Field Trip Reflection Paper
What Did You See?
Museum of Tolerance includes many of the interesting events, special exhibitions, and distinctive programs that bring the history to life and parity it to current events. The field trip had a great reflection for me to gain a lot of information from different section it was beautifully organized which motivate my desire to learn more and get enough information. I have been in different sections the main exhibit was the holocaust section, which exhibit a sound and light guided presentations that led me back to in the time to be witnesses to events in Nazi- dominant Europe during World War II. I also saw the letter that is signed by Adolf Hitler in which he first reveals his radically anti- semantic worldview. I listened from some of the records to the unforgettable stories of the courage and suffer of the Holocaust victims and survivors. I had the chance to look and take the journey to America from some of the multimedia presentations which showcasing stories of diverse Americans, including Dr. Maya Angelou, Carlos Santana, and Billy Crystal. This section reveals a lot of the situation of the immigrants who came to U.S to look for future and freedom, individuals who escape from poverty and the oppression looking for peace and justice.
What Did This Place Tell You About Cultural Diversity?
This place tells and reveals numerous of stories and precious history about cultural diversity. This interactive exhibitions and sound presentation allow me to input ideas on social issues, such as bulling, sacrifices, crimes, and injustice between the individuals. This place also tells how the immigrants from voyage were looking for places to settle, who sought for new opportunities and better life. Some social events such as economics, marriage, religious or racial prejudice, all these events must be motivation behind life changing moves. I learned also as long as individuals reconnect with their families and their past, they can trace their ancestors’ movements from one place to another. Revealing why they moved, why they made this decision of changing their life with suffering during their voyage, and understanding of who they were to know the consequences of how the present generations are today. Based on the article “The United States experienced major waves of immigration during the colonial era, the first part of the 19th century and from the 1880s to 1920. Many immigrants came to America seeking greater economic opportunity, while some, such as the Pilgrims in the early 1600s, arrived in search of religious freedom” (HISTORY.com, 2015)
What Did You Learn That You Did Not Know Before Visiting?
The museum in general is well organized with beautiful exhibitions with light and sound presentations and developmental technology about some video records. The special section that I had not much sources and information about was the Holocaust section, I realize that Holocaust is systematic oppression which is murder more than five million Jews by Nazi regime and its collaborators. I had the chance to see from videotape presentations how they detent the naked victims in room included with taps which is source of gas and they torture the victims with turned on the gas taps until they die. The Nazi system the don’t even have the tender on the people who need special care especially the disabled and down syndromes, they eliminated homosexuals people because Nazis believed that homosexual individuals were weak and they do not have the power to fight and protect Germany’s nation. . They saw who homosexual’s individuals won’t produce children and that will effect on German’s birthrate. According to the article “As part of the Nazis' attempt to purify German society and propagate an 'Aryan master race,' they condemned homosexuals as 'socially aberrant” (Ushmm.org, 2015). The Nazi held that inferior races produced more children than "Aryans," so would diminished Germany's reproductive potential was considered a racial danger. During the injustice time of Nazi’s Jehovah’s witness also were refused to serve in Germany’s army and take an oath of obedience to Rudolf Hitler, so basically were targeted. I learned from this part that Nazi’s rule was so restricted and dry toward other individuals that reveals their negative racial biases abolished basic freedom.
Did This Visit Change Your Feelings or Perception in Any Way?
The interactive exhibitions and sound, visual presentation truly affected my emotions, especially the holocaust sections, including the set replicating the entrance to a death camp, and other different selections in camps. The interesting part for me is to receive a magnetic card for child to learn about he/ her life and how this child born and grew up, and at the end of the tour I had the chance to know how this child survive and find the fate of this child. I received the card to know about life of Yehiel Goldberg, who forced into a sealed–off ghetto in the run- down part of the city. The seventeen years old Yehiel was killed with his member of the families, he was one of the 1.5millions Jewish who were murdered by Germans during the Holocaust. I feel so sorry about this young boy who has no any guilt to be murdered only because he is from Jewish family and he had to survive and die. As I’m from Armenian nationalism It is very common to know about the Armenian genocide from Turks that made me to imagine how much my ancestors were suffered from injustice and discrimination that imagination draw a parallel picture to the crime of Nazi Germans against Jewish. I strongly demand to list The Armenian issue in the “genocide board” which considered the most hideous crime in the history. This visit changed my feeling by imaging how innocent people suffered and died who had no power to defect their simple human rights for living in peace and freedom.
Would You Recommend This Place to Other Students? Explain Why.
I recommend this place to other student to discover the beautiful exhibition and well-organized sections with developmental presentation. This place is the essential place where someone can listen to interesting stories of courage and suffering of the Holocaust victims and survivors. As United States is included of different types of cultural diversity, student from different nationality can benefit from immigration section why their ancestors came to America and settled here. Also noticed some of the presentation encourage the individuals to keep asking their grandparents about their past to find their origin and find themselves. I recommend also other friends who are interested to know about culture diversity about the history of horror of the genocide throughout the world. I would say this place is the precious history of the Knowledge and legacy.
References
HISTORY.com,. (2015). U.S. Immigration Before 1965 - Facts & Summary - HISTORY.com. Retrieved 27 July 2015, from http://www.history.com/topics/u-s-immigration-before-1965.
Ushmm.org,. (2015). United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. Retrieved 27 July 2015, from http://www.ushmm.org
