EXTRA CREDIT opportunities: TWO
HERE’S THE DEAL:
Out of the four (4) choices available (documentary, docudrama, and two films), you may choose to view and annotate up to two (2). Each will be worth 50 pts. for a total of 100 pts. possible.
Upon your return from the Thanksgiving holiday, I will post an EXTRA CREDIT assignment blog on Blogger.com. There you will find a paragraph writing prompt for each film. If you only do one, you will post your response; if you do two, you will respond to both in a single document that you will upload in the comment section. NOTE: You will have until the stroke of midnight on
[Sunday, December 13th] to complete the extra credit assignment/assignments.
FOUR FILMS:
1) DOCUMENTARY: The Goebbels Experiment – (2005) – [available on Netflix]
HERE’S THE DEAL:
Out of the four (4) choices available (documentary, docudrama, and two films), you may choose to view and annotate up to two (2). Each will be worth 50 pts. for a total of 100 pts. possible.
Upon your return from the Thanksgiving holiday, I will post an EXTRA CREDIT assignment blog on Blogger.com. There you will find a paragraph writing prompt for each film. If you only do one, you will post your response; if you do two, you will respond to both in a single document that you will upload in the comment section. NOTE: You will have until the stroke of midnight on
[Sunday, December 13th] to complete the extra credit assignment/assignments.
FOUR FILMS:
1) DOCUMENTARY: The Goebbels Experiment – (2005) – [available on Netflix]
Writing Prompt:
In The Goebbels Experiment the audience is allowed to hear the diaries of Joseph Goebbels, the propaganda minister for the Third Reich, read aloud by actor Kenneth Branagh. After viewing the documentary, create a “character sketch” of Goebbels—who was he? Your character sketch should take the form of a single, topic-driven, and well-developed paragraph.
OR
2) DOCUDRAMA: Conspiracy – (2001) – [available online at Amazon]
Writing Prompt:
Conspiracy dramatizes the 1942 Wannsee Conference. The film delves into the psychology of Nazi officials involved in the "Final Solution of the Jewish Question" during World War II. In the film, the purpose of the conference is clear: how to facilitate the industrialized mass genocide of all Jews in Europe (a “Jew free Europe”). In a single, topic-driven, and well-developed paragraph, select and describe, in detail, at least three different reactions to the idea of the Final Solution presented in the film.
OR
3) FILM: Schindler’s List (R) – (1993) – [available online at Amazon]
Writing Prompt: FILM REVIEW:
In three short paragraphs, do the following: 1) In your opening remarks, offer a general impression of the film, 2) follow with a brief plot summary, plus a discussion of two (or three) of the film's significant features, and 3) conclude with your overall judgment of the film.
OR
OR
4) FILM: The Hiding Place (PG) – (1975) – [Youtube]
Writing Prompt: FILM REVIEW:
In three short paragraphs, do the following: 1) In your opening remarks, offer a general impression of the film, 2) follow with a brief plot summary, plus a discussion of two (or three) of the film's significant features, and 3) conclude with your overall judgment of the film.
Peter Cote
ReplyDeleteProfessor Kirk
English 1003
11 December 2015
Extra Credit: Goebbels Experiment and Schindler’s List
Joseph Goebbels is a simple man in the Nazi regime who hates Jews. He started his life being very poor, but once he gives a few speeches becomes Hitler’s propaganda minister. He believes National Socialism is a religion that everyone should have. Goebbels says, in the beginning of the documentary, that Jew were a plague to the world. He supports Hitler in the beginning all the way. He later discovers that Hitler has broken his word to Goebbels about five times and starts to disagree with Hitler. However, Goebbels still has an insane hatred for Jews. Goebbels believes that “Berlin must be Jew-free.” He is believed to have committed suicide with his wife after they poisoned their children.
“Schindler’s List” showed many graphic depictions of the Nazis persecuting Jews. These actions are shown throughout the film from Nazis killing Jews for fun to the persecution in camps. This film provided knowledge as to how bad it was to be a Jew in Germany during this time. Even Jewish children were sent off to go get killed in gas chambers. This horrified me to see these innocent people be tortured and killed like shown in Schindler’s list and allowed me to develop a better understanding of life in Germany.
The film starts out with Jews innocently going throughout their daily routine. Then the Nazis come and start making them work for them and wear gold stars. The people who were not capable of working efficiently, such as the man with one arm, were taken to the side and killed. Jews began being taken from their homes to live in concentration camps. Schindler was a powerful business owner that decided this was not right, so he made a check list for all his Jews to get on a separate train to go to work for him. This turned out to be heaven compared to the concentration camps most Jews had to stay in. They were supposed to make rockets for the German army, but Schindler rigged the machines, so they would not work. Instead he bought other rockets to give to the Germans because he did not want to make something that destroyed other people. Schindler lost his workforce more than once and paid handsomely to get them back every time. His goal was to save as many Jews as he could. In the end of the movie, Schindler is seen very upset crying out “I could've saved more.” He believes he could've saved more Jews because he should've sold his car. In the end, Schindler saved thousands of Jews from having to go through the Haloucost.
I believe this film was an outstanding film. The way it depicts the horrifying events that happened did not short what really happened in Germany. It portrayed the German leaders as cruel towards the Jews. In fact, they are shown doing everything possible to make the Jews’ lives the worst life possible. From watching the film, I can understand why people committed suicide during this time. The Jewish treatment was so terrible that they pretty much didn't have a life. The compassion Schindler showed was one almost all the Nazi leaders opposed. The events that took place in this movie perfectly mimicked the nightmarish life the Jews had.
Hunter Hebert
ReplyDeleteProfessor Kirk
English 1003
6 December 2015
Schindler’s List
Schindler’s List was a very well-produced film. It provided an image and situations which I find to be very accurate in displaying what the treatments of the Jews were in the concentration camps. While some of it was very graphic and at times hard to watch, it was realistic.
The Schindler’s List is about a man named Oskar Schindler who opens a business and recruits Jews to work for him. While he is utilizing them to work for his business, he is, in fact, making an attempt to keep them from going to concentration camps. With the help of his Jewish accountant/assistant, they recruit those who would have been put to death and/or sent away. This film strongly displays the ideas of determination, through which is shown by Oskar Schindler and his determination to save the Jews, evil, shown through the real-life depictions of the cruelty acted out upon the Jews, and compassion, again shown by Oskar Schindler and his lack of concern for opinions against his affection for the Jews, but instead his concern to save as many as he possibly could.
I found this film to be very enjoyable. While it was difficult to watch at times, as I previously stated, it was very eye opening. It made me evaluate my own life and my own priorities when it comes to helping those in need. The fact that this film depicted true events made it even better because it put an even more important emphasis on the meaning and themes of the film.
The Hiding Place
The Hiding Place was a very intriguing film, due to the fact it wasn’t your “typical” Holocaust story. It was very mind-opening to the reality that not all those persecuted and punished during the Holocaust were Jews.
The Hiding Place is about a Christian family, the ten Boons, who housed and hid Jewish families from the Nazi’s in their home town. They are reported and taken to a concentration camp after refusing to stop housing Jews, as the father states, “I not stop opening my door for anyone who knocks.” It is at the concentration camp where the films ideas of family and faith are most strongly displayed. The two sisters, Corrie and Betsie, remain close and suffer the wraths of the concentration camp together, sharing an unbreakable bond even as Betsie dies. Faith is shown through Corrie, as she is constantly praying to God to keep her strong and save her, which he does through a clerical error in which she is released.
I, again, found this to be a very good film to watch. While some parts seemed to drag on a little, they were always followed by strong scenes of faith and family. I also really enjoyed how at the end, Corrie ten Boon finishes her story, and keeps the promise she made to her sister in the concentration camp to tell it. It made the film and story line much more real and down to earth, which really made the ideas of the story that much more significant.
Aidan Bish
ReplyDeleteProfessor Kirk
SWU English 1003
13 December 2015
The Hiding Place
My immediate impression of the film was more of a flashback to a old tv in some English class. It reminded me of a movie we would watch in school - not necessarily well done, but engaging enough that I was still glad that we didn’t have to work that day. The music was strangely placed and an interruption at times, but I enjoyed their use of silence. It didn’t feel like an artistic use, and I’m not entirely sure how I feel about it. On one hand the combination of silence and awkward acting made it feel like I was watching actual people. However, it also meant that the film wasn’t powerfully developed. I enjoyed it nonetheless.
The Hiding Place illustrates an example of non-Jews that suffered in the Holocaust. In the exposition we meet the ten Boons, a christian family in Holland before WWII. They begin to hide Jews to protect them from the Nazis. Eventually they are reported, caught, and forced into a concentration camp. The message of the story lies in their experiences there; the two sisters endure together and maintain their faith, which is developed into the largest theme of the film. One sister dies, and when the other escapes she goes on to tell her story at the end of the film to keep her promise to her sister to do so.
I enjoyed the message of the movie, and it was an interesting perspective. Then again, so was IGOB, so an “interesting perspective” is no surprise in this course. As a film I wasn’t necessarily impressed - it dragged on and managed to make poor use of my favorite technique (silence).
Austin Bennett
ReplyDeleteProfessor Kirk
english 1003
13 December 2015
Who is Joseph Goebbels?
Joseph Goebbels was an angry person since childhood. When he lost feeling in one of his feet, he became completely shut off to the world. This bitterness and anger is what fueled him as a phenomenal propagandist for the Nazis. Being always critical of himself and others led to better messages in his propaganda. He was lonely until he got married, and then he was happy off and on. Some days he would worship the ground Adolf Hitler walked on, while other days he would loathe his existence. He was a very two-sided individual, who did not trust most people.
Breanna Roper
ReplyDeleteProfessor Kirk
English 1003
13 December 2015
Schindler's List
Schindler's list was very eye-opening for me. While I had previous knowledge of the terrible things the Jews endured, it gave me more of an insight to what was truly occurring, it was very moving.
In Stephen Spielberg's film "Schindler's List", Spielberg depicts a man, Oskar Schindler, who shows extreme heroism and bravery by standing against inhumane treatment of the Jewish people. He creates an industrial business and hires Jewish people to work for him so that they may avoid their fate of entering a concentration camp. Schindler's ultimate goal throughout the era of the Holocaust was to save as many lives as possible, he even proclaims that he wishes he would have saved more; even though he saved thousands of people from death and torture. The film shows realistic situations of evil and senseless cruelty so that people may further understand the horrors of Nazi-oriented Europe.
This film was very heartbreaking, yet realistic. Although it was somewhat depressing, I feel I have learned more about what the Jewish people experienced. I found this film to be very interesting, and would most likely watch it again. I was glad that I watched it and got to see somewhat firsthand what Oskar Shindler had experienced.
Gabrielle Tallman
ReplyDeleteProfessor Kirk
ENG 1003
15 December 2015
The Goebbels Experiment
This film was very interesting, despite it being a documentary. They're typically perceived to be very boring but this one showed some background knowledge about Goebbels whom we have learned about in class. It shares some of his personal diaries and thoughts in which I have never thought about. As a child, he has a very serious illness and his foot remains paralyzed for the rest of his life because of it. He finds love but becomes poor even though he works for a bank in Cologne, a city also mentioned in The Garden Of Beasts. It's obvious he is a pessimist and naturally, when he meets Hitler, he likes him. He's elected to Reischtag in 1928 and becomes tired. He believes that natural socialism is a religion and sticks to those beliefs. There is confusion in the SA and claims that he will quit if required to "slave along" for the party. Hitler lies to him five times and says that he cannot watch Strausse take over in Berlin. He's a nervous wreck, full of anxiety, but excited to hear reelection results. He's in the second largest party, under the communists, and is hated by Himmler, another character also talked about in The Garden of Beasts. He finds a wife and they both become close with Hitler as Hitler becomes chancellor. They're happy about this and the national revolution started with a parade.
The Hiding Place
When this movie first started, it's not exactly what I had expected. It was well written and definitely took you back to the times to help you better understand what everything looked like, which is hard to do. It was in black and white and you could tell it was an older movie. The costume, set, and entire design of the movie was presented very well.
The film's about a family that lives together and they hide some Jews in their house. Some of them are their friends, and others have just heard about them and traveled to come find them. It's considered a 'safe house' until neighbors become suspicious. They start to use a lot of their rations fast and the police and others become weary of them as well. They deny it, however, after cutting it close and almost getting caught a couple of times. They form a system of calls at their house to tell if it is safe for the Jews to come out of their hiding places or not. The sisters are taken away and you can tell they are Christians and just want to help throughout the whole movie.
It's sad because you really feel for the characters and think about yourself being in that situation. Instead of pictures or films of what it looks like now, they really depicted what it would look like then and really presented a good view of the horrible torture and times in the film. Overall, it was a good film, even though it was sad, but what Holocaust movie isn't? It wasn't too graphic and really gave the viewer a feel for not just the Jews, but for everyone who suffered from the Holocaust and unworthy leaders.