I am done with the Medical Terminology class (our professor let us work ahead if we were able) and received an overall grade of an A.
I also just finished writing 121 (our professor gave us our final essay project before Thanksgiving. It is due Dec. 3 but I was able to get it done early). I received a final grade of an A in the class.
I'm praying for a C in Biology. Currently I am at a 71% and have worked my TAIL off for the C. Getting an F on the first mid term was a set back but thankfully not unrecoverable. I will be super pleased with an overall grade of a C and will move on to microbiology or Anatomy and Physiology in January.
All of that being said, I thought I would share what one of my college level essays looks like. For our final writing essay in WR121, we were asked to write 1200 words on the Holocaust.
For this post, I omitted the referenced sources (by the quotes) but left everything else. The entire essay was double spaced, which is why the first paragraph is double spaced on my blog. For some reason, this post would not let me edit the spacing on the paper, making it all single or all double spaced- so you get to have a mixture of both :)
It seems
impossible to begin an essay like this and not address the emotion within ones
self. A topic like the Holocaust brings
to light a dark and sadistic side in mankind that is unimaginable to
understand. It also brings to light the
anguish and torment innocent victims suffered during this evil time. As the writer, it has been hard and
heartbreaking to read about. The desired
effect of this paper is to represent those directly victimized by the events of
the Holocaust well, respectfully validating their valor as they walked through
devastating grief. The desire is to also
show that even among so much tragedy, all hope was not lost; faith and bravery
were still finding their way, weaving through the stories of victims, going as
far as raising its voice around the world in the aftermath of this tragedy with
a resounding gong that is still heard today.
The beginnings of what would become the greatest mass casualty in
human history began innocently
enough; with the birth of a baby boy. On April
20, 1889, Adolf Hitler was born to an Austrian
Customs Official and his wife. When Adolf was 14 years old,
his father passed away. It was shortly after this that he became rebellious and
determined to find his own way. By 16, Adolf had dropped his scholastic
learning, taking up painting and aimlessness, with the hopes of becoming a
famous artist. During his 18th year, two pivotal events took place; Adolf’s
mother passed away and his attempts to enroll in fine art school were denied.
He dropped into a severe depression and isolated himself from friends and
remaining family. It was also during this time that Adolf developed an
obsession with mass political manipulation, or better known as mass political
control. “He was particularly impressed by the successes of the anti-Semitic,
or anti-Jewish, nationalist Christian-Socialist party of Vienna Mayor Karl
Lueger (1844– 1910). Lueger's party efficiently used propaganda (spreading a
message through literature and the media) and mass organization. Hitler began
to develop the extreme anti-Semitism and racial mythology that were to remain
central to his own "ideology" and that of the Nazi party.”
In 1914, at the age of 25, World War One broke out and Adolf
voluntarily joined the German military where he fought for the next five years,
earning multiple awards for bravery. When the war was over and without any
particular vocational goal, he joined many other veterans and began fighting in
the streets in Germany. Shortly after his escapades of street fighting, he was
able to gain employment as a political officer in Munich (Germany). During this
time, he also began attending meetings at the German Worker’s Party (this would
later develop into what would be known as the Nazi party), a group with deep anti-Semitic
roots. Soon, he was one of their most popular speakers, his enthusiasm and
hatred of Jews creating a sort of contagion among his peers and countrymen. By
1921 he was a leader for the Nazi party with the group he facilitated counting
6000. By 1923 he had 56,000 followers and by 1932 the Nazi party had
approximately 6.5 million followers and the rise of Adolf Hitler was beginning.
World War 1 was devastating to Germany’s economy and difficult on
the country’s morale. By it’s ending, the country was bitter and hard pressed.
Work was difficult to come by and times were desperate and depressed. Hitler’s
propaganda was promising to the feeble minded citizens of Germany. People were
willing to cooperate with his Anti- Semitic tirades in the hopes that he could
bring new good to the country and restore the prestige lost during the war. In
1932, the Nazi party was able to gain a seat in Germany’s political regime. It
would seem only natural that Hitler was delegated to serve. By 1934, the
president was dead and Adolf Hitler was nominated to replace him. The title
president was quickly removed and in its place was ‘Fuhrer’ meaning ‘all
powerful ruler’. With Fuhrer Hitler’s shrewd political persuasions, his
standing in Germany’s political government, and the people’s desperation for
hope, a country full of brainwashed citizens believed that it was the Jewish
race, as a whole, who were responsible for Germany’s downfall. Almost
immediately, Hitler began to condition the country for his plan of ‘final
solution’, which was to place all Jewish men, women, and children in
concentration camps for their extinction. 1934 was the beginning of an 11 year
long reign of terror that would forever change the world, drawing out in vast
array both the bravery of European citizens and the evil sadistic lurking of
the brainwashed soul. The two opposites living side by side as neighbors,
friends, and even family.
If it were on weighted scales, Adolf Hitler’s story would not have
been worth the words above. His beliefs were despicable and his actions
horrifically deplorable. He gets mention only for the fact that it is the
gateway to the real story. A story of hero’s who lived during a time when life
was stacked against them. When, due to their nationality or willingness to help
the Jews, they did not stand a chance to survive. Babies who may never have
taken a breath before loosing their life, men, women, and children who died
during this fateful time, and finally those who lived through the horrible
ordeal to tell their traumatized tale. It is for them that we rise and champion
this piece of history and for them alone. To tell their stories as a corner
stone of reclaimed victory for the life they lived. We will remember and protect
their legacy with vigilance and pride. It is in a spirit of great admiration
that I turn the voice of this Essay over to the Ten Boom family, whom I am
proud to know, even if only by penned history.
Learning love and forgiveness often begins before its action is
required. For some, it’s rooted in the belief that what goes around comes
around, excluding faith and instead embracing the basic fundamentals of ethical
behavior. For others, it’s for faith’s sake, a belief in Jesus Christ as their
Lord and Savior. The later is where the Ten Boom family’s hearts resided. They loved the Lord and had a
strong history of Christian Faith. The Bible is full of stories presenting the
Jews as God’s chosen people and the Ten Booms believed this completely, living
by the principle to love your neighbor as yourself.
Widowed and elderly Casper along with his daughters Corrie and
Bessie Ten Boom ran a small clock repair shop known as the Beje house in
Harleem, Holland. In 1940, six years after Hitler had taken reign in Germany,
Holland, including the town of Harleem, was invaded by the Nazi’s. It took the
Germans five days to have their victory, ensuring that all 140,000 Jews
residing in this Dutch country would fall under Hitler’s Anti-Sematic
leadership. Within
months, the German soldiers created and enforced rules, making the Jews
register followed by marking them with a yellow star that was to be worn on
their clothing. The groundwork was laid and the road to Hitler’s extinction
plan for them had begun. In response to this, and on the basis of their
Christian faith, the Ten Boom’s had a safe room designed into the living space
in their home. A room that from both the interior and exterior of the home was
invisible. It was hidden with perfection behind an upstairs wall so that even
to the trained soldiers eye, it could not be detected. Its contents would be
precious and its location would mean the difference between life and death for
the Jews that would hide behind its wall.
As a family, they had decided they would provide food, shelter, and a
safety for any Jew that came to their door. In doing this, they put their own
lives in danger and risked imprisonment; but again, their belief that God would
have them love others as themselves and reach out to those who were being persecuted
unjustly trumped their need to protect themselves. They trusted God with their
lives and knew that whatever the cost, He would see them through, even if it
meant death. Corrie told her father that she was frightened of becoming a
martyr, being persecuted and dying for her beliefs one day. To this, he
replied, “When you take a train trip from Haarlem
to Amsterdam, when do I give you the money for the ticket? Three weeks before?”
“No, Dad, you give me the money for the ticket just before we get on the train.
“That is right,” her father replied, “and so it is with God’s strength. Our
wise Father in heaven knows when you are going to need things too. Today you do
not need the strength to be a martyr. But as soon as you are called upon for
the honor of facing death for Jesus, He will supply the strength you need—just
in time."
How providential Casper’s words were
to Corrie. On February 28, 1944, four years after the Ten Boom’s had made the
decision to harbor Jews, a Dutch neighbor turned
them in. On this morning, the Ten Boom’s were able to safely hide the six Jews
they were harboring prior to allowing the SS officers into their home. Even
though the officers were not able to find the Jews, there was enough evidence
to arrest Casper, Corrie, and Bessie (the six Jews were rescued three days
later and survived). This was the last time Corrie and Bessie would see Casper
alive. He died shortly after his imprisonment. Corrie and Bessie were both sent
to Ravensbruck concentration camp where they would suffer unimaginable horrors
at the hands of the Nazi’s. During their time at Ravensbruck, Corrie would lead
the women in Bible Study and talk to the women about the Lord. She never lost
sight of her faith and proclaimed it to all who would listen.
Bessie passed away while still at
Ravensbruck, she survived 10 months, going home to heaven on December 16, 1944.
Corrie was released due to a clerical error on December 28, 1944, twelve days
after Bessie died. After her release, Corrie went on to speak around the world
about her life, her faith, and her experience at Ravensbruck. At one point
during a speaking engagement, an SS officer whom had tortured many at
Ravensbruck, including she and Bessie, approached her. He was remorseful for
his actions and had since become a Christian. The officer approached Corrie
seeking forgiveness for the wrongs he had done. In God’s strength, Corrie
openly forgave him- it was not an easy choice for her but the right choice.
800 Jews passed through the Ten Boom’s
doors before their home was shut down. Countless others were impacted by the
Ten Boom’s willingness to share food, advice, and spiritual comfort as they
lived out their faith during such violent times. Upon the end of the Holocaust,
Corrie Ten Boom kept walking in her faith, going on to proclaim hope and
forgiveness all around the globe. She claims that it was Jesus who gave her the
courage to protect the Jews, Jesus who gave her the strength to both have and
share her hope while in the concentration camp, and Jesus who gave her the ability
to forgive her captors and share her story with many thousand people.
Much like the Ten Boom family, Yankel
Wiernik found himself imprisoned in a concentration camp during the Holocaust. Unlike the Ten Boom’s, Mr. Wiernik’s
imprisonment was based on his race. With impeccable detail, Yankel recounts how
his carpentry skills were used by the Nazi’s to help build, among other things,
gas chambers. He tells of Jewish children arriving at the camp with their
mothers. Large fires had been built and the children thrown in, screaming as
they burned alive in front of their parent. He recalls how a pregnant woman was
thrown into the fire, the baby in her womb exploding from inside of her. The guards would watch, finding a sadistic pleasure in
the torture and death of their victims day after day. One explanation for this barbaric and
inhumane attitude in the Nazi soldiers has been directed at the role alcohol
played as a contributing factor to dulling the guard’s senses and perpetuating
such violent behavior. A year after his
imprisonment, Yankel was able to escape, forever haunted by what he saw and
endured.
What are we to make of such tragic
times, times created and inflicted by our fellow man? Unlike natural disasters,
which mankind has no control over, we had control over whether we partook in
the making of the Holocaust. Europe chose to do this to their people!
We know that historically, Europe was
defeated prior to Hitler coming on the scene. We also know that the people of
Europe were both prideful and desperate. Adolf Hitler was a lost and confused
boy who grew into a man looking for a place to take out his anger. He was
gifted in the art of political persuasion, misusing his gift for his own evil
purposes. The European people, in their desperation for recovery both in their
pride and economy, made one of the greatest compromises in human history. They
agreed to follow a mass murder, partaking in his ways with the hopes that they
would appear powerful and part of something historically great. They agreed to
lay down love and take up hate.
Oh how careful we humans must be,
guarding our hearts with Truth and love. Ultimately, it was not Hitler or
alcohol that created the Holocaust, both were simply a catalyst for what was
already brewing. Compromise was made in the hearts of the European people and
as the mass majority, they chose selfishness, hatred, and power over what was
right. It is my belief that this was the root of the Holocaust. They forgot how to love each other.
As Americans, we are a diverse nation with
many different beliefs. Each day, we are
faced with the same decision the Europeans were: will we choose to love or hate
each other in our differences. In our
fierce independence and strong desire to fight for what we believe in, I hope
we choose to fight hardest for love, to love each other in our differences and
stand strong, in unity, as a nation.
