Introduction

Facing History and Ourselves is a course designed to inform people about tragic events that have happened in the past, particularly the Holocaust. One of the key principles of the class is for each student to evaluate themselves as a person, and chose what kind of person they want to become. The class consists of multiple readings and films, heavily based on specific on actual experiences of people who lived during the holocaust. Facing History and Ourselves is and extremely emotional class and takes a heavy toll on students, but in a good way. It is very important to apply yourself completely to the class in order to get the most out of it. There are multiple reasons for why I chose to take Facing History and Ourselves. One of the major reasons that I took the course was because I am Jewish and I grew up taking Jewish religion classes. I learned a lot about the Holocaust and I even got to speak with a survivor. It was one of the most enlightening experiences of my life at the time, and it is something that I will always remember. After growing up with these experiences in religious school, the opportunity to take another class surfaced around the Holocaust was something that I simply couldn’t pass up. I wanted to get the chance to learn more about the subject, and I felt that I was appreciate the material in a different way now that I’m much older. Facing History and Ourselves was one of the few classes that I took in High School that actually left a mark on me and I will always remember it. It was certainly a life changing class and I approach every second of the day with a different attitude now. I think that anyone who chooses not to take the class is missing out on a chance of a lifetime.

What Facing History Meant To Me

The class began to grow on me from day one. I could tell right away that the structure of the course entailed each student to apply them self completely or the lessons of the class wouldn’t be absorbed. Facing History and Ourselves affected me on many different levels physically and emotionally. In taking the class, I was forced to question many of my beliefs and values that have been instilled in me over the course of my life. One of the main purposes of the class was for every individual to discover who they are as a person as well as to establish what kind of person they want to become. My journey through the course was enlightening and I feel that I will be a changed person forever. The films and images that I have been exposed to over the last few months have been moving, disturbing and distressing. At many points, I found myself cringing with discomfort and emotional pain. But as I come to the end of the course, I know that what I have seen and learned will be carried with me for the rest of my life.


I have learned a lot of important things in my time as a student in the course. The focus of the class was on the Holocaust and we saw many films and images of how the Holocaust began and needed. One of the key things that this class was designed to teach was how t never let something like the Holocaust reoccur. I feel that this class should be provided to students all over the world because it educates young people on how to avoid conforming to a society that may have incorrect intentions. This class teaches the student to think for themselves and the stay strong to their own beliefs. It is easy to be persuaded to do things that a person doesn’t necessarily believe in when someone much more superior to them is making the orders. This was easily seen in the 1940’s when people all over Germany conformed to the Nazi beliefs under Hitler, without even taking a second to think about what the principles of the Nazi beliefs were. It was easy for Hitler to take control over such a large mass of people because of the condition that Germany was in the time that Hitler rose to power. Germany was extremely vulnerable and struggling economically, and the people didn’t know who to turn too. Hitler guaranteed that he could restore Germany when know one else could. So of course the people chose to follow him because there was no one else to look too. I think that Facing History and Ourselves is a class designed to prevent these exact things from happening. I feel that I especially have come to realize that I would openly speak out against someone who was trying to gain power over a population that was vulnerable and weak, only if I didn’t support the values of this particular person. This class has taught me to be a resistance to those who attempt to do wrong by people because they know exactly how to be convincing towards a particular group of people. I feel that in taking this class, I have developed a much stronger ability to understand all sides of a conflict, which can help in me being able to see pros and cons of all points of view. I have learned that it is very important to eliminate any bias in situations of conflict or disagreement, because this may sway my opinion. If a person has an altered opinion about a certain situation because of bias and emotions, they may be blinded from the truths and realities of the particular issue. This in turn can prolong the time period it takes to solve a conflict. In the time that it takes to fix a problem, many different things could have elapsed by then, which is exactly what happened in the Holocaust. People refused to speak out and fight against the Nazis because of bias and opinions about the people being persecuted by the Nazi’s. As a result, the Nazis were successful in nearly exterminating the entire Jewish population along with many other types of people.


Facing History and Ourselves has definitely been a class that has inspired me to be a more active citizen in America. I certainly feel that I will be vocal and active in my community and I will always fight for what is right for the people. I also have been influenced by this class in that I don’t plan to only be active for my own country but also other countries. Everyone deserves to be treated equally, regardless of what ethnicity they are, or what their back ground is. It would be ashamed to see an entire population of people be discriminated because of their ethnicity and culture, and have no support from outside countries. If any culture is being discriminated by a more superior group of people, I believe it is a person’s civil duty to fight for the inferior people. It is the duty of people to liberate the restrictions that have been forced upon people for no real reason at all.


In all, I am extremely grateful to have been given the chance to take Facing History and Ourselves. It is the first time in my life that I have really looked deep into my core and roots and evaluated myself as a person. I feel that I have become a better person since I began taking this course. For a long time I have always been the kind of person that speaks out when I feel strongly about a certain situation or if I see something going on with my peers that I don’t agree with. This class has encouraged me to continue on this path on an even greater scale. The main thing that I have taken away from this class is that if I want something, I just have to go get it. There is nothing that will ever hold me back from getting what I want. I think Mr. Gallagher’s story about his mail box was the simplest story, but the single most influential lesson that I’ll take away from this class. This is the story that made me realize I truly can do anything I want in my life; I just have to put my mind to it. I also absolutely will take away the message from this class that any motivation and inspiration can go a long way, you just have to know how to use it. Facing History and Ourselves is a crucial class in helping people understand the past and learning how to prevent the negatives from happening. I will never forget the things I have seen, learned and talked about in Facing History and Ourselves. The class has generated a great deal of emotion in my head that I want to express and reveal to all the people around me.

Works Cited

Nazis. Google Images. Image. May 19,2011.

The Boy in The Striped Pajams. Google images. Image. May 19, 2011.

The Holocaust. Google images. Image. May 19, 2011.

The Holocaust. Google images. Image. May 19, 2011.

The Milgrim Experiment. Google images. Image. May 19, 2011.