Secretary of the Maycomb Amanuensis
Scratch most folks in Maycomb

The last of her kind

They recieved a Crawford instead of a Finch
She was cold and there
Said wasn't supposed to do anything
That required pants

We are not run of the mill people
One had to behave like a sunbeam
I'm wouldn't be so sure of that
She must have put him up to this

Aunt Alexandra was of the opinion

Declaring what is Best For The Family

The last of her kind

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Melissa's Blog
Sophie's Blog
Lorin's Blog

Character Relationships Blog

Atticus and Aunt Alexandra

          Atticus and Aunt Alexandra from To Kill A Mockingbird, are similar in one way. They way they are similar is that they are both from the same pure bred family. The book states in chapter 13, "'Your aunt has asked me to try and impress upon you and Jean Louise that you are not run of the mill people, that you are the product of several generations' gentle breeding...'" This quote shows that Atticus and Aunt Alexandra are very important. Their family of one of the highest in the town.

         They are also different in many ways. One of these ways was that they acted differently. In chapter 9 it states, "...I decided that she was swapped at birth, that my grandparents had perhaps received a Crawford instead of a Finch." This explains that Aunt Alexandra is not kind like Atticus is. She seems like she is from another family. Another reason they are different is that Aunt Alexandra thinks that the kids should grow up now and Atticus doesn't think that. The book states in chapter 13,"' She asked me to tell you you must try to behave like the little lady and gentleman you are.'" This quote explains that Aunt Alexandra was telling Atticus what to say to the kids. Later in the same chapter it also states, "'I don't want you to remember it. Forget it."' This quote shows that Atticus didn't really want to say these things to the kids because he didn't want them to grow up already.

        Atticus' relationship with Scout is that he is her father. He is also her friend. She confides in him and asks him many questions. He answers her in an adult way, not like she is a child. The quote states, "'What's rape?' I asked him that night... He sighed, and said rape was carnal knowledge of a female by force and without consent." This shows that Atticus gives her the real answer and doesn't try to sugar coat it. Scouts relationship with Aunt Alexandra is that she is Scouts "femine influence". This means that Aunt Alexandra is supposed to make Scout more like a lady and show her the ways of womanhood.

         These two people affect Scout in a few different ways. Atticus influences her by showing her how to be a good human being. In chapter 9 it states, “‘This time we aren't fighting the Yankees, we’re fighting our friends. But remember this, no matter how bitter things get, they're still our friends and this is still our home.”’  Atticus is trying to tell Scout to not fight her peers. Aunt Alexandra influences Scout because she in some way, tells her that her father is a 'nigger lover'. This influences her to think that her father isn't as amazing as she once thought he was. In the book in chapter 9 it states, "At a safe distance he called, 'He's nothing but a nigger-lover!' 'He is not!' I roared." This quote shows that Francis was calling Atticus a 'nigger-lover'. Francis learned it from Aunt Alexandra. Even though Aunt Alexandra didn't really positively influence Scout like Atticus did, she did influence her.