Whenever I teach English 11B I have to teach Elie Wiesel's famous Holocaust memoir, Night. The kids are generally really interested in this unit. We end with a discussion about forgiveness and also watching the film Hotel Rwanda and a brief study of Darfur (maybe Syria this time around). It's important for kids to know about the Holocaust, but it's also important for them to know that this kind of thing is still taking place. When the kids have to answer the question, "why should high schoolers read Night?" They invariably say, "So this never happens again." Now I try and pose the question, "why does this keep happening?" (Side note: don't believe me? Click here), because I want them to know that the hate and organized killing of the Jews (and others) is not an isolated event in history.
Today in class we watched some excerpts from an Oprah special where she and Wiesel return to Auschwitz. Wiesel is wise, poetic, and profound and Oprah is over-dramatic, self-important, and prying as is to be expected. But other than that, it's a pretty good piece. (You can watch it here). The film includes some upsetting images and also an upsetting conversation about the fate of babies and young children in the camp. Afterwards, I asked the kids to journal about whether or not films like this should exist. I asked: Should we include graphic images in documentaries such as this? Should the news replay images of the Boston bombing victims, the twin towers collapsing, the explosion in Texas, people crying? Should museums keep artifacts such as shoes, clothes, and toys? Should movies and texts display images of dead bodies? Is there a benefit to constantly evoking these images? etc...
Most of the kids felt that the emotional impact of such images was important in the remembering and honoring of the victims of such tragedies. A few found them personally upsetting and therefore didn't like to look at them for themselves. One student wrote a particularly thoughtful paragraph that I just thought should be shared. I like this excerpt because it's thoughtful, concise, and so wise to come from the mind of a 16 year old. I like this excerpt because it comes from a special ed student who doesn't participate much in class. I like this excerpt because it brings me hope maybe this generation does in fact understand the weight and responsibility of history:
These things show us the dark side of humanity. They show us just how far we have come and our ability to overcome horrific events. These things remind us of the mistakes of our ancestors and those in our past that must not be repeated again. They show us that anyone can do bad things, but it's the people who shine in the darkness that show just how good people can truly be. We NEED to know about this kind of stuff. We have to ask a lot of questions...
Today in class we watched some excerpts from an Oprah special where she and Wiesel return to Auschwitz. Wiesel is wise, poetic, and profound and Oprah is over-dramatic, self-important, and prying as is to be expected. But other than that, it's a pretty good piece. (You can watch it here). The film includes some upsetting images and also an upsetting conversation about the fate of babies and young children in the camp. Afterwards, I asked the kids to journal about whether or not films like this should exist. I asked: Should we include graphic images in documentaries such as this? Should the news replay images of the Boston bombing victims, the twin towers collapsing, the explosion in Texas, people crying? Should museums keep artifacts such as shoes, clothes, and toys? Should movies and texts display images of dead bodies? Is there a benefit to constantly evoking these images? etc...
Most of the kids felt that the emotional impact of such images was important in the remembering and honoring of the victims of such tragedies. A few found them personally upsetting and therefore didn't like to look at them for themselves. One student wrote a particularly thoughtful paragraph that I just thought should be shared. I like this excerpt because it's thoughtful, concise, and so wise to come from the mind of a 16 year old. I like this excerpt because it comes from a special ed student who doesn't participate much in class. I like this excerpt because it brings me hope maybe this generation does in fact understand the weight and responsibility of history:
These things show us the dark side of humanity. They show us just how far we have come and our ability to overcome horrific events. These things remind us of the mistakes of our ancestors and those in our past that must not be repeated again. They show us that anyone can do bad things, but it's the people who shine in the darkness that show just how good people can truly be. We NEED to know about this kind of stuff. We have to ask a lot of questions...
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