Prey, Target... Victim

"Some people say that what makes a person a victim is they have limited or NO options about how to act." The word victim is a generally broad term as it applies to many different people and circumstances, so this is one of the simplest definitions I've ever heard. I thoroughly agree with the quote as it defines many situations in which there has been a predator and prey. These situations can range from playground bullying to a cold-hearted murder. One of the greatest cases of victimization would be the great amounts of anti-Semitism that occurred in Germany, better known as the Holocaust.

Imagine being a Jew during Germany's dark days, your home destroyed, your places of worship, demolished. Worst of all, seeing your friends and family being taken away, encaged in places so dark you never even imagined there could be something like them. Firstly, you scream at the people to leave, right? Or tell them that they should have left a long time ago, but that wasn't as easy as you would think. Leaving Germany before the Nazis went out of control, was hard. Not only did you have to give up everything you had, but you could only leave if you could pay the restitution. This meant only the rich jews could leave. Furthermore, after plenty of Jews had left the country, there then came the question of where to go. Sadly, a lot of countries closed their gates to outsiders, meaning, they would not let the Jews enter the country. Now the option of leaving has been crossed out, so where did that leave the countless Jews trapped in Germany? You would tell them not to be bystanders, to have them stand up for their rights, but not a single Nazi or storm trooper would even hesitate to kill a Jew that had broken the law. What law? The new law put in by Nazis, curfews and restrictions. Now what do you do? You could get killed for your religion, but what about your family? What are they going to do?

Choices were stripped away from the Jews, the only thing they could was wait to be placed in a concentration camp, constantly living in a fear for their own lives. They had nowhere to go, they had nothing to do. This is what truly made all the Jews involved with the Holocaust, pure victims.

PICTURE: http://us.123rf.com/400wm/400/400/petrol/petrol0804/petrol080400004/2842692-3d-rendering-of-a-group-of-white-men-excluding-a-red-man.jpg

A Picture's Worth A Thousand Words

The picture before me is a simple one. On first sight you just see a man, he stands out as the background behind him is bright yellow. A huge contrast to his black and grey. His skin is a dull white and he has a straggling beard. He is reaching his right hand, which is clutching some money, toward us. There are some orange German words at the bottom of the propaganda, they are emphasized by the man's black travelers cloak. He is carrying a stone tablet, shaped like part of Russia, with the communist sign engraved on it, and also a walking stick.

The propaganda is called Der Ewide Jude, or in English The Eternal/Wandering Jew, is indeed a movie poster. The creator of the movie poster is David Pinsk, and it was made in 1937. This movie was directed by Fritz Hippler, a man working under Joseph Goebbels.The movie was intended for a teenager-and-older audience as it has some violence. German viewers, of course.

The message this propaganda is expressing goes a long the lines of anti-semitism. The term 'wandering', which is in the title, suggests that Jews are not welcome anywhere, they do not belong. The traveler's cloak enhances this meaning. The man's unkempt appearance suggests uncleanliness, lack of hygiene and again, that he is a traveler. The way he reaches his right hand forward implies that he is taunting the audience with how much money he has, and possibly asking for more. In his left hand he is holding a cracked stone tablet with the communist sign engraved on it. This suggests that he supports the communist party and also marks Jews and Communists as a common enemy. Since the stone tablet is shaped like a part of Russia, it also associates Jews with one of Germany's greatest enemies. Looking at The picture before me is a simple one. On first sight you just see a man, he stands out as the background behind him is bright yellow. A huge contrast to his black and grey. His skin is a dull white and he has a straggling beard. He is reaching his right hand toward us. There are some orange German words at the bottom of the propaganda, they are emphasized by the man's black travelers cloak. He is carrying a stone tablet, shaped like part of Russia, with the communist sign engraved on it, and also a walking stick. The propaganda is called Der Ewide Jude, or in English The Eternal/Wandering Jew, is indeed a movie poster. The creator of the movie poster is David Pinsk, and it was made in 1937. This movie was directed by Fritz Hippler, a man working under Joseph Goebbels.The movie was intended for a teenager-and-older audience as it has some violence. German viewers, of course. The message this propaganda is expressing goes a long the lines of anti-semitism. The term 'wandering', which is in the title, suggests that Jews are not welcome anywhere, they do not belong. The traveler's cloak enhances this meaning. The man's unkempt appearance suggests uncleanliness, lack of hygiene and again, that he is a traveler. The way he reaches his right hand forward implies that he is asking for help, his pleading face adds to that factor. In his left hand he is holding a cracked stone tablet with the communist sign engraved on it. This suggests that he supports the communist party and also marks Jews and Communists as a common enemy. Since the stone tablet is shaped like a part of Russia, it also associates Jews with one of Germany's greatest enemies. Looking at this, people would think that Jews have no place in their Germany, that they depend on the Aryans for help and that they are unhygienic beasts. This propaganda is centered around the fact that Jews don't belong in Germany, or anywhere, really. This, of course, is untrue. Jews have been Germany for a such a long time, this makes it seem like they don't have a home. His walking stick suggests that he is not fully able and there is no place for disabled people in the 'New Germany'. Again, yet another lie. The picture expresses a very negative message as, in its simplest form, says that Jews don't belong, are unhygienic, supporters of communism and depend on the true Germans. People would think that Jews have no place in their Germany, that they depend on the Aryans for help and that they are unhygienic beasts.

Der Ewide Jude

No One Ever Said Life Was Fair...

The Treaty Versailles... Some say it was too harsh, others too lenient. So what do I think? Well, I know that in a way, nothing's ever fair. It wasn't fair that the hare lost the race to the turtle, it wasn't fair that the wicked witch had to die for Snowwhite's happily ever after. Still we see these things as right, why? Because past events change how we judge what happens now. So back to my initial question. To show both sides of the arguments, I'm going to portray myself in the 'unfair' opinion and in the 'fair' idea. This is to fully understand all sides and to be able to stand confidently behind my answer.

Unfair Opinion

What did Germany get, or have taken, because of the Treaty of Versailles? Well, a 33 billion dollar forced-to-pay fine for starters (Rule #233). And because that wasn't enough, the victors had to humiliate Germany further by not only downsizing every aspect of their military, which includes the number of total soldiers (Rule #159), the navy and even how much to have of which devices (Rule #181), they have to put foreign soldiers on German land (Rule #428). While we're talking about the rules, Rule #231 clearly states that Germany AND her allies will take full responsibility for what happened. Still, only Germany had to pay. Where is the fairness in that? Now that we're in 2012, look back and think how different the world would be without World War II? This treaty triggered the rise of Adolf Hitler... But that's a whole other story.

Fair Opinion

The total number of deaths in World War I was over 35 million. No amount of money can bring back all those lives, but it can bring back the cities and towns that where so thoroughly affected. This wasn't to spite Germany, this was justice to people who had lost so much. Every rule that included the German military was made so that something like this would be prevented from happening again soon. I know what you're thinking: World War II, but how can the victors possibly take responsibility for that? The hatred towards the Jews was a bomb, waiting to explode. Anyone could have struck the match; it wouldn't have made a difference. To address the claims that Germany was treated unfairly and should have split the blame with its allies, didn't the Germans do the exact same thing? They singled out the Jews and blamed them. In my eyes, justice has been done.

So now to sum up my answer to the questions I've asked; the rabbit and the hare, Snow-White and the Wicked Witch and most importantly, the Treaty of Versailles. No, I don't think these decisions were fair, but that doesn't mean they weren't right. Now you have something to think about for the rest of the day.

- Kamilla 3A :P

A is for Amazing

1. I learn best....

Visual and auditory ways are how I learn best, and mostly when things are in a structured sequence. I can easily adapt to new situations as I try to be flexible, but these are the ways I prefer to learn. I'm lucky that I can process instructions and lessons that are auditory and visual, this way I don't struggle in class. I also learn best by focusing on details. I pick up small things that others might not notice, and when we were trying to make sense of the poem "Icarus" by Christine Hemp, this was very helpful. My strengths are all very helpful when it comes to academic work as I learn best during the present circumstances.

I need to... Language for me is very important when it comes to learning. I like to read things that are written down or hear someone explain something to me. Usually in subjects such as Science and Math, I pick up things quickly and don't need things repeated, again and again. Since I'm still human, I forget things too, so I don't guarantee that I'll remember everything I hear. As I remember explanations from teachers I can help my peers when they need it, so I guess it helps everyone.

The strategies that would help me in my learning...

Music, art, dance and other free form movements would be highly beneficial for me. As my brain is very logic, doing things that don't really make sense to my logic side, is going to help me get my gestalt side more involved. I should also try to look at things from a whole perspective, as I often get so caught up with the details that I forget the 'big picture'. I should really work on reaching the Gestalt side as my dominant hand, foot, eye and ear are all opposite the logic side. My biggest challenge is reaching the Gestalt side when I'm stressed.

I would like my teachers to know this about me...

Though I might seem forgetful and a bit all over the place, I always get my work done and give my best effort. I know I often forget my books, and sometimes my folder, in the classroom but I find away to finish my Homework, one way or the other. As I said I always put my best effort through so I never regret anything when it comes to tests and assignments, I try my best and that's just who I am.

So now you learnt a bit more about me :)

- Kamilla

I remember...

A famous poet, Taylor Malli, visited our school. He was not only a poet, he was an entertainer. He had a talk with my class in which we shared some of our earliest memories; here are mine:

I remember....

...standing at the top of the wooden staircase at my old house and seeing my dad below, he was talking on the phone. Me, age 4, thinking my dad was superman, jumped expecting him to catch me. I don’t remember hitting the ground, just falling, but apparently my dad didn’t catch me, thanks dad!

...my 6th birthday party; suddenly the lights went out, no one was scared: they all thought it was cool, haunted house... YAY! But when the lights came on, one girl was crying in my older sister’s boyfriend’s lap....

…playing hide and seek with my cousins, hiding in the garage on Christmas Eve and accidentally seeing my cousin dress up as Santa, not a fun Christmas.

...one Christmas when a big bunch of my family were having porridge. There’s this Norwegian tradition were you drop and almond into the pot of porridge before serving it to everyone; the person who gets the almond wins a marzipan pig. Well one time everyone somehow got an almond in their porridge, well everyone but me. Well I started crying and after all that yelling and screaming, turns out I don’t like marzipan. Bummer!

…my family and I were in Cuba for my big sister’s handball tournament. We staying at this resort with a pool and one day everyone was swimming so I thought why not? Well I couldn’t swim and thank god a woman helped me out.

...one time me and my family went to a ski resort, we would go to this ski resort every year at winter break. Well there are two ski lifts the ‘small one’ and the ‘big one’. Well it was me and Kathleen’s first time at ‘big lift’ and it was a terrible day, it was just cold and windy, well I raced down towards my dad seeing him at the bottom, not bothering to break. I was going crazy fast but I still expected my dad to catch me, I flew under his legs but he grabbed me by the arms.

we were on a field trip at my old school, it was 2nd grade. We were hiking up this mountain called Dalsnuten, it was cold and windy and when we got to the top, guess what? It was colder and windier. More than half the class started crying and we had to go down almost immediately.

...sitting at the kitchen table, being bored and suddenly seeing this book. It had emergency numbers on it. I took the phone and dialed in the numbers, like I’d seen my parents do before, and waited for it to answer. A man answered, one of my cousin’s walked in and asked me what I was doing, nothing! I replied quickly and didn’t touch a phone for a while.

...my dad and I in a super market, I didn’t really look at his face, just his pants: they were an ugly shay of brown only my dad would wear. Well after I while I got lost and saw my dad after a while I ran and hugged his leg: it was the farthest I could reach. The man which I was hugging went ‘excuse me’ and then I looked up at his face. It was not my dad. I started crying, no screaming, and held on tighter. Everybody started staring but I didn’t care. Finally my dad came and hugged me. Poor dad, always getting lost.

...it was my mom and dad’s anniversary and my dad had come home from work early so he could make mom a cake. Dad is great at making dinner-like foods, but mom’s best at dessert. Well he burnt the cake, mom came home right then. Mom was really worried about the oven, out of all things, and had completely forgot the anniversary.

K to the A to the M to the I to the L to the L to the A

K-A-M-I-L-L-A

A name is your identity; it’s everything you are, but that doesn't mean you have to love yours. My name is neutral; there’s no feeling behind it. It’s not a special name, not the kind that lingers in your mouth after you say it. It’s not exotic, not the type you struggle to pronounce but when you finally can, unlocks a whole new perspective of the person who owns it. It’s not long or short, average I guess you could say. My name is a blank slate that thankfully shows nothing of the person who bears it.

My name is from Hungary, which I think is pretty cool. I never knew this as I always thought it was from Norway. Kamilla is a common name there so it didn’t occur to me it came from anywhere else. I’ve also heard it comes from Saudi Arabia, but I guess that person must have been wrong. Kamilla means ‘helper of the priest’. Now, that’s definitely something I didn’t know before I researched it. We’ve done a similar thing in my old school, but then my name meant ‘young girl’. I guess it all depends on the website you’re on. I think it’s interesting how my name means so many different things, and it really makes me wonder what else it could possibly mean; who knows? There’s a world of possibilities out there.

My parents decided to call me Kamilla for two reasons. The first one is it starts with ‘K’. My grandma decided to call all of her sons and daughters a name starting with the letter K; they were: Kamal, Kumar, Krishni, Kanthi and, my mom, Kumudni. Mom decided to do the same things with her children so it became Kristin, Kathleen and Kamilla. The other reason is it’s a name that sounds the same in Norwegian and English. I was actually supposed to be called Karoline, but it sounds different in Norwegian, and my mom didn’t like this new pronunciation. You see this happened with her second name (Maryanne; that’s what everyone calls her). It sounds way different in Norwegian.

I’ve been teased before, but it wasn’t like serious teasing, it was just a joke and at the time I didn’t take it seriously. In Norway Kamilla rhymes with the Norwegian word ‘beetle’. Kamilla, billa. There were only a few people who called me that and as I’ve said, I didn’t take it seriously. It was only some boys who said that and they stopped when I told them to. My friends never called me that so I was fine with it. I had a nick-name though, ‘Milla’. I was actually quite happy because my name also rhymes with the Norwegian word ‘purple’, and it’s always been one of my favourite colors.
So yes, I don’t love my name, but I don’t see myself in any other one. It fits me in some ways, I guess, and it’s just become everything I am. If I’m not Kamilla, then who am I?

ME... Through a Bio Poem

Kamilla
Who is... Humorously Happy:D, Slightly Sensitive, Crazy Kind, Silly Social;)
Who is... the Twin Sister of the sometimes annoying, sometimes nice Kathleen
Who loves... My adorable dogs Ding and Snowy, My awesome big sister Kristin and interesting books
Who feels... Miserable, shocked and gleeful
Who fears.... losing people I love and terrifying heights
Who won... a creative art competition
Who wants to see.... A world with peace, no racism and all the animals
that are endangered, here in the years to come
Who lives in... The noisy town of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Marianayagam