Nuremburg Trials

I found that the movies turned out to be quite exciting by the end because previously, I had been uneducated of this topic. I can't recall learning of what happened to the Nazi leaders of the camps and such so I felt that this was a very enlightening movie that helped clarify what we read about in the class handouts this year. I loved Hermann Goering's character in this movie, not because of his personality, but because I loved the hate him. As we have been told, the actors portrayal of these people is fairly accurate. If that is that case, Goering was a smug, confident, jacka** (pardon my French), and I find myself hating him quite tremendously. Watching him in the movie made me want to get out of my seat to jump into the movie and give him a piece of my mind. I would have given him the same glare that the young lady had (whose name escapes me at the moment). I feel that his death also shows he was a coward. He claims that he was too prestigious to be hanged, but I think he was just to scared to be humiliated and hung in front of everyone to see and for pictures to capture. At least all the other criminals had the guts to face their fate. I also find it quite humerus that some people thought that their death would be inhumane, when in reality, they didn't give others a humane death either. They killed millions of people in some of the most inhumane ways possible, why should they deserve any better? Due to the classes reaction, I think that most people would feel this way too. In the end though, I think that justice was, in fact, served and most of the people got what they deserved, and for now that's all anyone can ask for.

Overall Self Reflection

As far as grades are concerned, I've done pretty good in this course. I've managed to achieve a grade in the mid to upper 90's which is better than I expected, considering I've never really been attracted to or done will in history. Maybe it's the outstanding teaching in this course (=D) or maybe it was my drive to be better than my brother and maintain a higher grade for bragging rights. No matter what it may be, I will not complain. Of course there is still room for improvement whether it be actually taking the time to get a good study session in (because 15 minutes with Pavlo at Starbucks and the last 5 minutes of lunch didn't seem to cut it sometimes =/), or not always relying on my smarter classmates to constantly check and correct my work in fear of getting a bad grade. Overall, I kind of surprised myself in that I feel that I actually learned some things here and there in every single chapter and that I was able to get a good grade in a history class. Though DBQ's were not by any means my favorite, they have definitely helped me as a writer. Since we were already given the history aspect of the DBQ, writing it was the challenge. At first they were VERY difficult for me to even organize. Now I could do one, not with ease, but at least without my heart rate racing and I am able to for clear thoughts. It has also helped to to be a little bit of a quick thinker with the information I am given which has recently proven to be a useful skill as I had to take my English placement exam for college. I was given a few paragraphs, just like the documents, and had to form an essay in 120 minutes with the information I was given and with somewhat of a background knowledge. At first I was very scared to take this course, but now that I look back on what I've learned and done, I have no regrets about taking this course.

Arab-Israeli Conflict

Until this unit, I had no idea of the conflict of what is presently Israel. Due to strong religious/ethnological beliefs a war has commenced over land that each side believes is theirs. The Israelis want it because they believe it is their homeland and basically were there first, while the Palestinians believe that it is their rightful land because once the Israelis left they took over and it is home to a few religious sites. So who is right? We have been discussing this dilemma in class and even we as a class could not come up with even a reasonable conclusion. No matter what someone could think up, someone else would find a flaw. If our APEH class couldn't even come up with anything simple, imagine what the leaders of the world, who are dealing with this issue, are arguing about. Not only is is a matter of ethnicity, but it is a matter of religion as well. As we have seen many times previously in this course, ethnicity and religion have sparked quite a few conflicts. Due to differences, yet again, people begin to argue and it snowballs into something just like this Arab-Israeli Conflict. Sadly, it is not so simple that one of these side can just move off to another chunk of land. We are at the point where nearly every inch of the world has been conquered and those without their own land cannot just go claim their own. This adds to the intensity of this conflict, on top of both sides having religious affairs withing this land their fighting over. What makes me slightly disappointed in the human race is that it appears that neither side seems like they want to sacrifice anything besides human lives at this point. With this I leave you with one last question, if no one is willing to compromise, how is this ever supposed to get solved then? The world may never know...

Connection Across Time- Global Environment

Our environment has become a major issue over the past few years. Everything seems to be "going green," whether its the water we drink, the clothes we buy, or the material we're using for our homes. Everything has become "eco-friendly." Some people may ask "But how did this all start." To answer that, we will have to take a trip back in time to the Industrial Revolution. First, however, a brief summary of what causes dangers to the global environment. Global warming and the greenhouse effect are both results of greenhouse gases. These greenhouses gases indirectly cause an increase in temperature, which in turn, is melting the worlds ice, increasing the water level, and receding the shorelines of the world. So how does all of this relate to the Industrial Revolution? If you take a moment to recall, the Industrial Revolution introduced the world to new inventions such as coal-powered steam engine, railways, combustion engines, etc. Unfortunately, at the time, the inventors of these tools knew nothing of their long term effects. The emissions of these technologies are what caused/is causing the greenhouse effect today. What once was a manufacturer's dream has now become an environmentalist's nightmare.

Class Discussion (5/4)- Human Rights

Growing up in a middle-class American family, one becomes sheltered from the idea that anything bad could happen to them. Thus it is an eyeopener to hear that people in parts of the world don't even receive the basic human rights that we would think is just natural for every person to have when born. For me, it is hard to believe that one human being would purposely attack another beings human rights, and strip them from the things that should be naturally theirs. Personally, I believe every human deserves first of all the right to live their own life. No one should be killed based on the way they look or their religion or anything else they believe in. Second, no one should be discriminated based on their beliefs. It is inevitable that different people are going to believe different things. That's just the way the world works and that's just how its meant to be. We were all created differently, and should not be hated against because of it.
I find it kind of pathetic that we as humans can't accept that we are different and get into wars because of it. It is quite sad that there needs to be a Declaration on Human Rights in order for them to be protected and there should be no need for the EU to have to promote human rights in other nations. Maybe it's just me and my modern thinking, but we are all human and that should be enough for us to all get along. We all don't have to agree with each others beliefs but we should be able to respect them as mature human beings. I find it childish that people are starting whole wars because some group of people are different than them. In the end though, these thoughts are just coming from the sheltered little girl, living in her middle-class American home, leaving her unable to understand why wars really start. In the end, the mature people of the world wouldn't start a war over differences, now would they???

Henri Cartier-Bresson

In earlier chapters, when we talk about art, we talk about paintings because camera were not practical for common art. In their earliest years, they were just used for portraits and pictures for newspapers. It was very uncommon for people to be running around with camera like the people of today, snapping a picture every 10 seconds. However, today, photography is a main staple in the art business and I felt it was only right to talk about photography as art in this more modern chapter. Photography has evolved into being a memory keeper, journalism documentation, and art itself. Photographers wait for that one moment to capture, and if they get it, they have accomplished what they need. One person who believed in the idea of capturing the right moment was Henri Cartier-Bresson.
“There is a creative fraction of a second when you are taking a picture. Your eye must see a composition or an expression that life itself offers you, and you must know with intuition when to click the camera. That is the moment the photographer is creative. Oop! The Moment! Once you miss it, it is gone forever.”- Cartier-Bresson
Cartier-Bresson is known as the father of modern photojournalism and found his influence in French Surrealism in that meanings lie beneath the surface of everyday life and through photography, he would capture it. He believed "the context of a gesture, a meeting or a setting in a photograph could convey great beauty or emotion" and from this he developed his own style of photography, "street photography," which still exists today.
(Quotes and info from: http://chriscctan.wordpress.com/2009/10/26/the-decisive-moment/)

M.C. Escher- Relativity

In all the buzz over modern, contemporary art, I think M.C. Escher gets over looked. People are so distracted trying to analyze and feel an artist's painting that they forget about having fun with art like M.C. Escher's. His work confuses yet interests the viewer with his play on perspective. In this sketch, we don't know what is up or down or where is the top of the stairs, and I love that he is able to do this. Many people don't realize the amount of mathematics it took Escher to accomplish these playfully complex sketches.
Personally I love that this sketch is so confusing because I can stare it it for hours just following the stairs and trying to make sense of anything of this drawing. Unlike other artists, I am captivated by his works, not because of their beauty, but rather that it seems more like a game. It is more fun in a sense that we don't have to stare at it wondering what the artist was thinking and feeling, and we get to try and figure out all the aspects of it like a puzzle. I also like that his work involves a lot of math, because generally, when we think of art, math is the farthest thing in our minds. Also, art minded people are usually not good at or interested in math due to the way our brains work (generally speaking of course). Escher's art brings a whole new sense and feeling into the viewer's mind that other artists can't bring out.

Andy Worhol- "Marilyn Monroe"

When I think of more current art, the first artist that comes to mind is Andy Warhol. He is known for helping to lead the way into the visual art movement and is probably most famously known for painting the Campbell's Soup can. A lot of his art shows a play on color, as seen in this work of Marilyn Monroe.
Just as the name suggests, visual art is art that are visual in nature. Basically, when the viewer looks at it, he/she is able to detect what it is/is about, as opposed to abstract art. Most, if not all, of Worhol's art is guided by this nature. What made Warhol stand out was his play on color. Naturally, a straightforward drawing of a can of soup would not appeal to society. It is Worhol's attention to detail and his unique use of panels of different colors that separated him from the rest of the visual artists. Also, most modern art plays on the ideals of abstract art and freedom of thought. Worhol's art is very straightforward. Due to its popularity, one can say that it is more appealing the the public as a whole.

"America held captive to utopian ideology" reaction

It was very eye opening for me to read this article because beforehand, I did not realize the economic superiority of China. Now that I think about it, it seems obvious that things would be this way since we are so used to seeing "Made in China" on almost everything we buy these days. If China is making everything we buy, of course they must be doing well (economically). Patrick Buchanan seemed to portray China as a well oiled machine in that it has dozens or nuclear power plants under construction, the Three Gorges Dam, and manages to have made deals with other countries. With that in mind, what has America been up to? In a country where we are told that we have all kinds of new technologies and such, why are we hiding in China's shadow? If America really has the means to build power plants like China, why aren't we? In a way I feel that we should mold our economy into that of China's since everyday we are reminded that our economy is struggling. Apparently China has trillions of dollars (some of which we have given them) that they can just lend away. If China has the ability to have a savings rate between a range of 35-50% why can't we? In the land where "anything is possible if you put your mind to it" we should be doing just that and making anything possible. Instead of living in this state of economic worry, we should play copy cat a little and adopt the economic ways of China.

Connection Across Time- Women of WWII

In this day and age, it is not common for a woman to be working in a factory or fighting alongside men in the military, but it had not always been that way. Although there have been women like Joan of Arc who have made military contributions, before World War II women did not get actively involved with the war effort. Once America got involved with WWII, millions of people (mostly men) were sent off for war, leaving many jobs empty back home. In order for America to stay strong with the war effort, these jobs plus more needed to be filled. With most of the men gone off to war, women were left to make their mark in the American workforce. Thus, 6 million women took wartime jobs in factories or filling in for men on farms. They kept the country working while the people that used to were gone, bringing the "Rosie the Riveter" idea to life. Also, over 200,000 women served the military while 3 million women volunteered with the Red Cross.
These days, despite dispute over inferiority to men, women play a very active role in the workforce, as well as in the military. They make up at least 20% of the United States military (215,243 women as of 2009 to give you an idea). Of that total, 34,796 women are officers, 178,428 are enlisted and 2,019 are enrolled in military academies. Also, as of 2009, 1.7 million women are military veterans. (http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/facts_for_features_special_editions/003897.html). Though it may seem like that the number of women in the military has not increased much since WWII, keep in mind that we are not in a World War, and it is now socially acceptable in American for women to join any part of the U.S. Military.

Bombing of Hiroshima-Yasuko Yamagata

While looking this photo up, I read that Yasuko Yamagata was 17 when she witnessed the bombing and was in class at the time. After the bombing she saw the corpse of a woman and child. The sad part was that the woman looked like she was running at the time they were incinerated (as pictured). This reminded me of "There Will Come Soft Rains" by Ray Bradbury where is describes a city left in rubble. This next excerpt is from this short story and in reading it, I'm sure it will bring about almost the same image as in this painting.

"Ten o'clock.
The sun came out from behind the rain. The house stood alone in a city of rubble and ashes. This was the one house left standing. At night the ruined city gave off a radioactive glow which could be seen for miles.

Ten-fifteen.
The garden sprinklers whirled up in golden founts, filling the soft morning air with scattering of brightness. The water pelted windowpanes, running down the charred west side where the house had been burned evenly free of its white paint. The entire west face of the house was black, save for five places. Here the silhouette in paint of a man mowing a lawn. Here, as in a photograph, a woman bent to pick up flowers. Still farther over, their images burned on wood in one titanic instant, a small boy, hands flung into the air higher up, the image of a thrown ball, and opposite him, a girl, hands raised to catch a ball which never came down. The five spots of paint—the man, the woman, the children, the ball—remained. The rest was a thin charcoaled layer. The gentle sprinkler rain filled the garden with falling light." (http://www.gladdemusic.com/raybradbury-there%20will%20come%20soft%20rains.htm)

I feel that this short story by Ray Bradbury helps me to picture what Yasuko Yamagata must have felt during this experience. What you would picture at certain times are now gone. The world you saw the day before is no more and there is no beauty left to look out your window to. What once was a woman carrying her child is now a stain on the face of the earth. I could only imagine other horrifying images these marks would bring about for people like Yamagata who survived the bombing and had no where to go and nothing to look for.

Hitler's success with Agression- David Low

I found David Low's cartoon about Hitler somewhat comical in the fact that it animates that fact that it seemed almost too easy for Hitler to rise/gain power and take over Europe. I like that Low made all the leaders spineless because it pointed out to me that the other leaders of the world were in fact basically scared of Hitler and what he would do with all his power. Hitler was definitely not one to hold back and it seemed like the rest of the world knew that. I think that sometimes in history we just brush over that fact because we're to busy analyzing the Holocaust or Hitler's new gains, rather than analyzing his brutal display of power (which became very clear to me this year while doing the little game/power point of "What would Hitler do"). At the same time, however, what Hitler did was by no means comical. Maybe this cartoon is just our way of looking back and laughing at our mistakes.

Bataan Death March

The Bataan Death March is considered to be the worst treatment of Prisoners of War in World War II because of the cruel treatment the Japanese dished out. To most, their behavior is unbelievable, but it can easily be explained through a little background of the Japanese mindset (of the military). The Japanese started their soldiers at a young age, and they were taught that it was their duty to protect their country no matter what. Surrendering was not an option, as it brought shame and dishonor not only to that person, but to their whole family. The Japanese are very big on the honor of a family and maintaining a good family image. They take an incredible amount of pride in their work, thus they would not want to show weakness and dishonor, especially in war. Therefore, it was natural that POWs would be treated very poorly and cruelly. To them it was just part of the "game of war" so to say. With that, the POWs were marched from Mariveles to Bataan with little food and water, little rest, and threatened. This was a horrific experience for the POWs because they were exposed to deadly heat and were sometimes randomly beaten.
Though I do not feel it was right for the Japanese to do this, I also do not feel that they can be frowned so much upon for the simple reason that they had a feeling of necessity to do what they did. Due to the Japanese way, they had to do what they were told because their family's honor rested on it. In comparison, I would like to point out the idea of slavery. People traded slaves like they were nothing and used slaves for their own personal, selfish gains. There was no "custom" that said families had to own slaves or else be shunned by society and bring about disgrace to the family. This just goes to show how society is so quick to judge others before we examine our own faults. In either case, however, we as humans cannot condone what happens in any of the horrific situations that occur.

Picasso- Guernica 1937

Despite my previously stated dislike for Pablo Picasso's paintings, I do believe that in this painting, he is able to capture and give off the appropriate mood of what happened in Guernica. In 1937, Guernica was bombed by German and Italian warplanes, causing a mess of emotions and tragedy. If one wanted to know just what the people of this time were feeling, they could look to this painting. Without even analyzing the elements in the painting, one will see the lack of color. Even at just a glance, this lack of color tells the observer that it is a sad and somber painting. With no color, no true emotion can be evoked, leaving a feeling of emptiness and depression. One we look into the painting, our gaze would be directed to the faces of the people and creatures. There is obvious misery and despair. We also get a sense of chaos with all the different elements and shapes (of the people, creatures and inanimate objects) overlapping each other. The whole canvas is filled with some sort of object, showing that there was no "breathing room," thus, adding to the chaos. These elements, allow the reader to feel the pain and sorrow that was around after the bombing of Guernica.

The Great Depression

Whenever we talk about the Great Depression, I am always amazed as to how the ENTIRE world could basically just take a nosedive. Because of the stock market crashing, there was mass unemployment and banks failing. As with most of these disastrous situations, I could not imagine what these people would have gone through. It would be hard to adjust to having to live a completely different lifestyle than the one that you've grown accustomed to. This was a time period when people were getting used to the big city lifestyles and one day, everything they worked for and everything they had was gone. They then had to regress in that some people had to go back to the days of making their own clothes, and growing their own food. I could only imagine what would happen if a great depression were to strike today. These days, almost everyone buys their food and clothes. We have become so reliant on buying what we need and all the technologies we are given that in reality, if all of it were to be taken away, most people would not know how to survive on their own. This is also why it amazes me that people who went through the Great Depression managed to sustain a somewhat comfortable lifestyle (given their poor conditions), when they were given no warning as to what was to come for them.
I also find the recovery interesting. The stock market crashed in 1929 (Black Thursday) and recovery began in 1933. If the whole world experienced this crash, why did it take so long for the world's leaders to begin a recovery? In my mind, I would imagine that the leaders of the world would have got together ASAP after the crash itself to plan out a recovery process in a UN type of meeting. After all, wouldn't everyone be for the improvement and recovery of the world? Then again, this is a world where pride takes over and interferes with logic and where it can't always be "rainbows and butterflies" because of the complexities we all got ourselves into.

Connection Across Time- Keynesian Economics

For this chapter, it was my job to research and present economist John Maynard Keynes and through this I discovered what is known as Keynesian Economics. In a nutshell, Keynes believed that governments should run deficits and borrow money to get the economy "working" again and the profits from a healthy economy would be used to pay back any debts. I was kind of surprised that no one thought of this before because to me it seems like common sense. For example if I wanted to open up a business, I know I need to borrow money from a bank to buy a building and materials in order to start producing things that would make back that money. Maybe this only comes as commonsense to be because Keynesian economics is standard these day. His ideas began then and still are alive now in our own economy today, whether it be through the small business owner or through our own government. Because of Keynes, his ideas have allowed simple American kids like me to understand and apply to things in our own daily life. It also gives us hope for a recovery of what is now a slow economy as compared to the economy of a few years ago.

Picasso- "Three Musicians"

What I can't understand about Picasso's paintings is why they are so popular. Though I understand that he was an artist who used cubism, his paintings come off as cut out shapes done by a third grader. The art of this time was very abstract and personally I don't find it very appealing. I often wonder why a lot of the art of this time was so abstract when years before, we rarely discussed art like this and then all of a sudden this art hits your eyes like a bee sting in your eye. I guess the people of this time must have felt really anxious and crazy since this art came to light and eventually popular. All jokes aside, A lot of the art evokes the same sort of chaotic emotion and personally I don't enjoy looking at it like I do the art of Monet.

The Rape of Nanking

It is always saddening to hear of such events as the Rape of Nanking. No sane human being likes to hear of mass killing in gruesome and unusual ways. Every time we discuss situations like these I always wonder if I would be one of the people who would survive and what would happen. In an event such as the Holocaust, I know I would not survive based on my appearance, but in the Rape of Nanking, I would have a fighting chance, just as the pregnant woman in the survival story told by Ms. Herman. First I wonder whether or not I could stay hidden throughout this whole event. If I were found and about to be killed, Would I survive? Could I find the strength to keep off my killer(s)? What If I were pregnant just as many of the women in Nanking were? Is my mind that stable that I can get myself together and protect my child's life and mine? To answer all this, I like to believe that I would be a survivor in any situation. I'm sure the drive for life would be motivation enough for me to make it through two and a half weeks of hell. Sadly though, this is not the reality, as many strong men, women, and children died.
The thing that comes most shocking to me about this is the way people were killed. To be buried alive would be the worst, mentally, on a person, while being slashed multiple times and even shot, would be the worst physically. Though events like the Holocaust and the Rape of Nanking really can't and shouldn't be compared, I cant help but do so. Even in the Holocaust people were tortured just because of who they were. Personally I could not imagine one person killing another just because of appearance, nationality, or belief, because in the end, we are all human. All I can do is just shake my head in disbelief and hope that I do not find myself in the situations of these poor victims.

Salvador Dali- "Soft Construction with Boiled Beans"

It it no question whether or not Salvador Dali's work was unique. As with most of the artists of this time, his art was an abstraction of his own feeling and expressions. Dali was put into the category of Dadaism where art challenged the mind to think in an outrageous conduct. By looking at the painting in this entry, one could easily figure out why. It is barely possible for one to look at this picture and at first glance figure out the "meaning" behind this painting, as there appears to be no rhyme or reason to all the parts put into it. This painting becomes one for the scholars, as a knowledge of all the components and probably even one into Dali's psychology, becomes necessary in order to figure out its meaning. Dali expresses, very well, the aspects and components of the paintings of Dadaism.
As I looked through collections of his works, I noticed that almost all of them consist of a desert landscape with a sky background. Dali's paintings appeared very consistent in this way. All display the components necessary to make something a collage in front of a backdrop of a sky of some sort while placed upon a barren desert. To me this expresses Dali's mind- a clear place, yet barren and plain to be filled with new and interesting elements everyday. Though I cannot offer any insight to the possibilities of interpretations that the collage may represent, I can offer that it gives off a grim connotation and leads me further into confusion. If you should find yourself being able to offer any insight into the mind of Dali's paintings, by all means, do share.

Monet- "Water Lillies"

I have always had an affinity to Monet's paintings, which is why I decided to blog on one of them. In this chapter we learned that Monet emerged as the Father of Impressionism and painted what he saw, not what he knew. We also learned of people like Salvador Dali with Dadaism who painted with their imaginations to say the least. I find it interesting that of all the art of this time, someone like Monet who painted the most realistic artwork was considered the "different one. While he painted what he saw, the others were painting based on planes, abstraction, and geometric figures. This was also a period where the color of this art would either explode onto the canvas or be dull to display the dismal feeling of those feeling the depression that came during this time as well. Again Monet's paintings are found on neither end of these extremes. Monet's paintings usually depicted soft, serene scenes using cool calming colors.
If I were living in this time period, I think I would still be more attracted to Monet's paintings because his bring about a sense of calmness that would be a great distraction from the tension the typical family would find themselves in during the depression and in between two very major wars. I also think that Monet's paintings are more popular than any of the other artists (of his time) today for this same reason. These days people are painting their houses to bring about welcoming and soothing feelings and a painting by Monet would bring about the same effect. I like to believe that Monet would be very pleased with such accomplishments.

Age of Anxiety (4/7/10)

When we first began to discuss this lesson last week, I was curious as to why this time period was referred to as the "Age of Anxiety." Today, however, it became quite clear to me as to why it would be called that, thanks to Jack's presentation of Henri Matisse and Maggie's presentation on Dadaism and Salvador Dali. But first, I must reiterate what I learned about Henri Matisse and Dadaism. Henri Matisse was a French artist known for his modern art and abstraction. His paintions are known to be an "explosion on canvas."Dadaism is art that it "delighted in outrageous conduct," and gets its name because people would just say "da da" (or "yes, yes" or "yeah right" or "whatever") about the work. It consists mainly of the idea of a collage, photo montage, or assemblage or works. One of the most famous dadaists was Salvador Dali who was known for his surreal paintings. What these people painted offered me the ability to draw a conncection between their work and the phrase "age of anxiety," and once you see their paintings, I'm sure you will agree.


With the confusion and sadness that Dali's paintings and the explosive chaos that Matisse's artwork brings to me, I myself begin to feel anxious. I'm sure living in this time period and seeing this kind of artwork would make everyone feel just as anxious.

(Note: I know what I have previously stated is not 100% accurate as to why this time period was call this, I just find it humorous to think if it in this way. Also, this humor allows us to be distracted from the fact that this is the period in between two very gruesome and dramatic wars.)

Connection Across Time- Technology/Techniques

Though the common reason for why we study history is so that we learn from history's past, I've come to realize that a lot of things are repeated. Usually we like to point out the negative things that are often repeated, but in this case, I would like to point out what seems to be the positive advances of the technology used in WWI (note that I am not saying they are positive because that kill people or are used in war but that they represent technological and scientific advances and a greater understanding/ learning of objects). One thing that made in appearance in WWI was the tank, reaching speeds up to a whopping 4 mph. Today, tanks are reaching speeds anywhere up to about 43 mph (http://www.yourdiscovery.com/greatest_ever/tanks/index.shtml). Though this may not seem like much, keep in mind that that's over 10 times as fast as their ancestor tanks.

(http://www.peachmountain.com/5star/Tanks_Patton_Tanks_M32_tank.aspx)

Next, and probably most popular we look to bombs. We know that by WWII the atom bomb was created. Before the atom bomb, bombs were simply dynamite. Now thanks to the greater understanding of the physical nature of the atom, we have atomic bombs. However just like Einstein, (the creator of the structure and nature of the atomic bomb) my excitement in the atomic bomb is merely out of the wonders of this advancement, not for the deaths of people.

(http://ceoworld.biz/ceo/2009/12/22/top-10-military-technology-achievements-that-changed-the-face-of-war)

Last, we can look at the advancement of the planes used today versus the planes used in WWI.

(http://www.aviation-central.com/1914-1918/aca60.htm)
(http://dummidumbwit.wordpress.com/2010/01/11/northrop-grumman-b-2-spirit/)

The plane on the left is an example of the planes used in WWI. As you can tell, these planes were rather large, and probably noisy due to the propeller on the front end. These planes were mainly used for spying though they did occasionally get involved in fights as with the famous Red Baron. Next we look to the plane on the left. It is know as a stealth bomber, which, as you can guess, was stealthy and bombed places/people/things. We discussed these planes in my AP Physics class and what is neat about them is that their paint is actually undetectable on radar so the enemy would never be able to know where these planes were unless they were to be in the sky following one. They also fly above the clouds so they could not be spotted on land either. Of course this paint and technology was not available to the plane builders of WWI so these planes would go on noticeable.

I find it fascinating that such things can be done. It always amazes me that people think of things like atomic reactions versus dynamite and undetectable paint coating. If these things can be done in less than a century, imagine what we can expect for the future!

Verwundeter Wounded soldier - Autumn 1916- Otto Dix

I chose another Otto Dix painting because of all the paintings I've seen while researching WWI art, his show the most passion and true essence of the horrors of WWI. As we already know from class, trench warfare was a big part of fighting in WWI. Many people died and suffered in the trenches and it was an all around gruesome experience. I felt that this picture best displayed the idea of trench warfare. If someone who knows nothing about trench warfare were to see this picture, they would immediately know just how horrible this experience would be. Just by the expression of the person' s face we can tell that he is miserable. His skinny body shows that he was starved and we could also guess dying. This becomes even more sad because most (if not all) cultures have some sort of proper burial rituals for their dead loved ones, whereas, this person in left to die here in the dirt and mud. I find it interesting that Dix chose to do this painting in black and white when so many of his other paintings are full of color. I believe he chose to do this to express the dismal feeling and accentuate the feeling of death. Though we may never know what it really feels like to be suffering in a war like this, we can feel the emotions these people must have felt through artwork like that of Otto Dix.

(http://cs.nga.gov.au/Detail.cfm?IRN=128588)

Masques à gaz (Gas Masks)-Henri de Groux

I felt it fitting to blog on the gassing because not only was it used in WWI but we see it again in WWII with the idea of gas chambers to kill people in the Holocaust. This idea gives us a small taste of the real impact of WWI on the world, because as we know, WWI left a legacy that changed the world. Also, the "ending" of WWI was built only on quicksand.
Every time we talk about being killed by gas or I see a picture like this, I get chills thinking about how it must feel to die this way. Not only did it cut off your oxygen supply, but often times it burned your skin, eyes, and/or esophagus or trachea. I couldn't imagine even the thought of death let alone a painful, suffering as you're dying. Though most of us just brush of thinking of dying in such a manor, the harsh reality is that it happened. Not just to one person, but probably millions over the course of the two world wars. To know that these painful, gruesome devices can survive between two world wars leaves me worried because it could very well be used today if another Holocaust were to break out. The sad truth about being gassed is that none of us could see it coming either since it can go unseen and sometimes undetected through smell either. At the time it may have seemed like these new scientific and technological advances were a good idea but they have left massive scars on the Earth's population.
When I stumbled upon this picture I also found a summary/criticism that came with it and it pointed out that the people in this painting were portrayed as animalistic. I find it interesting that the people would be viewed this way because in society we see killing each other as barbaric, but in the animal world, killing another of their own kind is merely survival of the fittest. This is also the main idea of Social Darwinism where through survival of the fittest, only the best "breed" will be left standing. With this I thought of Adolph Hitler and his idea of erasing the earth of those that were not perfect to leave only the best "breed" of people standing. This is a "good call" by Henri de Groux (the artist of this painting) in my eyes because if he had intended for the people in this picture to be animalistic, then he was very successful at seeing into the true animal nature of humans, thus leaving us with something to ponder with about ourselves....

(http://www.art-ww1.com/gb/texte/020text.html)

Otto Dix, Lichtsignale (The Flare), 1917

In order to get a feel for paintings of WWI i decided to search and browse random paintings of that time. I noticed a lot of artwork from Otto Dix, but I was drawn to this painting. At first glance, it jumps out as a violent and graphic image. Though it is simpler in terms of detail, I thought it resembled the horrors of the war the best through its color. In general, red resembles things like death and evil which is fitting for this situation since there is obviously death in a war. Most people would argue that war is definitely an evil thing since we become barbaric creatures by killing and fighting. Also, wrath is one of the seven deadly sins. Next I thought about the greens and yellows and how those tend to resemble nature and calmness. It adds a contrast to the red while also possibly explaining a little bit about the artist. Dix chose to use these colors on the the images of the people who seem to be in horror or dying. Though one may think that that should be painted red, I choose to see it as a new beginning for those dying people. While the reds are flaring in the background, they are green and yellow showing the decay of their bodies into nature as well as their souls heading toward a more peaceful realm- possibly heaven. Since the people were drawn in white, one can assume that they were just innocent citizens. White often resembles purity innocence and blankness. These people have done nothing wrong and are just victims in this situation. Now with this war, they become blank/ nothing. Last, I thought of how this painting was done in a chaotic manor which can tell a couple things. First it shows the intensity of the violence of war. Next, it shows the carelessness of fighting through the carelessness of order in the painting. Last, it displays violence in the way the painting seems to be just thrown into one and chaotically put together.

(http://www.art-ww1.com/gb/texte/091text.html)

Treaty of Versailles

I couldn't help but find the Treaty of Versailles somewhat humerus in that this big world war was all solved through meetings in a childish manor. To me, all the powers of the world decided to meet in one spot and exclude Germany because Germany was mean. Even though Germany had not really started the war, the whole war was Germany's fault so she couldn't be invited to the party. On top of that, the other countries decided to make her pay for all that she "caused." They made her feel guilty, took some of her land, and restricted her army. Meanwhile, at this meeting, only the cool kids (France, Great Britain, and the United States) could control what went on. Even though the other "loser" countries, who helped with the war effort, (Italy and Japan) got to say what they wanted, they really had no input into this treaty and what they could gain from it. This got me to thinking that in reality, our world is in control, as a whole, by the most powerful countries of the time being. The most powerful countries are the "popular kids" and as long as they stay that way, they will have control and influence over the world. Also, it makes me sad to think that serious events like wars and treaties can be compared to the simple minds of stereotypical high school students.

3/25 Class Discussion- Trench Warfare

Usually in history classes we brush over the main events and battles, but today, while talking about trench warfare, reality set in for me. When I think of war i think of who fought who and who won. Even though we discuss casualties, I do not think about the actuality of the violence that goes on. Since we've been studying history since we were kids, it has always come off to me as some sort of sports match. However, today while we talked about and looked at images of trench warfare, it actually hit me how extreme and ugly these battles and wars are. I began to think about how it would feel to live in the trenches for a week, let alone a few years. People literally lived in dirt and mud while bullets and bombs would be going off outside their "window." If you weren't killed by a bullet or gas, you could be killed by infection or illness. All the while your family is back home and all you have is your dirt covered bed and maybe some water. It was at this point I realized that we talk about war all the time but we hardly realize the extremity of every persons situation. We constantly talk about people's war tactics but we never think to put ourselves in a soldiers shoes and imagine what it would be like to spend 4 years of your life in war.
I was also talking with a friend about comparing the "shot heard around the world" with the "shot that reverberated Europe" and one thing we talked about was the length of the wars they caused. We discovered that WWI lasted about 4 years and the American Revolution Lasted 8 years and my first response was "wow the American Revolution lasted 8 years!" At that my friend said, "Yeah WWI ONLY lasted 4 years." At that moment I had another reality check. In comparison to the American Revolution, WWI was only 4 years but in reality, 4 years is a long time. In 4 years I've managed to start high school, take numerous tests, play numerous soccer games, visit colleges, get accepted to college, get a job, quit a job, and map out the rest of my life. During the time it took me to do that, a war could have been going on and in that war, millions of people could have died, and students would not have had the opportunity to accomplish what I have accomplished. Even though it seems like "only 4 years," imagine putting your life on pause for 4 years. Imagine looking out your window for 4 years and all people are talking and working for is war. 4 years of life could turn into 4 years of total war. It is these realizations that make me thankful for the life I have where I can just sit in my AP European History class and learn a thing or two while earning my 1.0 credit toward advancing my studies to a higher education that I am able to achieve while I am not lying in a trench.