I really don't know what we did in class this week...

Journal 3-6

I really don't know what we did in class this week...

I. In last week's journal I said that I wanted to do a comparison between the Rwandan Genocide and the Holocaust. After doing some research, this is what I found out:

Rwanda:
-method of killing was guns and machetes
-length of time was roughly 100 days 
-ethnic group that was killed was the Tutsis
-there were peacekeepers involved in Rwanda
Holocaust:
-method of killing was sophisticated gas chambers
-length of time was roughly 3 to 4 years
-number killed was around 6 million
-no peacekeeping involved in Germany

source: Differences Between Rwandan Genocide & Holocaust? - Yahoo! Answers. (n.d.). Yahoo! Answers - Home. Retrieved March 13, 2011, from http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20081027145600AAzdaLy


II. This week we only had four complete days of class, in which I don't completely remember what we did. I do know that we finished watching the film called "Ghosts of Rwanda" and wrote a reflection paper on it. I wrote my reflection paper from the viewpoint of the Red Cross. I said basically that they are sympathetic toward the whole incident and they wish they could have done more. Also, that unlike most cases, the Red Cross chose to intervene aside from simply caring physically for the victims. It is typically not in their best interest to take sides in such instances, but they couldn't possibly refrain from doing something about this particular genocide. At the end of the week we began watching another film called "The Tank Man". This deals with the student protests that occurred in Tiananmen Square in 1989. It highlights one particular civilian who stood in front of a tank and told them to get out of his country.

pictures that changed the world - Photos. (n.d.). Photos - A new interesting or beautiful photo every day. Retrieved March 13, 2011, from http://www.photosfan.com/pictures-that-changed-the-world/

My personal opinion of the Rwandan genocide is also very symnpathetic. As a girl, I tend to look past any political, cultural, and social standpoints and just be upset about the violence. I really can't stand to look at the pictures and hear about all the brutal things that happened. I appreciate the work of the peacekeepers and the Red Cross. They worked hard to save lives and succeeded to a certain extent. I think those organizations exemplified heroism throughout the duration of the genocide. As for the tank man that we've started researching, i'm interested in the story. That man also engages in heroic action when he jumps in front of a tank that could literally run him over. I'm looking forward to finding out more regarding the student protests and the tank man's motives.

For some reason, when I heard the story of the tank man I made a connestion to Rosa Parks. I'm not completely sure why, but both individuals made bold moves to make a point. The tank man and Rosa Parks were both just ordinary citizens who took heroic action to put an end to something. For Rosa, she refused to give up her seart on the bus in order to take a stand against segregation. The tank man jumped in front of an army tank to put an end to the military intervention in his country. Both individuals risked their lives because of strong internal feelings. Both of them recieved praise and attention for what they did.

Albin, K., & 1996, i. c. (n.d.). Choby.us « Gather Trends. Choby.us « Gather Trends. Retrieved March 13, 2011, from http://choby.us/

III. For next week's journal I want to know what the outcome was of the tank man incident. What happened after he jumped in front of the tank and then proceeded to hop on top of it and yell at the driver?