The Genocide - Non Fiction Critique

EQ: What allows some individuals to take a stand against prejudice and oppression while others choose to participate in it?

Bloodshed leaves scars they never fade and images that are never forgotten. The typical attitude towards such mercilessness and cruelty is that it's morally wrong and efforts should be made to stop such tyranny immediately. But what how is that there are people who are involved in these acts of injustice? It is the mindset that is manipulated by belief, life experiences and cognitive dissonance. In the articles "Taken over by Satan" and "Children of Rwanda's Genocide", they both portray the devastating effects after the genocide and the reasoning behind the mass murdering.

Rwanda was a country that was split into two distinctive ethnic groups, the Hutus and the Tutsis. Tutsis believed that Hutu were low-class and they deserved little respect. As a result, the Hutu militia retaliated by commencing a campaign of terror by exterminating the Tutsi population. In Taken Over by Satan, a first person perspective from a Hutu who participated in the genocide is given to convey the darkness of the Hutus' actions. It was said that it was if they were "taken over by Satan"...

Movie Analysis Summative - District B13

Synopsis:

In France, there is a place where there are no longer any schools or police stations, a place where gangs run the streets, a place called District B13. An armoured truck carrying a missile was intercepted in B13 by a very powerful gang. It was the mission of a cop and a prisoner who was from B13 to find the missile and disarm it with a code. The gang tried selling the missile back to the French government but they refused their demands. The cop and prisoner found the missile but it was odd to the prisoner that the government refused to buy the missile back. He then believed that the code was the code to detonate the missile instead of disarming it and when the timer hit 0, the missile remained intact. The cop and prisoner recovered the missile and brought it back to the government and secretly filmed them as they confronted their actions. The government admitted that the missile was purposely set up in B13 to destroy it since the place was so poor and everything the government said was broadcasted to all of France.

Questions:

The layers of context within this film revolve around the nature of District B13 and the French government's secret operation. The setting is in a ghetto that has been abandoned by the police  and has no schools. The place is poor, chaotic and filthy which creates an atmosphere of fear for the audience. The deeper layers are the government plans for District B13. The intention to blow up such an enormous ghetto installs fear and a sense of betrayal into the audience. We are threatened by the fact that corruption is real and that the government neglected their responsibilities and betrayed the people.

The filmmaker conveys a layer of evil and darkness through rural settings and gang violence. As unkempt and coarse the nature of District B13 is, the hidden agenda of the French government strikes to be even more corrupt, with their plans to destroy District B13.

The idea of the government planning to destroy a district within their own borders is very alarming. This expression of darkness had the most impact on us as a government is meant to manage and protect its people, and not to harm them.

A character represents darkness often by deceiving the other characters that we believe are good. In the case of District B13, the Prime Minister of France was the character of darkness. Through his deceit he was able to make the cop and prisoner believe that they were going to save lives, when it truly was a suicide mission.

Connection:

T-W: The public is often unaware of many activities in our government. Like darkness, corruption is unseen which allows for corruption to grow.

T-T: In the book “The Forbidden City”, the Chinese government killed protestors to hide their conspiracy. They wanted to put the matter out of the view of the public to keep them in the darkness, so their treachery can remain unknown.

T-S: Being under the Canadian government, I'm unaware about our government activities. This leaves me vulnerable of being a victim of corruption.

Relation to another presentation:
I think that District B13 relates to Inception, not plot wise, but the deceit that is commonly present in both movies. The expression of darkness that had the most impact on me was the deception and selfishness in both movies. In District B13, the Prime Minister hid the intention of destroying the ghetto due to his lack of responsibility. His selfishness left thousands of lives at risk, all of whom were his responsibility to protect as the head of government. In Inception, deceit is also a main theme. The main character Cobb required a highly skilled team to assist him on stopping the head of a large corporation. What his team didn't know were the risks involved with going into someone's dreams. Dying in the dream will cause the victim to fall deeper and deeper into their subconscious, never to wake up again. Furthermore, Cobb's wife was showing up in the dreams trying to kill the team to keep Cobb dreaming forever. The risks of performing inception were great, but Cobb's selfishness of wanting to return to his children put his team's lives on the line. Both these characters betrayed the trust of the people around them because of their own greed.

EQ - What does power have to do with fairness and justice?

With power comes responsibility, but corruption neglects responsibility and abuses power. The responsibility that comes along with power is to create a fair and just society for the people in it. These terms are not met in District B13 as the Prime Minister's act of injustice is unfair to the thousands of people living in B13. Instead of solving the problem responsibly as a Prime Minister should do, he decides that setting off a missile can solve the problem.

Term - Power

Definition:
The ability to be able to act and accomplish something

Reasons for Existence:
- to create order
- it is human instinct to be the one in control

Ways to Get it:
- proving your worth
- take over another body of power
- being supported by a large group of people

Ways to Maintain it:
- not get corrupted
- satisfy followers' wants and needs
- showing that you are capable of having power

Ways to Use it:
- controlling others
- leading others

Ways to Lose it:
- becoming corrupt and being overthrown from power
- another body of power takes over
- losing the support of your followers

How it Affects People:
- can cause someone to become corrupt
- causes conflicts between people for power

How it Relates to Other Terms:
- with power you will gain loyal supporters
- you have an ambition to gain power to be in control
- people who use power responsibly show great integrity
- people with power can control humanity

Just Lather, That's All

EQ: How does what I know about the world shape the way we view ourselves?

In the short story "Just Lather, That's All" by Hernando Tellez, the barber comes across a tough decision that he has to make. He has to choose whether or not to kill Captain Torres, the man that is leading the hunt for rebels. The barber was a rebel himself but his identity was kept secret so he could relay information about Torres' actions in the town that they were in. Based on what the way the barber knew about the world greatly influenced the encounter between the two in the barber shop.

During the encounter between the barber and Torres, the barber was under a lot of pressure because he didn't want to reveal his identity as a rebel. He tried to frantically control himself as he gave Torres a shave. The decision the barber had to make wasn't an easy one as one of the first thing Torres talks about is catching 14 rebels that the soldiers caught in the woods. The barber feels uneasy as he is letting down the people in his revolutionary cause if he doesn't kill Torres, but at the same time, the barber knows that murder is a crime and that he cannot simply just end one's life. He simply wants to just be an ordinary barber and work for a living, not to kill. How the barber viewed murder may have very well spared Torres' life as the barber finished his shave and let him walk out the door.

This picture relates to the story "Just Lather, That's All" because in the story, the barber has his identity split into two. One side of him is just an ordinary barber trying to make a living while the other is a secret identity of being a rebel, or a revolutionary to be more precise. The picture also shows a face that is split into two vastly different parts. One the right side of the picture is a normal, ordinary face which represents the barber in the story while the left side, a more dark and secretive face displays the secret identity that the barber is trying to hide.

Brother Dear

I have chosen to reflect upon the identity of Greg, the middle child in the story of "Brother Dear" by Bernice Friesen. In this story, Greg is placed in a situation where he wants to live life as a free individual instead of following the expectations of his father. Greg's perspective is to do what makes you happy inside while his father's perspective is to strive for success. Each perspective challenges the other which causes dispute amongst the family.


Psychology has shown that "the middle kid is always the weird one". Greg has developed a unique identity due to this theory. "He has [grown] his hair long" and "it was a different colour [every time]". Even Greg's father claims that Greg is a "bloody Communist" as Greg thinks his family is too materialistic and is a member of Greenpeace.

Greg is passionate about what he does since that is what makes him happy. He decided to skip his exam to join a protest in Edmonton and fail his course. Greg also decided that he doesn't want to be like his father and strive for success, but instead, to find a career that fits with his personality. Unfortunately, his father who is paying for his tuition and rent is outraged when he hears the news. He argues with Greg saying that he's ruining his future but Greg refuses to comply. Greg stands up for what he believes in and is willing to dedicate his life towards it.