Sped Reflection Assignment Essay

When I first got accepted into Stuyvesant High School, I heard countless of rumors stating: “Oh the workload is terrible”, “The competition is so fierce” or “Out of schoolwork, extracurriculars, or sleep: you can only pick two.” I found it hard to let it faze me, since I graduated from one of the most prestigious middle schools. However, the rumors transformed into reality when I stepped into Mr. Nieves’ Freshman Composition Class. The workload at the beginning of the year was brutal, coupled with assignments from other core classes that seem unaware of the workload of other teachers. Reading assignments were a regular, and there were journal entries and occasional quizzes to keep us in line. What made it bearable was the friends I made in that class; everyone had their own opinion about the topic we were talking about, and listening to other perspectives really broadened my horizon and enriched my learning experience in Stuy. Another thing that this class has taught me is the importance of time management, a skill that I will carry on for the rest of my high school career and life. When I choose to sign up for Mr. Nieves’ AP American Literature class in my Junior Year, I was hoping to relive the discussion-based lesson plans and meet more outstanding peers. I was not disappointed, to say the least, reflecting through all the experiences at the end of the course. The lesson plans he laid out for us were an interesting mix between small lectures and class output, and what I

Disability has been a difficult topic of society for years. Many people find discomfort in the presence of the disabled and many feel pity for those who are disabled. Back in the 1800s, the disabled were perceived as unable to contribute to society, often forced to undergo sterilization, and forced into institutions and asylums (“A Brief History”). In fact, this treatment of the disabled and mentally ill has been persistent until somewhat recently, when the Civil Rights movement took place, and those with disabilities decided to take a stand for their rights. Although people with disabilities continue to face difficulties in finding jobs, legitimizing their opinion, having the right to vote, and choosing whether or not they receive or refuse

Considering how harsh Hitler’s dictatorship was, it is hard not to wonder how and why the population accepted his dictatorship. Hitler brought the population to this point mainly by the use of propaganda, the manipulation and brainwashing of German youth, and, most importantly, the use of terror .

In the book Ordinary Men, Christopher Browning tackles the question of why German citizens engaged in nefarious behavior that led to the deaths of millions of Jewish and other minorities throughout Europe. The question of what drove Germans to commit acts of genocide has been investigated by numerous historians, but unfortunately, no overarching answer for the crimes has yet been decided upon. However, certain theories are more popular than others. Daniel Goldhagen in his book, Hitler’s Willing Executioners, has expounded that the nature of the German culture before the Second World War was deeply embedded in anti-Semitic fervor, which in turn, acted as the catalyst for the events that would unfold into the Holocaust. It is at this

From 1933, the Nazis Party have aimed to create the policy of Volksgemeinschaft, this is a component focused on the heart of the people’s community based on traditional values of the German people. The German society underwent radical changes under the Nazi regime as Hitler introduced various policies that have had a substantial effect on 6 prominent groups: German women, youth, schools and universities and churches, working class and the Jews. The implementation of Hitler’s new policies in the period 1933-1939 can be assessed to have significantly effected and transformed Germany society socially and culturally.

Adolf Hitler was appointed German Chancellor on January 30, 1933. His regime brought citizens no guaranteed basic rights. In 1933, the first Nazi concentration camps were built. The initial camps imprisoned political opponents, Jehovah’s Witnesses, homosexuals, gypsies, and others classified as dangerous. During Hitler’s first six years, German Jews had more than 400 decrees and regulations. The first major law against the Jews was, the “Law for Restoration of the Professional Civil Service” of April 7, 1933. That law made Jews and “politically unreliable” employees excluded from state service. The laws began to go further by, restricting the numbers of Jews in schools and colleges, and taking business away from Jewish doctors and

One thing which remained the same for almost all Germans was the guilt complex of possibly stopping the horrific atrocities committed by the Reich if enough of them had stood up. Already, “Germany’s economy was in a mess when Hitler was elected Chancellor in January 1933” (Trueman). In other words, Hitler had fed off of Germany’s economy which was already collapsing at the seams. Yet the fact remained that they had all been blinded by the scapegoats they were given to what was really happening. Hitler concealed the truth of his tyranny and informed Germany that “the Jews were the reason for the inner poisoning of Germany and that they had stolen the victory from Germany” (Hall). However, the event was also beneficial as “Germany has largely lost its connection to the generation of perpetrators” and anti semitism was condemned where less than twenty years ago it had been predominant among most of Europe (Beste). The Germans had lost two wars now in which they had been led by a single, dictatorial authority figure. This, ultimately, alienated them from authoritarian governments and began to lead them into democracy's

Prior to Nazi rule, life in Germany had been subject to many hardships. The German People had been victim of

Investigate: Whether Germans were particularly obedient to authority figures as this was a common explanation for the Nazi killings in World War II.

Hitler and his cabinet approved the first eugenic law only six months after his taking over of office. This law stated that handicapped people could apply for sterilization, but physicians, doctors, and nurses could also fill out the application (Friedlander 26). The “Sterilization Law” interpreted the significance of decontaminating the German race of all genetic

In the past, having a disability was seen as a physical imperfection. People with disabilities were treated as moral and social subordinates. We were trained that if a person had a disability they were not able to perform a task with the same ability as a normal person. They have been denied jobs for which they are highly qualified because they have been considered incompetent, or because employers were not comfortable with their presence in the workplace. Occasionally people with certain disabilities have been committed to institutions and facilities because people believed they were incapable of making decisions or caring for themselves or because people did not want to interact with them (Blanck, 2004).

Before the twentieth century, social outlooks reflected the views of many that people with disabilities which viewed disabled people as unhealthy, flawed and abnormal. For many years, society as a whole treated disabled people as objects out of fear and pity. The predominant approach was that disabled individuals were incompetent of partaking in and contributing to society and that they must depend on welfare or charitable organizations, (Burtner, 2016). Towards the end of the 1800’s, institutions were built by the state and local organizational agencies to house people with developmental impairments. The institutions were commonly built on the borders of the city. Social attitudes adopted this segregating style of managing. Segregating from society stigmatizes people. (Burtner, 2016).

The Nuremburg laws also removed the status of Jews as a 'bearer of full political rights ', they were also no longer allowed to hold public office.2 There was a multitude oflegislation passed between 1933 and 1938 such as the Law for the Reestablishment of the Professional Civil Service and the Law on the Admission to the Legal Profession that persecuted Jews. Roger Draper argues that 'Jews were the principal targets of large-scale Nazi violence against civilians from the start ', events such as the 'Night of the Broken Glass ' in which Jewish business were vandalized and many Jewish shopkeepers were harmed are evidence ofthis.3 Historian Lucy Dawidowicz argues that Hitler 's premeditation can be traced back to his writings in Mein Kampf that 'openly espoused his program of annihilation ', he argued that if 12000-15000 Jews had been gassed in the First World War then the sacrifice of millions wouldn 't have been in vein.4 Hitler 's meeting with the heads of the Armed Services in 193 7 is also used as an indicator of premeditation as Hitler stressed their duty 'to make secure and preserve the racial community ' hence protection from the Jewish population and he declared that the achievement of autocracy was only possible 'under the strict National Socialist leadership of the State '.5 Hitler 's 'prophecy speech ' in 1939 is also used as fuel by the

In the time leading up to and during Hitler’s reign in Germany, German citizens felt the impacts of the political as well as the economic situation of the country. These conditions in Germany led to the building of the Nazi party and to the Holocaust. The new government headed by Adolf Hitler changed the life of all Germans whether they joined the Nazi party themselves or opposed the ideas of Hitler or aided Jews to fight the persecution they suffered under this government.

In the tumultuous period leading up to World War II, a series of laws were devised in Nazi Germany that subjected the Jewish people to prohibitory and discriminatory forms of treatment. Although the Jewish people only accounted for 503,000 of the 55 million occupants of the country, Adolf Hitler’s dictatorship preached the incorporation of anti-Semitism into law and practice in order to quell the people he considered to be the enemy of the country.