This Blog is a resource tool for the students taking the "FACING HISTORY AND OURSELVES" elective at Westborough High School, Westborough, Massachusetts.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
The Death Camps - Period 1
Please post a reflective comment about what you saw in class today. Make sure to comment on at least two other student's posts.
Mr. Gallagher
25 comments:
Anonymous
said...
The video we watched today in class did a good job of showing how the Nazis tortured the Jews before they killed them. There were plenty of dead bodies but there were also living people testifying to the camera about how they were treated by the Nazis and showing physical scars left from the inhumane treatment. Its easier to picture what these people went through when you can actually hear living people talk about it happening to themselves instead of just seeing piles of dead bodies.
The movie we watched in class today wasn’t like any other movie we’ve seen. It was horrifying to see all the dead people lying in piles all over the camps, and the frail men and women that couldn’t even get out of their beds to eat once the camps were liberated. What was most striking was the images of the Germans walking to the death camps to see what had happened over the past few years. They were in such denial that anything could have happened, and they were so sure that this whole thing was set up. Their reaction to the table to artifacts and seeing the rest of the camp was a huge reality check for them. I was surprised to see the German men moving the bodies of the dead people. I would’ve assumed the Americans and Germans would’ve punished the Nazis by making them do the dirty work. Seeing the things made out of human skin such as the lamp shade and the paintings was just disgusting and disrespectful.
I agree Justin; I think that having the living people there to tell their story of how they saw people getting tortured really hits home hard. They had a lot of scenes with the prisoners acting out the torture that the Nazis inflicted, other than the gas chambers and the shootings we had seen previously.
The Death Camps film we watched today in class honestly disturbed me to the point where I felt kind of sick and had to turn away at certain points. They showed the types of tools and methods that were used by the Nazis to torture the Jews and I ask myself how could people be so cruel? That's something I'll probably never be able to understand. Another part that was hard for me to watch was seeing people starve and literally become skin and bones. Fortunately, some Jews that were found hopeless and practically dying were carried and taken to treatment. Even that, however, was difficult to watch because the majority of them didn't even have the strength to lift themselves up let alone walk. It was just an extremely sad sad film and what makes it worse is that it's all true. I hope all the Nazis that were involved with the death camps went to hell!! Sorry if that's inappropriate but that's just my opinion!!
I also agree with Justin and Lizzy. Interviewing Jews that have suffered and been forced to face death does make it more real and easier to understand. Also, the lamps and paintings that were made out of human skin was absolutely disgusting and disrespectful!!
I think that the movie we watched in class today was unique and very different from the movies we have watched. It went into more depth and I felt it was more eye opening than the other movies we have seen. Since this movie went into more depth, I found it harder to watch. The people who were so weak and frail being moved about and the way they would use torture on people. The different types, such as take a club with barbwire wrapped around it and rub it along their backs, or when their fingers were put in the press and it was crunched down, were hard to watch and horrifying to think this would happen to them. The large mounds of bodies just shipped about and thrown in ditches was horrible and I could not believe the lack of respect the Nazi's had, and the hardships the Jews had to go through.
I agree with Lizzy when she talks about the German's from nearby towns coming and visiting the death camp sites. When they first walked in the Germans had ear to ear grins and thought this was all a ploy and a made up scene. However, as they began to walk through the camp and saw the man things made of human skin, I think that it began to hit them that this was not a made up scene, it was real. They began to give blank, confused stares and they seemed to have conflicting thoughts about what had gone on around them.
I also agree with Ilsi when she said that at times the movie made her turn away and feel sick. I agree when she says that it was so hard to watch these people litteraly deteriorate physically and become nothing but skin and bones. I also felt relief when they said that anyone who was not to far gone was taken away to get immediate treatment.
This video shows a lot of the cruelty that happened in the concentration camps, including both the torture and the deaths. I already knew that both torture and death were common at concentration camps during the Holocaust, but I had never seen what torture instruments were used. Also, even though I have seen the piles of dead bodies at concentration camps before and I already knew how many deaths happened in the Holocaust, I am still shocked to see exactly how many corpses there were. I also was surprised and disgusted that they used human skin to make lampshades.
The film we watched today was one of the most disturbing things I have ever seen in my life. It was so horrifying that about half way into the film, I could not believe those were real bodies. They were literally dragging skin and bones. I had not known that the German soldiers and even random citizens were forced to see what their government had done. I found that to be important because we as citizens need to make sure that nothing bad is happening. If we become ignorant and only focus on ourselves, this is what happens.
I agree with Lizzy when she says that the products made from human parts were not only disgusting, but disrespectful. Then again, I don't think the Nazis cared to be respectful. Anyone who would want to have a lamp on their desk with a shade made of skin is probably insane.
I agree with what Justin said about picturing the death camps. The death camps were such cruel places that it is hard to imagine a complete picture of what it was like there, but the living people's scars and stories and the torture instruments used in concentration camps show a more complete picture of the cruelty of the Holocaust.
Like Andy, I had also never seen those cruel torture techniques that were used. I am surprised that they actually began to demonstrate with one of the guys. I'm not sure whether or not the guy was being hurt, but he must have felt extremely degraded.
I agree with what Ilsi said about this film. I feel that it is very surprising that people were able to be so cruel that they could use the torture instruments shown in this video. I also agree with what Lizzy said. I find the whole Holocaust very disturbing, especially that many people could not even get out of bed or eat after the camps were liberated.
The video we watched in class today was actual footage of various Nazi Concentration, or Death, Camps. The gruesome footage showed mounds of bodies, burt corpses, and the surviving inmates in the worst of conditions. The film most interesting to me because of the real footage it included as well as the fact that it was accounts of the smaller less well known death camps. I could barely listen to the descriptions of the killings and watching the people dig up the dead and show the causes of death, weather it be bullet wounds or rotting flesh, was sickening. I believe this movie is necessary to watch because it embodies the ultimate terror of WWII and the Holocaust.
I agree with Justin that the film did a great job in showing how the Jews and other inmates were tortured and systematically murdered. The inhuman treatment was indeed on full displays as film crews captured the "living" inmates. Many of the inmates that were freed by the Americans and other Allies were horribly sick or badly beaten. Like justin said it was hard to watch the film when the people involved were telling there own stories.
I also agree with Lizzy's comments about the reality check the German citizens got when they were forced to tour the Nazi Death Camps that had been only miles from there homes through out the war. The smiles turned quickly to looks of disgust and horror as people were shown lamps made of animal skin and the barns full of dead bodies. It felt right that the Germans were forced to dig up the mass graves when then were the ones who killed the prisoners.
This film showed a lot of different camps, usually all you hear about is Auschwitz and all the terrible things that happened there. But this movie really showed that this was happening all over and that many more people died than were just at Auschwitz. It also showed all the ways that the prisoners were tortured and prisoners who survived showed their scars showing how bad it was.
Like Andy was saying, the torture devices that were used looked extremely painful. And Sevag was talking about the guys that were demonstrating the way they worked, I can't believe that someone would want to ever show what had happened, even if it were for documentation. It was a situation that was extremely cruel and painful and I wouldn't think that anyone would want to put themselves in that kind of situation for any reason.
The movie that we saw was CERTAINLY not anything like i've ever seen. It was heartbreaking but at the same time a reality check. It just reinforced the fact that the holocaust DID IN FACT HAPPEN. People should not deny it. The film just made everything more REAL. We got to witness first hand what exactly the death camps were like, and although it was extremely disturbing, i think it benefitted us all. I agree with Taylor. I never knew that there were so many different death camps-and it is true, most kids only know about Auschwitz because it was the most publicized. I also agree with everyone else who said that interviewing actual people from the death camps really added to the movie. The scars they have are their for life and they will always be reminded of the terrible times they had to endure and everything they lost during the Holocaust
The video we watched in school was very difficult to watch with all the different methods of brutuality the Nazis invented in order to inflict the worst possible pain on the people. It's impossible to think that anyone would even be able to make up such vicious treatments such as the barbed wire poll to beat someone tied up in chains and other methods.
I agree with what Lizzy said how the German people got a reality check when they saw what the Nazis had done with the remains of the prisoner's bodies. Yet, the German people should've known what was going on ahead of time if they were complaining about the stench of the dead bodies reaching town. Although it makes a big difference when one sees something in person than just hearing about it. I also agree with Andy that it's appalling that anyone would ever think to make anything out of human skin, especially a lamp shade.
I wonder what the survival rate of the liberated prisoners was considering some of the illnesses. I know that there were deaths at some camps from over-eating after starvation. I also wonder how involved Hitler was with the decisions at the camps. Did he visit them? Did he specifically order certain methods of torture? How did some prisoners escape?
I agree with you Andy. Seeing the torture instruments was different than any other experience I've had hearing about the brutality inflicted on the people. Seeing all the dead bodies made the already large number of deaths even bigger because you actually saw each and every body instead of them being reduced to a number.
I thought the video we saw in class today was horrifying. This was an extremely powerful film, and at many instances it was hard to watch. It's unbelievable that this holocaust could have taken place; the result was too devestating for words. I didn't really comprehend how many death camps actually existed during World War II before seeing this film. These extermination camps were everywhere and at each place more and more horrors were seen.
I thought it was right of the Allies to force the German officers and citizens to view the atrocities of their government. Many of the civilians were shocked, and rightfully so, but I find it disgusting that none of them had done anything speak out against what was taking place. I doubt the common people could be that ignorant about what was taking place around the nation, and by doing nothing, they were actively allowing the genocide to occur.
The images of the starved bodies was unreal. How could a people torture fellow human beings like that? The other described methods of torture against these innocent citizens was shocking and revolting, and I hope everyone can take something away from watching this film -jake j
Austin said that this film was necessary to watch and I completely agree with him. Although it is so disturbing to view the holocaust, it is absolutely essential that we do. It is not plausible that a group of people could treat other humans like they were creatures that didnt deserve to live. Austin talked about the horrible causes of death that we witnessed in the film, and he was right, it does embody the terror of WWII, and I only hope we as a human race are not condemed to repeat these mistakes again. -jake jablon
this movie was quite horrid. It showed the brutality and cruelty of the concentration camps. Although we already knew that the conditions inside the camps were terrible this video made it seem more real. Seeing actual footage of people starved and dead was really powerful. It is important to take what was seen in the video to heart. All around the world people starve to death and live in dirty conditions. Instead of watching this video and talking about how horrible things were during the holocaust people should watch it and think about whats going on today. The things that happen today are the things that we actually have control over. Instead of living in the past take the lessons into the present and get out and do something.
25 comments:
The video we watched today in class did a good job of showing how the Nazis tortured the Jews before they killed them. There were plenty of dead bodies but there were also living people testifying to the camera about how they were treated by the Nazis and showing physical scars left from the inhumane treatment. Its easier to picture what these people went through when you can actually hear living people talk about it happening to themselves instead of just seeing piles of dead bodies.
The movie we watched in class today wasn’t like any other movie we’ve seen. It was horrifying to see all the dead people lying in piles all over the camps, and the frail men and women that couldn’t even get out of their beds to eat once the camps were liberated. What was most striking was the images of the Germans walking to the death camps to see what had happened over the past few years. They were in such denial that anything could have happened, and they were so sure that this whole thing was set up. Their reaction to the table to artifacts and seeing the rest of the camp was a huge reality check for them. I was surprised to see the German men moving the bodies of the dead people. I would’ve assumed the Americans and Germans would’ve punished the Nazis by making them do the dirty work. Seeing the things made out of human skin such as the lamp shade and the paintings was just disgusting and disrespectful.
I agree Justin; I think that having the living people there to tell their story of how they saw people getting tortured really hits home hard. They had a lot of scenes with the prisoners acting out the torture that the Nazis inflicted, other than the gas chambers and the shootings we had seen previously.
The Death Camps film we watched today in class honestly disturbed me to the point where I felt kind of sick and had to turn away at certain points. They showed the types of tools and methods that were used by the Nazis to torture the Jews and I ask myself how could people be so cruel? That's something I'll probably never be able to understand. Another part that was hard for me to watch was seeing people starve and literally become skin and bones. Fortunately, some Jews that were found hopeless and practically dying were carried and taken to treatment. Even that, however, was difficult to watch because the majority of them didn't even have the strength to lift themselves up let alone walk. It was just an extremely sad sad film and what makes it worse is that it's all true. I hope all the Nazis that were involved with the death camps went to hell!! Sorry if that's inappropriate but that's just my opinion!!
I also agree with Justin and Lizzy. Interviewing Jews that have suffered and been forced to face death does make it more real and easier to understand. Also, the lamps and paintings that were made out of human skin was absolutely disgusting and disrespectful!!
- Ilsi D.
I think that the movie we watched in class today was unique and very different from the movies we have watched. It went into more depth and I felt it was more eye opening than the other movies we have seen. Since this movie went into more depth, I found it harder to watch. The people who were so weak and frail being moved about and the way they would use torture on people. The different types, such as take a club with barbwire wrapped around it and rub it along their backs, or when their fingers were put in the press and it was crunched down, were hard to watch and horrifying to think this would happen to them. The large mounds of bodies just shipped about and thrown in ditches was horrible and I could not believe the lack of respect the Nazi's had, and the hardships the Jews had to go through.
I agree with Lizzy when she talks about the German's from nearby towns coming and visiting the death camp sites. When they first walked in the Germans had ear to ear grins and thought this was all a ploy and a made up scene. However, as they began to walk through the camp and saw the man things made of human skin, I think that it began to hit them that this was not a made up scene, it was real. They began to give blank, confused stares and they seemed to have conflicting thoughts about what had gone on around them.
I also agree with Ilsi when she said that at times the movie made her turn away and feel sick. I agree when she says that it was so hard to watch these people litteraly deteriorate physically and become nothing but skin and bones. I also felt relief when they said that anyone who was not to far gone was taken away to get immediate treatment.
This video shows a lot of the cruelty that happened in the concentration camps, including both the torture and the deaths. I already knew that both torture and death were common at concentration camps during the Holocaust, but I had never seen what torture instruments were used. Also, even though I have seen the piles of dead bodies at concentration camps before and I already knew how many deaths happened in the Holocaust, I am still shocked to see exactly how many corpses there were. I also was surprised and disgusted that they used human skin to make lampshades.
Andy H.
The film we watched today was one of the most disturbing things I have ever seen in my life. It was so horrifying that about half way into the film, I could not believe those were real bodies. They were literally dragging skin and bones. I had not known that the German soldiers and even random citizens were forced to see what their government had done. I found that to be important because we as citizens need to make sure that nothing bad is happening. If we become ignorant and only focus on ourselves, this is what happens.
I agree with Lizzy when she says that the products made from human parts were not only disgusting, but disrespectful. Then again, I don't think the Nazis cared to be respectful. Anyone who would want to have a lamp on their desk with a shade made of skin is probably insane.
I agree with what Justin said about picturing the death camps. The death camps were such cruel places that it is hard to imagine a complete picture of what it was like there, but the living people's scars and stories and the torture instruments used in concentration camps show a more complete picture of the cruelty of the Holocaust.
Andy H.
Like Andy, I had also never seen those cruel torture techniques that were used. I am surprised that they actually began to demonstrate with one of the guys. I'm not sure whether or not the guy was being hurt, but he must have felt extremely degraded.
I agree with what Ilsi said about this film. I feel that it is very surprising that people were able to be so cruel that they could use the torture instruments shown in this video. I also agree with what Lizzy said. I find the whole Holocaust very disturbing, especially that many people could not even get out of bed or eat after the camps were liberated.
Andy H.
The video we watched in class today was actual footage of various Nazi Concentration, or Death, Camps. The gruesome footage showed mounds of bodies, burt corpses, and the surviving inmates in the worst of conditions. The film most interesting to me because of the real footage it included as well as the fact that it was accounts of the smaller less well known death camps. I could barely listen to the descriptions of the killings and watching the people dig up the dead and show the causes of death, weather it be bullet wounds or rotting flesh, was sickening. I believe this movie is necessary to watch because it embodies the ultimate terror of WWII and the Holocaust.
I agree with Justin that the film did a great job in showing how the Jews and other inmates were tortured and systematically murdered. The inhuman treatment was indeed on full displays as film crews captured the "living" inmates. Many of the inmates that were freed by the Americans and other Allies were horribly sick or badly beaten. Like justin said it was hard to watch the film when the people involved were telling there own stories.
I also agree with Lizzy's comments about the reality check the German citizens got when they were forced to tour the Nazi Death Camps that had been only miles from there homes through out the war. The smiles turned quickly to looks of disgust and horror as people were shown lamps made of animal skin and the barns full of dead bodies. It felt right that the Germans were forced to dig up the mass graves when then were the ones who killed the prisoners.
-Austin E.
This film showed a lot of different camps, usually all you hear about is Auschwitz and all the terrible things that happened there. But this movie really showed that this was happening all over and that many more people died than were just at Auschwitz. It also showed all the ways that the prisoners were tortured and prisoners who survived showed their scars showing how bad it was.
Like Andy was saying, the torture devices that were used looked extremely painful. And Sevag was talking about the guys that were demonstrating the way they worked, I can't believe that someone would want to ever show what had happened, even if it were for documentation. It was a situation that was extremely cruel and painful and I wouldn't think that anyone would want to put themselves in that kind of situation for any reason.
Taylor
The movie that we saw was CERTAINLY not anything like i've ever seen. It was heartbreaking but at the same time a reality check. It just reinforced the fact that the holocaust DID IN FACT HAPPEN. People should not deny it. The film just made everything more REAL. We got to witness first hand what exactly the death camps were like, and although it was extremely disturbing, i think it benefitted us all.
I agree with Taylor. I never knew that there were so many different death camps-and it is true, most kids only know about Auschwitz because it was the most publicized. I also agree with everyone else who said that interviewing actual people from the death camps really added to the movie. The scars they have are their for life and they will always be reminded of the terrible times they had to endure and everything they lost during the Holocaust
The video we watched in school was very difficult to watch with all the different methods of brutuality the Nazis invented in order to inflict the worst possible pain on the people. It's impossible to think that anyone would even be able to make up such vicious treatments such as the barbed wire poll to beat someone tied up in chains and other methods.
I agree with what Lizzy said how the German people got a reality check when they saw what the Nazis had done with the remains of the prisoner's bodies. Yet, the German people should've known what was going on ahead of time if they were complaining about the stench of the dead bodies reaching town. Although it makes a big difference when one sees something in person than just hearing about it. I also agree with Andy that it's appalling that anyone would ever think to make anything out of human skin, especially a lamp shade.
The fact that they used the skin of humans they had murdered to make pieces of art is potentially the most disgusting thing I have ever heard.
I wonder what the survival rate of the liberated prisoners was considering some of the illnesses. I know that there were deaths at some camps from over-eating after starvation. I also wonder how involved Hitler was with the decisions at the camps. Did he visit them? Did he specifically order certain methods of torture? How did some prisoners escape?
I agree with you Andy. Seeing the torture instruments was different than any other experience I've had hearing about the brutality inflicted on the people. Seeing all the dead bodies made the already large number of deaths even bigger because you actually saw each and every body instead of them being reduced to a number.
I thought the video we saw in class today was horrifying. This was an extremely powerful film, and at many instances it was hard to watch. It's unbelievable that this holocaust could have taken place; the result was too devestating for words. I didn't really comprehend how many death camps actually existed during World War II before seeing this film. These extermination camps were everywhere and at each place more and more horrors were seen.
I thought it was right of the Allies to force the German officers and citizens to view the atrocities of their government. Many of the civilians were shocked, and rightfully so, but I find it disgusting that none of them had done anything speak out against what was taking place. I doubt the common people could be that ignorant about what was taking place around the nation, and by doing nothing, they were actively allowing the genocide to occur.
The images of the starved bodies was unreal. How could a people torture fellow human beings like that? The other described methods of torture against these innocent citizens was shocking and revolting, and I hope everyone can take something away from watching this film
-jake j
Austin said that this film was necessary to watch and I completely agree with him. Although it is so disturbing to view the holocaust, it is absolutely essential that we do. It is not plausible that a group of people could treat other humans like they were creatures that didnt deserve to live. Austin talked about the horrible causes of death that we witnessed in the film, and he was right, it does embody the terror of WWII, and I only hope we as a human race are not condemed to repeat these mistakes again.
-jake jablon
this movie was quite horrid. It showed the brutality and cruelty of the concentration camps. Although we already knew that the conditions inside the camps were terrible this video made it seem more real. Seeing actual footage of people starved and dead was really powerful. It is important to take what was seen in the video to heart. All around the world people starve to death and live in dirty conditions. Instead of watching this video and talking about how horrible things were during the holocaust people should watch it and think about whats going on today. The things that happen today are the things that we actually have control over. Instead of living in the past take the lessons into the present and get out and do something.
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