Brian Goodliffe's Blog

As I signed up for my senior year classes I noticed Facing History and Ourselves as one of the elective choices. I have always been intrigued by history courses so I considered signing up. To be safe I surveyed some of my friends who had taken the class the semester before and got a narrow range of feedback. My responses ranged from “amazing” to “life changing”. I laughed at the thought of a class being life changing but figured it was worth a shot. I entered the class with an open mind and from day one we were asked to think outside of the box. Not only to reflect on the actions of the individual but also about the actions of a population as a whole. We familiarized ourselves with the differences between bystanders and those who take action. In order to truly convey the point a number of presentations were used. I was captured by movies, documentaries, slide shows, photographs, and packets. The majority of the sources were from first hand accounts of events that occurred. I better understood Hitler’s rise to power and the groundwork he set in order for the atrocities to occur. Before I could understand how the Holocaust could take place, I learned about the horrific events that surrounded the civil rights movement. I developed a newfound respect for different sects of people and began to question the world around me. One day a group of my classmates and me decided to be “doers” and make a change concerning a system we disagreed with. That was the day that I realized just how life changing this class was.

As I look back now at my incredible year in Facing History and Ourselves, I am very thankful that I have been able to see things that most Americans will never have the privilege of seeing. I have enjoyed the movies, documentaries, experimental videos, slideshows, books, and packets about the recent history of mankind. We have covered topics from societal identity to the civil rights movement to the holocaust. Although there were a wide variety of ideas covered, the underlying message was the same. The presentations that stuck out to me the most were Jim Crow, Little Rock High School, Freedom Writers, A Class Divided, and Uprising. Each of these showings were staged during a different time period in American History. They depicted persecution, bravery, sacrifice, and courage. There was signs of hope and signs of despair. All emotions were entangled into these viewings and we always left the room questioning all around us. I hope that one day all Westborough High School students can watch the productions that I have seen this year. Until then I am thankful that I was one of the lucky few.
One of the first lessons we focused on was the persecution facing African Americans in the past and in current times. We watched films like Jim Crow and Little Rock High School. Also we watched a movie called Freedom Writers. Before we began to blame other countries across the world about the unbelievable prejudices they had, we had to accept some responsibility for the terrible things that occurred within our own countries borders. In the films mentioned, there were clips depicting some of the things that the white community did to prevent the desegregation. There was violence and an unbelievable amount of hatred running through the community when nine African Americans tried to receive an education. Although I had nothing to do with the events, I felt a strong sense of guilt for being a white person. I was angered that so many sat around and did nothing. I believe this segment of the class was vital to the success of the class. It taught me that before I can point fingers and question others, I must do some serious self-analysis. In this case, many of my ancestors probably shared hatred with the mobs surrounding those schools in Little Rock. Freedom Writers depicted a less noticeable persecution occurring around the country today. I began to question any prejudices I had and reevaluate my opinions.

I think the next part of the class provided a smooth transition into the final lesson. During this time we watched three amazing documentaries. The one that stuck out the most to me was A Class Divided. In this documentary it shows an experiment in which a teacher divides the elementary class into those with blue eyes and those with brown eyes. On the first day she tells one group of children they are superior and the next day she tells the other group that they are in fact superior. During that time the inferior wore visible bands, are not allowed to talk to the superior group and are verbally degraded by the teacher. At first it was amusing how seriously the class took the activity. It was almost so successful that I thought it was staged. I suddenly realized that this is the method Hitler used to convert Germans into hating the Jews. It showed the foolishness in both the persecution of the African Americans as well as the Jews. It demonstrated the dangers of finding a scapegoat for problems as well as the importance of not remaining a bystander. By the end of these documentaries I had a better understanding of how Hitler was able to brainwash an entire population.

The final section of this class was focused on Hitler’s rise to power, the Jewish Resistance, and the Holocaust. We watched many memorable films and documentaries based on true events. We were also shown breathtaking photographs that will remain with me for the rest of my life. One film made me sick to my stomach. It was incredibly difficult to witness the cruelties done to the prisoners of the concentration camps but I am glad that I am part of the 2% of Americans that will likely view that film. I thought I had known about the Holocaust but I was very wrong. I had no true grasp of how truly horrific it was. To this day I do not fully understand the scope of the situation and I doubt that I ever will. The film that stuck with me the most in this entire class was Uprising. I have been told for years about the terrible things done to Jews and not once has a class taught me about the resistance until this one. The film showed the gradual progression of segregating and degrading the Jews of the Warsaw District. Eventually, some Jews refused to be bystanders and took a stand. They armed themselves with weapons and took incredible risks to fight for what they believe in. It showed how prideful the Jewish people are and the bravery. We watched many other acts of bravery in this class that I had never before seen. It is a shame that many will go on in life without seeing some of the things that I have.

As I reflect on the semester it is with only positive memories. I grew as a student but also as a person. The way I carried myself and the way I spoke to others has been changed forever. When a few of my friends in this class and me felt that we were being treated unfairly by administration we took a stand and righted a wrong. I hope that I would have done that without this class but I am not sure that I would have. I hope that one day every student can take this class but until then I am more than thankful that it caught my eye when I selected my senior courses.

Brian Goodliffe's Blog

Thursday, January 13, 2011

Introduction

Essay

Works Cited