Swing Kids

Movie Reflection Questions

Swing Kids

1.       What is an important message/moral in the movie and how did the director illustrate that message/moral?

The important message in the movie is to never lose sight of your own personal morals, if you feel something is not right with what's happening around you then you shouldn’t let that feeling go. You should stand up for what you believe is right. The director illustrates this in the movie because Peter, despite losing friends due to death or betrayal, sticks to what he believes is correct. He remains a swing kid through and through.

2.       What did you learn from this movie about WWII that you never knew about and was never discussed in class?

I had never known that the Nazi Youth were trained and brainwashed so well that they even spied on their own families and/or people close to them.

3.       Which character did you most associate with and what about his or her actions make you think you would behave similarly?

I think that I mostly identify with Peter out of all the characters. When it comes to his friends, he’s very outspoken and not afraid to do what he wants to do whether or not it goes against what they want to do. And when it comes to his family, he’s fiercely protective of them and his little brother and my family and my little sister mean the world to me. I would say that I’m not personally as outspoken as he is, it depends what company I’m in, but I protect my own morals and don’t listen to ignorant opinions so that my morals don’t get warped.

4.       Which scene did you find the most moving or inspiring and WHY?

The scene I found most inspiring was when Arvid refused to play for the German soldiers and told everyone that just because they’re not a part of the Nazis themselves, doesn’t mean they're not still a part of the problem. I found that the most inspiring moment because he gave everyone a moment of realization, that just because they’re able to turn a blind eye  to what’s going on doesn’t make them any less of the whole.

5.       Identify two themes that are illustrated in this movie and what scenes or situations illustrate those themes.

One theme is individualism, shown in the whole Swing Kids group themselves. They're rebels, going against the norm and not conforming to what people expect them to be. Another theme is avoiding conformity, which is shown in a couple situations. One being when Arvid refused to play for the soldiers, and another with Peter at the very end being hauled away in the truck with the rest of the Swing Kids.

6.       Create a short, realistic alternate ending of the film that would change the whole message of the movie.

An alternate ending, one that could have easily happened if Peter hadn’t used his burning passion to break away from the Nazi’s. is one where Peter actually becomes a German soldier. If this had happened instead, then the whole message of the movie would have been changed. The message would have ended up being how oppression takes away one's individuality, and makes them part of a whole.

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas

Movie Reflection Questions

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas

1. What is an important message/moral in the movie and how did the director illustrate that message/moral?

The most important message in this movie was that we’re all the same where it really counts. The director explains this perfectly in the movie by using the two boys as the heart of the story. They’re two young kids on opposing sides of the battle, and it shows that on the inside, they’re still the same. The fact that they even make a relationship between the two of them shows just how strong their friendship was, and that even though Bruno was taught all the horrid things that were untrue about Jews, he still managed to look past that and see Shmuel for what he was.

2. What did you learn from this movie about WWII that you never knew about and was never discussed in class?

I learned that there were videos portraying what the concentration camps were like, but those videos were warped and very untrue. They were nothing like the actual concentration camps, and videos like that were shown to many Germans.

3. Which character did you most associate with and what about his or her actions make you think you would behave similarly?

I think I would mostly associate with the housekeeper Maria, because she seems to stay out of everyones business and stick to her task at hand. She’s also extremely kind to Bruno, and is always offering to help him with whatever he’s doing. Which I know is her job mostly, but she also seems to have a soft side for Bruno as well. I know I have a soft side for younger children usually.

4. Which scene did you find the most moving or inspiring and WHY?

The scene I found most inspiring was when Bruno meets up with Shmuel and begins to change into the striped pajamas. That scene really shows how powerful their friendship was, and Bruno didn't realize it but  he was literally giving everything up, his life included, when he crossed over.

5. Identify two themes that are illustrated in this movie and what scenes or situations illustrate those

One theme is the innocence of childhood. This is clearly demonstrated when Bruno doesn’t realize that his father is a part of all the horrible things that happen to Shmuel, and Shmuel doesn’t realize the severity of the situation he’s in because he doesn’t know where his father is even though it’s clear that he's being sent off to a gas chamber. Another theme explored is the idea of “us” vs “them”, shown in the whole Jews vs the Germans. This is clear when you see that children are being taught to hate the Jews and to think that they’re monsters and deserve to die.

6. Create a short, realistic alternate ending of the film that would change the whole message of the movie.

An alternate ending I can think of is if instead of Bruno going over to Shmuel's side, its vice versa. Shmuel goes over to Brunos side and it cuts off with them walking away into the woods. With an ending like that, where they both live happily would change the whole message. The message would instead be something like, “friendship overcomes all boundaries”.

Saving Private Ryan

Movie Reflection Questions

1.       What is an important message/moral in the movie and how did the director illustrate that message/moral?

I think an important message in this movie is that ordinary men choose to become soldiers when the time comes and their country needs them. The director illustrates this perfectly by giving the backgrounds of some of the characters, showing that yes they're all normal men who had normal lives before they had to be pulled into this bloody and violent war. I think the director shows us that ordinary men become heroes on the battlefield.

2.       What did you learn from this movie about WWII that you never knew about and was never discussed in class?

I learned what FUBAR meant. I’ve never even heard of that being used as a military term until this movie.

3.       Which character did you most associate with and what about his or her actions make you think you would behave similarly?

I think out of all the characters, I mostly relate to Upham. I think its because sometimes my compassion for others gets in the way of my judgement. Just like when Upham begged Miller not to kill the German soldier, only to see him later in the movie on the opposing side after he specifically told the German to surrender to the next Allied Unit he came in contact with. Upham shouldn’t have had sympathy for the German, because he was the face of the enemy, but he did. I think that personally me and Upham are a lot alike, because we let our hearts get in the way of our brains. Also, Upham can be very naive, which I admit I can be too sometimes. Me and Upham both have big hearts.

4.       Which scene did you find the most moving or inspiring and WHY?

The scene that inspired me the most was when the German soldier came and killed Mellish but not Upham. I think the reason this inspired me was because right there, I realized that German soldiers were just that, soldiers. They weren’t monsters, really, although they did seem to be portrayed as that. They were just soldiers fighting for their country because they had to. When the soldier sees Upham sobbing and he sees that Upham takes his hand off his rifle, he realizes hes not a threat, so he leaves. He didn’t just kill him in cold blood. It gave me a different perspective on the movie. Not in a “what the German soldiers did was justified” kind of way, but rather a “the soldiers are just doing what they're being ordered to do” kind of way. It even makes me think back to the beginning when the American soldiers shot the Germans who surrendered and laughed about it, and it made me feel different about it than I had before.

5.       Identify two themes that are illustrated in this movie and what scenes or situations illustrate those themes.

One theme that is shown in this is second chances. If someone has a second chance to makes something right, to even the score, then that chance should be taken. This is shown when Upham chooses to kill the German soldier after he killed Miller. Killing the soldier was the right thing to do, and Upham got the chance to honor Miller by doing so. Another theme is morality. A soldier does not have the ability to make moral choices for themselves usually when they become part of the war, because when one becomes part of an army, orders must be followed and morals must be pushed to the side in order to hopefully create a more humane world. When being a soldier, you have to kill men who individually did not deserve to die.

6.       Create a short, realistic alternate ending of the film that would change the whole message of the movie.

A realistic ending of the movie would be if Miller had been shot, but not killed. If he hadn’t died, the whole theme of the movie would have been different. It would have been a much happier ending, especially if Private Ryan's eyes in the beginning turned out to be Millers instead and he ended up alive.