All Quiet on the Western Front
All Quiet on the Western Front Seminar Reflection
Seminar Reflection
I really liked a comment Clancy made during the seminar and it was “I though the military would be cool to join in middle school and even elementary school, but that has changed now that I have learned more about war.” What he was trying to say was that as a younger kid it looked cool to have a gun and be in a uniform, but know as he is older and knows more about war that has sort of changed. I thought it was interesting to think about even after the seminar and I totally agreed with the comment made.
I think a hospital alone shows what war is with all the injuries and people dying. What Paul means by a hospital shows what war is that war is a very sad hollow place with lives being lost, soldiers losing their minds, and never having any advancements through war. Paul says on page 263 “And this is only one hospital, one single station; there are hundreds of thousands in Germany, hundreds of thousands in France, hundreds of thousands in Russia. I think Paul is trying to demonstrate the magnitude of war and how tragic it all is and a hospital is the perfect definition of what war is and I couldn’t agree more with Paul.
I think The U.S. starting to bomb Iraq can really connect to a quote Shay left us with at the end of the seminar “you can bomb a place to piece, but you can’t bomb it to pieces” by Michael Franti. The U.S. has started to bomb Iraq lately trying to destroy a terrorist group called “Isis”. Isis is controlling a good portion of the Middle East in a very bad way and the U.S. has decided to step in and end this conflict by bombing them. This may resolve the conflict, but it will not create peace as Michael Franti states.
All Quiet on the Western Front has changed my perception on war because Paul states on page #263 “A hospital alone shows what war is.” After Paul explains that there are hundreds of thousands of hospitals filled with soldiers dying and being critically injured from war I couldn’t even begin to understand how bad war really is. It is tragedy that never ends well causing lots of loss and sorrow for both sides. It also doesn’t just crush you physically, but also mentally because in the second half of the book Paul was on a steady decline of reaching his breaking point and the war just got to him and he collapsed. All Quiet on the Western Front made me see the truth about war and who’s in it and risking their lives every day the soldiers perspective.
Seminar Reflection
I really liked a comment Clancy made during the seminar and it was “I though the military would be cool to join in middle school and even elementary school, but that has changed now that I have learned more about war.” What he was trying to say was that as a younger kid it looked cool to have a gun and be in a uniform, but know as he is older and knows more about war that has sort of changed. I thought it was interesting to think about even after the seminar and I totally agreed with the comment made.
I think a hospital alone shows what war is with all the injuries and people dying. What Paul means by a hospital shows what war is that war is a very sad hollow place with lives being lost, soldiers losing their minds, and never having any advancements through war. Paul says on page 263 “And this is only one hospital, one single station; there are hundreds of thousands in Germany, hundreds of thousands in France, hundreds of thousands in Russia. I think Paul is trying to demonstrate the magnitude of war and how tragic it all is and a hospital is the perfect definition of what war is and I couldn’t agree more with Paul.
I think The U.S. starting to bomb Iraq can really connect to a quote Shay left us with at the end of the seminar “you can bomb a place to piece, but you can’t bomb it to pieces” by Michael Franti. The U.S. has started to bomb Iraq lately trying to destroy a terrorist group called “Isis”. Isis is controlling a good portion of the Middle East in a very bad way and the U.S. has decided to step in and end this conflict by bombing them. This may resolve the conflict, but it will not create peace as Michael Franti states.
All Quiet on the Western Front has changed my perception on war because Paul states on page #263 “A hospital alone shows what war is.” After Paul explains that there are hundreds of thousands of hospitals filled with soldiers dying and being critically injured from war I couldn’t even begin to understand how bad war really is. It is tragedy that never ends well causing lots of loss and sorrow for both sides. It also doesn’t just crush you physically, but also mentally because in the second half of the book Paul was on a steady decline of reaching his breaking point and the war just got to him and he collapsed. All Quiet on the Western Front made me see the truth about war and who’s in it and risking their lives every day the soldiers perspective.
Short Story Project
The Wahl
By Ethan Sullivan
I was walking with a normal pace trying to blend in as much as possible, but constantly looking to my sides and behind me to see if I was being followed. No signs of it as I wove in and out the narrow, rubbled tone streets of Salzburg, Austria, my home. The neighborhoods near the station had been bombed and were hardly recognizable to me even though I’d grown up in these streets. I was still about two miles from the train station. If the rumors were true, travel restrictions for Jews like myself were going to be implemented in days, and I had no way of being sure that someone wouldn’t try to enforce them now. The Nazis were coming, and Austria was going to be under their control. Many of us weren’t sure what that would mean for us. We had heard that Hitler controlled every aspect of life in Germany and that he was rounding up Jews because we were responsible for Germany’s downfall. Some even said the Nazis were killing Jews in camps. At first, I found those rumors impossible to believe, especially since people in my community were happy Germany regained a powerful leader that made Germany a stronger and powerful ally for Austria. However, with the new travel restrictions coming, I felt much less sure about Germany’s leaders than I had felt in the past. That was why I was going to the train station--to get out just in case the rumors were true.
As I was making my way to the train station, I couldn’t stop thinking about my friends that I should alert about the coming of the Nazis. Even if only some of the rumors were true, we Jews were best to get as a far away as possible. My friends were people who I had been around my whole life. I was an orphan, and they had always taken care of me and helped me through my life. I couldn’t just leave them. I thought of Paul, who was the first friend who appeared to me . He was my best friend , was always there for me, and he would do anything for me. As I thought of him, I knew I had to go back and convince Paul and his family to come along with me. It was a long walk back in the bitter cold with the howling wind blowing towards me with great force, but I finally made it back and saw Paul’s house in the distance. There was smoke coming out of the chimney. They were having a fire on this cold day in Salzburg., I knocked on the door. Paul’s father Frederick greeted me at the door. His 6 foot 5 frame filled the doorway as usual, but something was off to me. His dark hair was not as curly as it normally is, and his eyes showed fear. Normally he is a great family man and very pleasant and joyful, but something seemed to be bugging him. He asked, “ Jurgen, what brings you here?” as he was towering over me by about five inches .
“I have some news for you and your family ” I asked to come in and he said , “of course.” I sat down in their living room and Paul’s mother, Elsa, came in and handed me a cup of Kurzer, knowing it’s my favorite. She was about 5 foot 9 with long brown hair and brown eyes and had a sweet smile.
“Jurgen, it’s great to see you. Are here for Paul?”
“No” I said.
“What are you here for then, sweetheart?” said Elsa.
“Frederick, have you heard the rumors of the Nazis coming?”
“Yes,” Frederick said. “ They say that they are rounding up Jews in Germany and killing them in those camps. They are not just holding them. I fear that the Nazis may do more than not let us travel.”
I said, “I have similar fears, my friend. I have a plan that I have been thinking about for some time now and almost pulled off today.”
“Really what plan?” asked Paul.
“I couldn’t do it, though. Your family kept coming back to my mind.” I said “Frederick, I am an orphan I feel like I don’t have anything to lose besides you. Paul has been my best friend my whole life. Please, I need you there for me. We can save other families in danger to and make a difference.”
“What is the plan?” asked Paul.
“The plan will be the same as the one I almost pulled off today.We will escape by train and we will try and get other friends of ours to make the trip with us.”
Frederick questioned, “where would we go?”
“London. Great Britain would be sympathetic to us.”
“Are you crazy? Great Britain has been bombed and wounded by the Nazis.The Britsh think we are their allies.. Why would that be better?”
I replied, “Wouldn’t it be better than being taken by the Nazis and living in hell? I also have a friend with an underground bunker. He is the leader of six families who is in his mid thirties and is the best leader you will ever meet. He has been helping Jewish families leave Austria and find safety for months”
Frederick nodded with an understanding look, then finally said “ Ok, you win, Jurgen. We’re in.” Frederick and his family took a few minutes to pack a bag. We got in Frederick’s old Benz Tropfenwagen to drive to the bunker.
“I’ve always loved this car, “ I told Frederick as we began our journey through the bombed streets of our beloved Salzburg.
“It was made by Porsche, the great German engineer. He, too, has become a Nazi, Jurgen. I’m afraid the whole world is turnng against us all of a sudden.”
About thirty minutes later, we arrived at the bunker, which was located under the ground of a barn in of a pleasant looking farm on the outskirts of Salzburg. Passersby would never know what that barn was hiding, but yet, it was still quite accessible. Hans and his family were there, as were six other families. Hans was small and wiry with curly hair, as well, and eyes the color of my favorite drink, Kurzer. Hans explained that the farmer who allowed us to have the bunker was not Jewish but was sympathetic to our kind. He was an Austrian nationalist who did not want Austia to ally with Germany. In fact, not all of the families in the bunker were Jewish. Some were nationalists who were in the Austrian military and didn’t want to be forced to fight with the Nazis. The underground bunker was very crowded with all of us. There was an energy of apprehension and excitement to make our escape.
We needed to get some provisions to make our journey. It was decided that Paul, Hans and I would get supplies for the journey.
Paul, Hans and I went out to get food for everybody, but also more supplies so we were set for the trip. On our way to get food and supplies, from our narrow side street, we could see three Nazi soldiers walking down Gietregasse, the main street of our city.
“They have arrived,” Paul said in a quiet voice. We tried to be calm and turned to walk in the opposite direction. I am not sure if one of us moved too quickly, but something caused the soldiers to look our way and begin walking toward us. We kept walking and turned down the next side street and entered a bakery in hopes that we would blend in with the crowd.
“This is silly,” Hans said. “They don’t know who we are and we’ve done nothing wrong. They wouldn’t be after us.”
“Let’s just stay calm and order our bread,” I said. “Hans, take off your yamulke.”
“But, I need to know that God is with me now more than ever,” said Hans.
“Hans,” hissed Paul. “Take off the hat. God has foresaken us. Order some bread and act natural.”
“Two loaves of wheat and a strudel, “ Hans said. I kept glancing around the bakery looking for the soldiers. I didn’t see any of them at the time, but I knew we had to get out of there and there wasn’t much time. We left the bakery with our arms full of bread.
We walked down the street, trying to act casual and comfortable. There were three more soldiers at the next corner. They stood tall in their gray uniforms. The red swastika their sleeves reminded me of blood. They had spotted us, so we kept walking to not draw attention to ourselves.
“Hallo,” one of them called out to us. We froze, not sure what to expect.
“Hallo,” Hans called back.
“Where you heading?” the solder asked.
“Nowhere special, just home to make dinner,” said Paul holding up the baked goods as proof.
“That’s good. Are you Jews?” the tallest soldier asked.
“Why would it matter?”
“It doesn’t matter much. Not yet. We have orders to stop all Jews from traveling beginning tomorrow morning.”
“Oh, well,” Hans swallowed, “I guess that doesn’t matter for fellows like us who are just going home.”
“Yes, yes,” Paul and I said at one.
The soldiers looked at each other, then slowly waved us on, turning their attention an attractive woman pushing a baby carriage.
What followed next was the biggest decision I have made in my life--a decision I wonder about to this day.
When we got a few blocks from the soldiers, Hans turned and said, “What do we do. The last train from Salzburg leaves at 7:15 tonight. It’s six now. We wouldn’t have time to get to the bunker and gather everyone and make the last train.”
Paul said sternly, “We can’t just leave them. My mother and father are there.”
“What choice do we have?” Hans asked. “If we go back, we’ll miss the train--it’s the last train out of Austria for us. I don’t want to leave the families, either. I’ve helped dozens of families, but if we don’t go, then none of us will get out”
“Family is my priority. I’d rather stay with my family and take my chances.”
“If you go back, I go back,” I said to Paul.
“No, Jurgen. You must go. It is my family, and I have the duty, not you, my friend. Go. Please, go. I will tell the others and perhaps we can find a safe passage to England.”
Hans said, “Paul, I understand your choice, but we must hurry if we want to make the train. Jurgen? “
I swallowed hard and gave Paul a hug. It was the first and last hug I gave him. Hans and I took off running through the dark, bombed streets of the frigid Salzburg. We made it to the train and bought our safe passage to London.
The years went on, and I never heard from Paul. I renamed myself John so that I could fit in with the English culture. After the war, they were not embracing of German sounding people. I met a lovely woman and married her and had two children, which were two of the best boys a man could have. We settled in the Kings Cross neighborhood near Buckingham Palace. I became an investment banker. Years after the war, I returned to Salzburg and tried to find Paul. I even visited his old house in hopes of finding information. No one there had heard of the family. Hans and I went our separate ways the minute we left the train station in London, and I have not heard from him since. My life in London has brought me some sense of happiness, but I am haunted by a single choice on a frigid Salzburg night.
Sources consulted for this story
Sullivan, Craig. Personal interview. October 24, 2014.
This story is sort of based on the story of my great uncle, John Hellier, Sr. In his early twenties, he was known as Johann Heller, and at the beginning of World War II, he worked for the Austrian resistance helping Jews and others escape before Germany invaded. Unlike Jurgen, John did help many people, if there stories are accurate. Family legend is that he took the last safe train out of Austria to London, but I’m not sure that’s true. We do know that he did take a train to England at some point, where changed his name to John Hellier so that he could pass as British, and lived a long, happy life in England and Scotland and then came to America in the 1980s. In England, he married Joyce Sullivan, my aunt, and had two children: Johnny and Jane, who now live in New York and Boston. He died when I was four.
Other sources are
“Austria: Anschluss and World War II.” Encyclopedia Britannica. Accessed on November 2, 2014 at brittannica.com
“Ferdinand Porsche.” Wikipedia. Accessed on November 16, 2014 at wikipedia.org
“London neighborhoods.” Accessed on November 15 at http://www.tripadvisor.com/Travel-g186338-s204/London:United-Kingdom:Neighborhoods.html.
“Resistance in Austria During WWII--Austrian Cultural Forum.” Lecture. Accessed on November 2, 2014 at acfny.org.
“Tour my country. Coffee in Austria.” Accessed on November 15, 2014 from ://tourmycountry.com/austria/coffee.htm
Wiesel, Elie. Night.
The Wahl
By Ethan Sullivan
I was walking with a normal pace trying to blend in as much as possible, but constantly looking to my sides and behind me to see if I was being followed. No signs of it as I wove in and out the narrow, rubbled tone streets of Salzburg, Austria, my home. The neighborhoods near the station had been bombed and were hardly recognizable to me even though I’d grown up in these streets. I was still about two miles from the train station. If the rumors were true, travel restrictions for Jews like myself were going to be implemented in days, and I had no way of being sure that someone wouldn’t try to enforce them now. The Nazis were coming, and Austria was going to be under their control. Many of us weren’t sure what that would mean for us. We had heard that Hitler controlled every aspect of life in Germany and that he was rounding up Jews because we were responsible for Germany’s downfall. Some even said the Nazis were killing Jews in camps. At first, I found those rumors impossible to believe, especially since people in my community were happy Germany regained a powerful leader that made Germany a stronger and powerful ally for Austria. However, with the new travel restrictions coming, I felt much less sure about Germany’s leaders than I had felt in the past. That was why I was going to the train station--to get out just in case the rumors were true.
As I was making my way to the train station, I couldn’t stop thinking about my friends that I should alert about the coming of the Nazis. Even if only some of the rumors were true, we Jews were best to get as a far away as possible. My friends were people who I had been around my whole life. I was an orphan, and they had always taken care of me and helped me through my life. I couldn’t just leave them. I thought of Paul, who was the first friend who appeared to me . He was my best friend , was always there for me, and he would do anything for me. As I thought of him, I knew I had to go back and convince Paul and his family to come along with me. It was a long walk back in the bitter cold with the howling wind blowing towards me with great force, but I finally made it back and saw Paul’s house in the distance. There was smoke coming out of the chimney. They were having a fire on this cold day in Salzburg., I knocked on the door. Paul’s father Frederick greeted me at the door. His 6 foot 5 frame filled the doorway as usual, but something was off to me. His dark hair was not as curly as it normally is, and his eyes showed fear. Normally he is a great family man and very pleasant and joyful, but something seemed to be bugging him. He asked, “ Jurgen, what brings you here?” as he was towering over me by about five inches .
“I have some news for you and your family ” I asked to come in and he said , “of course.” I sat down in their living room and Paul’s mother, Elsa, came in and handed me a cup of Kurzer, knowing it’s my favorite. She was about 5 foot 9 with long brown hair and brown eyes and had a sweet smile.
“Jurgen, it’s great to see you. Are here for Paul?”
“No” I said.
“What are you here for then, sweetheart?” said Elsa.
“Frederick, have you heard the rumors of the Nazis coming?”
“Yes,” Frederick said. “ They say that they are rounding up Jews in Germany and killing them in those camps. They are not just holding them. I fear that the Nazis may do more than not let us travel.”
I said, “I have similar fears, my friend. I have a plan that I have been thinking about for some time now and almost pulled off today.”
“Really what plan?” asked Paul.
“I couldn’t do it, though. Your family kept coming back to my mind.” I said “Frederick, I am an orphan I feel like I don’t have anything to lose besides you. Paul has been my best friend my whole life. Please, I need you there for me. We can save other families in danger to and make a difference.”
“What is the plan?” asked Paul.
“The plan will be the same as the one I almost pulled off today.We will escape by train and we will try and get other friends of ours to make the trip with us.”
Frederick questioned, “where would we go?”
“London. Great Britain would be sympathetic to us.”
“Are you crazy? Great Britain has been bombed and wounded by the Nazis.The Britsh think we are their allies.. Why would that be better?”
I replied, “Wouldn’t it be better than being taken by the Nazis and living in hell? I also have a friend with an underground bunker. He is the leader of six families who is in his mid thirties and is the best leader you will ever meet. He has been helping Jewish families leave Austria and find safety for months”
Frederick nodded with an understanding look, then finally said “ Ok, you win, Jurgen. We’re in.” Frederick and his family took a few minutes to pack a bag. We got in Frederick’s old Benz Tropfenwagen to drive to the bunker.
“I’ve always loved this car, “ I told Frederick as we began our journey through the bombed streets of our beloved Salzburg.
“It was made by Porsche, the great German engineer. He, too, has become a Nazi, Jurgen. I’m afraid the whole world is turnng against us all of a sudden.”
About thirty minutes later, we arrived at the bunker, which was located under the ground of a barn in of a pleasant looking farm on the outskirts of Salzburg. Passersby would never know what that barn was hiding, but yet, it was still quite accessible. Hans and his family were there, as were six other families. Hans was small and wiry with curly hair, as well, and eyes the color of my favorite drink, Kurzer. Hans explained that the farmer who allowed us to have the bunker was not Jewish but was sympathetic to our kind. He was an Austrian nationalist who did not want Austia to ally with Germany. In fact, not all of the families in the bunker were Jewish. Some were nationalists who were in the Austrian military and didn’t want to be forced to fight with the Nazis. The underground bunker was very crowded with all of us. There was an energy of apprehension and excitement to make our escape.
We needed to get some provisions to make our journey. It was decided that Paul, Hans and I would get supplies for the journey.
Paul, Hans and I went out to get food for everybody, but also more supplies so we were set for the trip. On our way to get food and supplies, from our narrow side street, we could see three Nazi soldiers walking down Gietregasse, the main street of our city.
“They have arrived,” Paul said in a quiet voice. We tried to be calm and turned to walk in the opposite direction. I am not sure if one of us moved too quickly, but something caused the soldiers to look our way and begin walking toward us. We kept walking and turned down the next side street and entered a bakery in hopes that we would blend in with the crowd.
“This is silly,” Hans said. “They don’t know who we are and we’ve done nothing wrong. They wouldn’t be after us.”
“Let’s just stay calm and order our bread,” I said. “Hans, take off your yamulke.”
“But, I need to know that God is with me now more than ever,” said Hans.
“Hans,” hissed Paul. “Take off the hat. God has foresaken us. Order some bread and act natural.”
“Two loaves of wheat and a strudel, “ Hans said. I kept glancing around the bakery looking for the soldiers. I didn’t see any of them at the time, but I knew we had to get out of there and there wasn’t much time. We left the bakery with our arms full of bread.
We walked down the street, trying to act casual and comfortable. There were three more soldiers at the next corner. They stood tall in their gray uniforms. The red swastika their sleeves reminded me of blood. They had spotted us, so we kept walking to not draw attention to ourselves.
“Hallo,” one of them called out to us. We froze, not sure what to expect.
“Hallo,” Hans called back.
“Where you heading?” the solder asked.
“Nowhere special, just home to make dinner,” said Paul holding up the baked goods as proof.
“That’s good. Are you Jews?” the tallest soldier asked.
“Why would it matter?”
“It doesn’t matter much. Not yet. We have orders to stop all Jews from traveling beginning tomorrow morning.”
“Oh, well,” Hans swallowed, “I guess that doesn’t matter for fellows like us who are just going home.”
“Yes, yes,” Paul and I said at one.
The soldiers looked at each other, then slowly waved us on, turning their attention an attractive woman pushing a baby carriage.
What followed next was the biggest decision I have made in my life--a decision I wonder about to this day.
When we got a few blocks from the soldiers, Hans turned and said, “What do we do. The last train from Salzburg leaves at 7:15 tonight. It’s six now. We wouldn’t have time to get to the bunker and gather everyone and make the last train.”
Paul said sternly, “We can’t just leave them. My mother and father are there.”
“What choice do we have?” Hans asked. “If we go back, we’ll miss the train--it’s the last train out of Austria for us. I don’t want to leave the families, either. I’ve helped dozens of families, but if we don’t go, then none of us will get out”
“Family is my priority. I’d rather stay with my family and take my chances.”
“If you go back, I go back,” I said to Paul.
“No, Jurgen. You must go. It is my family, and I have the duty, not you, my friend. Go. Please, go. I will tell the others and perhaps we can find a safe passage to England.”
Hans said, “Paul, I understand your choice, but we must hurry if we want to make the train. Jurgen? “
I swallowed hard and gave Paul a hug. It was the first and last hug I gave him. Hans and I took off running through the dark, bombed streets of the frigid Salzburg. We made it to the train and bought our safe passage to London.
The years went on, and I never heard from Paul. I renamed myself John so that I could fit in with the English culture. After the war, they were not embracing of German sounding people. I met a lovely woman and married her and had two children, which were two of the best boys a man could have. We settled in the Kings Cross neighborhood near Buckingham Palace. I became an investment banker. Years after the war, I returned to Salzburg and tried to find Paul. I even visited his old house in hopes of finding information. No one there had heard of the family. Hans and I went our separate ways the minute we left the train station in London, and I have not heard from him since. My life in London has brought me some sense of happiness, but I am haunted by a single choice on a frigid Salzburg night.
Sources consulted for this story
Sullivan, Craig. Personal interview. October 24, 2014.
This story is sort of based on the story of my great uncle, John Hellier, Sr. In his early twenties, he was known as Johann Heller, and at the beginning of World War II, he worked for the Austrian resistance helping Jews and others escape before Germany invaded. Unlike Jurgen, John did help many people, if there stories are accurate. Family legend is that he took the last safe train out of Austria to London, but I’m not sure that’s true. We do know that he did take a train to England at some point, where changed his name to John Hellier so that he could pass as British, and lived a long, happy life in England and Scotland and then came to America in the 1980s. In England, he married Joyce Sullivan, my aunt, and had two children: Johnny and Jane, who now live in New York and Boston. He died when I was four.
Other sources are
“Austria: Anschluss and World War II.” Encyclopedia Britannica. Accessed on November 2, 2014 at brittannica.com
“Ferdinand Porsche.” Wikipedia. Accessed on November 16, 2014 at wikipedia.org
“London neighborhoods.” Accessed on November 15 at http://www.tripadvisor.com/Travel-g186338-s204/London:United-Kingdom:Neighborhoods.html.
“Resistance in Austria During WWII--Austrian Cultural Forum.” Lecture. Accessed on November 2, 2014 at acfny.org.
“Tour my country. Coffee in Austria.” Accessed on November 15, 2014 from ://tourmycountry.com/austria/coffee.htm
Wiesel, Elie. Night.
Creative Historian Project Reflection
During the course of this project I was proud of many new things I learned and put into this project. The three things I was most proud at the end of this project were probably my research skills, initiative, and refinement. I was proud with these skills at the end of the project because I felt like I was already pretty good at them, but I felt like they progressed throughout the project and got even better.
My research skills progressed throughout this project because this project involved a lot of historical content to be used so there was a lot of research to do. My story involved the families not wanting to go to a concentration camp so I had to do some research on what concentration camps were really like. Also, learning about Austrian culture was a challenge at first because I basically knew nothing about it. I felt like historical content would be a big factor in making my story good and without incorporating any would make it lame. Putting time and effort into researching historical content and facts for your story was key and by doing this my research skills got very good towards the end of the project.
Taking initiative for my story and seeking the help that I needed was a big reason for what made my story enjoyable to read. Asking my peers for support was a lot of help for me especially for what to say and read at exhibition. Exhibition was definitely the thing I was most frightened of throughout this project. By taking initiative I asked my peers and family members for support on how to make my story and part for exhibition better and helped dramatically. If I wouldn’t have taken initiative on this story and got the help I need then my story would not be even close to as good as it is now.
Refinement was perhaps the most important aspect of this project for me because I would have failed this project if I wouldn’t have refined. Refinement is an Animas High School value and something to take pride in and I felt like I did that this project. Before exhibition I knew there was still much refinement to do and it was how I spent a good chunk of Sunday refining my story. Then the next day I felt very proud that I put the time and effort in to refining and trying to make my story as good and exciting to read as I could.
Throughout the creative historian project I definitely had my fun writing my story and coming up with a good story line. I would definitely recommend this project to future students of this humanities class because I know writing may scare some people and not a lot of people like it, but one you start to get into it writing can be fun and I found it fun for this project especially.
During the course of this project I was proud of many new things I learned and put into this project. The three things I was most proud at the end of this project were probably my research skills, initiative, and refinement. I was proud with these skills at the end of the project because I felt like I was already pretty good at them, but I felt like they progressed throughout the project and got even better.
My research skills progressed throughout this project because this project involved a lot of historical content to be used so there was a lot of research to do. My story involved the families not wanting to go to a concentration camp so I had to do some research on what concentration camps were really like. Also, learning about Austrian culture was a challenge at first because I basically knew nothing about it. I felt like historical content would be a big factor in making my story good and without incorporating any would make it lame. Putting time and effort into researching historical content and facts for your story was key and by doing this my research skills got very good towards the end of the project.
Taking initiative for my story and seeking the help that I needed was a big reason for what made my story enjoyable to read. Asking my peers for support was a lot of help for me especially for what to say and read at exhibition. Exhibition was definitely the thing I was most frightened of throughout this project. By taking initiative I asked my peers and family members for support on how to make my story and part for exhibition better and helped dramatically. If I wouldn’t have taken initiative on this story and got the help I need then my story would not be even close to as good as it is now.
Refinement was perhaps the most important aspect of this project for me because I would have failed this project if I wouldn’t have refined. Refinement is an Animas High School value and something to take pride in and I felt like I did that this project. Before exhibition I knew there was still much refinement to do and it was how I spent a good chunk of Sunday refining my story. Then the next day I felt very proud that I put the time and effort in to refining and trying to make my story as good and exciting to read as I could.
Throughout the creative historian project I definitely had my fun writing my story and coming up with a good story line. I would definitely recommend this project to future students of this humanities class because I know writing may scare some people and not a lot of people like it, but one you start to get into it writing can be fun and I found it fun for this project especially.
Artist Statement
I made these Kent State memorials of the victims because I thought this was a significant event in history that we will never forget. I also thought this shooting relates to some events happening right now with protests, and riots. This shooting was by the National Guard and the shootings and other killings now are by police, but they can relate. I thought this event meant the most to me because two of the victims were just trying to get class and the other two were just protestors. This irritated me the most because I thought it was very unfair that innocent people who did nothing wrong died from our country’s mistakes.
For my project I did four memorials for the victims who died in the Kent State shooting. I made the memorials like collages of pictures and quotes and it shows how sad it really was. These memorials also represent how much these people are missed and how big of deal this will be for a long time. The title of my project is We are finally on our own. My project is titled this because the song “Ohio” by Crosby Stills and Nash came out only ten days after the shooting and a line from the song is we are finally on our own. This line in the song was saying that we can no longer rely on our country to support us and I thought it would be the perfect title for my project since that has a lot to do with it. So this project overall represents the tragedy of the shooting and how much the victims of this shooting are missed.
- Why you made this piece, what does it mean to you?
I made these Kent State memorials of the victims because I thought this was a significant event in history that we will never forget. I also thought this shooting relates to some events happening right now with protests, and riots. This shooting was by the National Guard and the shootings and other killings now are by police, but they can relate. I thought this event meant the most to me because two of the victims were just trying to get class and the other two were just protestors. This irritated me the most because I thought it was very unfair that innocent people who did nothing wrong died from our country’s mistakes.
- What does this piece mean?
For my project I did four memorials for the victims who died in the Kent State shooting. I made the memorials like collages of pictures and quotes and it shows how sad it really was. These memorials also represent how much these people are missed and how big of deal this will be for a long time. The title of my project is We are finally on our own. My project is titled this because the song “Ohio” by Crosby Stills and Nash came out only ten days after the shooting and a line from the song is we are finally on our own. This line in the song was saying that we can no longer rely on our country to support us and I thought it would be the perfect title for my project since that has a lot to do with it. So this project overall represents the tragedy of the shooting and how much the victims of this shooting are missed.
Op- Ed project
1. For this project we were assigned to research a topic related to globalization and write an op-ed on it. Before we could start writing the op-ed there was a lot of research that needed to be done in order to write the op-ed. I had to research my topic the G8 tremendously and definitely spend as much time doing research as writing my op-ed. The other component to the project was creating a political cartoon related to the op-ed and our issue.
2. My perspective on globalization changed drastically after writing my op-ed and creating my cartoon. It changed because I chose a very unjust situation where 8 countries have all the power and about 96% is being left out of the meeting held every year. After writing my op-ed and making my cartoon I felt very negative about the G8 and had a pretty negative viewpoint on globalization because of how unfair this situation is. One of my biggest takeaways from this project was how little the G8 values third world countries and even a continent like Africa. For example the G8 reached out to Africa about an agricultural plan within Africa which would not benefit Africa at all but, would benefit big agricultural companies. Another takeaway I had from this project is that globalization is changing human nature and that money and power of different countries means everything. I believe based on my issue and the whole unit of globalization that is only ruining us not making us better and this will only continue to happen in the future.
3. As a cartoonist I have grown significantly throughout the year and always feel good about cartoons when I create them. With that being said I went through many drafts to create my cartoon about my issue with globalization. My biggest issue with creating the cartoon was drawing and I learned my lesson the hard way that drawing a gorilla is really hard. At first it looked like a big, buff football player, but then through many drafts of precise drawing it finally turned out the way I wanted it to. Drawing is hard thing for me to do and this had to be visually appealing and well done so it was an exhausting process. Afterwards when my end product was created it was wroth it and I was very satisifed with my work on the cartoon.
4. The writing for this project was much different from the writing I have done in the past in a variety of ways. This writing is much shorter and concise than the other writing I have done in the past which can be expanded on for longer. Also, the formatting for this paper was not what I was used to because there were no indentations and the paragraphs were multiple short paragraphs vs big long paragraphs.Throughout the course of this project I found this writing to be very useful and intriguing to me and how I can use it in the future.
2. My perspective on globalization changed drastically after writing my op-ed and creating my cartoon. It changed because I chose a very unjust situation where 8 countries have all the power and about 96% is being left out of the meeting held every year. After writing my op-ed and making my cartoon I felt very negative about the G8 and had a pretty negative viewpoint on globalization because of how unfair this situation is. One of my biggest takeaways from this project was how little the G8 values third world countries and even a continent like Africa. For example the G8 reached out to Africa about an agricultural plan within Africa which would not benefit Africa at all but, would benefit big agricultural companies. Another takeaway I had from this project is that globalization is changing human nature and that money and power of different countries means everything. I believe based on my issue and the whole unit of globalization that is only ruining us not making us better and this will only continue to happen in the future.
3. As a cartoonist I have grown significantly throughout the year and always feel good about cartoons when I create them. With that being said I went through many drafts to create my cartoon about my issue with globalization. My biggest issue with creating the cartoon was drawing and I learned my lesson the hard way that drawing a gorilla is really hard. At first it looked like a big, buff football player, but then through many drafts of precise drawing it finally turned out the way I wanted it to. Drawing is hard thing for me to do and this had to be visually appealing and well done so it was an exhausting process. Afterwards when my end product was created it was wroth it and I was very satisifed with my work on the cartoon.
4. The writing for this project was much different from the writing I have done in the past in a variety of ways. This writing is much shorter and concise than the other writing I have done in the past which can be expanded on for longer. Also, the formatting for this paper was not what I was used to because there were no indentations and the paragraphs were multiple short paragraphs vs big long paragraphs.Throughout the course of this project I found this writing to be very useful and intriguing to me and how I can use it in the future.
Power and Inequality Ethan Sullivan
3/2/15
Humanities
Imagine a large gorilla in a room with a dozen chimpanzees. There is a large bunch of bananas set in the middle of the room for all of them to share. The chimpanzees are clearly trying to communicate that they want to share with the gorilla, but he ignores them, flexes his muscles and takes all the bananas for himself. Many people may think this is normal gorilla behavior and wouldn’t be bothered by this, but this kind of scenario metaphorically plays out in global political situations all the time, and that is a problem. One such example is with the G8.
Many people are not aware of the tremendous power that the G8 holds or even what the G8 is. The G8 consists of 8 countries, which are the USA, Russia (which has recently been kicked out), Canada, France, Italy, Japan, Germany, and England. G8 meetings are a popular place for anti-globalization protests. This year in their meeting, they talked about topics such as terrorism, Middle East conflicts, climate change, and working together to find tax evaders. Their mission is to try and make the world a better place by having eight powerful countries come together, but they do this by stepping on other countries and by focusing on their own needs over those of the rest of the world. The fact is, the G8 accounts for only 4% of the world--that’s 96% of the world that that doesn’t get an opportunity to have their perspectives heard. Much like the gorilla in the room with the chimpanzees, the G8 is the gorilla in the room stomping on the interests of smaller countries.
One example of the G8 flexing its gorilla-like muscles was in a recent G8 meeting where the leaders decided to reach out to Africa about a plan for agricultural development that will loosen export and tax laws. This might sounds like a great idea, but it will benefit other big agricultural corporations, not Africa. This move by the G8 is being described by some as colonialism. To me, it’s just another gorilla-like move of the G8. This move would be a disaster for many African farmers. African farmers would be affected by the G8 having big agricultural companies invest in Africa because these companies would gain complete control over them. Moves like this demonstrate how the G8 stomps on the countries that are less powerful.
This inattention to needs of smaller countries is further demonstrated by the G8 meeting policies, where African countries may be invited to be spectators, but do not have any input. African countries, of course, find this very unfair because despite their attendance at these meetings, they have gotten nothing in return from the G8. The G8 won’t even give a desperate continent like Africa the attention they deserve because to the G8 they aren’t valuable enough. This shows the lack of regard for other countries just like the gorilla taking all the bananas without regard to others.
A recent example of the G8’s misuse of power has been how they influenced climate change during a recent meeting where they had a debate about climate change. All the leaders came to the agreement that climate change is bad and needs to be addressed. However, many people actually protest that the G8 is not doing enough about climate change, especially considering how much power the G8 actually has. With the influence that the G8 holds, many critics believe that the G8 countries should be more progressive in their meetings and in addressing climate change. According to the article “G8 and Climate Change,” by Anup Shah, a BBC journalist, “instead of creating linkages between the issues that the G8 addresses in their meetings, the G8 has the mindset that they can pick which issues to address or not address”. In this specific case with climate change the G8 seemed to feel that Africa’s debt issue was more important to the people of the world than climate change. This big gorilla has the power to address both issues, and what the G8 did with climate change was, of course,very unfair to the people of the world because if G8 doesn’t lead the way on global climate change, it will likely never get addressed. Protesters from all over the world were completely ignored by all the G8 leaders, which trampled the rights of other countries because of the G8 largely acts in their own best interests, not in the interests of the entire world. They truly are the large gorilla in the room trampling on everyone else.
It may seem like there is no hope for equality, but perhaps there is. There is an up and coming organization called the G20, where twenty countries meet instead of just eight. This is definitely a positive thing because having twenty countries meet is more fair than just eight. Even though the G8 is still the mighty gorilla, it has some fierce competition of twenty chimpanzees that are making a huge difference and can perhaps subdue this giant gorilla for good.
Works Cited:
Anup, Shah. “G8 Summits Empty Promises Each Year.” Global Issues. 25 Aug 2008. Web.
http://www.globalissues.org/article/720/g8-summits-empty-promises-each-year
Chamberlain Jacob “G8 Brings Big Ag Colonialism to Africa” Grassroots Online. Web. 19 Feb. 2014. http://www.grassrootsonline.org/news/articles/g8-brings-big-ag-colonialism-africa February 25, 2014.
3/2/15
Humanities
Imagine a large gorilla in a room with a dozen chimpanzees. There is a large bunch of bananas set in the middle of the room for all of them to share. The chimpanzees are clearly trying to communicate that they want to share with the gorilla, but he ignores them, flexes his muscles and takes all the bananas for himself. Many people may think this is normal gorilla behavior and wouldn’t be bothered by this, but this kind of scenario metaphorically plays out in global political situations all the time, and that is a problem. One such example is with the G8.
Many people are not aware of the tremendous power that the G8 holds or even what the G8 is. The G8 consists of 8 countries, which are the USA, Russia (which has recently been kicked out), Canada, France, Italy, Japan, Germany, and England. G8 meetings are a popular place for anti-globalization protests. This year in their meeting, they talked about topics such as terrorism, Middle East conflicts, climate change, and working together to find tax evaders. Their mission is to try and make the world a better place by having eight powerful countries come together, but they do this by stepping on other countries and by focusing on their own needs over those of the rest of the world. The fact is, the G8 accounts for only 4% of the world--that’s 96% of the world that that doesn’t get an opportunity to have their perspectives heard. Much like the gorilla in the room with the chimpanzees, the G8 is the gorilla in the room stomping on the interests of smaller countries.
One example of the G8 flexing its gorilla-like muscles was in a recent G8 meeting where the leaders decided to reach out to Africa about a plan for agricultural development that will loosen export and tax laws. This might sounds like a great idea, but it will benefit other big agricultural corporations, not Africa. This move by the G8 is being described by some as colonialism. To me, it’s just another gorilla-like move of the G8. This move would be a disaster for many African farmers. African farmers would be affected by the G8 having big agricultural companies invest in Africa because these companies would gain complete control over them. Moves like this demonstrate how the G8 stomps on the countries that are less powerful.
This inattention to needs of smaller countries is further demonstrated by the G8 meeting policies, where African countries may be invited to be spectators, but do not have any input. African countries, of course, find this very unfair because despite their attendance at these meetings, they have gotten nothing in return from the G8. The G8 won’t even give a desperate continent like Africa the attention they deserve because to the G8 they aren’t valuable enough. This shows the lack of regard for other countries just like the gorilla taking all the bananas without regard to others.
A recent example of the G8’s misuse of power has been how they influenced climate change during a recent meeting where they had a debate about climate change. All the leaders came to the agreement that climate change is bad and needs to be addressed. However, many people actually protest that the G8 is not doing enough about climate change, especially considering how much power the G8 actually has. With the influence that the G8 holds, many critics believe that the G8 countries should be more progressive in their meetings and in addressing climate change. According to the article “G8 and Climate Change,” by Anup Shah, a BBC journalist, “instead of creating linkages between the issues that the G8 addresses in their meetings, the G8 has the mindset that they can pick which issues to address or not address”. In this specific case with climate change the G8 seemed to feel that Africa’s debt issue was more important to the people of the world than climate change. This big gorilla has the power to address both issues, and what the G8 did with climate change was, of course,very unfair to the people of the world because if G8 doesn’t lead the way on global climate change, it will likely never get addressed. Protesters from all over the world were completely ignored by all the G8 leaders, which trampled the rights of other countries because of the G8 largely acts in their own best interests, not in the interests of the entire world. They truly are the large gorilla in the room trampling on everyone else.
It may seem like there is no hope for equality, but perhaps there is. There is an up and coming organization called the G20, where twenty countries meet instead of just eight. This is definitely a positive thing because having twenty countries meet is more fair than just eight. Even though the G8 is still the mighty gorilla, it has some fierce competition of twenty chimpanzees that are making a huge difference and can perhaps subdue this giant gorilla for good.
Works Cited:
Anup, Shah. “G8 Summits Empty Promises Each Year.” Global Issues. 25 Aug 2008. Web.
http://www.globalissues.org/article/720/g8-summits-empty-promises-each-year
Chamberlain Jacob “G8 Brings Big Ag Colonialism to Africa” Grassroots Online. Web. 19 Feb. 2014. http://www.grassrootsonline.org/news/articles/g8-brings-big-ag-colonialism-africa February 25, 2014.