Date assigned
Tuesday, February 26
Assignment
Watch the film "5 Broken Cameras" in class. (If you missed it in class, it's on both Netflix instant watch and Hulu Plus). In at least 1.5 typed pages (2 pages if handwritten) thoughtfully answer the following questions:
1) Imagine yourself as a citizen of Bil'in. Many in the village are protesting the Israeli settlement and security barrier. Would you follow the example of Emad, Adeeb, and Phil, protesting against the fence and filming the Israeli army's violent reactions, putting yourself in danger? Or would you follow the advice of Emad's wife, staying home with your family to protect them and avoid drawing attention to yourself? Explain your answer.
2) When Emad introduces Phil, he says "I think kids like him because they see a lot of hope in him, which is something not easy to find in adults." What sort of adults do the children of the West Bank have to look up to? Is there hope to be seen in any of them other than Phil? When you consider the adults you saw in the film - both Israeli and Palestinian - what do you think West Bank children aspire to be when they grow up?
3) Toward the beginning of the film, Gibreel gives an olive branch (a traditional symbol of peace) to an Israeli soldier. By the end of the film, he is asking Emad why he doesn't kill the soldiers with a knife. Which direction do you see the children of Palestine going in the future? Will they embrace peace or violence? Will they join Fatah and attempt to negotiate with Israel diplomatically? Or will they join Hamas and fire rockets into Israeli cities? Explain your answer.
4) Now that you've seen interactions between Palestinians in the West Bank with Israeli settlers and the Israeli military, do you believe that a one-state solution (link here) is possible? Can Palestinians and Israelis live together side by side in the same country, with equal rights and equal protection under the law? Or is there too much animosity between them?
5) Why do you think the filmmakers focused so much on Gibreel? Why did they frame the movie the way they did - with Gibreel's first 5 years of life side by side with 5 years of Bil'in citizens protesting against Israeli settlements and the security barrier?
6) In Israel, about 50% of the 18-year-olds in the country must serve in the military following high school (3 years for men, 2 years for women). There are ways to avoid it (studying to become a rabbi, having a criminal record, being a pacifist, being a member of a minority group, etc.), but over half of the citizens in the country enter compulsory military service when they graduate from high school. You're currently discussing the Stanford prison experiments about following orders and submitting to authority. When you think about the Israeli soldiers that you saw in "5 Broken Cameras," do you blame them for their actions? Are they responsible for what they're doing? Or are they blameless because they were just following orders? Who do you consider accountable for the actions of the Israeli soldiers portrayed in the film? Explain your answer.
Due date
Tuesday, March 5
Tuesday, February 26
Assignment
Watch the film "5 Broken Cameras" in class. (If you missed it in class, it's on both Netflix instant watch and Hulu Plus). In at least 1.5 typed pages (2 pages if handwritten) thoughtfully answer the following questions:
1) Imagine yourself as a citizen of Bil'in. Many in the village are protesting the Israeli settlement and security barrier. Would you follow the example of Emad, Adeeb, and Phil, protesting against the fence and filming the Israeli army's violent reactions, putting yourself in danger? Or would you follow the advice of Emad's wife, staying home with your family to protect them and avoid drawing attention to yourself? Explain your answer.
2) When Emad introduces Phil, he says "I think kids like him because they see a lot of hope in him, which is something not easy to find in adults." What sort of adults do the children of the West Bank have to look up to? Is there hope to be seen in any of them other than Phil? When you consider the adults you saw in the film - both Israeli and Palestinian - what do you think West Bank children aspire to be when they grow up?
3) Toward the beginning of the film, Gibreel gives an olive branch (a traditional symbol of peace) to an Israeli soldier. By the end of the film, he is asking Emad why he doesn't kill the soldiers with a knife. Which direction do you see the children of Palestine going in the future? Will they embrace peace or violence? Will they join Fatah and attempt to negotiate with Israel diplomatically? Or will they join Hamas and fire rockets into Israeli cities? Explain your answer.
4) Now that you've seen interactions between Palestinians in the West Bank with Israeli settlers and the Israeli military, do you believe that a one-state solution (link here) is possible? Can Palestinians and Israelis live together side by side in the same country, with equal rights and equal protection under the law? Or is there too much animosity between them?
5) Why do you think the filmmakers focused so much on Gibreel? Why did they frame the movie the way they did - with Gibreel's first 5 years of life side by side with 5 years of Bil'in citizens protesting against Israeli settlements and the security barrier?
6) In Israel, about 50% of the 18-year-olds in the country must serve in the military following high school (3 years for men, 2 years for women). There are ways to avoid it (studying to become a rabbi, having a criminal record, being a pacifist, being a member of a minority group, etc.), but over half of the citizens in the country enter compulsory military service when they graduate from high school. You're currently discussing the Stanford prison experiments about following orders and submitting to authority. When you think about the Israeli soldiers that you saw in "5 Broken Cameras," do you blame them for their actions? Are they responsible for what they're doing? Or are they blameless because they were just following orders? Who do you consider accountable for the actions of the Israeli soldiers portrayed in the film? Explain your answer.
Due date
Tuesday, March 5
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