I’d like to start by saying that in no way is this “reflective essay” to be written in any formal matter. It’s reflective, and its requirement is only a specific number of words. When it comes down to the “Facing History and Ourselves” course, my plan for this reflective essay is for it to flow, as the course and each lesson flowed, cushioning my understanding in all areas of some of the most historical time periods ever. The assignment asks that we respond to the question, “In what ways did the course benefit you as a student and a person?” I can only imagine the number of ways it did so. The course ultimately changed my perspective on society, human beings, and misunderstood history, not only by teaching me many that I didn’t know before, but by being taught by a teacher like Mr. Gallagher who could not have presented it with more radiating passion and captivating films.
One of the utmost ways that the course benefitted me as a person was how my compassion for history grew more than it ever has. History was always a subject that bored me. Not because I didn’t care about it, but because I’m the “see it to believe it” type of person. As a person who favors math and science, this course, within the first month, became the single class that I looked forward to over any other. This is because Mr. Gallagher made it as real to us students as it will ever be. As he always explained, “no one will ever know the horrors of the Holocaust unless you’ve been through it,” it is evident that each class set the stage for a more and more realistic experience of the Holocaust. Beginning with the general people of the 1940s, to national and political agendas, to religious influence, to the Jewish “ghettos” and deeper and deeper into the concentration camps, we were painted a clear picture of a horrific scene years before our time. In no class but Facing History and Ourselves have I been more intimate with what I was learning about. Largely because of this reason, I was able to apply personal emotions and perspective into every lesson. With this, the history of the Holocaust became more and more alive to me and more and more I was able to face history and face myself.
Along with film, the course had a no-homework, no-project, no-test policy. This is a largely influential aspect of the course, which greatly explains why I was able to appreciate it and integrate myself into it more than any other course I have ever taken. It goes along with the saying that I was “learning for the sake of learning.” Initially, when Mr. Gallagher explained this to us as he introduced us to the class on the first day of school; I had the natural “aha!” reaction, where I assumed I lucked out with a “blow-off,” or “homework,” class. However, after only a few classes hearing Mr. Gallagher speak, I soon realized that it was something I’d rather do. The compassion in his voice, the apparent thought that went into every story, lecture, discussion or film that we watched changed my presumption.
One specific document especially moved me. This was a printed document, which was handed out by Mr. Gallagher, titled “Medical Experiments of the Holocaust and Nazi Medicine.” While the article was gruesome and the experiments I read about conducted on different people, I learned of the seemingly unreal outlets of torture which Nazis used against their “enemies.” Sitting in my chair, I felt myself flinch and quietly react to the history before my eyes. Never have I read such words so compelling in my body and mind. I feel it was because I had been laid out a platform of knowledge that changed the way I read it. If it were laid out in front of me in any other history class, where the Holocaust was “just another unit,” the feelings would have been less potent. This was a moment when I came to a major realization that this was not just a class, it was an experience. I read on until I hit the section, “Experiments on Twins.” This was especially powerful, as I am a twin myself. The class is all about digging deeper into history—an attempt to try to understand what it was like to endure the Holocaust. This was as close as I would ever get. As I read through this section, I couldn’t help but put myself into the shoes of the victims talked about in the article. I thought about my twin brother by my side, and the sadness of watching him go through pain, and feel the hatred of the Nazis who were in control of him. The experience of reading this document benefited me as a person. I was able to dig as far into history as I could, living the scenes I read about in attempt to feel the emotions and see what the Jews saw. Not only did it help me develop a greater connection with history, but it helped me develop a greater appreciation for my brother. I felt the heaviness of my heart and the uncontrollable sag of the corner of my mouth go downward as I read the article and applied my own perspective. I want to reiterate what I mean when I say it helped me develop a greater appreciation for my twin brother. Before reading this article, I was confident in my love for friends and family. As one of the greatest values in my life, loving my friends and family comes with a great fear of witnessing them in pain or unhappiness. To think about my twin brother being in more pain than imaginable hurt my heart. This physical feeling of heaviness in my heart, and the overwhelming emotion of sadness for these people, who could have been us, was beneficial to my appreciation for the people I love.
Now that I’ve gone on a tangent, in no way are the things I write about alone what benefited me as a person in the course. Every single day was a day that I would not take away or consider wasted. With every day, whether it was another film, article, or lecture, I learned something about history and about myself. There was no feeling of repetitiveness or boredom in Facing History and Ourselves. I consider the class each day as a benefit to three areas: enhancing my historical knowledge, mental maturity, and my personal values. This is what makes the class different than any old class where you’re forced to learn the material, but do not fully digest it. While the class naturally presented factual evidence of history, it also helped me learn to cope with the horrors of this history. In terms of personal values, the underlying theme was truly uncovered through the progression of the course – stay true to yourself, and do not be a bystander…
