We mark the 20th anniversary of the Rwandan genocide this year. Despite warnings of imminent violence made by Canadian General Roméo Dallaire, the head of the UN Assistance Mission for Rwanda, the world failed to act and some 800,000 people were murdered within 100 days in 1994. President Bill Clinton later reflected on the U.S. government’s failure to respond: “If we’d gone in sooner, I believe we could have saved at least a third of the lives that were lost... it had an enduring impact on me.”As long as genocide remains a threat, we must continue to ask ourselves about the consequences of action—and of inaction. That is how we strive to fulfill the promise of Never Again. Please post your thoughts about the film we watched in class.
22 comments:
Once again, I watched a movie about a horrible example of genocide. 800,000 people is almost a million, and to have been murdered within 100 days,is hard to understand. Don't the words "Never Again", mean never again? Why does it continue to happen? The main character in the movie, Paul, needed to rescue a lot of people. He had to trick the soldiers, and take care of the refugees. His family looked to him to be strong. I can't imagine what it would be like to have to be so strong for your loved ones when there was so much danger around. Watching movies like this helps me to have a grasp of what people went through.
I have watched this film many times throughout my life and each time I watch it, it has a big impact on me. I am amazed that something like this can happen in the world we live in. I will never understand how one human can take the life of another. The Rwandan genocide especially shocked me because it was people killing people of their own kind. What happened in Rwanda is absolutely disgusting and it's sad to say that there are still things like this happening in our world today.
It would be great to believe genocide could be stopped, but it cant. Not without sacrificing the liberties of everyone in the world. if we continue to give away our freedom for the illusion of safety, how far are we willing to go,how much will we give up. but, we still have a chance, as idealistic as it may sound,if the major political leaders of the strongest nations practice a sense of brotherly love to those who need it most, we can save them, and slowly, through generations we can aid people in need, not because they are underprivileged, but because they are no longer one of those people, we re all one people, humans.
This was the first time I had seen Hotel Rwanda, though I had heard about it and knew much about the topic. I thought the movie itself was very well made, and it entertained me and captivated me until the end credits. The message I took from the film was one of hope, and it served as proof to me that determination can truly save lives. Though the genocide was horrible, the manager's intelligence and determination saved those 1300 people he was protecting in the hotel.
I remember watching this movie in English freshman year to learn about the devastating concept of dehumanization, and I watched it again sophomore year in Journalism. Watching this for a third time, though, I picked up on many more details. I think that genocide has a massive effect on all that are involved, obviously, but the dehumanization factor is ludicrous. For instance, when Paul stepped out of the van only to be exposed to hundreds of dead bodies in the street, the awful and pain-inducing nature of the genocide in Rwanda really hit him. It was as if the bodies were just bodies, not humans with emotions and ambitions and families to take care of. I continually wonder how humans can inflict such pain upon others of their own kind, and I don't think I will ever reach an answer. Hatred in these cases seems to prevail and innocent souls are lost forever due to the hatred inflicted upon them. As I've noticed in the films we've watched thus far regarding Nazi Germany, I think that a large part of any mass killing/hatred has to majorly do with an extreme superiority complex: if somebody is deemed superior, they will act on it in any and every way possible. As I mentioned earlier, I had seen this film previously, but I had never been able to fully comprehend most of the events that occurred. However, since I have been in this Facing History course, I can now absorb more of the information and attempt to look deeper into the thoughts of the people committing such hate crimes. I will be infinitely perplexed as to how Rwanda received such little outside help and how awareness of this event was extremely low in other countries and around the world. I'm glad this movie exists because it gives me a good grasp on the genocide that occurred in Rwanda.
Watching this film made me realize that you can never give up on helping your own. I can't believe that this had happened, it's terrible how a human can kill another human being so easily and cold hearted like these people did. Paul was frightened and he put his fright aside to help people who needed help. He never gave up on his family or the people who were staying in the hotel. He did everything he could to protect them. Paul was brave through the entire disaster and he put his life at risk many times so he can protect his close ones. Nothing stopped him from getting what he wanted. Thanks to Paul he was able to save many lives and have families place to stay, gave them food and water, and helped anyone who was having trouble. It's crazy to think that a disaster like the one in Rwanda can happen anywhere at any time or place in a blink of an eye.
The first time I had ever watched Hotel Rwanda, I was taking the Journalism course offered at WHS. While watching the film it greatly affected me and I was shown a part of history that I'd never known existed and the tragedies that occurred during that genocide. I watched this film with utter sadness with a journalists perspective, but in taking Facing History, I feel as though I have more of a humanitarian's view on this event. In looking at this, it's isn't so different from the Holocaust and that genocides can occur in very generation even in the modern world and that is the scariest thing to think about. I was appalled that the rest of the work didn't immediately step in to help the hurting nation because they've seen this kind of devastation before. I don't know if I'll ever understand why people have such a hard time helping other people and doing the right thing. These internal conflictions that people have about deciding what is right and what is wrong should be easy to distinguish and the fact that some people can't see past that is beyond me. I was appalled at the way the Hutu's and Tutsi's treated each other. I think brotherhood should exist between mankind and not just certain men and their "own kind".
Before watching this film, I hadn't really known much about Rwanda. I thought it was so interesting and it seemed incredibly realistic; it felt like I was actually watching what had happened. It is so sad to know that these were the realities of thousands of people and things like this are still happening around the world. I will never understand how some people can be so inhumane. This film has had a big impact on me because it made me realize how important it is to make sure this kind of thing doesn't keep repeating itself in history.
As it was the first time I have ever seen this movie or really even heard about the Rwandan genocide, this film made a great impact on me. Throughout the movie, I couldn't believe the brutality and cruelty illustrated by many of the Hutu. I can't imagine what a person must be like to chop up another human being with a machete and left to rot on a beach. The fact that almost a million people were ruthlessly slaughtered is simply past my point of comprehension. At the same time, I was amazed by Paul's tenacity and willingness to help others, even when him and his family were in grave danger. Even though Paul was actually a Hutu, he believed that everyone should have a chance at life, especially women and children and was determined to ensure the safety of everyone at the hotel. Despite the incredible risks, Paul left the relative safety of the grounds and his own family to get food and water for hundreds of starving people. In the end, 1300 people from the hotel survived, but to me, that seemed unrealistic. Hundreds of thousands of people were hacked to death and somehow, through one man's bravery and strength, all of the hotel refugees survived.
I can not believe a mass murder like that could happen in Rwanda. And i cant believe that one point the UN was planing on leaving them there. I feel the world should of got involved more and the fact that they didnt is a real shock to me. Paul was really brave to have all those tutsis live in his hotel, because if he got caught he would die. That is a true hero. Someone who put himself in danger to help prevent other people from danger. And thats what Paul did. Hotel Rwanda was very eye opening that genocides still happen today.
I have seen this film a few times before however each time it leaves a very powerful, lasting impression. First of all I am very surprised that we have never studied the Rwanda genocide in any history classes at WHS. I didn't even know that the Genocide happened until this year which makes me so embarrassed. But after watching this film I learned a lot about the genocide and also what the families and Rwandans had to go through. Paul's family and his story made the genocide that much more heartbreaking and tragic because I feel like I really connected and grew to love Paul and his family. Paul had so much strength and really put this family first which was so precious. I just can't even imagine living through that Genocide and dealing with the guns, the deaths and awful sights everywhere. It really is so heartbreaking to know that a million corpses were left in Rwanda and that thousands of kids died. The whole movie was just very powerful and heartbreaking but I loved the strength that Paul showed when he helped his people and really did anything he could do to help others.
Although I have seen Hotel Rwanda quite a few times, it still moves me everytime I watch it. To watch what these people had to go through and endure because of some stupid discrimination really hurts. People around the world had heard and saw what was going on and what Paul and his people were going thorough and just decided to sit back and watch really pissed me off. They had a choice to make and clearly did not make the right one, thinking only what the cameraman had said "wow that's horrible" and went back to their daily lives. Paul's bravery and selflessness proved to be what was truly needed by everyone through the Rwandan genocide. He left his family and put himself in danger just to help people he didn't even know. If the world had acted like Paul did, maybe suxh an event didnt have to occur as radically or at all. I envy Paul and what he did for those people and hope that as one world today, we could all think and act as he did.
It really bothered me to see all those inocent people get murdered. It was even more sad to see all those little kids scared to death. This video makes you realize what you have and makes you appriciate it all. The hotel maneger was such a great person trying to save as many lives as he could, he would never give up or take no for an answer. Leaders like that are very inspiring. This movie was very, very touching. Im glad I got to watch it.
Although I missed the last day of watching this film, it still left a mark on me. I felt almost ashamed to be a part of the U.S. because they hadn’t gone in sooner even though they knew about everything that had been going on. There are no words to say to those families that lost one or however many in the 800,000 that were lost. It baffles me even more that it happened in only 100 days. Imagine the numbers of people and families that could’ve been saved if something had been done in the beginning. I admired the main character, Paul, for his bravery and his will to not give up. He risked his own life over and over again just to save those people in the hotel rather than save himself and go with his family. He didn’t even all the people that were in the hotel but that didn’t matter to him, it didn’t matter to him if they were Hutu or Tutsi, all that mattered was that they were human beings and no human being deserves to be hacked up just because of what their people did in the past.
I have seen this movie a couple other times in school but each time I watch it, it leaves a huge impact. Its extremely heartbreaking to see how cruel the Tutsis were treated. It was hard to see how families were torn apart and how everyone was on their own. They could only help themselves to survive and to see how much they went through is astonishing.
This was the first I’d seen Hotel Rwanda and it left a big impression on me. Seeing the struggle of the Rwandans I was disgusted by the negligence of the Western World. It is hard for me to understand why no one would step in to help stop the genocide, regardless of race. At the same time, the film filled me with hope because even in the most horrendous times, there are still good people like Paul who will risk their own lives to help save others. When Paul told the people at the hotel they had to shame the Europeans and the Americans into helping them, I was moved. The idea that they had to guilt their friends into helping them is atrocious, but Paul was right; no one was going to help them otherwise. Hotel Rwanda moved me because it filled me with disgust but at the same time left me feeling hopeful that humanity will one day learn to help each other.
Throughout this film, there was not a moment that went by that didn't make me feel extremely empathetic toward the Rawandan people. Paul showed immense character with his actions attempting to save refugees. The film itself exolicitly displays the mood of the area and how violence had ravashed the community and destroyed the peace of mind that they could have. the children in this movie show how innocent the people they are killing are and it makes you realize how incredibly aweful this event really was. this movie was eye opening and everytime I've seen it, it has only gotten better
After watching this movie I thought that this was one of the best movies that I have seen of a genocide that really captures people's attentions and make them think that this cannot happen again. I think that everyone should know about what happened in the genocide in Rwanda and everyone should watch this movie
This film was very eye opening to me. Before seeing this movie I was completely unaware that there was a genocide of this size that happened only twenty years ago. Seeing that there was some one like Paul that was there and willing to put himself at risk to help people really restores my faith in people. Seeing how difficult it was for Paul to get help was very disheartening. The UN was there to help but I was very limited I would hope that now there is a lot more help available to people in similar situations.
I thought that Hotel Rwanda did a great job of showing genocide from the perspective of someone watching it go on around him. The movie displayed the fear felt by Rwandans and the hopelessness felt after other countries refused to help. The movie also did a good job of showing how families got torn apart by the immense amount of violence. The movie was successful in showing the Rwandan genocide through the eyes of a Rwandan.
I thought that hotel Rwanda was a very well written film and did a great job of being captivating and entertaining as well as getting across a serious message to the viewers. This is the second time that I have seen this movie in school and I have to say that it is one that has really stuck with me. I knew a little about the genocide before watching the movie but after watching it I really understood how merciless and violent it really was. Once it was a group of people who believed they were better than another group and they tried to wipe them all out. Overall I really liked the movie and felt it was good it was being shown so other people could understand what really happened then.
Hotel Rwanda provided another example in history in which ignorant prejudice caused nearly a million deaths in a country. Over the facing history course, it has become evident that racism and prejudice are highly dangerous if not dealt with immediately. Prejudice is an idea that spreads like wildfire, and it almost always leads to conflict. What I found to be a major downfall that accelerated the genocide was the inability of other countries to take action in the matter. Genocides are something that need to be dealt with immediately given that a minority group is highly vulnerable. I believe that in the future other countries must take action immediately if they have any intentions in saving millions if innocent lives.
Post a Comment