Hotel Rwanda : Ryan Peyton

I really liked the movie and its my 3rd time seeing it. The part where he is sneaking his family out of the house is probably my favorite part because he does everything he can to get all of them to be able to leave with him and he ends up giving the guy everything the people that want to leave have.If i was ever in this situation i think i would just try to get as far away from there as i could and only move at night

Hotel Rwanda: Kaitlyn Dolan

This movie conveys the horrors of the genocide in Africa. I enjoyed this movie. I felt that it gave me a better understanding of what happened. People should do something about it- but many fail to do so. I think most people don't know what to do, or how to do it. On the other hand, the people helping aren't doing everything they can to stop the violence. It's like they don't want to help- they're scared to help. Both "sides", the Hutu's and the Tutsi's, were strong in their beliefs and actions. They did what they could to survive on their own. The people at the hotel banded together to make a home away from home. Another hardship they had to face was leaving their homes and loosing their family and friends. Some didn't know what happened to them; they might have died, ran away, who knows?

Hotel Rwanda

I learned how good life is to us. To tell you the truth I would be scared out of my mind. I don't think I would even try to live in that condition. I was really shocked when Paul got a lot of the kids and adults of out dying or starving to death. I think that everyone has a chance to do better and in this case help. I mean I know we didn't want them to come after us, but to me I believe that was real selfish of us. Then again we can not change the past. We can't do anything now. Unless we see something going on. We can put effort to help others that are getting beat/starve to death. But. They need to do the job of telling us. Because we don't know everything that is going on in the world.

Paul did an awesome job to save everyone, but if he didn't have that hotel I doubt him, his family and all those families would not have lived. He was a really smart man and new how to bribe to get what he wanted. I liked the moving and I doubt I will forget what happened.

Hotel Rwana

So, basically, this is what the natural cruel nature of some human beings look like. People like the murderers in this movie are quick to react on influence, rather than seek factual information instead. The fact that Hutu and Tutsi's difference and superiority was reliant on their appearance just proves how disgusting the human race can be.  I haven't watched the entire movie yet, but I've heard this genocide mentioned before it was brought up in this class. However, it was simply readings, not visual details. This movie reminds me of The Pianist and Schindler's List, mainly because it actually visually demonstrates the horrors and graphic details associated with the genocides. The difference between them, though, is that this man took action and risked his life just to keep some people safe. While Schindler's List had a main character who eventually decided to turn his bad ways to good, the man in this movie was goodhearted from the very beginning.
As the people in this blog have stated before, we will at a moment sit there and think, "Oh my God.. This is just.. horrible. :(" then, continue on with their lives and eventually the Rwandan genocide or any other tragedy will be a distant memory.  That's just how it is, unfortunately.

Hotel Rwanda

I think genocides shouldn't even happen in this world. We should have stepped in and stop the hutus and help the tutsusis. The movie was little nasty and rude. I think the hutus killed their president so they could kill the tutsusis. We should sent troops in there and killed the hutus that are trying to hurt everyone that wasn't a hutu. paul should have not helped the other people, but he did and now he is known as a hero.

Hotel Rwanda thoughts

I thought it was a alright movie. If I were them i would dressed up like a hutu and just sat in my house. lol it sounds pretty simple.. but it might not work. Paul was lucky that he had that hotel because if he wasn't in there he would of died. I would have done the same thing bribe them with items to stay alive for longer and try to get out alive

Hotel Rwanda Haley

I really liked this movie. The main character was very lucky that his boss left him in charge and let his family and friends stay there. He was a friendly guy that knew how to compromise. I think some of the things was just luck. Like that the army came just in time before they killed his family when they were trying to leave. It could have shown more on the outside of the hotel. But I still really liked this movie.

Hotel Rwanda Skyler

Hotel Rwanda is a small glimpse of the actual horror of a genocide. People everyday are suffering from someone bigger them telling them where to go and what to do and when they are going to Die... In anthropology we learned about a term called cognitive dissonance and it means people see something and they can't comprehend it because it is so catastrophic and we don't want to think about it. Even as I watched the part in the movie were they are driving over the bodies It didn't really effect me and the reason is i believe is because its so unbelievable. In the back of my mind Im thinking "Oh that can only happen in horror movies." But no, this was a real story. What can we do about it? Thats a tough one to answer. Cause its always going to be happening and we can't just send our troops off to every country in the world to try to keep peace. Nothing will help if we do that. I think the best we can do is help were we are asked. Send money, pray for them, and if a war is necessary, then don't sit around and say "Oh our troops will take care of it" Go out and pick up a gun and do it yourself.

Hotel Rwanda - John Langer

Before we started this unit I didn’t even pay attention to any genocide. I now feel extreamly horrible about myself. I can’t even imagin what these poor people are going through. It’s hard to believe that a person can be that crule, just on infulence. For example, in the film the radio station was the main cause of the mass murder. It almost killed all of those people that were trying to leave the hotel the first time. The most memorable thing in the movie was the body covered road. I would’ve gone crazy right then and there, but paul stood through it and still managed to save all those people. I really wish the U.S would help these people, but we know the government wouln’t do that. If it was a threat to us then we would, but no other reason. We don’t want to get involved.

Hotel Rwanda--Brooke

By watching this movie I feel like you get a better understanding. When people show you facts it's like, "Wow, that's crazy." But when you see a movie like this you see what is happening to these people, and you have a better sense of understanding what they are going through. I feel like what the journalist said is very true. Even though the United States wants to say we're trying to help, that we care, we still care more about celebrities, and ourselves.

I really liked the movie and I think that the ending helps get the sick feeling out of the pit of your stomach. They found their nieces, and they escaped. I wonder if they still had Hutu's trying to attack the buses. Did a lot of Hutu's get punished? Do they still put Hutu or Tutsi on passports today? I wonder what ever happened to the parents.

Randi Tumilty-Hotel Rwanda

I just don't understand how people can go on with their day when horrible things like this are happening everywhere. Maybe there's not much we can do, but there should be something. At least spread awareness, right?
I understand why things like this continue to happen. The world revolves around selfishness- It's a plague that lives inside all of us. Refusing to help others unless there's something in it for us. Although it's good not to let people walk all over you, when something like this is happening, how can you just stand there and wait to be bribed before you agree to assist? So it's true that there are victims in the world, but aren't we all victims of each other?
I guess just the fact that during a genocide, nobody stops to think that it's wrong, and if they do, they usually don't stand against it. Why do we keep repeating history in such an awful way?

Hotel Rwanda - Krog

Before I did my project on the Rwanda Genocide and saw this movie, I had known little or none about this mass killing. It was horrible, but the bad guys must have done a lot of planning to get that many people killed that fast. I mean, no one wakes up, starts an army, and kills everyone they see. It would have to take a lot of planning. Now, I realize how much really happened. Your quote, 'Oh my God, that's awful. Those poor people,' but then they'll just go back to eating their dinner," is very true. Many people agree that it is bad, but will do nothing about it. I think that in order to get people to want to help, you have to get them to 'truly' feel sorry for them, or people will just ignore it. Everyone could do something, but not many will. I don't think that I have any final thoughts or questions.

Noah Genocide Comments

I thought overall this was a good unit. I learned a lot of stuff about all the genocides that have happened over the years, and I learned more about the ones I already knew about. I was surprised that so many genocides have happened in recent years. I already thought of myself as pretty pessimistic about most things, but I guess I thought people would've learned from past mistakes.

Most of the stuff we learned about the Holocaust I already knew. Not much to say about that one.

I hardly knew anything about the Rwandan genocide before the movie, though. It was very interesting to learn the circumstances behind everything that happened. It was pretty disturbing to learn that the only difference between Hutu and Tutsi was that the Belgians decided the ones with better noses and slightly lighter skin were a better class, and there were no cultural or belief differences between them. It's amazing people can have so much hatred for people of a different "class" than them.

Hotel Rwanda Reflection

I really liked this movie. I thought it gave it's viewers a great idea of what happened and what was going on. Obviously it's not the real thing, but it kind of gives us an idea of what it was like for the people who went through that. It is a really sad movie, but I'm glad we watched it because it helped me better understand what was really going on in the Rwandan genocide.

I kind of wish we could do something to help these people. It's horrible and super sad, but we don't really need to be at war with anyone else. It would be great if we could help them, but I don't think our government thought it was our "place" to step in. I wish we could have stepped in and saved a lot of these people. I can't imagine what it would be like to go through something like that!

Hotel Rwanda Responce

I really like the way that it ended, but I thought that the buses were going to leave them. I mean, it was just a totally unexpected ending! They found their nieces, and they get to live... Wow! I thought in the end when they were going to the camp, that someone would jump on the back of the truck and shoot them all.... Surprise, it didn't happen! I thought the worst part about the movie was when they were driving down the road in the hotel van, and they ran over hundreds of dead bodies. I'm still wondering why they were being so cruel? Why wouldn't they take the Rwandans out of the country?

I didn't know anything about the Rwandan genocide so watching this movie taught me a lot. I can't believe how many people Paul took care of and saved by the end of the movie. It's crazy how many people died. I was kind of confused on who was helping who at the beginning. I don't know if we can always help people in situations like that. Most of the time there's nothing we can do, even if we want to help.

Hotel Rwanda: Kate Shoop

I really really liked the movie. It definitely showed us how bad it was with the Hutu and the Tutsi. I never really knew a ton about what all happened and this movie helped a lot with understand how bad it really was with the rebels and how heartless they were. It's crazy how most of the Rwanda army guys really just wanted to be given stuff and if they gave them the right amount of stuff then they would keep the Tutsi safe for maybe a day and then want more stuff for it. This movie was very interesting and I'm happy we got to watch it in this class so when we think of a genocide we don't only think of the Holocaust we think of Rwanda

Hotel Rwanda: Josie

At first I didn't like the beginning of the movie; I started liking the movie towards the middle maybe a little after that. The genocide was terrible here, but in a way it was better than the Holocaust, because people here had food, water, and good shelter. At the Holocaust they didn't have nearly as much as the Rwandan's. The fist time they took the people who had visa's out was pretty memorable for me because of the attack, but they made it out. These people were super luck because they made it out of almost every situation of where they could have gotten killed.

People should be more aware of what other countries are going through and help. Today's society is revolved around themselves; we could do something but some people are too greedy.

Hotel Rwanda

It helped me understand what exactly was going on during the genocide. It is crazy that things like that can happen in this world. Why can't everyone just get along? I thought some of the crazy moments were seeing all the dead people on the road, seeing people suffering on the side of the road, the Hutu's being so horrible to the Tutsi's, then at the end when you see 100s of people walking away from the rebel line, and when the rebels help at the end. It is horrible to think that actually happened. I feel like alot of people don't know what happened during this or the Holocaust. There's not much we can do now for some of the genocides, but for the ones that happened recently or the ones going on, we can send money and supplies to help them recover faster. I also think there should be more knowledge out there in the public about it. There's not much we can do here, but I'm sure if you donate a few dollars or a few cents it all counts in the end. I really liked this unit. I liked learning about these kinds of things. Even though it was very horrible, I'm glad I have the knowledge about it now.

Sites and Facts

How is it possible that most people did not know what was happening in Rwanda? The same reason(s) many have not heard of Darfur. What can we do today to be made more aware of potentially tragic situations around the world? Check out these links:

http://www.savedarfur.org Save Darfur
http://www.amnestyusa.org/countries/sudan/index.do Amnesty International’ s Sudan Crisis
http://www.amnestyusa.org/ Amnesty International USA
http://www.hrw.org/ Human Rights Watch
http://www.hrrfoundation.org/ Hotel Rwanda Rusesabagina Foundation

Rwanda
800,000-1.07 million killed in 100 days
8,000-10,710 killed per day
334-447 killed per hour
6-7 killed per minute.

Darfur, Sudan
400,00 people have been killed in 1095 days
366 people are killed every day
15 people are killed every hour
1 person is killed every minute


Holocaust
6 million Jews killed in 1460 days
4,110 killed per day
171 killed per hour
3 killed per minute

Hotel Rwanda

We've discussed the Holocaust, shared information about genocides throughout world history and viewed Hotel Rwanda. This is your chance to express your opinions about the unit, specifically about the film. What did you learn or come away with a better understanding of after viewing the film? What moments were surprising, shocking or memorable? I like the quote from the journalist when he's talking to Paul and says something along the lines of, "People (outside of Rwanda) will see the atrocities on TV and think,'Oh my God, that's awful. Those poor people,' but then they'll just go back to eating their dinner." The journalist reflects on the state of mind of those of us who are so far removed from the horror that is going on that, yes, we feel bad, but we are also content to keep quiet. Is there something we can do? Is there something we should do? Lastly, any final thoughts or questions about anything that has come up throughout the course of this unit?

Holocaust

We've all heard of the holocaust, but I don't think anyone really knows the horror that went on. So maybe you cried watching this, or your chest felt like it was about to burst, but it's nothing compared to what these people suffered through. The smell of burning flesh every day; flesh that was so recently alive; breathing; warm. Your family. But you don't know that your mother was just gassed to death in what they were told were showers; suffocating along with a thousand others. You don't know that the belongings of your neighbors are piled together, while their bodies are bulldozed into a pit to be burned. Worthless. No graves for these lost souls. Only a pit; only ashes that will be used for fertilizer.
You don't know what you have until it's gone, right? Or maybe, we don't know what suffering is, until we live through it. Only those who have survived such tragedies understand what it's like to not have any idea when you might die from starvation, or too much work and harsh climate conditions. What is supposed to keep you holding on? The armies against you break down your hope, so what is it then, that you're living for? There is no end in sight, no light at the end of a tunnel.
Suffer or die.

Brandon'a thoughts on oprah and elie wiesel

I think it was bad what happened to the kids during the holocaust . I think they shouldn't even done what they did (nazi). My thought on the movie was it had a lot of details on what had happened. I know what the camps and gas cambers look like. I wouldn't think anyone would be so mean to do that to people. When I saw all that hair I felt disgusted.

Elie Wiesel

I thought that it was good segment. it really showed Auschwitz in detail I think you probably could make alot of blankets out of that hair, im just kidding that would be really gross. those were so many pair of shoes, you can just tell that there were a lot of people there because 2 shoes per person i dont know i think it would be really crazy to go there and actually see that i really want to take a feild trip there.

Response to Oprah episode with Elie Wiesel

I just can't picture three people on one bunk. I couldn't believe that they would just pull out their hair like that. Well. I just can't believe he is still alive. The picture of then laying down with their bones sticking out. It just made me fell sick! I just would like to ask him. How he felt while all of that was happening.

Oprah and Elie Wiesel

I really enjoyed the video but it was really sad. When I saw all of the shoes and suitcases of all the people that had died it made me want to cry. The pictures is what killed me the most. I can't stand to see people suffering. I mean especially all of those kids that didn't stand a chance. The babies didn't even know what was going on. The women didn't really get a chance to live they were usually just sent straight to the gas chambers. If they had babies or children of course they are going to choose to stay with them. They didn't know what was going to happen until they got into the locked gas chambers. Once they knew that they were going to die like what would you do? I would cry and cry and cry until I just died. I can't imagine those kids having to go through that.

Promise's response

I thought the movie was pretty sad because he had to talk about something horrible that he had to experience and probably doesn't want to really remember. I thought that the suit case, hair,and baby clothes was nasty, disgusting, and not right. I thought a lot of stuff that Ellie said was wise and he used a lot vocab. I would like to know how many people live throw this and I would like to know if people would no that there great grandma was in it could they go there and see if her suit case is in there.

Oprah movie

I thought all of the kill was horrible an nasty. I found the bodies to be shocking. They were really skinny and all gross. It was weird that Elie couldn't really describe everything. I thought the pictures of the children were very powerful. I have a couple questions for Elie. I wonder if everybody had to have their hair cut off. What kind of a work did they have to do? How bad were the living conditions? All of this was very informational and moving.

Response to Oprah Episode

One thing that stuck in my mind about this showing was the massive amount of hair and shoes. It's hard to imagine that much of one thing. I think for many people it's difficult to find words for what happened during the Holocaust- even for those who survived. After reading the novel it was still hard to fathom what went on. I think what Elie Wiesel was very inspiring; He's extremely against hate. I feel that this episode was eye-opening, and so was the book.

Oprah Respons

I don't know how I feel about it and it's not really a big deal. It happened in the past and we can't fix it now. No one could really stop it there isn't much you can do about it. It is sad to think about.

Elie Wiesel

I think this is really sad and touching. The part that got to me the most was the babies. That part made me want to cry. When Elie said I never walked I don't remember ever walking. slaves ran, we ran, we are slaves. This was a rally good comparison for me I could visualize it very well. One thing that wasn't exactly clear to me is were there other survivors that are still around. The only thing that annoyed me is Oprah she's annoying.

Oprah Movie

I just don’t understand how someone can be that evil. This is the most horrific thing I’ve been learned about. The photos of all the dead and burnt bodies were just hard to look at because of the sadness. I couldn’t believe that the Nazis didn’t even let the children go. I wondered about what he said if the children would have lived. One of them could have cured cancer, or some other sickness. The Nazis weren’t only monsters; they were thieves. They took everything from hair, to clothes, to people’s identities. I also don’t understand why they didn’t fight back. The women and children had no idea they would be killed, but the men knew that they were dying. They saw the smoke and smelled burning flesh. Why didn’t they fight?

Elie Movie

I thought the movie was interesting. It was sad to see all of the babies clothes and the shoes. The hair part grossed me out. I definitely would not want to have a blanket made out of human hair. Or buy anything made out of human hair. I thought it was interesting how they could feel the presence of all the dwelling spirits. Elie also made a good point about how one of the people that died could have invented a cure for cancer or AIDS. The population could be a lot bigger than it was now if it wasn't for the Holocaust.

Oprah Comments

This was a very informative movie. There were some parts that stuck out to me, including, the mad woman in the train, who saw the flame. She wasn't mad, she actually knew what was coming and no one would believe her. I think it is so sad, because there was so many deaths. And how would you feel if you were in that situation? Stripped of everything you own, including possessions, you shoes, you identity, even your hair. Then you go to a gas chamber and die, you don't even see it coming. I don't know how their government got that much power that they could just target a religion like that and take them all out.

-Samantha Koehn

Response--Oprah, Elie Wiesel

As Dylan mentioned, this is sort of like a review for me after going through it in both Strand's class and Davidson's class. However, it's still powerful stuff even after having it go through my head at least 7 times. Recently, the only things I can think of that Elie said that moved me most was the ancient legend about the two tears for the death of one just person. Another one that stuck with me was when he and Oprah were in the barracks and Elie mentioned something along the lines of them not being alone. Out of all of the pictures and exhibits that they showed, the ones that influenced me most were the shoes and the babies clothes.

Oprah's Interview

I'm just writing about my thoughts on the Holocaust in general right now. Seeing the Auschwitz camp makes you really get a feel of how bad the holocaust was. And it wasn't even the only camp. There were many more other death camps spread throughout Europe. Whenever you hear about people dying, not many people truly care about it. They may think about how sad it is, but they don't lose any sleep over it. We read and hear of the holocaust killing millions of people. To me, yeah it's a lot of people, but I don't feel a whole lot about it. It's not necessarily the best thing to say, but to actually feel and connect with that is kind of hard to do. Seeing the pictures of piles of bodies being hauled around like animals makes you get even more of a grip on how cruel the Nazis were and how much they hated those they killed. To treat people like they don't even deserve to live is just unthinkable. Another thing that's weird to think about is when it all happened. It wasn't even a century ago. To think that your grandparents were alive during this is crazy. I'm kind of excited to start reading the book, just to really see Elie's first hand account of what happened.

The Movie

I think that its wrong for them killing the Jews and what they did to them before killing them. If i was a jew in that time period i think i would be so confused on what to do and what i can do. I also think its neat how there are survivors of the holocaust, so they can tell what they saw and how they were treated. Oprah actually stayed strong in the movie i didn't see her cry once and when there is stuff like that she usually cries. i thought the movie was good but it was showing to much depression but i guess thats what they are trying to show because thats what it was like to them.

Noah Oprah Comments

I enjoyed the movie, for the most part. I knew most of the stuff they talked about, other than that they shaved all their heads so they could use the hair for cloth, although I kind of feel like I've heard that somewhere before. Oprah seemed a little awkward throughout the whole thing, and it seemed like she was uncomfortable. She was always looking around or looking at the camera and she never really had anything to say. That kind of situation isn't really her strong suit I suppose. I liked Elie Wiesel's style of speaking. Everything he said was very deliberate and well thought-out. It was also neat to see all the suitcases and shoes from the prisoners.

Elie & Oprah

I don't know how he could have done it going back there. It would be so hard for me. Going through all the pain and suffering. I don't know how he could have handled the smell of humans burning. I didn't know that they shaved off everyones hair, so it was interesting to see that. I can't believe how much hair they collected. I don't know if I could have lived through what he did, or any of the survivors. I hated seeing all the pictures of people starving and sick. It is so disgusting seeing people with absolutely no meat, but just bones. It is even more horrible that the Nazis did that to them. I wonder if Elie looked like some of the picture of people there. I can't picture him being that skinny and small now, but I'm sure he looked like them. I think it was nice to hear the story from someone that was there. When I read about it, it's just not the same. I think it will be interesting to read Night. I liked reading Anne Frank and hearing what she had to say about things. Now its his turn to share his story.

Oprah Movie

The Holocaust is really interesting. It's terrible what they did to the Jews. I just can't believe anyone would want to or have the strength to want to kill that many people. It was crazy how they shaved everyones head and kept the hair. Seven tons of hair is a lot. I think it would be hard for Elie to go back to where he saw millions of people die. He lost his family and everything he had. I'm thinking that if you didn't know you were going to be gassed, wouldn't you notice the previous people going to "take a shower" never came back? I would be like, where did the other people go who were taking showers? I think I might have noticed. I feel really bad for the babies. All of them died right away and that would be really hard for a mom.

Oprah WWII

Watching these videos was very powerful and a lot to take in; it's just nasty and insane what the Nazi's did to them. I didn't know that they burned some of the bodies and made the Jew's put them into the burners. That must have been terrifying to do that, because I wouldn't have been able to handle a dead body. . . I would probably just kill myself or let one of the mean people do it if I was sent to the camp.The pictures of the dead bodies and the hair grossed me out a little, I think the hair did a lot! I don't see why people would make cloth out of human hair, that's just wrong in every way! I understand why they preserved it, but I still think it was gross looking at it. If I were to ask Elie a question I'd ask why he tried to stay alive and why he listened to the Nazi's. I would rebel and let them kill me because I would probably think that this war would never end until they got what they wanted; death.

Oprah: Elie Wiesel

Topic: Elie Wiesel

That episode kind of hit me in a sort of way that I didn't know that people could be that cruel. For them to go day after day killing innocent people who did absolutely nothing to deserve this. What sticks in my mind so clearly is the shoes, and the clothes of the children. How can they just toss a child into the air and use it for targeting practice. I was surprised that Elie said that he could actually feel the presence of all the women and children around him. The photos of the mangled bodies still gets me. How you could see their bones, and yet none of the soldiers did anything. Aren't soldiers put in place to help the people? My biggest question is: Why didn't we step in soon than what we did? And why didn't any one stick up for what was right? Die or die trying?

Oprah & Elie Wiesel

This movie was very moving and depressing. We've somewhat learned about the holocaust from reading Anne Frank but other than that I didn't really know much about it. It was so sad just thinking that the women and children had no chance to even stay alive once they got to the camps. They were put in gas chambers right away. It was also very misleading because they would say they were waiting for showers, which obviously wasn't true. It just makes your heart break just thinking about the whole situation and how terribly they were treated. This just opens my eyes way more and I'm really excited to read this book so we can understand the holocaust better and how he lived when he was captured.

-Kate

Thoughts on Oprah with Elie Wiesel

It is awful, but yet incredible how the German Nazis decided to wipe out the Jews. It is sad, but the types of killing that they came up with. Gas chambers? Really? I would think that the cost of Zyklon B would be very expensive. The Nazis probably threatened to kill the producers of the gas if they didn't provide it to them. I realize that the gas was probably cheaper in the long run than using guns. And it would take a while to shoot and kill all the Jews that the Nazis did. I think it was a great show of courage that Elie Wiesel had to be able to go back to where he was tortured about 50 years ago. I think that it is disgusting how they have all the hair still in Auschwitz. I was starting to think that he was delusional how he kept saying, "The shoes tell stories. And, "poor shoes"." I also think that all of the people that like Oprah would have liked this. But in my opinion, all she did was restate the facts. She made it boring. I think that if they want to catch our attention, they should have had someone other than Oprah there.

Oprah movie

Well, It was nice, but I'v already known all of it. In 11th grade you take a class about it. So it was a nice refresher and a good movie for someone who knows nothing about the holocaust. The only think I didn't know was the fact the Nazis blew-up the gas chambers. I also don't understand why were watching and reading stuff about the holocaust in english class. But oh well.

~CaBoOsE~
smith

Response to Oprah episode with Elie Wiesel

Now that we have read some background information about WWII and viewed Elie Wiesel on Oprah, I'd like you to post a response. What are some thoughts regarding the episode? What is something you found surprising or shocking? Is there anything Elie said that sticks out in your mind? Were there any images or photos that you found particularly powerful or moving? Lastly, what questions do you have about Elie, his story, the war, or the Holocaust before we start reading the novel, Night?

thoughts on the movie

I think the movie was interesting. I liked how they group became a family. The thing I realized it was hard for those kids to make a living for them. The worst part of the book was when the guys shot a another guys in the other guy and he missed and hit someone else. I didn't think she would be able to change the student like how she did. I feel bad for the teacher because her husband left her for something dumb. I didn't like the principle she was mean and snotty to the teacher. I am glad that she got to teach the kids till they graduate. I don't think a teach should treat a honor student differently because she was a different skin color then him. I liked how the teacher worked three jobs for her student so they can go out and eat at a nice place. I can't believe that the kids didn't know what the holocaust was. I was shocked. I don't think a father should make fun of his daughter career. I don't know how some people can send a innocent person to jail just to keep their own safe.

Entry 1: Injustice

So I guess I really haven’t seen anything that is unjust. I think the things that really are unjust are things you see on tv. For example while I was sick, for some reason, I watched a bunch of crime shows (about actual crimes, not made up ones). One was about this women who was getting beat up by her husband, so she started to fight back and she ended up killing him. The women ended up getting like 16 years in jail. I really don’t think that’s fair because it was self-defense. If you had been getting beat up for several years, wouldn’t you eventually get sick and tired of it? I think she just got to her breaking point and she didn’t know what to do anymore. I mean I understand that you can’t just go around killing people, but if it’s self-defense I understand why she would have done it.

I think it is hard for people to speak out. Especially if you know you’ll face super bad consequences for speaking up. Like in the movie, if you speak out against your gang, they’re probably not going to be very happy with you. You’ll probably get yourself shot or beat up or something like that.

Entry #3 Myranda

The movie and the diary entries we read were very touching and they gave me goose bumps. I really enjoyed this I wish we would have read the whole book. I would have actually read this! This book, well the parts we read, was amazing!!! One of the themes that stuck out to me was when the one guy said to Meip that she was his hero and he had never had a hero before and she said no I’m not a hero you guys are and the reason why they are is all the things they have over come on there own and how there survivors. That almost made me cry I had huge goose bumps. I think Erin is an amazing teacher who really touched me. She helped all those kids over come the I guess you could say the segregation they were going threw. Before Erin came into theses kids life's they didn’t get along with different races or ethnic groups. They had clicks and enemies, but after Erin came into there life they all had a different more positive view on life. I felt a connection with the white boy. He seamed to be scared and alone. I feel alone a lot and sometimes scared. I feel like the odd one out like he dose.

Entry #2

Tolerance can be a hard thing for me it is. It is really hard for me to be around someone I don’t like or someone who makes me mad or upset. Some people who were well I guess you could say out casts tend to ether except or not except in the cases I have seen its harder to except. I always was kind of a loner I guess you could say I didn’t have a lot of friends, I mean I had some but still I felt alone a lot. Most people belonged to a group or a so called “click”, but I didn’t really. When I was younger I struggled with my grades and school work. I was always be hind compared to the other kids in my grade. I felt very much alone and I just kinda stayed alone. Even when I was at home I was by myself I guess I just got so use to it and then preferred to be alone. Im not really sure if you can teach human empathy I think that things that happen to you are what makes you understand empathy such as like if your animal dies and your friends animal did to then you might be able to understand them more or relate better.

Journal Prompt 3

I thought that it was a great movie, I liked it because she really changed the students a lot. Some of the things I liked the most is that the kids were bad kids at first who did drugs and were in gangs and lived on the streets. I liked that all the kids were involved in the class and were able to be the first in their family to graduate and even go to college. Yes these kids had a very tough start to be bad kids then go out and be the kids that change themselves, friends, and even family. I thought it was kind of sad that the one kids mom kicked him out of the house because he was in a gang. Even though you may not like what your kids choose to do you should always love them and let them be in your home. I liked that he went to his house and asked his mom if he could come back home and not live on the streets. Yes it may be tough for her to take him in but I think she mad the right choice to take him back.

Post 3 Movie Response

Some pretty prominent themes in this movie would probably be overcoming adversity, believing in yourself, tolerance, and injustice. Those kids of all different races overcame adversity by coming together trusting each other during the time they spent together in the classroom. All the kids had to believe in their self to improve. Most of the kids had to tolerate their dangerous lives. Every time they walked out the door they could have died. I think she was a great teacher and always handled herself well. I don't think that if she were to have had to teach sophomores again she wouldn't have been able to bring them together like she did. Anyone would say Erin helped the entire class a ton and they all improved in almost every positive way because of her. I didn't make many connections with the story because I haven't had nearly as bad as things happen in my life. I have had a few bad things happen though and I know what it feels like to be scared or alone.

Journal Prompt #3--Thoughts on movie

Respond to the diary entries we read and the movie The Freedom Writers. What are some prominent themes in the movie? What do you think of Erin as a teacher? Analyze the lives of the Freedom Writers; how were they before Erin and after? Describe feelings you had or connections you made with specific scenes or characters.

Comments on Journal #2

There might be a way to show empathy and how you should deal with things, but if people don’t want to learn or care, I don’t think they will.
Some people WANT to change but don't know if they can.
Some people grow up with hate and it'd hard to stop the cycle.
Tolerance is hard because you can't relate to some people.
Tough times= more empathy
Empathy can't be taught but it can be shown (learned) through example.
Everyone does think differently, but that's where tolerance comes into play.

Journal Prompt 2

I think that sometimes tolerance is hard for some people because they don’t want to get along with others. I think some people just don’t have the mentality to like each other. Some people are great at working with others, they don’t have the problem of talking and getting along with others. Some people are just around the wrong people and don’t have the tolerance for anything. They would rather just do stupid things like smoke and drink. One time I was treated badly because some people just think they are better than others. And sometimes I am treated badly because I was short and fat. But now I just realize that I did the right thing and lost weight and got taller and showed that they need something better to do than make fun of me. Those things make me mad, I feel the same way when I drive. Sometimes you get those a holes that cut in front of you or flash their lights at you. It’s like jesus! I am trying to drive!

Tolerance Journal Entry 2

I think that some people have shorter fuses than other people, and that's why it seems like certain people have less tolerance than other people. People have more tolerance on some days, and less on others. If I'm having a bad day, of course I'm not going to have a lot of tolerance for everyone. A few years ago, I started doing different things than the girls in my class and they didn't like it. It was all of them against me. They judged me and made fun of me because I wasn't exactly like them, or exactly like I used to be. I absolutely hated it at first and it made me feel terrible, but after I realized I didn't need them anymore I was fine. I've hardly trusted the girls in my class that made me feel bad. I found new friends to have, and other things to do. It was hard at the time, but I'm fine with it now. It made me smarter, more independent, and made me put more effort into trusting people.

I think tolerance is something you acquire in your childhood. It depends how tolerant your parents are. If you see them being alright with anyone and everyone, then you'll most likely be very tolerant as well.

Entry #1

I have witnessed no Injustice that I can think of but I have watched criminal shows where the older brother took the blame for his little sister killing some one. I was thinking that I do not think I would or could take the blame for my little sisters doing a crime, especially if i knew they were guilty. Well I wasn't there so I could not really change anything. But if i was the brother I would go back and not take the blame and let my little sister take the blame. She did the crime she can do the time. If you can't handle the time don't do the crime. I think it would probably be hard to admitting to such a harsh crime such as killing someone let alone your parents. But at the same time its hard for me to connect to this because I can't imagine killing my parents let alone anyone else. For example I have seen if I had saw an older kid picking on a younger child I would step in and stand up for the underdog.

Freedom Writers Entry 1: Injustice

I think a lot of things that have happened to the kids in this movie are horrible, but thats just life. Famous quote time, its actually hanging in your room, "In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life, it goes on." -Robert Frost
This movie does a good job of portraying EVERY MAJOR CITY IN THE U.S. However, it is, so far, a pretty good movie to watch.

Comments on journal 1...

Why don't people say anything when they witness someone getting picked on or someone doing something wrong?

Really I just think people are scared or people just don’t want to get involved with the situation.

People don't want to get picked on.

People want to fit in or not be singled out.

Journal Prompt #2

Journal Prompt #2----Human Empathy (Finish entry by mid-point of film)
Erin Gruwell teaches her students to be tolerant of each other. Why is tolerance such a difficult thing for some people but easier for others? Why do some people have such an easy time accepting others’ differences while other people can act so cruelly to others? When was a time when you were treated badly because you were different or not accepted for a certain reason? How did you feel and what did you do? Is it possible to teach human empathy or do some people just have it and others don’t?

Post 1 Adam Krog

I think what the Freedom writer means by “rock the boat” is to speak up. I think it is good to speak up when something bad is happening to someone good. There are many examples in this movie so far that show people not rocking the boat when they should be. I have been a witness to many injustices. There have been many injustices on the playground, in the dark alleys, and many other places. Some of them have been on me, some of them have been on my friends. I never wanted to get involved, so I just walked away. I should have told the person to take it easy and to stop. Instead I did nothing. If I could go back, I would have tried to stop the situation. It wouldn’t have been that hard. I truly believe that it is hard to speak out because you think you will get in trouble or hurt. I do not think that it is easy to tell someone to leave another person alone. It takes a lot of guts. But once again, not really that hard.

Journal Prompt #1---Injustice

Journal Prompt #1---Injustice (Finish entry by the mid-point of the film)
In Diary 94, a Freedom Writer argues that people should "rock the boat" and "speak out" when they witness an injustice.  When have you observed an unjust action or behavior?  What did you do?  If you could go back in time and revisit that moment, would you handle it differently?  Why, do you believe, is it sometimes difficult for people to speak out or act against wrongdoing?

Freedom Writers Journal Prompts

Throughout our study of The Freedom Writers Diary and viewing of the film, you will be responsible for completing four journal entries. Please be honest and open in your responses. Take time to think about what you want to say and how you want to say it. I want you to be meticulous, and, along with practicing your writing skills, I want you to take into consideration the power of your words and the power of your voice.
Each of your responses should be at least 175 words. (As a comparison, this entry is 186 words.) Take note of when the entry should be completed and posted to the blog. Remember to practice your writing conventions as you respond! While the majority of your grade will be based on the thoroughness of your answers, you will also be graded on your writing conventions. I know sometimes it's easy to go into "text-writing mode" when you are typing on a blog, but this is a graded English writing assignment, not a Facebook post, so be mindful of your capital letters and your "u"s and "lol"s.