What Facing History Meant for Me

I came into this course not even expecting anything out of the ordinary. I figured that Facing History would be like any other history course about the past and wars that took place and the times when our country fell and stood back up again. When the first day came around I recall whispering while someone was talking during class, and Mr. Gallagher went full out in a lecture about whether or not we thought as a class, if the person who is currently speaking was unworthy enough to listen to or whether we thought he/she was stupid. Never again did i speak while another member of my class was speaking.

I've learned that everyone’s opinion matters, whether it helps to make your own opinion stronger or to create a new opinion of your own, however behind every opinion needs to be scientific evidence. No person has the right to state something based off of there own facts and opinion. The Jews were brainwashed as they placed their trust into the Nazi's opinions and "facts". Not speaking up for your own opinion is being a bystander. The Jews were bystanders as they all just stood there and watched their people die. I don't think I could've learned the fact that opinions are crucial and are very important in any other way than I did through this course.

We should never be bystanders, when we see something we find wrong then we should fight against it and stand up for those who are getting hurt. Everyday in our present society we see harassment and bullying taking place especially in school. It's getting tougher in our society to pin point each person who is bullying because we all put on a different mask/identity in which we allow people to see. This course isn't about changing your thought process and telling the whole world about the great achievement you accomplished by not being so biased. No, instead this course is about changing who you are personally and individually. We care so much now days about how others think about us and we never take the obligation to change for our own good.

Being a senior I feel upset to take this year only now, however after discussing with my friends about the disappointment in taking the course within our last year we agreed that with this course comes along maturity. We believe that when you’re a freshman learning about opinions and the Nazis may be too young of age to handle the truth. With this course comes maturity and when you leave this course you leave with a higher level of maturity than what you started off with. Being a part of this course opens your eyes to the world by so many means. Everyday I experience some sort of bullying being taken place, and now it comes down to asking myself as to what is bullying, and where is the line drawn between joking around with friends and bullying someone?

The term bystander really stood out for me I really could connect to the Jews through this manner as I would be a bystander by not speaking up for those who were being bullied around me, instead I’d bottle up my opinions and just carry on through my day. I’m starting to realize that I’ve been fed up with just being a bystander and watching innocent people get hurt around me. It’s time for me to take action and this course has been the first step towards that. I remember I went to Anne Frank’s house and I got sad and angry over the Holocaust and the evil doings of the Nazis. After I returned back home however, I never thought about Anne Frank’s house again, instead I continued on with life with the same mentality and perspective of my life and the world. Now after this course I look back and I see Anne Frank’s house much more than just a tragic story of a innocent girl being murdered with her family, instead I see her as an example, a piece of evidence, as the consequences of the actions of victims, and the results of no action from the bystanders. Anne Frank reminds me that we must not be bystanders!

At first it sounded ridiculous towards me in taking action for what we believe rather than being a bystander, I tried picturing myself fighting for my rights as a place of a Jew, and mentally I just couldn’t picture myself doing anything. That truly was a reality check and it was crazy how I thought of myself as a strong human being just the other day and now thought of me as weak and not strong at all. One film which really touched me was “The Children’s March” that was the strength in which I longed for. Having the courage to march in front of all the thousand, better yet millions of people who hated me and found me unworthy to even live were amazing to watch being done by the African American children. It hit me that the children’s march was an example of not being bystanders unlike the Jews, and look at the result. The African Americans fought there whole way by themselves till the end for their rights, the Jews however did not fight back and the only way they were freed was by the soldiers help.

Another film was “The Freedom Writers”, besides the movie being one of my personal favorites I realized a lot more the second time while watching it in Facing History. The movie showed the strength in an individual and the power they have when they write down their thoughts and speak out. Also the movie showed the importance of an individual despite their race or what gang they belonged in. “The Pianist” was another one of my favorite movies which we’ve watched in class. This movie along with “Saving Private Ryan” helped me realize and face the true horrors of the Holocaust and what the Jews went through. It broke my heart to see such sights.

This course is undoubtly life changing. I reccomend it to anyone and everyone. I hope that this class will continue through out Westborough High School, but i also hope that this course may start taking place in many other towns. This course should definitly be open to people all over the world. It makes you think of who you are as a person and it makes you evolve into a stronger and wiser person than what you started off with.