The Message Of Babi Yar Essays - The Holocaust In Ukraine

The Message Of Babi Yar Essays - The Holocaust In Ukraine The Message of Babi Yar There are very few people in the world who are willing to go against the popular trends and do what they feel in their hearts is correct. But Yevgeny Yevtushenko is one of those people. In his poem Babi Yar, he tells the story of the modern persecution of the Jews, focusing on atrocities like those of the massacre at Babi Yar and the pogroms at Beilostok, and also the general anti-Semitism that killed men like Dreyfus and pervades the entire Russian people. The poem uses many literary devices, such as graphic imagery and contrasts, while painting a very clear picture of the scenes of pure horror. Babi Yar is written in many different voices, all of which, however, have the same message. The author starts off with his own perspective, then goes on and describes certain people in modern Jewish history whose lives will forever be remembered as symbols of the time. At the end of the poem the author comes back and speaks in his own voice, yet this time he delivers a message to his people about how they have committed a large number of these crimes against the Jews, yet think that such actions are pure and good for Russia. By switching from the voices of those who were so afflicted by the persecution to a voice of accusation, the author effectively points out how foolish the arguments of the Russians are when they try to point out any validity in killing millions of Jews. The poem starts out with a description of the ravine at Babi Yar. However, all it says is that there is nothing to describe. It calls the steep ravine, which is the grave sight of one hundred thousand people, the only memorial that is there. This frightens the author, because the massiveness of the tragedy deserves at least some recognition. Then Yevtushenko realizes that fear is a part of Judaism, something that is as old as them, and therefore originating with them. He says that he too must be a Jew for he is afraid of what his people and his society have become. Many years ago, in the "ancient days," it would not be such a shock to see the Jews enslaved in Egypt or crucified as a means of torture and death, but even in modern times the same things are going on-he still has the marks from where the nails pierced him. The author has used classical examples of Jewish persecution which every one knows is gone in the physical sense, but show how they still exist in the theoretical aspect, as the persecution is still occurring. In the next three ezzas, the poem takes the ezdpoint of three figures whose stories are pertinent examples of what Yevtushenko is trying to rely in this poem. First the voice of Dreyfus is used, and the ezza describes how horribly and unfairly he was treated, and how the country and its leaders turned their backs on him. There are two important literary devices used in this section. First the author puts the word "pettiness" on a line by itself. This is used as a declaration of what the author feels anti-Semitism is based on. It is because of pettiness that Dreyfus was accused and further because of pettiness that he was not pardoned when it was proven that he had not committed any crime. The next important device is the description of ladies with their umbrellas. This is an image to the wealthy aristocracy of France, who not only turned their backs on Dreyfus and did not help him, but also increased the effort to have him punished unnecessarily. The next Jewish figure whom the author singles out is a boy from the town of Bielostok, where one of the most horrible pogroms ever took place. The entire ezza focuses on the image of how bad the people were who participated in the pogrom. Using graphic images of blood spurting all around and of victims pointlessly begging for mercy, the author clearly shows how wrong the pogroms were and wrong his countrymen were for allowing them to occur. A device the author uses in this ezza is contrast, as in

How to Use a Geoboard in Math

How to Use a Geoboard in Math A geoboard is a math manipulative used to support early geometric, measurement, and numeracy concepts. A geoboard is a square board with pegs to which students attach rubber bands. If geoboards arent handy, you can also use dot paper, although it doesnt make learning quite as enjoyable for the students. Geo-boards come in 5 by 5 pin arrays and in 10 by 10 pin arrays. Initially, a conversation needs to occur about the appropriate use of rubber bands when using geoboards. Those students who cant use rubber bands appropriately will use the dot paper instead. Once this is known, students tend to make good use of the geoboard rubber bands. Here are some questions for the 5th grade that has students representing figures while also developing concepts about measurement, specifically area. In order to determine if students have understanding, have them hold up their geo-boards each time theyve completed the question. 15 Questions for the Geo-board 1. Show a triangle that has an area of one square unit. 2. Show a triangle with an area of 3 square units. 3. Show a triangle with an area of 5 square units. 4. Show an equilateral triangle. 5. Show an isosceles triangle. 6. Show a scalene triangle. 7. Show a right triangle with an area of more than 2 square units. 8. Show 2 triangles that have the same shape but that are different sizes. What is the area of each? 9. Show a rectangle with a perimeter of 10 units. 10. Show the smallest square on your geoboard. 11. What is the largest square you can make on your geoboard? 12. Show a square with 5 square units. 13. Show a square with 10 square units. 14. Make a rectangle with an area of 6 and state what the perimeter is. 15. Make a hexagon and determine the perimeter. These questions can be modified to meet learners at various grades. When introducing the geoboard, begin with an exploring type of activity. As the comfort level increases when working with geoboards, it is useful to have students begin transferring their figures/shapes to dot paper. To extend some of the questions above, you can also include concepts like which figures are congruent, which figures have 1 or more lines of symmetry. Questions like this should be followed up with, How do you know? which requires students to explain their thinking. The geoboard is just one of many math manipulatives that can be used in math to support understanding of a concept. Math manipulatives help teach concepts in a concrete method which is preferred before attempting the symbolic format.