Values and Choices

Think about a time you witnessed bullying/ostracism/peer pressure/exclusion/discrimination/violence. How did you respond? How do you wish you had responded? What stopped you from responding that way?

Exclusion is a common thing in most schools. There are severe cases of exclusion and minor cases. Sometimes exclusion is unintentional. A time I noticed exclusion was when a group of my friends and I all sat down at a table in the canteen. A girl had followed us and sat down next to us. We ignored her the whole time. We didn't try to include her in the conversation. We hadn't ment to ignore her or exclude her, it was just an accident. We had been so caught up in our own conversation we hadn't been bothered to make notice of her. I wish I had of talked to her or tried to include her in our conversation. I think I didn't do this as I was worried my friends may of criticized me later for ruining the conversation by including her.

An incident where I was bullied was in fourth grade. A group of three girls made their mission in life to bully me. They would constantly make comments about me, talk about me behind my back and tell lies and secrets. They would leave me out of everything and make sure everyone else left me alone. Luckily I had my own group of friends who didn't believe this but others we intimidated by the main leader of the group. They didn't want to go against her for their own want for popularity and acceptance. They ended up stopping and becoming my friends. What I didn't know was that they had an ulterior motive. A year later, they started again, way worse than the year before. They used our "friendship" as a way to bully me and so that I would not suspect them. I was the victim in this case and I responded by trying to do the same thing back. I eventually stopped retaliating  to them as I knew I was the bigger person.

1.Where have we seen examples of bullying/ostracism/exclusion occurring in texts studied so far this year- factual as well as fictional?

An example of exclusion in the Hunger Games is when Katniss feels excluded when Haymich announces that Peeta and her will no longer train together. She feels as if they are not telling her anything and excluding her from information. When Peeta declares his love for Katniss feels betrayed and excluded as they never warned her or told her about their plan.

The In-Group

Eve S: The In Group


1.What’s familiar about the incident Eve describes?2.What surprised you? 
The act of bullying is familiar to me as it occurs sometimes during school. It surprised me that after being bullied herself she laughed at another girl being bullied. If I had been in her position I would probably not of said anything and remained silent.

3. How does Eve’s story relate to bullying? Was she bullied? Did she bully? How would you explain her behavior?( perpetrator/bystander/victim?). make sure you justify( back up your answer.
Eve's story demonstrates the common act of several groups being formed within the school and the groups picking on one another. Eve was both bullied and had demonstrated acts of bully encouragement. She was a victim towards the start of her story. She had been picked on by her peers quite alot. Eventually they left her alone, yet she was still cautious around them. She then became a bystander and laughed along with a group of bullies teasing a girl. Eve may of done this as she may of been scared that if she stayed quiet or stood uo for her, she would be bullied again.

Psychologists Michael Thompson and Lawrence Cohen point to the powerful influence of peer groups in guiding our behavior: ‘We all know that groups can go terribly astray in terms of their moral reasoning. Everyone not in the group can be considered an outsider, a legitimate target…It affects every group because we are all prone to that feeling of us versus them and the idea that if you’re not with us you’re against us. Speaking out against a risky, immoral or illegal decision is hard to do because that makes you an outsider yourself’.

4.How did Eve’s need to belong affect the way she responded when another girl was being mocked? Why does her response still trouble her? How do you like to think you would have responded to the incident?
Eve let her want to feel included take over her own moral values. She had gone to school for a long time feeling mistreated and excluded. She feels bad about what she did as she knows how the girl must of felt from her own experience. She still regrets her actions and wishes she could of done something else. I would like to think that I would not react to what they were doing and remain neutral to the whole incident. After the incident, I would go up to the girl that was bullied and offer my support.

5. Eve concludes “Often being accepted by others is more satisfying than being accepted by oneself, even though the satisfaction does not last.’ What does she mean?

She means that people try so hard to impress others that they forget whats right. This impression may not last long but it gives the person who made the impression feel a part of a group and included. Being accepted by oneself is referring to you being a decent person and being proud of your choices. People tend to forget about what is moral when it comes to wanted to feel included and accepted.

The Mysterious Major

In class today we read a short story called "The Mysterious Major". The story is about a holocaust up- stander named Schmahling. Schmahling was the Nazi occupation governor of the Haute-Loire district (including Le Chambon). Schmahling helped hide Jewish people and gave calls to various districts before the Nazi raids. This was done to alert all the people in danger of being taken away and give them time to hide. Schmahling had a few experiences that led to his choice in helping the Jews and not joining in with the discrimination.

When Schmahling was a teacher, he had an experience with one of his students. He was teaching a class on Lions when one of the boys in his class stood up and said "Yesterday, yes, yesterday I saw a rabbit. Yesterday I really saw a rabbit.", Schmahling looked at the student, angry for interrupting the class, and said "Sit down, you little jackass". Schmahling's actions caused him to crush something inside of himself. I think that Schmahling meant that he crushed his kindness, respectfulness and his good nature. By Schmahling saying this he also crushed the boys freedom of thought and speech. He destroyed this young child's self confidence. The boy may of believed that what he had to say was not worthwhile and not important. This was similar in what the Nazi's were doing to the people they ruled/controlled. The Nazi's made people that they found "not good enough" feel like their opinions and ideas were not worth hearing and that what they had to say was not important.

Victory by Sonia Weitz

Victory is a poem, written by holocaust surviver Sonia Weitz. The poem is about finding a glimmer of hope in such a dark and dreadful place. Sonia sneaks into her fathers barracks to see him, and he asks her to dance with him. This is their first and last dance together. Sonia says her dance with her father made it seem as if "The ugly barracks disappeared. There was no hunger.....and no fear."

The part of the poem that really stood out for me was the last line/quote, " There are no tools to measure love and only fools would fail to scale your victory." I think this quote really outlines love and the poem. Even though the conditions were terrible, their love for each other overcame it. This line aslo explains why the poem was named "Victory". It was their victory in a sense that they overcame the odds and reunited with each other for one, last dance. The love they had for each other and the special moment they shared while dancing was not going to be spoiled by the impending demise they would suffer.

A connection I have about this poem was one I had with my grandfather. I was around seven and my grandfather in Melbourne, Australia was in hospital very ill. He had severe diabetes and was having two of his toes amputated. He was in a great deal of pain and I was worried about whether he would cope with his balance and walking again. I was also scared that his life would shortened through suffering diabetes. I visited him daily in hospital and played crazy 8s, a card game which he enjoyed playing. I felt the hour or so we played each day, helped him to forget his pain and the condition he was in. I also felt that I was sharing a special time with my grandfather as I was not sure whether he would return to 100% health after the operation. For that one hour we played, it was like he wasn't ill as we laughed and chatted together. I also was worried that I may not see my grandfather again as he was quite old and I live here in KL.

As it turned out, he had to walk with a cane after the surgery and I did see him one more time when he and my grandma stopped to visit me in KL. I will always remember my grandfather laughing and playing Crazy 8s in the hospital with me. I think this is similar to the dancing dancing scene in the poem where a special and unforgettable moment can be created even though the situation seemed doomed and hopeless.

VICTORY BY SONIA WEITZ:

I DANCED WITH YOU THAT ONE TIME ONLY.

HOW SAD YOU WERE, HOW TIRED, LONELY…

YOU KNEW THAT THEY WOULD “TAKE” YOU SOON…

SO WHEN YOUR BUNK-MATE PLAYED A TUNE

YOU WHISPERED: “LITTLE ONE, LET US DANCE,

WE MAY NOT HAVE ANOTHER CHANCE.”

TO GRASP THIS MOMENT… SENSE THE MOOD;

YOUR ARMS AROUND ME FELT SO GOOD…

THE UGLY BARRACKS DISAPPEARED –

THERE WAS NO HUNGER… AND NO FEAR.

O WHAT A SIGHT, JUST YOU AND I,

MY LOVELY FATHER (ONCE BIG AND STRONG)

AND ME, A CHILD…. CONDEMNED TO DIE.

I THOUGHT: HOW LONG

BEFORE THE SONG

MUST END

THERE ARE NO TOOLS

TO MEASURE LOVE

AND ONLY FOOLS

WOULD FAIL

TO SCALE

YOUR VICTORY……..

Germany 1918-1933 Germany 1918-1933

Hitler and the Nazi's took advantage of several issues and events in Germany. He opportunistically exploited situations that were of great importance to the people of Germany. Germany still owed reparations to other nations due to WW1'S Treaty of Versailles, upsetting many German citizens. They were upset by the treaty , as it caused loss of land, jobs and money. Unemployment benefits were scarce and not enough to live on. The loss of money caused major economic crises in Germany. The Weimar Republic was in power when hyperinflation hit Germany. People thought that the Weimar Republic was to blame for hyperinflation, as they believed in maintaining and following through with the Treaty of Versailles. The Nazi's saw this as an opportunity for them, as people did not have faith that the Weimar Republic was helping Germany in a positive way. People thought that maybe a change in Government may help Germany. The Nazi's promises and propaganda led German citizens to believe that if the Nazi's were voted into power that things would change and Germany would be a better place. Hitler focused on the majority of German citizens, which were working class and unemployed. Farmers, miners, blacksmiths and factory workers were all promised better living conditions, including food and money, for them and their families. Unemployment benefits were touted to include more money and food. The combination of promises and propaganda led to an increase in Nazi party votes, putting them in close popularity to the Communist party in the year 1932 with 37% of the vote. As the Nazi's still had not won the majority, they desperately tried to find anyway possible to put the communists in a bad light. The Nazis published smear campaigns and provoked the Communists in every way possible. They blamed the Communists for bad events or choices. A prime example was the Reichstag Fire. The Nazi's led people to believe that the Communists were to blame and it was their wrong doing.

All the Nazi's work and propaganda paid off. Hitler was appointed Chancellor in 1933 and from there Hitler's popularity increased, therefore gaining Nazi votes. Following Paul von Hindenburg's death, Hitler became his successor as the of Head of State and the Head of Government. With his new position of power Hitler started changing Germany into his ideal vision which imposed anti-semitism on Germany. This delusion of righteousness led to the start of World War Two.

The Nuremberg Race Laws

Here are some answers to several questions regarding The Nuremberg Race Laws:

1. Who could now be defined a Jew.

For a person to be defined a Jew, they did not have to practice the religion themselves. If a person had had three or four Jewish grandparents or if the rest of their closer family were Jewish. People who had previously practiced Judaism and had not for a long time were also considered a Jew, even people who had had family members who had converted from Judaism to Christianity were also considered Jewish.

2. What was meant by "Aryanizing" Jewish Businesses?

German Businesses were avoided and given unfair treatment by the Nazis. Workers and Managers were left without jobs, and in most cases the buisness was taken over by the Nazis and sold to other non- Jewish Germans for a fixed, Nazi price.

3. How were Jews who were professionals (lawyers, doctors etc.) restricted?

All Jewish Doctors were not allowed to assist, medicate and practice on non-Jewish citizens. Jewish Lawyers were not allowed to operate law practices or practice law.

4. What did Jewish identity cards need to include now?

All Jewish Identity cards had to have a large red J stamped on them. Also all Jewish people were to have a new middle name. For males it was Israel and for females it was Sara. These changes were to help Nazi identify Jews more easily.

5. What was the "Law for the Protection of the Hereditary Health of the German People" (sum up in your own words)?

The "Law for the Protection of the Hereditary Health of the German People" required all marriages to be approved and certified as legal. A certificate of "Fitness to Marry" was handed to the couples when their marriage was approved. No person with contagious illnesses or "Hereditary Diseases" as they were worried that it would affect their offspring or affect each other and ruin the non-Jewish German Citizens. They wanted all non-Jewish Germans to be healthy and proper.

Civil Rights During The Holocaust

Civil rights are rights that help people maintain privacy, give freedom of speech and allow people to have and express an opinion. Civil rights are put in place to protect people from discrimination and pressure. Civil rights are meant to help give a person privacy/protection from others and the government. Below, is what I see as some of the major civil rights of humans that were broken during the Holocaust. These articles come from the “United Declaration of Human Rights”.

· Article 1

All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.

· Article 2

Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status.

· Article 3

Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person.

· Article 4

No one shall be held in slavery or servitude; slavery and the slave trade shall be prohibited in all their forms.

· Article 5

No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.

· Article 18

Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance.

· Article 9

No one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest, detention or exile.

I think that some people may of seen Hitler’s push to remove civil rights in a positive way. They were lead to believe that the non-Germans were stopping them from rising as a country. The rights of Germans were improved and the others were punished and had all their rights taken from them. It didn’t affect the majority of the Germans, so it was good in their point of view. Some people may have seen it as necessary to remove certain civil rights in order to remove Germany’s current government and change the way the country was run. Some may of seen it as a positive change in the country.

"Treaty of Versallies"- Fairly Unfair

I believe that the "Treaty of Versallies" was an unfair agreement, as it put Germany in a difficult situation. Although Germany may of played a huge part in WW1 and the destruction caused, they were not the only nation to blame. My reasoning is based on several things. It is unreasonable to assume Germany was at fault for starting the war. The man who assassinated Archduke Franz Ferdinand and caused the starting uproar, was from Serbia, not Germany. Germany was not the only nation to continue the war, but Germany had started and participated in the most battles and attacks.

There are several rules and agreements of the "Treaty of Versallies" that are a bit harsh and strict. As an example, Rules #159 stated that; The German military forces shall be demobilized and reduced not to exceed 100,000 men. Similarly, Rule #181 specified that; The German navy must not exceed 6 battleships, 6 light cruisers, 12 destroyers, and 12 torpedo boats. No submarines are to be included. Rule #198 required that; The Armed Forces of Germany must not include any military or naval air forces. This describes taking away and lessening Germany's military forces. I understand they may have of done this to prevent Germany starting a battle or causing trouble, but it is also dangerous for the safety and protection of Germany. If a nation were to attack Germany, they would not have the military equipment or personnel to defend themselves. Further to this they were required to fulfill harsh repatriations by several nations, including France, Italy and Belgium, for their coal, steel, agriculture and industrial factories. Severe repatriations to these countries resulted in Germany’s economy suffering hyperinflation. The lack of coal was especially hard on Germany’s people as they suffered extreme cold winters. People became desperate and sought opportunities to escape the growing depression.

Overall I agree Germany played a big part in WW1 and deserved reprimand for their deeds. I think that the "Treaty of Versallies" was of fair intent and for good reason however in practice it left the country vulnerable to exploitation and immense suffering.