A Statement to Understand.

Standing up to Oppression takes Great Individual Courage.

In my opinion, this is a very important statement, and it is so true. To make this really simple and easy to understand, have you ever seen a wimp stand up to anything. In case you think you have, then it's probably not a wimp you saw, but I person you would never think as brave because you didn't know them very well. Everyone has courage in their hearts, maybe not all, but it takes a lot of guts to show that courageous side. Tom Baker started up the Peasant Revolt in 1381, he was tired of oppression and wanted no part of it any more. He was the first to stand up to an official, and his courage brought others out to the light. John Ball agreed with him, and over time so did everybody else. It took courage in order to stand up to such great power, and Tom Baker had it. There are also modern examples of this, for example, standing up to a bully. Not all people can do this, they're afraid for where they'll end up. Many people in today's world have this problem. Some things, like courage, take five seconds. Sometimes though, it takes a lot longer. Either way, in order to stand up to oppression you have to have the guts and you also have to be aware of the outcome. And that, my dear friends, is what truly makes that statement so true and so important.

Feudal System in 100 Words. By Zoe and Allison.

Father Francois, you are my honoured guest. Please allow me to explain the Feudal system to you before you ask any questions of me. I am but a simple farmer. The Feudal system means that the King owns all of England. He loans land to his vassals if they give him military service. If they don’t, then he takes the land back. His vassals can loan their land to their vassals who swear their service to him. Those vassals can loan their land to peasants, who work the land, and are promised protection. But they all still serve the King.

William of Normandy.

One of three men could have the throne in 1066, they all had their claims, but who's was the best? In my opinion, William of Normandy had the best claim when it came to taking over England. Sure he did get there mostly by lying, but he was a strong man and unlike the others, he actually knew what he was doing. William even had gotten the Pope on his side! With William's strong army and friend Alexander the Second he would promise England the strongest future out of the other two. Back in Normandy William also had lots of followers, this could always help tie Normandy and England closer together. Making them trust one another and avoiding any scary wars or un-needed conflicts. Duke William, at one point, said that he was promised the throne years before and there was no one to say he was wrong. For all we know it was the honest truth, he was known for lying but that was just to get to the throne. And, who knows? Maybe that lying would come in handy when he was King! Just by the lies you knew that William was cunning enough to run a country. One of three men could have the throne, and one of three men survived (In William's view.) the holy crusade. And that was the man with the best claim, the one that is now known as Duke William the Conqueror.

By: Allison Michelle Bradford.

Did you make the Right Decision?

I have seen a victim of bullying, not bullying that includes violence, but that doesn't stop if from being bad. I am not going to mention any names, for the sake of their well-being. I'm guessing it's not entirely their fault, for they did not realize that what they said was hurtful. They just let the words escape from their mouths thinking that it would be funny. Not caring that it was only funny to themselves, not the person. These people were making jokes about Japan, stereo-typical jokes. Not only that but also making tons of jokes about stereo-typical Asians. The specific people a part of this tormenting also tended to tease as well. Again, they think they are so funny when really they are the opposite. These people tend to either make mean, cruel and sometimes perverted jokes...and think their funny. It's not that they are bad people, they just don't realize how hurtful their being, they say these things by accident. (Or at least I hope they are.) When they did this, well, I said nothing. I couldn't think of anything to say, for this I am weighed down. Mean things and actions that I can't even go around to stopping. In my defense I don't know how, I don't how they would react. Probably not going to stop no matter how many times I tell them to. I've tried once...No impact. I tried twice...No impact. I gave up and probably shouldn't have, but honestly I have nothing to say to them for they don't listen to me anyways. When I tell them I'll do something they don't believe me, always saying I am sweet and innocent Alli, their not going to listen to a girl. And definitely not be for that matter.

Thus, I say nothing to them.

So far in Humanities I have seen bullying in a book we were reading in the beginning known as Shadow of the Minotaur. In the book Shadow of the Minotaur the main character is harassed by the big bully of the school, with harsh words and physical contact. In the Boy in the Striped Pyjamas there is bullying when one of the soldiers beats up on of the Jews just for spilling wine. No one responded to these actions.

If you see something that shouldn't be done, contact someone or just simply help the person in need. Help yourself make the right decision, the one that will have the most impact for the others safety. Whether it's just emotionally or physically.

Sure this is just Human Nature, but honestly, why can't Human Nature at least try to be controlled?

The following part of this blog will not make much sense if you have not seen this video.

http://youtu.be/_aDbeoPa4bQ

1.What’s familiar about the incident Eve describes?

To me, everything is familiar about what she says. I to, have had people throw their hatred at me for no apparent reason. Not knowing why though, I just ignore them and stay close to my own friends. The people who deserve me.

2.What surprised you?

The fact that people would hate on people that they have known for years for no divine reason. With my problem I had not known them for years, but the people in her story knew each other since a young age. So to define the reason for Eve's time of life of being an outcast is rather unclear. It is hard to understand the subject of Human Nature. People say treat other the way you would want to be treated, in fact, they say this all the time. Then why do people say they listen to it, when really they are only treating their friends this specific way? Why not everyone? I strive to be kind to everyone, even if I particularly don't like that person, I am still kind to them. Hopefully, ensuring that I have no enemies and that they will treat me the same way.

3. How does Eve’s story relate to bullying? Was she bullied? Did she bully? How would you explain her behavior?( perpetrator/bystander/victim?). make sure you justify & back up your answer. Psychologists Michael Thompson and Lawrence Cohen point to the powerful influence of peer groups in guiding our behavior: ‘We all know that groups can go terribly astray in terms of their moral reasoning. Everyone not in the group can be considered an outsider, a legitimate target…It affects every group because we are all prone to that feeling of us versus them and the idea that if you’re not with us you’re against us. Speaking out against a risky, immoral or illegal decision is hard to do because that makes you an outsider yourself’.

In Eve's story the bullying comes in verbally, sometimes even the kind of verbal you don't hear. Like gossip and laughing behind the victim's back. Eve noticed that sometimes when she spoke some girls in her class would roll their eyes or giggle amongst themselves. So yes, Eve was bullied, but not in the way people know as bullying. The fact is, whatever is hurtful is known as bullying. Her behavior was hard to define, for she was more like all three. She was a bystander, for she hadn't helped the girl who appeared to be rejected more than she was. She also was a victim, for a specific group made fun of her as well. But not only that, she was a perpetrator for, at one point, she as apart of the bullying. She had become a part of this bullying just by laughing at the rejected girl's diary. So in hindsight, she was all three.

4.How did Eve’s need to belong affect the way she responded when another girl was being mocked? Why does her response still trouble her? How do you like to think you would have responded to the incident?

She responded the way she did because she probably longed for even that couples seconds of acceptance and feel of people actual noticing her. He response still troubles her because she can't believe she did such a thing even when she knew how it felt. Thus making her feel like a bully, just like the group of girls. For me, the way I would have responded is not certain, but if I was being made fun of by those popular girls I wouldn't have even followed the most popular girl. I mean, why would I want to in the first place? If I did follow her and saw the diary, diary aren't worth seeing in my opinion. Especially other people's. I mean, hearing about other people's lives is boring. I don't care about other people's secrets for they deserve to keep them for their selves.

5. Eve concludes “Often being accepted by others is more satisfying than being accepted by oneself, even though the satisfaction does not last.’ What does she mean?

Basically here Eve is telling us that feeling accepted is like a treasure. You want that treasure so badly and even feeling it for a second make you feel as if people care about you. That you are not a nobody and that you are certainly not ignored. Sadly though, if you are normally not accepted that acceptance does not last for things are probably going to go back to the way they were before pretty quick. You don't want to be just accepted by yourself, you want to feel loved by others other than yourself. A compliment is wonderful every once in a while, because then you feel as if others feel the same way you do. If you feel beautiful but no one ever tells you you are, you feel awful as if your beauty may not actually be there.

Love and help one another for that is what fuels the giving heart.

Courage of Le Chambon.

We were assigned to read and annotate a story of resistance, my group and I were assigned the story of Le Chambon. This story is of a silent resistance, the one no one can can know about in penalty of punishment, sometimes even in penalty of death. The small village of Le Chambon hid Jews in their homes during the Holocaust, they believed that killing them was wrong and that everyone deserved to live. They were given their own decision whether to help them or not, though their choice was obvious. Even the children were in on the silent resistance. When asked to be apart of a Hitler Youth Group they said these exact words, "Make no distinction between Jews and non-Jews. It is contrary to Gospel teaching."

What did you learn from the story's rescuers?

Throughout the story of Le Chambon, they talk about a lot of decision making. They help me learn that some decisions are easier to grasp than others. For example, the decision on whether to help the Jews or to kill them came easy to them. Help was the only answer. Magda Torcme was the wife of the towns minister. She put her decision making in these very words, "Sometime people ask me, How did you make a decision? There was no decision to make. The issue was: Do you think we are all brothers or not? Do you think it is unjust to turn in the Jews or not? Then let us try to help!" In the end decisions can be easy to make, it really just depends on the situation.

What do they teach us about human behavior?

Le Chambon does teach us some about human behavior, their story proves that it is human nature to have your own opinion. It is also human nature to help those who need it (Though it depends on the person, some don't help others.) and it is also human nature to go against something if we feel it best. Le Chambon went against the slaughtering of the Jews were their silent resistance, silently stowing away Jews in their own homes for protection so that they would not be harmed. Le Chambon also teaches us that behavior can also be affected my religion, by beliefs or just morals. The children of Le Chambon said no when asking to participate in the Hitler Youth Group, not only because they thought it was wrong, but also because their religion taught them not to. Their religion said all were equal. The quote in the first paragraph, last sentence, says it all. Those few words that came out of the children's mouths showed utter courage. Some would not have been able to do that. So overall human behavior can be easily affected.

Le Chambon was brave during harsh times, they helped those who needed it and saved many, many lives. It didn't affect what happened to the others who were inside the atrocious camps, but it did make many other families incredibly happy and incredibly safe. More people should have done what they did around the world and not have a certain limit of Jews to enter the country. That way it probably wouldn't have been as bad as it was.

Make a difference, help others in need.

By: Allison Michelle Bradford.

In Memory of My Mother-By: Sonia Weitz

My Humanities was given three poems, all by the same woman and linked to the same experiences she had in the many different Concentration Camps she had been sent to during who lifeline. She was around when Hitler was, and she was Jewish. Because words can't really explain what she felt there, for there are no words to describe how horrible it is, she communicated some of her experiences in poems. Out of the three poems we were given, one really stuck out for me. That poem was called In Memory of My Mother. As you can tell from the title, it is about her mom, so just looking at it you will be able to tell that she probably talks about something she experienced with her mother.

To me, throughout this poem it was sad, the mood didn't really change. Though I did notice something, the poem felt like words trying to get out, yet the words couldn't really be explained. So the message was hard to get out, she was a young girl, she couldn't explain the happenings and why they really happened. This phrase of the poem really says a lot, it's the first phrase and you can already begin to decipher this as being a emotional poem.

Where is your grave?

Where did you die?

Wy did you go away?

Why did you leave

Your little girl

That rainy autumn day?

That was the first phrase, and it was the part that really popped out for me. Why you ask? Well, even when I just started this poem, and don't laugh at me because I'm a very emotional person, it's just I already felt pain and I kind of felt like crying. But of course I couldn't, because I was in class and everyone would just stare at me and/or laugh. Either way it made me feel like crying. Reading on I realized it was best for me not to cry, because she didn't cry when this had actually occurred to her. At one point she says'

I suffered, but

I didn't cry:

The pain so fierce, so deep...

It pierced my heart and squeezed it dry.

And then, I fell asleep.

See how she didn't cry? I'm not really experiencing it, so I shouldn't cry. But just the way she lets her words flow in the poem really makes it touching. I can easily imagine her mother, that rainy autumn day. The day sound and cloudy, the mother beautiful and comforting. One thing that Sonia Weitz uses to describe her mother is this simple simile she used.

Your eyes as green

As emeralds

Were quiet and so mild.

I can imagine these eyes looking at me, them being quiet and mild makes me imagine her as comforting to Sonia right now, giving her the impression that everything will be all right even though things are indeed not going to be all right. But they didn't know that at the time now did they? Another part that really describes her mom is these few lines,

I still can hear

The words you spoke:

"You tell the world, my child."

The fact she can remember the last words her mother ever said to her is really something special.

Now the last sentence of the poem is really something,

On No!... it can't be told."

To me this is saying that the story can't go on, because there aren't any words to describe the feelings she felts, the atrocious things that happened. They might as well not even be mentioned.

I find it hard to connect to this poem in an experience I've actually been through, because I've never actually been through something so devastating. The only way I can connect with this is by imagining myself in Sonia's shoes, you see, this is impossible. Considering I wasn't actually there, I can never feel her exact pain, but I can imagine it. My tears dried up as I fall into a agonized sleep, the nightmare of the screams and shouts. Imagining words whispering help in my ear. The gloomy day of which my mother was taken away from me. But there is one thing I can't imagine in this poem, and that is the special item.

You pressed something

into my palm...

And then... then you were gone.

No matter how hard I try I can't imagine what her mother had given to her on her leaving, but I'm guessing it was something special, something meaningful to her mother. That begs the question, does Sonia remember what this item was? Does she still have it? I can't even begin to think of it, for I do not know her mother and her values. But I can always imagine.

In Memory of My Mother.

Where is your grave?

Where did you die?

Why did you go away?

Why did you leave

You litte girl

That rainy autumn day?

I still can hear

The words you spoke:

"You tell the world, my child."

You eyes as green

As emeralds

Were quiet and so mild.

You held my hand

You face was white

And silent like a stone,

You pressed something

Into my palm...

And then...then you were gone.

I suffered, but

I didn't cry:

The pain so fierce, so deep...

It pierced my heart

And squeezed it dry.

And then, I fell asleep.

Asleep in agony

And dreams...

A nightmare that was true...

I heard the shots,

The screams that came

From us, from me and you.

I promised I would

Tell the world...

But where to find the words

To speak of

Innocence and love,

And tell how much it hurts...

About those faces

Weak and pale,

Those dizzy eyes around,

And countless lips

That whispered "help"

But never made a sound...

To tell about

The loss...the grief,

The dread of death and cold,

Of wickedness

And misery...

O, No!...it can't be told.

Choosing this poem had been easy for me, for it was very emotional and to me it meant the most. Her words so fluent on the page, expressing her feelings. With this poem she finally did what her mother had asked. "You tell the world, my child." With this poem she did just that, she communicated to the world the many feelings and emotions of this point in history. The feelings and emotions that pierce the heart.

Germany 1918-1933, Hitler's Manipulative Rise to Power.

Hitler's rise to power was quick and quite surprising to some. This specific rise to power stretched out from 1918 to 1933 and not only effected but influenced Germany in many ways. But Hitler could not have done any of this without luck, he had some boosts that helped him weave his way to ruling Germany. When Hitler first begun to try and achieve his authority, chances of him getting anywhere looked slim. But then things happened that helped him jump in front of his competitors. Hitler's first idea was to go against the Treaty of Versailles, a large part of Germany hated this treaty and wanted it gone. He promised that if he were to get power he would not honor the Treaty of Versailles. Lots of people wanted this, so naturally, lots of people wanted to vote for him. Because of the Treaty of Versailles the people of Germany began to agree with Hitler. Though just the treaty wasn't going to help. Next Hitler took advantage of the Hyperinflation and Economic crisis in Germany that occurred in 1923. With his promise for a better life and economy, more citizens supported the party of the Nazi's. Also in 1923 Hitler was arrested for trying to overthrow the government. This gave him time to publish a book known as 'Mein Kampf', meaning 'My Struggle'. The book gave Adolf Hitler publicity as it was published and read by millions, plus it earned Adolf a lot of money. Enter 1929 when The Depression hits places around the world. Hitler takes this as another opportunity and swears that he will give Germany work and bread. With the need for work and food by many families, this gives him many votes. With Hitler's fame in 1933 he is demanded and becomes Chancellor, earns 33% of the vote and becomes loved my a large portion of Germany. Later the event of the Reichstag Fire let him blow down his opponents and gather people from around Germany to turn against the Communists and the Republic Democratic Party. He uses the fire to his advantage by telling the public that it was the the other party's fault, they were the ones who had caused the building to burn. Finally a dramatic thing happened, the President of Germany died. This was probably one of the most dramatic events that led to Hitler's uprise. Once the President was dead Hitler claimed his spot in Germany. Now Hitler was the ruler, just as he had dreamed he would soon become. Horrible things were yet to happen, but he never shared those plans with anyone. His rise to power in 1918 to 1933 was not expected, some say it was just luck that any of those events happened. I agree, without these events he would have never been known as any kind of leader.

He would have been just another nut.

By: Allison Michelle Bradford.