Examining the topic of responsibility and guilt for the Holocaust is an important, yet difficult, task. Allowing opportunities to examine the roles of both individuals and nations regarding the issue of trying to prevent what happened to Jews and other groups asks students to examine the boundaries of responsibility and the cost to a society that does not act. Adolescents are often interested and eager to discuss issues of fairness and consequences as they struggle to understand the world outside of themselves. The study of the Holocaust raises many topics that may lead students to question, analyze, and redefine their own beliefs, values, and role in contemporary society.
The third TouchPoint of the year for IS Freshmen requires that you write a creative narrative. In this project, you will continue to work on your high school writing and research abilities. You will select a topic from the list of Contemporary Issues, do research on the issue, and write a narrative story from the point of view of either a victim, a rescuer, a perpetrator, or a bystander. The point of the story is to help someone understand the thought process of your chosen role with your chosen issue.
Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) or “Dreamers”
Police Brutality
Homelessness/Hunger/Poverty
Peer Pressure
Racism
School and Cyber Bullying
Gender Discrimination
Mental Illness
Forced separation of asylum-seeking families
Victim - One who is targeted for persecution or death by another.
Rescuer - One who frees another from confinement, danger, or evil through prompt and vigorous action.
Perpetrator - Someone who does something that is morally wrong or criminal.
Bystander - One who is present at an event or who knows about its occurrence without participating in it.
In order to begin your rough draft, you must talk with your group and decide which role and which event you creating a narrative of. Remember, your story is based off of a real event, but many of the details in your writing will be made up.
Break your story into essential "moments" in the story. These are the main parts of the whole narrative. Remember your story should take place over the course of a maximum of 24 hours. 1-3 hours of story time would probably get you the most detail.
Example: Bystander, Bullying
(Character is walking home)
(Character sees a man getting assaulted in the park)
(Character thinks about what to do)
(Character ends up walking away)
(Character sees a newspaper article the next day about the murder)
(Character feels guilt about not acting, but justifies their inaction)
Think about the character you will be writing. Why do they act the way they do in your event? Use some of the concepts we cover in class.
Victim:
Erosion of Rights
Optimism Bias
Perpetrator:
Dehumanization
Rationalization
Ethnocentrism
In-Group/Out-Group
Radicalization
Bystander:
Bystander Effect
Victim isn't really in trouble
Someone else will help Victim
Victim will be fine
Once you have your basic story outlined and have a good grasp on your character, it is time to think about the structural choices that will create your narrative.
Point of View:
1st person- Show the character's direct point of view
3rd person - Have an outside narrator explain the character's experience
Chronology:
Chronological - The story is told in the order it happens
Achronological - The story jumps around in time
Structure:
Epistolary - Tell the story through a series of letters or documents
In Media Res - Start in the middle of the action (Typically works well with achronological stories)
Framed Narrative - Story starts and ends in a different place than the main conflict
Now that you have your story outlined, understand your character's motivations, and know how you will structure your story it is time to create a rough draft. This doesn't need to be perfect, just get your ideas on paper.