Anne Frank Essay
In English class in the second quarter, we read Anne Frank and we made a project, commercial iMovie, to give people lessons, to not make racial jokes,
and this is the essay that reflects what we did using the Blooms taxonomy and what ESLRs we achieved through the project:
· How are symbols, images, and sounds and other conventions used in visual media?
· What are the ways in which image-makers carefully construct meaning?
· How are techniques used in visual media to influence or appeal to a particular audience?
Symbols are depictions of any groups or even of mere objects that symbolize something important. We used the Swastika and The Star Of David to represent the two different parties present, the Jewish people and the Nazis. We understood that we used these symbols only for the purpose of representing these parties, and in no way offending any race. Images could be symbols, yet they are also pictures of what people and places are or were like. We used a lot of images through this project, as we were working on an iMovie, and trying to depict the lives of many Jewish. The pictures we used consisted of, but were not limited to – Anne Frank, her family, the VanDaans, the Helpers, the Nazis, the Jewish, etc. This iMovie was designed to be a commercial, and these symbols and images were meant to be slightly persuasive, to tell people how Anne Frank lived, and what little they can do to help the world. We felt that sound was the most important aspect of this project. Sound adds a deep emotional touch to this project, and listening to the music while watching the pictures can be extremely touching. We used the song Hurt (Instrumental) by Christina Aguilera, which really matched the theme as it provided crescendos and flat notes in the same song. That’s how lives are. Filled with times of great happiness, and times where people are just low. Image-makers are ones that create images and even put images together. By doing this project, we became image-makers, as we were compiling images, symbols and sounds to make the project perfect. Image-makers use images, symbols, and sounds to design any sort of product they are hoping for so that the viewers understand the essence of that project. The trick that we used was to not use a lot of words through this movie, as people would get bored and not want to watch the movie anymore. Using a lot of images, symbols, and sounds is really going to help us, because then we will be getting peoples’ attention. Meaning is the whole point of the project. A 10 hour long movie will be a complete waste if there is no meaning to it, or if the viewers don’t understand it. That’s why, image-makers use appropriate images that stick to the theme of the project they are working on. Also, if you were designing a movie about people dying, you wouldn’t want Christmas Carols playing in the background. Appropriate sound is very important, as it adds a better feel to the project.
Knowledge: The symbols that we used were the Star of David and the Swastika to represent the Nazis and the Jewish. We also used airplanes in our movie to show what sort of cacophony was going on and how the Jewish longed for the freedom they were only used to looking at. We used the images of Anne Frank and the members of her family, the VanDaans and the helpers, and the place where they had to hide for over two years. Through this project, we used the song Hurt (instrumental) by Christina Aguilera, as we felt it was the most appropriate.
Comprehension: As for symbols, we felt using the Star of David and the Swastika very important, as we had to mention the parties that were involved and how the Holocaust happened. The reason why it happened was because the Nazis went against the Jewish, and putting the symbols on the iMovie displays this. Images represented the life of Anne Frank and the other Jewish around her. It also showed the lives of the Jewish people all over Holland, and the painful things they went through. Images of Hitler show what he put all the Jewish to. The sounds that we used were appropriate, as they went with the images that were immensely painful for viewing. It will make people cry.
Application: These symbols, images and sounds were the best we could use, as we realize that this is what the audience is looking for. Since we know the audience consists of our very own peers, we realize how important or unimportant any symbol, image or sound could be.
Analysis: We felt that the most effective way was image and sound put together. None could have worked without the other. For instance, image without sound would not have been as powerful, as it would have seemed robotic and without emotion. Also, since images consist of symbols, we felt all three put together was most effective.
Synthesis: We created a short commercial, or an iMovie displaying the life of Anne Frank and the other Jewish people around Europe during the World War II.
Evaluation: We felt we all deserve a pat on the back and a round of applause for all the hard work and dedication we have put into this project. Working on the iMovie proved to be more enjoyable as we all like to work with technology. We are all worthy of an A+ for this assignment, as we worked tirelessly.
All through this project, we learnt how to apply most of the ESLR’s in such a way that we get a good result for our final product. This project was designed in such a way that we could understand the real essence of what The Diary of Anne Frank was trying to convey while enjoying at the same time.
We feel we were Self-Directed Learners due to the fact that we demonstrated competency in goal setting, time management, and organizational skills. Being self-directed in this case means to do your part while contributing to other group members at the same time. All these were key skills to perfect while working on this project. During class time, we drew a storyboard, and decided who would do what in a certain period of time. All this was setting goals, in the sense that these goals provided us with a clear path ahead. We asked each other once in a while, “What do you think would have happened if we would have not designed a storyboard? Would this have been possible at all?” Our time management was quite strong, as, if we would have not managed our time wisely, we would have ended up having to do this project on the very day before it was due. We managed to have this project all refined and perfect by Friday night, leaving us the whole of the weekend to make any sort of changes we need to. We feel that our organizational skills were very strong, as we all remembered to bring in our music and pictures, and none of us ever forgot to do our fair share of work. We could never imagine what it would be like to have to rush the work and make only one or two people do it. All of us contributed to this project, and it has paid off very well.
Being a Self-Directed Learner is not just doing what you have to do, but maintaining it, and making sure it is perfect till the end. We therefore monitored, adjusted, and documented work in progress. While working in the computer lab during English one day, we each had a computer, and instead of wasting time crowded around one computer, we did different tasks that would enable us to come together with the final product in no time. Fredrik worked on the main iMovie – looking through good effects and transitions and seeing if the titles were appropriate. Sai was working on the present essay and reading through the rubrics to see to it that the group meets high standards, while Sarah was on the Internet looking for pictures that would go well in the iMovie. We all had to make sure we were monitoring what, not only we ourselves were doing, but also what the others were doing to make sure that everyone was on the right track. This is quite similar to what we did with the other group projects we might have had in the past, but I feel that this time, we have really outdone ourselves by collaborating so well. We give ourselves an Excellent when it comes to grading the whole team put together on the usage of the “Self-Directed Learner” ESLR.
An Academic Achiever is someone who not only makes sure that the end result is perfect, but also maintains high standards all through the work process. We were all continually assessing, evaluating, and adjusting work to do what was mentioned above. This connects to the Self-Directed Learner ESLR, where it was necessary to monitor, adjust and document work in progress. We were all assessing and evaluating the project, as we knew that the best results could be achieved only by honestly grading the work that we have done to see if it satisfies the necessary requirements. There was a certain way we assessed, evaluated and documented the work in progress. After we finished our first “draft” of the iMovie, one of us would edit it, and see what he/she can do to make it better. Then, it would go on to the next person. After completing about two or three rotations, we all came together to make any final changes to the draft we had. This method proved to be extremely effective and really connected to the Self-Directed Learner ESLR.
The one very obvious bullet point we hit was the “Demonstrate the ability to work both independently and collaboratively.” We were all superb in displaying this ESLR, as we all did our fair share of the work; at the same time contributing to the overall completion of the project. Yet, at a certain point of time, Sarah brought up a good question stating, “What if we each would not have done what we were supposed to do?” This was a good question to ponder, as we all thought of some things that could have happened – we could have piled all the work on one person, or not have been able to finish the whole project at all. Thinking about those consequences made us feel proud of the work that we have done, and the way that we have organized ourselves. We rate ourselves a Good on being Academic Achievers.
Critically thinking takes not only a sharp mind, but a well-focussed one too. Through this project, we have learnt to build meaning and understanding using prior knowledge and new information. Doing this has been imperative, as, without the knowledge we have gained through the read of the Diary of Anne Frank, none of the project would have been possible. We designed a brief timeline to remind us of the journey of the Franks – from happy, rich Europeans to Jewish that had to now go into hiding. The transformation was too mind-boggling to fathom. The prior knowledge that we had was the information we got from the Diary of Anne Frank, and the new information we got was from researching on the Internet. None of us realized how much more there was to learn about Anne Frank and the Holocaust. We each did a brief read-through of the notes that we took during class discussions so that our memories would be refreshed. Then we started the research, and started entering the world of information about the Holocaust. We all felt that this project was not very similar, yet matched in some ways with the project we did for Lord of the Flies. Both involved reading the book thoroughly and use the information we had. During one of the “work sessions” that we had, Sai brought up a good question, “What would have happened if none of us really understood the book? Would it have affected our understanding, and hence our commercial that we are trying to produce?” All three of us felt that we could have been seriously misled if we did not understand the book correctly, and if not getting a lower grade, we could end up offending some races. We would grade ourselves a Very Good on this ESLR.
Being an Involved Citizen is not only about picking up empty cans and putting it for recycling, it is also about being involved in intellectually enhancing work, such as this project. We categorized being an Involved Citizen into two bullet points, as suitable to this project – demonstrating responsibility in active decision-making, and demonstrating awareness and respect for the rights of others. Although these bullet points are quite similar, both of these have their different expectations that one needs to meet in order to achieve being what that ESLR states. Active decision-making has been vital through this project, as we did not receive the amount of time we hoped for. We were not very strong with this, as we spent quite a bit of time arguing over which song we should use, or which title would work better than the other. That wasted time, as, reflecting now, we all feel we could have been much faster if we would have just made our decisions quickly. But, we feel we were all extremely good at being aware and respectful of the rights of others. None of us were rude and impolite, or belittling anyone for speaking their mind. Instead, we would encourage each other to provide his or her ideas, so that the project could be enhanced even further. Now, we all strongly believe that this project would have been impossible to do without any one person in our group. Comparing one person to the other seems slightly unfair, yet, there were time constraints to working on this project for some people which was another weakness we had. We all feel that we will do our best to try to improve this aspect in future projects or assignments. The one excellent thing we had with our group was that no one would cease to ask questions. And, the others would never fail to answer! Fredrik asked a good question one day, “ What if we wouldn’t have been cooperative and respected each others’ opinions? What if we would have just all been in a bad mood and not really listened to each other?” We all felt that this would have really damaged our project, if not our relations as well. We would all rate ourselves a Good with this ESLR.
When it comes to being an Effective Communicator with this project, we felt we have hit all the bullet points. Effectively communicating is not just talking till people get tired of listening to you; it is about talking in moderation, and listening to what others’ say so you can provide appropriate feedback, which would then help you be an Involved Citizen. We demonstrated our creative talents to convey ideas by actually creating this iMovie. Our definition of creativity is not only being artistic, but moulding our strong areas to suit the necessary requirements. All three of us are good with computers hence we chose the commercial project over the memorial, as the memorial would require us to have to make a model physically. None of us were capable of taking up that task, so choosing the commercial was the best thing to do. The whole point of a commercial is to be able to convey ideas through to any kind of audience. We worked really hard to show the world the brutality of the Holocaust, and what people can do to stop crimes like that from happening. To do all this, we had to listen to each other respectfully, and ask questions to make sure all of us understand. First we understand, then we make the world understand. This is also similar to being an involved citizen, where demonstrating respect for others is a key idea. Whenever any of us were doubtful about anything, we would ask each other so that everyone is on track and knows what they are doing. For instance, Sai did not know what song the group was doing; therefore, she asked Sarah who confirmed to her that they were doing the instrumental version of Hurt by Christina Aguilera. Thus, everyone understood, and whoever was in doubt before also just got it clarified through this short “question and answer session.” And, as clearly noticed, none of this would have been possible if we were not effectively collaborating or working well with others, as being non-cooperative would have got us nowhere. Yet, now we realize that collaborating is not the main thing. Collaborating effectively is important. We could have just been “contributing” ideas, and “listening” to each other without doing so. Collaborating well means putting your heart into what you are doing, and making sure that your work is perfect and improves the quality of the overall presentation. We all feel that we have been doing this extremely well, and that goes without saying! Last but not the least, the biggest and most important bullet point we have achieved is understanding and conveying written, oral, and visual information using appropriate media. This is the most important bullet point, as it thoroughly sums up the point of this project – to use symbols, images and sounds to convey information effectively. Understanding this information is the first and foremost part that people tend to overlook. It would be utterly difficult if any of us was not really paying attention all through those class discussions, or if any of us were not really doing our homework which was reading the Diary of Anne Frank. These “small” things really matter in the long run, and would have affected this project had we not have been the organized and responsible people we are. The one main question we all asked each other was, “What if we chose another project? Would we have worked the same way or would we have been wasting time and distracted?” We believe that this is a question whose answer we can never know until we actually try to do the memorial.
In conclusion, we feel that we have really worked our hearts out in delivering a heartfelt message to the viewers. We feel it is more our responsibility as humans to protect the rest of our kin from this sort of violence. We all hope that this presentation brings tears to the eyes of the viewers, as we sure were crying by the end of this presentation.
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