End of the Year Blog

Something that Mr.Elms did to make learning in eighth grade social studies enjoyable and meaningful was providing different platforms of information instead of just from the textbook. Through social studies this year, I learned a lot. Through watching movies like Roots, Glory, etc. I learned about slavery through a different lens and media. This year, there was quite a lot of balance between learning information from class, the textbook, movies, books, etc. By using these different medias and platforms, it hooks the students in. For the past few years, everything was textbook based, everything we did was from the textbook and it was obvious. The way Mr. Elms teaches comes from his own understanding/knowledge, it isn't heavily textbook based, there's a nice balance between personal connection, modern day issues, history, and writing. Another thing that Mr.Elms did that made our learning a lot more meaningful and enjoyable was providing more than one perspective. Whether it was his own, or a primary source, students were able to have an open mind when learning. These perspectives allowed the students to have a better interpretation of the topic. He ends a lot of the lessons with something meaningful that the students think and reflect upon after completing the tests or the project. I think that thirdly, I really enjoyed writing this year. Through blogposts, essays, DBQs, I was able to improve a lot more as a historian and a writer. I got to explore more in depth with sources, finding reliable ones as well as using research to create a well written essay.

I haven't faced many challenges this year. I think that the biggest struggles I've faced was probably managing time and actually having confidence in myself. As for academic struggles, I don't think I had any major ones but I do think that fellow students may have struggled with writing based tests, essays, projects, etc. As for the teachers, maybe taking the students through the process of writing and researching in a more in depth way would really help them write better. Another thing that the teachers could do would maybe be giving students more time in class or giving longer but not too long working periods. Timing was definitely a struggle this year. With not being able to finish an essay to cramming to the last moment, All in all, I've had a really fun time in Social Studies.

My Independent Writing Project: The Golden Heart Thief

Link:
https://docs.google.com/a/sas.edu.sg/document/d/10DjJLaYy4w4DBUBI6mC5TNyQTzb4l8Gq69g9oLSS5x0/edit?usp=sharing

Independent Project Pre-Production

gr8 service learning

Drug Awareness Public Service Announcement

Independent Film Project Calendar

Israeli and Palestinian Issues

Lines of Demarcation 
Palestinians have a very dense population. The issue is that the Israelis want a safe place to live in, but the Palestinians are currently living in Palestine but the Israelis want to take over. Soon the Palestinians are kicked out of their country, and aren't allowed to come back in. While Israelis have taken over Palestine.

Palestinian perspective:
The Palestinians believe that the Israelis are treating the Palestinians unfairly and that they should be able to enter back into their homeland.

Israelis perspective:
The Israelis believe that since they had historical and religious stories that connected them to the land, and they had the right to have this land.

The border between Israel and Palestine should be drawn in a place that accommodates both the population of the Israelis and Palestinians. Land should be distributed based on the people in country and in an area where both places/populations have access to the things they need. The border should be able to meet the needs and agreement between both sides.

Housing Settlements:  How do you propose settling the unresolved dispute over Israeli Housing Settlements into the West Bank? What should be done about the housing settlements that have already been built?

Palestinian Perspective: We already have very little land and the Israelis are constantly expanding.

Israelis Perspective: We don't condone people creating settlements on Palestinian land. It was in the bible so they can move the border. They justify their actions by saying that it's in their religious beliefs.

Jerusalem:  Jerusalem is a Holy City to Jews, Muslims, and Christians.  How do you propose to make Jerusalem available and safe to all these groups of people, worldwide?

Palestinian Perspective:It's considered as the holy city. It's their land and it's their holy land and that it was given to them. Jerusalem first belonged to the Palestinians

Israelis Perspective: Considered as the holy city. They think that Jerusalem belongs to them and that it belongs to them due to their religious beliefs. It's one of the biggest city in Israel, in the Tora it says that they should have the land.

Palestinian Refugees: As a result of the military conflicts in 1948 and again in 1967, hundreds of thousands Palestinian people fled out of the borders of Israel to the neighboring Gaza Strip, West Bank, Syria, Jordan, and Lebanon.  They are a people without a country and have not been allowed to become citizens to the countries they fled to. Since 1967, their numbers have increased into the millions because of birthrates.  What should their rights be?  Should they be allowed to return to their homeland in the West Bank (which is not big enough to handle that many people)?  What are some compromises that can be made between Israelis, Palestinians, and the neighboring countries to resolve this issue?


Palestinian Perspective: they got kicked off of the land that they believed that they deserved, and they left the country but came back with weapons. They lost, and now they don't have a place to live and now they're living in places that were in poor condition.

Israelis Perspective: we still want more land and it was offered to us in the Tora and the Palestinians tried to kill us.

Understanding Sacrifice

ABMC - American Battle Monument Commission 

• In charge for all overseas burial for World War I 
• Father or whole progression of who makes the decision of where the soldier gets to be buried 
• cemetery was set like a funeral home, where family members could come and grieve 
• Max Cleland - wanted to set an educational program for the cemetery 
• National History Day//teachers were recruited 
• visited soldiers' graves and spoke out/gave a speech 

Elms - The Akimotos 

• research process - using the ABMC website and listing names of soldiers who he was interested in 
• trying to find someone with a personal connection - took him two months 
• found a family member 
• social media//using National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) 
• pay attention to little details, if you can't go deeper, everything they're talking about 

The Pitch 

• This book is important because many don't know about soldiers who have changed American History. It's a unique and influential story. (Makes more people aware)
• story can be used to inspire other organizations 
• tell them that others may be interested in Japanese American history 
• length of the book (didn't want to be 400 pages, wanted to be around 100 pages) 
• there are no young adult books on Japanese American soldiers 
• with the memoir, "I knew I had enough of a story to do a book instead of a lesson about WWII" 
• book highlighted not only the soldiers of WWII, but the families that supported them 
• Books can be passed out at conferences while websites just sort of die and fade away. 
• it'll be written by a teacher for students. 

Forrest Gump - Scene Analysis

Firstly, this was my first time watching Forrest Gump and it was probably one of the best movies I've seen in a while. Forrest Gump stars Tom Hanks as Forrest Gump. This romance and comedic film tells the story of a kind-hearted, caring, clueless, and courageous man named Forrest. This film follows his journey through defining moments in his life that impacted who he was. The film develops a heart warming story that leaves the audience with a life-changing lesson. Throughout the movie, the audience as well as Forrest are faced with many historic and influential figures that were present in America's history and pop culture. Some include: the Black Panthers, President JFK, Elvis Presley, John Lennon and a lot more others.

Starting off with the film's cinematography. My favorite scene is of young Forrest and Jenny going off onto their own little adventure, climbing on trees and spending time together. In this scene, the cinematographer used a variety of angles and shots. The use of different angles and shots were specifically used and helped portray a message and story beautifully.

In this snippet of the scene, when Jenny and Forrest are running to the tree, the usage of a wide and low angled shot draw emphasis to the characters as well as the tree. This shot was so distinctive and impactful because it depicted the relationship of Jenny and Forrest. It allowed the audience to understand how their friendship grew throughout the whole film, and how this one moment set and built the story up. The use of a wide and low angled shot was to allow the audience to see the setting yet still focus their attention to the characters. The tree was their safe haven, it was where Jenny felt the safest, which was when she was with Forrest. The use of the wide shot allowed the audience understand that they were always in remote and secluded areas where they could be alone together.

When Jenny and Forrest are on the tree, Jenny is reading a book while Forrest is hanging and swinging on a tree branch with the use of his legs/leg braces. In this shot, the cinematographer used both a mid shot/pan shot as well as a eye-level angle. The scene starts off with a mid shot of Jenny reading her book, soon it's a pan shot, starting with Jenny and ends off with a shot of Forrest's legs. The camera pans from Jenny to Forrest. The use of an eye-level angled allowed the audience to see them from a better angle. Instead of using a bird's eye view or a low angle, they most likely used an eye-level angle in order to draw more attention and focus onto the two characters. The use of a pan shot allowed the audience to see how different their personalities were. Jenny enjoyed reading whereas Forrest was a lot more outgoing and enjoyed playing around. This scene showed the audience that even though these two had such different personalities, they bonded and loved each other's company. As the angle changes and Forrest's legs are only in shot, Forrest's legs may have been different but Jenny accepted his flaws and found company and comfort from him. In a way, Forrest's legs was what tied/started their friendship. It could symbolize and draw emphasis that his differences and flaws are what pushed him to change everything around him. 

Carrying onto the post production process, not only was cinematography techniques precisely used, the editing was used to enhance the meaning of the story. During the tree sitting scene, some shots would go by quickly whereas some would go a lot slower. For example, in the scene of them sitting, holding each other's hand, the scene is a lot slower in order to show how time slows down once they're together. The balance between slow and fast scenes and the cuts between them showed a new day. Each cut showed a change in time or a change in day. The usage of pan starting from a lower angle to a higher angle and the editing allowed the scene to slow down which showed that Forrest would've done anything for Jenny. It showed that everything around him didn't matter so long he had Jenny. 

Sound effects as well as the soundtrack really emphasized and enhanced the theme and message of the story. The background music is soothing yet not exactly a slow tempo song. It's calming yet a bit fast paced, the background music would perfectly describe Jenny and Forrest. They can be themselves around each other, yet they can still have fun and go on adventures together. In the scene of Forrest swinging, you can hear the sound of his leg braces squeaking. The volume of the music lowers, and the sound of the squeaking is emphasized. Whereas in the scene of the sun setting, and their tiny silhouettes on the tree, the sound of crickets can be heard in the background. By using the sound of crickets, the audience is able to understand that a change in time had occurred. The audience can also understand that whenever Forrest and Jenny were together, when time passed by they continued on side by side. The soundtrack added onto the idea of time slowing down when they were together. The crickets meant that they sat there until the sun was setting, yet they still wouldn't want to leave each other's company. 

Lastly, in my opinion the narrative and the acting was crucial and probably the strongest aspect to the whole scene. Not only in this scene specifically, but in the whole film as well, Tom Hanks does an excellent job in portraying his character and his personality. Specifically in this scene, the narration enhanced the emotion and relationship between the two of them. Tom Hanks more specifically Forrest Gump, narrates the story in a way that builds and tells the audience how their childhood friendship wasn't complicated. "She helped me learn how to read, and I showed her how to swing." This quote, or part of the narration showed how easy their life was together back then, and definitely  depicted that they were young children. The usage of different terms and phrases showed the change in time and age. The acting of the female and male actors who played as young Jenny and Forrest showed the friendship and connection between both characters. The relationship, emotion, as well as connection between the two of them applied to when they both grew up. It showed that their relationship grew even stronger (even though there were a couple ups and downs) once they grew up together. As young Jenny says, "Come on Forrest, you can do it!" it shows that no matter how old they were, Jenny continued to encourage Forrest. Whether it was to run from the bullies, or during the war in Vietnam, Jenny encouraged Forrest to be true to himself and to continue "running." Jenny's words were what continued to drive Forrest even if it was just pushing him to climb up that tree. 

Peace in the Middle East April 28, 2016

Why are the Palestinians and Israelis always fighting each other?

Palestinians and Israelis are always fighting each other because they had a disagreement over a certain part of land. The Palestinians wanted to have their own country, but Israelis already lived there.

What are the causes of their dislike for each other?
One of the causes of their dislike for each other is different thoughts on topics and opinions.

Has it always been this way?

Music Video

1. Over the 3 weeks we dedicated to this project, you did screenwriting, cinematography, editing, and directing. Which skills did you feel played the biggest role during creating your music video? Which portion of the filmmaking process went the smoothest for you? Which was the most difficult?

The skills that I felt played the biggest role during the creation of my music video was the screen writing and editing. I think that screenwriting was a major part of the creation of my music video because it made the rest of the process even easier. It allowed me to know which shots and which scenes I needed to shoot on the day of filming. I think that the editing was another big role in the creation of my music video because the editing of the clips as well as how long the clips go for are really important to the meaning and story of the video. I think that though these areas had the biggest role on my music video, it was also probably the most difficult parts. For the screenwriting, once I was done writing the whole screenplay and finished filming most of my clips I realised that my storyline didn’t really makes sense so I decided to re-arrange all the scenes. For editing, it was difficult due to the fact that I realised that I was missing a minute worth of film, therefore having to re-use clips from the video itself. I think that what went pretty smooth for me was the directing since I didn’t have to work with other directors I was able to decide on which angles I wanted to use.

2. Reflect back on how you worked on this project; what did you do well and what could you have been better at? What advice would you give future Digital Film students about working on this project?

Something I did well was making sure that the clips were straightforward, and made sure that the clips didn’t go on for too long. I think that another thing that I did well on in this project was using a variety of angles and applying the lessons I learnt in class with my actual film. I think that something that I could’ve done better was filming a lot more extra clips so I wouldn’t run out of clips, and I could’ve made sure that I had three minutes worth of film to apply to the music. I think that another thing I could’ve done better was with my time management, I definitely should’ve planned my time a lot better and filmed over a course of two weekends instead of filming everything in one weekend. Some advice that I would give to future Digital FIlm students about working on this project is to take risks. If you think some of your clips looks odd or different compared to others, take that risk because sometimes in a music video, taking a risk is better than playing it safe. Also another piece of advice that I would give to the future Digital Film students would be to plan your time and story out before you begin to film, screenplays may seem like a hassle at times but it definitely enhances the process of creating your film. Last thing I would say to the Digital Film students would be to pick a song that not many people know, sometimes the more less-known a song is, the more interested the audience will be.   

3. What was your overall opinion about the Music Video project? What did Mrs. Gach do well or what could she do better/change?

The Music Video project was probably one of my favorite projects this semester. Since the music video project is done individually, it allowed me to learn a lot more about my work ethic as well as apply the cinematography and editing skills myself instead of relying on others. I think that the music video project was by far one of my favorites because we’re constantly looking at new music videos being released by our favorite singers and artists, but we were finally able to take our favorite songs and create a story line for it. I know for me, I’ve seen a few music videos and after I felt as if the story they portrayed didn’t match the lyrics and the meaning of the song. I think that with the music video project it allows us student to be able to show off our skills independently. Mrs. Gach did really well with giving us a lot of freedom with a few rules. I think that this freedom allowed us to explore our own creativity and our own skills. Overall, I really enjoyed this project.

History Alive Notes

Vietnamese Immigrants in the United States 

• There was a military space nearby and she'd find bullet shells and army weapon left behind. 
• Vietnam war started in 1955 and went on for 20 years between South and North Vietnam. 
• It was one of the most brutal and contriversial wars that happened. 
• President of Vietnam began a campaign: "Denounce the Communists" where he abused and killed communists. 
• Immigration waves were when groups and different amounts of Vietnamese refugees immigrated to America 
• In 1975 was one of the major waves, which was the first.
• It consisted of soldiers and teachers and those who were posed as a threat to the Communists. 
• President Carter raised immigrant quotas. 
• Dec. 1991 Washington officially lifted the ban on US travel to Vietnam 
• Many refugees didn't welcome Americans. Many racial slurs were used. Ching Chong, etc. Before they immigrated there weren't many Vietnamese people who were able to take them in.  

Integration of Hollywood 

• More and more African Americans and Asian Americans began to win Emmy and awards. 
• Miyoshi was the first Asian to win an award after the Japanese were able to leave the internment camps. 

Song of the South: Racist or Revolutionary? 

• 1946 - Song of the South was out. Based on a plantation in the South, based on an African American man telling white children about story. The movie is very racist on Black culture, and on their stereotype. 
• African American movies nowadays are less racist. 
• There are a lot other Disney movies that are considered racist but are still shown to children till this day. 

Movies that Sparked Social Change on African Americans 

• Roots is one of the first movies that was released in 1977. Talked about slaves, the topic of slavery was ignored in America and informed Americans about African Americans and their lifestyle. 
• The Help talked about an African American writer who was trying to get more people aware about the African American treatment. 
• Showed White Americans what made an American, American. 
• Today there is discrimination on Asians, Americans, Blacks, etc. 

Irving Berlin 

• Wrote the song "God Bless America" he was a Jew but he wrote a very patriotic song. 
• He contributed to Jewish rights, he was the first to integrate on Broadway. 
• Wrote another song for the Black people to sing, and introduced more Blacks to the Black industry. 
• Used music talents in a way to bring change to integration.

1992 L.A. Riots 

• Aug. 11th a Black man was arrested for drunk driving. 
• Segregation in L.A. didn't allow African Americans to buy or rent property. 
• Bloody Christmas (1951) - White Police fought and abused African Americans. 
• Rodney King was beaten for over ten minutes for speeding once he was told to lie on the ground. 
• 55 people lost their lives during these riots. 
• These riots have shown the anger of the African American. 
• Racial discrimination is still an issue in the United States. 
• Martin Luther King Jr. would rally people up to join him in order to riot and protest against discrimination against African Americans. 

Alice Paul & Lucy Burns: Pioneers of Women Suffrage

• Alice Paul fought for civil rights, she was very violent. She went on hunger strikes she was very full on with fighting. 
• Lucy Burns was brought up by Alice Paul's actions, they met when they were in London. They met in jail, because their were jailed quite a few times. 
• They were said to become lovers. 
• thirty girls were beaten, hung, abused, one had a heart attack. 
• Many feminists at the time were lesbians. 

Child Labor - Lewis Hine 

• Lewis Hine informed Americans of child labor, used photography to show them what was happening in factories 
• Europeans immigrated and brought the idea that children should work 
• 200 million children were working in order to support their families 
• there were no laws against child labor 
• hired to the child labor committee 
• males worked in coal mines and factories 
• he took pictures of these children, he was the mastermind of a camera 
• allowed him to take pictures, he disguised himself in order to sneak inside the work places 
• connection: modern day slavery 
• his photographs were used to raise awareness 

Comic Books: How Comics Tie in with the Civil Rights Movement 

• the Black Panther was one of the first Black superhero 
• Stan Lee was one of the first to create a character that was Black and tackled the issue of racism 
• Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. were often based on two of the characters in the comics. 
• Comics looked upon Blacks. 
• Fantastic Four was the first comic series with a Black character/hero. 

History Alive Project

History Alive Partner Interview

How did you become interested in this topic?

They were alway interested on comics, their topic is the impact of comics on the Civil Rights movement. Mr.Elms shared a lot of comics that were often racist.

How is your topic related to Civil Rights in America?

It's related to the Civil rights in America because most of the comics were drawn by White people, it shows how some people stood up for most minorities. It showed many propaganda.

What are your next steps to complete your project?

They have their basic outline, they just need to find pictures. They have their script down, they just need to decide what the design would look like.

What have you learned about your topic that is unexpected?

X men when Stan Lee they originally wanted to show how the world was very racist to X men and how the world were very racist to different minorities. He didn't know that Stan Lee drew X men to bring up the topic of racism.

My Favourite Music Videos

The music video for Jet Black Heart is a mixture of narrative and performance. As you can see in the music video, 5 Seconds of Summer had asked their fans to film themselves lip syncing to their songs in order to tell a story. It's not a very clear storyline but it may tell a story where all these different people all are hurting and they all have different stories but they pour out their hardships together through the song. Besides the fact that I've been a fan of 5 Seconds of Summer for a while, I think that one thing that really made this one of my favorites was the cinematography. Some of the shots and clips of the scenery really made the whole music video aesthetically pleasing. Especially the clip of Ashton and the LA skyline behind him, while he's in focus whereas the city lights are sort of a blur behind him. I think that another thing that made this really interesting is how well both the music and the imagery set the mood and emotion really well. Both set such a touching and deep emotion for the audience to feel different after watching. 

The music video for Carousel is mainly a narrative, it tells the story about a relationship. Something that I really enjoy about this music video is the creepy vibe it gives off. The music perfectly matches the imagery and leaves the audience with chills. I also really enjoy how the setting and how the colors as well as the rides really gave off that playful vibe as well. I also really liked the different shots, they didn't just stick to one type of angle or scenery. The different rides in motion, the close ups, etc. made the video a lot more interesting and the repetition really pulls the attention of the audience in. 

Civil Rights -- Review

Women's Rights

• Well Done 
• They had a really good connection to modern day 
• Pictures were well chosen and were mostly from a primary source 
• the whole video was done in a chronological order 
• All of the facts were pretty relevant 
• historically accurate, the research was presented well. 
• Needs Work 
• The music was a little distracting since I know the song, in some areas the music was a bit loud. 
• The timing of the pictures were a bit off. 
• The voices were often too soft or too loud. 
• They could've added a little more clips or videos. 
• Some of the text color was a bit hard to see/

Children's Rights 

• Well Done 
• Pictures were relevant 
• good facts 
• Repetition that emphasised how these children didn't have the rights 
• Need's Work 
• music was a bit distracting
• could've used a bit more clips/video 
• could've used less text on one page 

Movie Poster

Smoking and Addiction

What is addiction?
When someone gets hooked onto something, they continue to go back to the substance that had hooked them. Once they constantly go back to it, they've started an addiction. The urge to use this substance is too strong to control, you feel as if you have to have it in order to feel like yourself. When they first start using the substance, they don't plan on getting addicted to it. Something that makes them addicted is the feeling the substance makes them feel. They feel as if the substance makes them feel a lot better, what they don't know is how damaging these substances are to their bodies. Drugs can change the way your brain works, and sometimes you don't have control over how much of the drug or substance you use. Addictions cause people to feel as if their addiction is the urge get and use the drug whenever they can. It can also cause them to feel as if it's the only thing they enjoy. It may cause them to do terrible things such as lying, stealing, or committing crimes. Once the addiction begins, the hunger for it begins and the desire to stop is impossible.

Why do teens start smoking/using tobacco?
Teens start smoking/using tobacco most likely because of peer pressure or pressure from academic stress as well as many other factors. Teens are usually pressured by their friends or peers because they feel as if they need to smoke or use tobacco in order to fit in with the crowd. Teens as well as many other adults turn to smoking or using tobacco because they feel alone or as if they're trapped inside a whole other world where they're distant from humanity. Teens would turn to smoking and tobacco because they feel like they can't fit in, they find comfort in smoking and using drugs or even alcohol. Other reasons why teens may start smoking or using tobacco would be because once they begin, they can't stop or they can't stand the life without the drug or the feeling of smoking. They may feel happy or "cool" because they smoke.

What are the risks of using tobacco?
There are many risks of using tobacco. Tobacco stimulates the same areas of the brain as cocaine and amphetamines. After hours of smoking, the body adapts to the toxins which quickly makes smoking necessary. Smoking tobacco can cause many types of cancer, oral cavity cancer, larynx cancer, lung cancer, mouth cancer, and more. The use of tobacco can also cause emphysema and chronic bronchitis. If you smoke tobacco you can also start to see a few other effects, which include: peptic ulcers, Systemic atherosclerosis, etc.




How can they quit?
In order to quit smoking or the use of tobacco, you can receive help by either visiting a rehab center or by talking to close friends or family members. If you're not comfortable with seeking help from your friends or family, you can also receive help from counselors or therapists. Another way you can quit is by throwing away all of your cigarettes or anything that would trigger your addiction again. It may take quite a lot of time, but it'll definitely impact your health and life in a positive way.

History Alive Topic Ideas

1. Joan Baez 

• She's an American folk singer, songwriter and activist. She's the best known for her distinctive voice and her role in a making the music of Bob Dylan popular. 
• Her music often expressed her social and political views. 
• She sang a song named "We Shall Overcome" at the March on Washington in 1963. This march was organised by Martin Luther King Jr. 
• She supported civil rights as well as participated in the antiwar movement, wanting and calling for an end to the conflict in Vietnam. 
• She refused to pay part of her taxes to protest against the U.S. military spending for a decade. 
• She helped establish the west coast branch of Amnesty International which was a human rights organization. She also performed at many fundraisers for social and political causes around the world. 

2. Josephine Baker 

• Josephine was a dancer as well as a singer. She became wildly popular in France during the 1920's devoting most of her life to fighting racism. 
• She grew up living in poverty, and learnt how to dance which soon led her to finding success on Broadway. 
• Once she moved to France and became one of Europe's most popular and highest paid performers. 
• She started working at the age of eight to support for her growing family, she cleaned houses and babysat for wealthy white families. She returned to school two years later, before running away from home and finding work as a waitress at a club. 
• She returned to the U.S. to perform, but she was met with a racist reaction and she soon returned back to France. 
• In France, she worked for the Red Cross during the France occupation. She worked for the French Resistance and smuggled hidden messages in her sheet music. 
• She participated in demonstrations and boycotts against segregated clubs and concert venues once she returned back to America. She spoke at the March on Washington and was a notable speaker, the NAACP named May 20th "Josephine Baker Day." 

3. Yuri Kochiyama 

• She was raised in San Pedro, California. Her father was arrested by the FBI during the Pearl Harbour bombing because her father was a first generation Japanese. 
• Yuri and her children were actively involved in black liberation struggles, anti-war movement, and the Asian- American movement. 
• She invited many civil rights activists such as the Freedom Riders to their home gatherings. 
• In 1963, she met Malcom X and they began a friendship. 
• After his speech when he was assassinated which speaking to the OAAU, she had a keen interest in equality and justice which led her to work for the political prisoners in the U.S. 

4. James Weldon Johnson 

• He was an early civil rights activists, a leader of the NAACP, as well as a leading figure in the creation and development of the Harlem Renaissance. 
• James and his brother wrote a song called "Lift Every Voice and Sing," which later became the official anthem of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. 
• President Theodore Roosevelt appointed him to diplomatic positions in Venezuela and Nicaragua. 
• He published hundreds of stories and poems. He wrote collections of stories and poems that celebrated the African- American experience in the rural South and other places. 
• After retiring from the NAACP in 1930, he devoted the rest of his life to writing. He became the first African-American professor at New York University. 

5. Tammy Duckworth 

• former Singapore American Student in 1985 
• She was the first Asian American woman elected to Congress in Illinois, she was also the first disabled women to be elected to the U.S. House of Representatives.
• She was also the first member of Congress that was born in Thailand. 
• During the Iraq war she served as a veteran as well as a U.S. Army helicopter pilot. She suffered severe combat wounds, she then lost both her legs and had injured her right arm. 
• in 2009, Obama appointed Tammy as assistant secretary in the U.S. Department of Veterans Affair. 

Historical Fiction Narrative Poetry and Author's Note

Complete Poetry Collection

Outside the Windows

There wasn’t much to Deutsches Reich.

The streets were mostly empty,

with the frequent occurrence of Nazi soldiers

storming up and down

the rigid sidewalks,

walking past closed stores.

Outside these stores on doors and windows,

hung a sign with a symbol of dignity

of those who’ve been stripped of their pride

and culture.

The Star of David

or the words painted “Juden.”

A flame ignited, reflecting on the pupil of my eye,

they burned everything that belonged to Jews.

A flame ignited, reflecting on the pupil of my eye,

they burned everything that belonged to Jews.

I could never forget the day,

May 10th.

The glow of the fire,

lit up the sky like stars of the night.

I watched as they threw book by book into the

the fire.

I watched as the endless pages of unforgettable words were engulfed.

Ash covered the night sky,

books piled on top of each other.

All the beautiful literature soon became a mess of darkness.

People surrounded the mountain of burning fire,

“All heil Hitler!”

As they raised their hands into the air.

I’ll never forget the day,

where darkness was the only light in Germany.

How did our country end up like this?

Will hope pull me through this?

Taken Away

There they are.

storming the streets,

their hands gripped onto weapons.

It brought horror to me,

all I could see was their armbands

with the Swastika sign

sewn onto red fabric,

wrapped around their arms,

on top of their uniform sleeves.

All I could see was

their angered expressions,

Their mouths furiously enunciated,

as their tall black boots kicked the doors.

Nothing was going to stop them.

My father’s eyes

widened,

pulling my mother and I

into hiding.

Broken Home

“No! Father! No! Don’t let them do this to us! No!”

I shouted,

I looked into his helpless eyes.

Everything flashed before my eyes.

I grasped onto his arm,

my father’s,

he handed me something.

It was a letter.

I screamed and screamed,

but the figures in the doorway

Furiously yelled,

at least that’s what I think they were doing,

their mouths wide open,

with their weapons held against our heads.

We were caught.

Jews could never hide.

No matter how hard you try,

we’re always caught

And taken away

As our homes and past are left

broken .

What Is It Like?

We were separated.

That was last time I saw them,

my mother and my father.

My past was completely erased.

I couldn’t look into the eyes of them,

their eyes were poison,

once you look, you’ll be sickened by the truth.

The last I ever saw of the outside world was the many people,

crowded around each other, raising their hands in the air

as they saluted Hitler.

I was pushed into the back of a van,

where pitch darkness was my only company,

the eyes of the other Jews

stared sadly at me,

with the force of a Nazi,

the doors of the truck

closed shut.

The outside world was a stranger to me,

what is it like to be someone

other than a Jew?

What is it like to roam the streets

without any fear?

What is it like to

feel the wind in your hair as you

run up and down the streets?

What is it like to

hear laughter and happiness?

Everything will forever remain a mystery,

my hands clutched onto the paper,

that was the last thing I have of

my family,

my past,

my independence.

Sidelines

I saw him staring,

his piercing hazel eyes found me everywhere I went,

regardless of the swarm of Jews that surrounded me.

As I stand

with nine other prisoners in my row,

roll call was about to begin.

Hours after hours went by,

and yet there he was.

Still staring as if I was endangered…

ready to die.

Fear struck inside of me,

as the guards and officers count the prisoners

one by one.

Concentration Camp

At last I awoke,

I don’t remember how I got here.

Mouths moved,

but I couldn’t hear a single sound,

I navigated by following the crowds.

If everyone got up,

I did too.

If everyone was

lining up,

Row by row,

In lines of ten,

I’d follow.

I couldn’t draw attention to me

Or I wouldn’t make it another day.

Wired fences barricaded us from the outside world,

Striped uniforms removed us from our

Uniqueness,

Personalities,

And originality.

The Star of David was sewn onto our uniforms,

In order for our predators to know who we are.

Instead we were forced to be the same.

Which was Hitler’s utopia,

For everyone to be the same,

For him to have power over everything.

Labor was all we did,

Nazis watched our every move,

We were surrounded.

The Girl

There she was.

Something about her

intrigues me.

Something about her

pulls me in,

wanting to know more.

In a crowd of Jews,

I couldn’t help but take my eyes off of her.

She was interesting.

She wasn’t like any other Jew.

She was quiet,

never spoke a word,

never grunted or complained.

I see her holding onto something.

It was a piece of paper.

Criminals weren’t supposed to own anything,

But I couldn’t turn her in.

I was determined

to know what information that piece of paper holds.

Surroundings

The thin stone hard mattress,

Restless bodies laid around me,

Bunk after bunk,

Tired from the

Hours and hours

Of labour,

The lack of food,

And the lack of rest.

I could hear the crickets from outside,

Oh how I wish I could be like them.

Outside in the world,

Making music freely and loudly,

With the hope that someone would listen.

I wish I could be like them,

Active and roaming around.

Little light seeped through the windows,

But I could see a few of the stars

That lit up the pitch dark sky,

The only light source to darkness.

My eyes began to flutter,

Flutter like butterflies,

Until they shut close

Waiting for light to come in soon.

Helpless

Day by day went by

as we stood in line

waiting to be selected for our jobs.

Pregnant women were taken away,

Some were forced to have an abortion,

whereas others were labeled as incapable of work.

Many of those women were

killed.

I watched

as women around me were being taken away.

Some were beaten,

stripped and forced to stand out for long hours.

Us women were their targets,

they used torture and rape to get into our heads,

to mess with us,

to break us down,

piece by piece.

They were the guns,

and women were the targets,

one was bound to get hit,

and the other was bound to have all the power.

We were put into vulnerable places,

with no control.

I fear of the day,

where I’m their next victim.

For Her.

I wanted to reach out,

I called for her,

She didn’t look back,

she probably didn’t hear me.

I walked up to her,

She stared at me

as if I were to hurt her.

“Come with me.”

I said,

grasping onto her arm.

Fear

The touch of his hand around my arm

sent shivers down my spine.

I was his victim,

This was the end

of me.

Alzbeta

Her name was Alzbeta.

She couldn’t hear me,

Because she was different.

She didn’t say a word,

Because she didn’t want to draw attention.

She was afraid of what I would do to her.

She carried a letter,

A letter from her father.

She couldn’t dare look me in the eyes.

Her letter talked about how much her father loved her,

How many lies Hitler has spread among Germany,

And her father told her that

Even if she felt powerless, power will soon build up,

And she’ll gain enough courage to

Fight.

To fight for what she believed in.

I let her go.

The End

“We have to fight for what we believe in,

And I believe that us Jews should have more rights.

We should have the right to roam around the streets,

Without fear of Hitler, without the fear of death!

Our religion shouldn’t define us,

Our past shouldn’t control our future!”

I yelled out,

Even though people may not have understood me.

The mouths of the other Jews opened,

What I believe was chanting was the mellow sounds I could hear.

I felt the tug of two Nazis’ arms around me,

Pulling me away from where I stood.

This was the end.

I was pulled into a dark room,

This was it.

This is where I stand.

This was the end.

Author’s Note

On March 1933, soon after Adolf Hitler was appointed chancellor of Germany, the very first concentration camp was established. Development of organization, structure, and practice at the Dachau, the first concentration camp. Dachau became the model for the Nazi concentration camp system that soon expanded all over Germany. The Jewish deaf teenage girl, Alzbeta Levi and Nazi solider, Emmett Schubert are fictional characters that have been placed into a historical yet important time period. I wanted to write this story through a woman’s point of view. I saw that most documented stories that have been turned into books were often based on men’s experiences. I wanted to write about this topic due to the fact that I desired for more people to be aware of the hardships Jewish women had to go through during the Holocaust, particularly in concentration camps. Many have read stories about the suffering and mistreatment of these Jews. Whereas some may not be aware of how severely Jewish women were abused and were subjected to cruel persecution that was specific to their gender.

One source that helped inspired this story was an article on unitedwithisreal.org named “Jewish Women’s Suffering During the Holocaust”. What stuck to me with this article was that during the Nazi oppression, Jewish women were known to be especially vulnerable. Women in concentration camps were more likely to die than men were. Not only were they often beat, forced to stand outside for long hours outside, they were also forced to shave their hair off. Pregnant women were also forced to have abortions against their will. There was also a strong connection between rape and genocide, Nazis frequently used rape to put Jewish women in vulnerable positions where they weren’t able to do anything. This source really helped inspired a lot of the scenes that significantly enhanced the mood and the meaning of the story.

Women’s rights is still an issue till this day, as a female myself, we’re constantly put into situations where it seems as if we don’t have a voice. These poor, suffering women weren’t allowed to have a voice to speak up for their beliefs. Their experiences weren’t shared until after they’ve suffered through traumatizing events, instead they were forced to stay quiet. When people read these series of poems they should be able to follow the main character, Alzbeta, and leave the story learning a lesson that although you may seem powerless when dealing with tough situations, courage will soon build up within you to fight for what you believe in.

The Holocaust and the development of women’s rights have made a significant impact on our history. Germany under Adolf Hitler's control is an interesting time period that many could learn from. I encourage you to seek out into the story of the Holocaust and learn about the treatment and lifestyles of the Jews. I recommend taking a look at some of the most eye-opening and life-changing stories, books, websites, which include: The Diary of Anne Frank, The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.

Holocaust Encyclopedia. "Anne Frank." United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. United States Holocaust Memorial Council, 29 Jan. 2016. Web. 15 Mar. 2016. <https://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10005210>.

Avraham, Rachel. "Jewish Women's Suffering During the Holocaust." UWI. Rachel Avraham, 8 Apr. 2013. Web. 15 Mar. 2016.

H.E.A.R.T, Chris Webb. "Women Record Their Accounts of the Holocaust.".holocaustresearchproject. N.p., 2009. Web. 15 Mar. 2016.

Smith, Linell. "The Bulletin - Google News Archive Search." The Bulletin - Google News Archive Search. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Mar. 2016.

SCHIFF, CHARLENE. "Https://www.ushmm.org/outreach/en/media_oi.php?MediaId=1109." Interview. Audio blog post. Www.ushmm.org. United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, Washington, DC, n.d. Web. 15 Mar. 2016. <https://www.ushmm.org/outreach/en/media_oi.php?MediaId=1109>.