Dawn By Elie Wiesel Part II

Prompt-Think of a problem that a character had to face. Write the problem and how the

character solved it or is working to solve it. If you were that character, what would you do differently?

In 'Dawn', Elisha is given the task of killing John Dawson simply because he is an English man. This is the main conflict that Elisha faces. Elisha morally feels as if it is wrong and is conflicted about whether to kill John Dawson or to follow his own feelings and let him go free. Elisha also has the fear that he will physically not be able to kill the man. In the end Elisha overcomes the feelings he has about Dawson and shoots him. 

If I were Elisha I would not have shot John Dawson. Within the novel Elisha says that he doesn't have a personal reason for killing him. At one point Elisha tells Dawson that he is trying to make himself hate him to justify his murder. I would have followed my own feelings and not have killed him because there was no justifiable reason to.

Dawn By Elie Wiesel

Prompt:Select a quote from your reading that you liked. What made you pick it? How

does it make you pause and think?

"Don't torture yourself, Elisha… This is war.” The words that Gad provides to Elisha when he seeks comfort. Elisha has the dreadful task of killing an English hostage; John Dawson. Elisha feels dreads and confliction about this task, comparing himself to Nazis now that he is forced onto the other side of the loaded gun. 

I chose this quote because it's something that anyone could relate to in their own circumstances. Everyone has spoken words that they regret, some of us more often than others. Everyone acts in a way that causes pain or regret more than once in their life. Some of us accept our behaviors and apologize on behalf of them to those we have hurt while the rest of the human race provides a half hearted attempt at an excuse. In this case Gad's excuse for the murder of John Dawson is that this is simply an act of war and is justified. Gad tries to drown Elisha's guilt by convincing him that Dawson is morally correct by war terms.

This quote made me think because I thought of how many bad decisions we make every single day and how as humans we cannot accept the guilt and impurity of a conflicted mind. Whenever one feels guilt the mind contemplates two choices. The choice to provide reason for the action(s) made or to confess your sins. No one wants to confess their sins because it makes you feel weak, you feel weak for acting out this sin, for exposing your sin to others. Guilt kills the souls but so does acknowledgement of weakness.

AOW Holocaust Impressions

One thing I learned form the Article Of The Week Gallery Walk is that many people are trying to prevent another Holocaust kind of event from happening. One of the articles I read was about a man who was a Holocaust survivor. This man spends his days going to schools and informing children about the true horrors of the Holocaust. When he speaks to schools he recalls how he watched his family die. A lesson that he teaches is the importance of not being a bystander whenever you see unjust acts taking place.

Another thing I learned from the Gallery Walk is that not all victims of the Holocaust hate Hitler for what he did. One man who is a Holocaust survivor is also a teacher. This eighty-six year old man has been educating for twenty-five years. He educates people about the true events of the Holocaust but also teaches non-hate. The man doesn't believe in hating Adolf Hitler for what he did and doesn't hold any blame against him. He believes that despite the events that happened that he should hold anything against Hitler.

The Storm By Jirka Polak

The Storm By Jirka Polak

The heavens sense our burden

the threat of future downpours 

I carry on my back.

We are drunk on wine vinegar. 

The nearing storm rouses me,

it makes me want to shake the world.

We are an assembly of misery.

If our hands are bloody, 

it is from the blood of our own wounds. 

The grotesque scars 

we bear on our bodies 

testify to battles fought 

that went unrecognized. 

But the next storm will unfurl our flag 

and uproot the rotted trees! 

Then we, together with the gusting wind,

will scale Spilberk's heights, 

and stand in victory on the peaks of cliffs,

our hair blowing freely in the wind.

Berlin Memorial

Prompt

1- What did you learn?
2- Why do you think this monument was built?
3- What did you notice about the number of laws passed in certain years?
4- Which restrictions do you think you would have 

the most trouble dealing with and why?

One of the many things I learned from this was how the restrictions of basic rights were heavily increased through out the years of Hitlers reign. At the beginning of the 1930's the Jewish people faced a lot of discrimation in the workforce, meaning that many Jews were laid off from work or not allowed to practice their trades. Later on in the 1930's they were stripped of their recreational rights, for example going to the cinema or going to concerts. Later on toward the end of the Holocaust and World War II they were late stripped of the basic necessities for living. This included Jews not being able to use their ration cards to recieve eggs or not being able to have milk. 

I believe that this memorial was built for two reasons. The first reason being to show a rememberance of a historical event that took place here. To educate those that live there that history should not be forgotten for if it is it will be doomed to repeat itself. The second reason being to show honour and respect  to the Jewish people. I believe this because during the Holocaust the Jews in Germany were treated with less respects than animals. They were also stripped of their pride during this time, I feel as if this memorial was created to show respect to them for all the horrible things they hard to endure in the past.

In certain years the amount of laws and restrictions passed would drastically increase or drastically decrease. For example, when Germany invaded Poland in 1939 the amount of laws passed the previous year increased drastically. It changed from things losing your job to then in 1938 not being able to have recreational rights. 

The restrictions that I feel I would have the most trouble erasing with would be the following- No Milk, Not being allowed to go to a cinema, and not being allowed to go to concerts. I would have the most trouble with the first because I desperately need to eat a bowl of cereal everyday and since milk is a primary need in cereal I don't think I would be able to not eat it everyday. I would struggle living with the second because watching movies is one of my favorite things. I usually go to the movies about three times a month, so to not be able to go watch movies would probably be really hard on me because it's one of my favorite things. Lastly, I would have the hardest time with the last this being due to me being a huge music fan. As someone who obsesses over musicians in anyway possible it would be absolutely terrible to never be allowed to see a favorite musician in concert. I would live in absolute dread each and everyday knowing I would never be able to see a loved musician in concert.