The Patriot

I hope everyone enjoyed the movie. I know it was a long one, but sometimes that really good movies are.

No commenting will be necessary this time. If I have your permission form and you were there, you'll get the credit.

I hope you and your family have a great Thanksgiving holiday.

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas

I don't think that it has ever been so quiet in my room after one of our film festival movies. This film obviously had an impact on those that participated on Tuesday. Was Boy in the Striped Pajamas a sad movie? Disturbing? Maybe even frustrating? The answer is yes to all of those questions. But Hollywood produces lots of sad movies, not to mention all of the disturbing stuff that they turn-out. What makes movies like this different is that it also an important movie for kids today to see. Important, not just because it deals with an important historical event like the Holocaust, but because it demands that we watch it with a questioning eye.

That means that whenever we watch a movie that deals with history, we should not take it as the full story on the issue. Sometimes a movie is biased toward one side of the issue, and could give a distorted picture to the uninformed viewer. For example, read the following excerpt from Wikipedia that includes criticism about our movie from a Jewish rabbi:

The book is a novel: it is not historical fiction. The very premise of the book - that there would be a child of Shmuel's age - is, according to critics, an unacceptable fabrication that does not reflect the reality of life in the camps.

Rabbi Benjamin Blech condemned it: "This book is not just a lie and not just a fairytale, but a profanation." His chief complaint is that it supports the idea that ordinary people were unaware of the horrors of the Nazis' mass extermination of Jews. He argues that everyone for miles around could smell the stench of death and expresses doubt that the 9-year-old son of a Nazi official could be unaware of what a Jew is (or whether he himself is one).

He writes, "Note to the reader: There were no nine-year-old Jewish boys in Auschwitz -- the Nazis immediately gassed those not old enough to work. Also, the Auschwitz death camp was surrounded by electric fences, making any attempts to crawl in through a hole impossible."^[2][3]. Such alleged falsification of history has important consequences, say Boyne's critics, for the way that the victims of the Holocaust might be remembered and commemorated, thus reviving arguments that were previously aired about Steven Spielberg's Schindler's List and the manner in which that film sanitised and falsified aspects of the concentration camp experience too.^[4]

So, what does this mean? Does it mean that the movie is worthless for use in a history class or history film festival? I don't think so, but some would probably disagree. One of the goals that I have for my film festival is to teach you all to look more critically at information that is presented in a movie, or in music, or even on the news.

Now, after you have thought more critically about the movie, what level of importance does it carry? Do you think that this kind of movie should be seen by kids today? What can they learn from a movie like this? What does a movie like this say about things we may learn from people that are close to us - even sometimes parents? Does the movie leave you wanting to learn more about this horrible episode in history? What kinds of questions, if any, does the film leave you asking?

As always, I appreciate that you have taken the time to watch this film with us and to give me your thoughts on it.

Apollo 13: Good history or a look at the future?

I hope you all enjoyed our movie from last week, Apollo 13. As is usually the case, true stories make the best movies.

For us, it is an especially important time to be thinking about the space program. As you may know, the space shuttle (our current space vehicle) is reaching the end of its life. It will soon be taken out of use, and there is a huge debate raging over what - if anything - will replace it. With a return to the moon being put forth as a goal of NASA, any future space vehicle would have to be more like those in the Apollo program. Our space shuttles are incapable of going to the moon.

As you might imagine, any new program would involve billions of dollars. One side of the debate argues that the benefits to science that would be realized are worth all of the money needed. The other side argues that in a time of such difficult economic problems, it would be irresponsible to spend money in space.

Your generation will have to pay for much of whatever is decided in this debate. Whether it's paying the billions that the program will cost if we decide to return to the moon, or the potential scientific advances if we decide to cancel NASA's plans. What do you think we as a country should do? Should we make the investment necessary to return to the moon? If so, why? If not, why not?

Again, I hope you enjoyed the movie. We'll be scheduling the next one in the next few weeks.

Andersonville

Well, I know it wasn't the most pleasant movie to watch. I do hope that you found Andersonville interesting and informative.

The Andersonville National Historic site is just a few hours north of us in Georgia. It's hard to imagine that such horrific war crimes took place so close by. Some of the scenes in the movie reminded me of scenes from the concentration camps of the Holocaust - albeit on a smaller scale. But nearly 14,000 dead in one prison over the course of about two years is still a staggering figure.

The movie raised several important questions. Is it possible for humans, when put into those kind of circumstances, to maintain the basic laws of human decency (not to mention actual laws)? Is it understandable that some would go into a "survival of the fittest" mode, like the raiders in the movie? Is that behavior excusable, at least at some level?

On a more general note, do you think that the History Film Festival (our after school movies) has been worthwhile? Have you enjoyed the films? Understanding that we have to keep the films related to our class, what would you change about the Festival? Were the movies too graphic (violent, harsh language, etc.)?

My goal with the History Film Festival has been to show you movies that you might not go out and rent on your own. I hope that you've enjoyed it.

Andersonville Links:
Andersonville National Historic Site
Andersonville on Wikipedia
From the Civil War Home website

Make sure you comment by Wednesday, May 27 for extra credit.

The Tuskegee Airmen

I hope you all enjoyed the Tuskegee Airmen. The movie should serve as inspiration for all of us, regardless of skin color. I know it does for me.

In one of our blogs last month, we discussed whether or not MLK's dream has been realized. We tied that discussion into the recent inauguration of Barack Obama. Tuskegee Airmen fought in World War II, many years before MLK would do his work and deleiver the "I Have a Dream" speech, and more than 50 years before Obama would be elected our first African-American president.

It would have been easy for those black pilots to give up on their dream, many did by walking away. What lessons do you think the movie provides for us? How do you feel about the movie? Do you think that the story of the Tuskegee pilots should taught more widely in school? This is a pretty wide-open blog. Stick to the general subject, but feel free to talk either about the movie or about the topic of the Tuskegee Airmen in general.

Submit your response here on the blog. Do not email your comments.

I posting links and video clips with more information about the pilots. Take time to look them over. If you are working on this at school, you will not be able to view the YouTube videos.

Click here for a website devoted to the Tuskegee Airmen.








Do not email your response. Comment to this blog here. Feel free to come back again a comment on what others write.

The Revolution - Episode 6

Thanks to all that showed up today for the 5th episode of The Revolution. I really think that this is a great series. I hope have enjoyed it and found it educational.

There are a few things that I want you to address today.

First, what was that greatest contribution of the Prussian officer Baron von Steuben to the patriot cause?

Second, what was the outcome of the Battle of Monmouth (courthouse) in 1778? What does it mean for Washington? Following the battle, what was the general feeling about the capability of the Continental Army?

Finally, after taking back control of Philadelphia, Washington turns over control of the city to one of the army's most capable generals. Who was this general? (Hint: It was one of the last things mentioned in the episode.)

Remember, do not post a comment on this blog. Email your answers to velizhistory@gmail.com.

The US History Film Festival will meet again soon. Keep your eye on the class calendar. Have a great weekend. Finish up those history fair projects.

The Revolution - Episode 5

I hope you found today's episode of The Revolution entertaining and informative. Hopefully you remembered to sign in this afternoon, which was the first step toward earning your extra credit. This is the final step. You will need to answer the following question(s) in an email to me. DO NOT COMMENT ON THIS BLOG POST.

What was the focus of Benjamin Franklin's mission to France? What did he want the French to do? What was there immediate response to Franklin's request? What was the final outcome of Franklin's mission? What event helped the French with their final response to Franklin's request?

Remember, you will only receive your credit by responding to these questions by email - velizhistory@gmail.com