Treaty of Versailles

The Treaty of Versailles: Just or Unjust?

"In the place where, in the glorious year of 1871, the German Empire in all its glory had its origin, today German honor is being carried to its grave. Do not forget it! The German people will, with unceasing labor, press forward to reconquer the place among the nations to which it is entitled. Then will come vengeance for the shame of 1919.”

- German newspaper, Deutsche Zeitung

The Treaty of Versailles was an agreement that was discussed and negotiated for months, and finally signed in Paris, France in 1919 by the Allied Powers and the Germans. Originally, the treaty between the Allied Powers and Germany was to be based on the "Fourteen Points" President Wilson of America brought up, but the French representative Georges Clemenceau, who backed the general French views with one simple belief: that Germany should be brought down so it could no longer do any harm; and English representative David Lloyd George, who supported the British want of revenge in public, but privately thought that Germany shouldn't be treated with such harsh rules.

When the German representatives arrived in Paris, France, they had been expecting to sign the points President Wilson had made. However, they had instead been greeted with a much harsher treaty with no way out. If they backed, the Allied Powers would invade their land.

The treaty included the rules such as the military forces of Germany shall not exceed 100,000 men, and that they would pay and accept responsibility of all damage caused to the Allied Powers, to name a few. In the end, Germany had to pay a total of $33 billion. Out of the 440 clauses mentioned in the treaty, 414 of them dealt with the punishment of Germany.

While they complied to the demands, they swore vengeance, as written by a German newspaper, Deutsche Zeitung:


"In the place where, in the glorious year of 1871, the German Empire in all its glory had its origin, today German honor is being carried to its grave. Do not forget it! The German people will, with unceasing labor, press forward to reconquer the place among the nations to which it is entitled. Then will come vengeance for the shame of 1919.”


Was the Treaty of Versailles just or unjust? While some people might think that the treaty was just, and that the Germans inflicted much harsher rules upon Russia, others disagree. While the Allied Powers and other smaller nations might have wanted justice and compensation for the damage World War I caused, making Germany loose land, pay $33 billion, and become in debt by themselves was not the way to go. Germany and her people took full blame of the war.


The Allied Powers may have started the League of Nations (excluding America, Germany, and USSR), but the Europeans and French wanted what was best for themselves, and not for the world itself. This reflected in the 440 clauses mentioned in the Treaty of Versailles.


The Treaty of Versailles caused many Germans to loose their money and their jobs. The economy of Germany fell, making the life of a German harsh and cruel. The Germans became desperate and angry. Not only had they lost land, but had also lost their dignity and power. They wanted revenge.


Later, Adolf Hitler rose up to power, promising the disgraced and desperate Germans power and wealth. He used the treaty as a starting point, and told the Germans that he would restore national pride and world recognition.


In the eyes of outraged citizens in countries abroad, the Treaty of Versailles may have been fair. Instead, it was much too harsh, and the treaty, instead of solving problems as it had been intended, created more.

Lost German Lands

No Man Is An Island

"No man is an island entire of itself; every man

is a piece of the continent, a part of the main;

if a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe

is the less, as well as if a promontory were, as

well as any manner of thy friends or of thine

own were; any man's death diminishes me,

because I am involved in mankind.

And therefore never send to know for whom

the bell tolls; it tolls for thee."

These words by John Donne from the 1624 Meditation 17, from Devotions Upon Emergent Occasions 

How do these texts explore similar themes?


The three texts, Meditation 17 by John Donne, The Island by Armin Greder, and the other, Mankind Is No Island, by Jason van Gederen, all explore the theme of connection and isolation between people. No one can live on earth without affecting another as told by John Donne and shown by van Gederen, and is shown in The Island by Greder. A stranger appeared on an island, and at first, the villagers took him in, but because of his strangeness, he was isolated away from the villagers, put in a goat pen. But fear slowly grew upon them until, finally, they pushed him back out into the sea. Although the stranger had done absolutely nothing, he affected the villagers in a huge way. In the visual text by van Gederen, it's shown that the homeless are ignored by others because they lived on the streets, and looked ragged. The fortunate people walk past them, and it's like looking at a whole other world, where the poor are isolated from the fortunate, and while it doesn't seem like they affect them, the poor people do because it is a reflection on the people who were lucky.


How do the texts provide insights into prejudice and "otherness"?

The texts provides insights into prejudice and "otherness", especially in The Island, where Greder shows the isolation of one stranger/foreigner, and how since he had arrived different, the villagers had not wanted him on his island nor had they wanted to take him in because judged him before they actually came to knew him. It is also shown in Mankind Is No Island, when we ignore the homeless on the streets because they are poor, and we don't know them. People judge others before they get to actually know them because they are different, they aren't like them.


Why do people make distinctions between "us" and "them"?

I think that people make distinctions between "us" and "them" because they are afraid of what is different and what they do not know or understand. If they meet another person who looks/acts different, they become scared because the person could be dangerous. Another reason is that people make distinctions between "us" and "them" is because they are afraid of people being more powerful, and that if they make an "us", they might be able to overcome the "them".

Nature at Work

Over winter break, Mr. Peavy gave the class a long-term project, which was for us to get out, experience, and record Nature. I decided to do Task B, which was to choose 5 tasks from this site.

Task 1: Start a rock collection

In New Zealand, I collected rocks from various places, which includes sedimentary rocks such as shales and sandstone, and river pebbles.


Task 2: Scientific name of a plant

Lilium Candidum/Madonna Lily

Task 3: Find a streetlight or backyard light and watch for insects who flutter into it


When I saw outside in the night near a streetlight, I noticed that there was a bunch of insects flying around it. Now, this wasn't new, but I never understood why they flew around the light. So, I searched up why.

A favored hypothesis is that the insect's brains are programmed to keep a bright light at a certain angle on its eye. Before humans came along and invented artificial light, the only way to fly by was the moon. And since the moon is 280,000 miles away, the insects were able to fly in a relatively straight line. The system of travel for insects doesn't work nowadays because the artificial lights (streetlights, lamps, light-bulbs, etc) shine in all direction (or a full circle), so the insects end up traveling in an endless circle around the light.

Task 4: Learn to Identify Poison Ivy

Taken by MDC Staff

Poison ivies have three divided leaves, its center leaf is on a longer stalk, and there is white berries along the stem. Sometimes, it appears as a low, upright shrub, while other times, it is a vine that can climb up to sixty feet high.
Poison ivies usually reside in flood plains and upland forests, along roads, railroads, streams and fences.

Task 5: Blossom Arrangement

Foxgloves: The foxglove flower is a corymb because its flowers come out directly from the stem.

Coriander: Coriander flowers have an umbel arrangement, which means that it's flowers come out from the top of the stem into tiny different ones.

Profile JJ

Last year, Mr. Whiting came into the classroom to help us learn our learning profiles. Then, it was Profile JJ. Now, it is still Profile JJ. To figure out my learning profile and confirm whether or not it has changed, we tested our eyes, hands, ears, and feet to determine what our learning profile would be. Even a switch of whether you use your left or right ear can be a big difference. This year, both of my hands reached out to catch whatever was falling, so after thinking a while upon the situation, we decided that my right hand would be dominant.


I think I learn best when there's nothing to distract me from what I'm doing. I sometimes spend hours on my homework when it should only take me from 15-30 minutes. Being alone in the room would also benefit me, because when certain people come into the same room as me, I randomly remember something else I have to do, and whatever I was doing originally gets left alone. On the paper I received, it says that sitting on the right side several rows back will help me learn better because there, I can hear easily.




The strategies that would help me learn better is learning how to prioritize. If I could learn how to do that, my school life and home life would be easier. Another strategy is for me to analyze decisions and go through logical reasoning processes. That might be a challenge for me-I'm the kind of person who doesn't think through everything before doing it. And time management, definitely need to work on that. I do other stuff when I'm only supposed to be concentrating on my homework, so it takes longer.




I would like my teachers to know that I don't like thinking logically, and I don't like it when we have to order/number things. I find it useless and boring to do. I like to write or doodle during class if I have a paper in front of me. If the teacher talks for more than five minutes at a time, I tend to zone out and not pay attention to what the teacher is teaching us. I also get distracted easily during class.

Take A Stand

"He who lends a book is an idiot. He who returns the book is more of an idiot."

- Arabic Proverb

What are the importance of a library? It surely isn't that minor of an importance, but the UK government seems to disagree. Their idea of closing down libraries all around the country brought millions of people in a uproar. Indeed, the budget needed to keep the libraries from closing, and that yes, they do need to make cuts, but destroying the libraries simply isn't the answer. Governments have a duty to care for their citizens, and if they take away all access of knowledge, how is that care?


I believe that libraries are worth standing up for, for they offer people, regardless of race, age, or history, a place to learn, a place to simply read. Not everyone can afford to buy books, and now everyone can afford a computer. If we were to buy books for everything we needed, from learning to enjoyment, the cost would be great. But in libraries, they offer access to both books of all genres and computers with internet access to search up all things. In communities where people don't have computers, they can go to the library for research. 


Books not only supply information, but they make you think, they make you question things that you've never thought about. They take you to places you've never gone before - past, present, future. They open up portals to horror, wonderment, love, hatred, to dragons and knights, from eras past to the present. They are a way of free speech, to be able to talk about whatever they like. Books allow the readers to dream, to escape reality into any world they want. Does the government have the right to take this away? 


Once, Neil Gaiman said "A librarian is the thin red line between barbarism and civilization." Without the access to books, where would we be? Surely not living as educated people, for the gift of language is what made us what we are, and what has took us this far in life. Removing books are just as bad as book burning, for what are we without free speech?

My Five Special Objects

What describes me in five objects? A violin case, swimming trophy,  silver necklace, mermaid key-chain, and my bookshelf.

                                             

The violin case is one of the most important things that describe me. It’s one of those things that if you take it out of my past and current life, it’d leave lots of holes. I started learning the violin when I was five, and had several recitals, and orchestra performances during that time. Sometimes, I absolutely loathed to play the violin, and would have to force myself and play. It was frustrating to try to get every note in tune, and to play it flawlessly like my father or teacher might want me to. However, the violin is a way for me to relieve my stress. Some days, I’d pick up the violin, and just play to my heart’s content. I’d never notice the time pass by, and just keep on playing.

                                            

For me, my swimming trophies hold a lot of memories, starting from first grade summer to fifth grade summer. In those times piled up, a lot of memorable things happened. There were two swimming pools in the neighborhood, but often, we’d just use the pool called “Ellis Creek.” At the Ellis Creek Pool, there was a lake right behind with a river flowing towards another lake. My friends and I would always go to the river before play around before our practice or after.

One day, my friend, Kasey, and I went down to the creek. Every year, there would be some ducklings, with their mother to watch over them. And every year, we would be tempted to try and catch one. The year right before I moved to Malaysia, Kasey and I finally decided to try and touch one. Just seeing a duckling made me want to try and pet it. Let’s get this straight: it was tempting. The river water was clear and cold, and the sun was beating down on us. Even though stepping on the sharp, minuscule stones in the water would hurt, it beat standing on the sun-cooked concrete any day. Kasey and I quietly slipped into the water, approaching the ducks. Lucky for us, one of the ducklings went swimming away, back into the lake, and the momma duck chased after it. In that moment of time, Kasey and I ran towards the ducklings, making loud splashing noises. Not the smartest thing to do, but it worked for us. We managed to catch one, but the momma duck abandoned its chase for her duckling, and came flying towards us. I dropped the duckling on the water, while my friend was being pecked by the momma duck. I couldn’t stop laughing - it was honestly a ridiculous sight: a girl running around, screaming, with a duck flying behind her, pecking continuously. It’s one of those memories where I always smile when I think about it.

Of course, the trophies I got was later on, but in each trophy I’ve gotten each summer, they always contained special memories.

                                             

The silver necklace is one of those really important things to me. It’s one of those “best friends” necklace, broken in half a heart for two people. My friend, Megan, gave it to me. It’s important to me, because it marks our friendship. Admittedly, Megan and I weren’t friends at the beginning. She came around in second grade, and the first impression I got of her would be cocky. The way she acted, talked, walked just simply screamed “arrogant.” Most of my classmates agreed.

I was kind of reckless back in second grade-that was probably the year I got injured or something the most. I once bluntly told her, “You know, not many people in this class likes you.” Afterward, I felt horrible, but surprisingly, she didn’t mind. Megan simply shrugged and said, “I don’t really care.”
During recess one day, the boys and I were playing this game, and near the end of recess, I tripped and fell over a boy’s foot. He was one of my close friends, and he came and asked if I was alright. I told him to go ahead, and tell the guys that I went off to do something else-I was prideful back then, and was reluctant to say that I was winded from falling down. When the whistle blew, signalling the time to go in and eat lunch, everyone rushed past. Everyone but Megan. By then I was crying, because I couldn’t breathe, couldn’t stand up. She was the one that took me to the nurse, and not anyone else. After that, through a series of weeks, we became best friends. From second to fifth, we would always hang out, and even after I moved, she would still chat with me from time to time.

 

I have this mermaid key-chain that’s special to me. It’s made out of yarn, and the length’s about the length of my palm. I got it from my friend right before she left for California. However, a week or two before, we were fighting about something. I don’t remember what, but it seemed really trivial, unimportant. Fortunately, right before she left, we made up, which I’m really grateful for. As a reminder of her, she gave me the mermaid. It’s special to me because before our fight, we were the best of friends, and we also stuck together, like glue. After she moved, I never saw her again. We used to email, but slowly, we stopped, and pretty much lost contact. I hope I can see her again, but if I don’t, at least I have something to remind me of the time we spent together.

I know many people who dislike reading, because they think it’s boring, hard, or something like that. But I, on the other hand, absolutely love reading. For me, reading is a way for me to just have fun with the characters, and forget about reality. I love how authors can just spin some words into a wonderful tale of magic, love, or mystery. My bookshelf holds a variety of genres, and even some math books.

I don’t think there’s much history to the books I have for people to be interested in. But I can definitely say this: They’re worn out, and many of the bindings have broken at some point, which my father fixed it for me. I know some people think rereading books is a waste of time, but to me, I think it’s wonderful to travel to another world again.
The each and every book I have in my bookshelf are books that I’ll treasure forever.


Me in five objects: A violin case, a swimming trophy, a friendship necklace, mermaid key-chain and my bookshelf. All of those objects hold a million of tiny pieces of memories for me, and they're special to me.

What's in a Name?

"What's in a name? That which we call a rose,

By any other name would smell as sweet."

- Romeo & Juliet

Tiffany

Tiffany. It is a bold and elegant name, a name so unlike me. When heard, it paints a picture of a dark, stormy night, when lightning lights up the sky for all to see, glorious and daunting. Yet, it can always create an image of a ribbon flowing elegantly in the wind, dancing lightly. It means Manifestation of God - Divine Manifestation - yet I am neither religious nor special in any way. I’m just a girl on the street you walk past without giving a second thought. A name derived from the Ancient Greek Theophania, it is a name that does not represent me well. Yet, when people call my name, it sounds natural, it sounds like me.

When my name is written, I always thought it looked awkward, how the ‘i’ always looked crushed between the towering ‘T’ and ‘F.’ When someone whose mother language isn’t English says my name, they elongate the ‘I,’ which makes it sound like a ‘ee.’ When that happens, my name no longer sounds bold and elegant, but more like a beautiful note on a violin gone wrong.

When asked what color my name could be, I think of a dark, navy blue color tinged with silver is the color I imagine with my name. It is dark and mysterious, and is not easily spotted in a mass of colors, and mysterious like the gods. Though it may not seem so, the colors represent both my name and me. 

My name doesn’t have much of a history. My parents had simply picked up a name book, and chose between Stephanie, Sabrina, and Tiffany. But out of all those, my father chose Tiffany because of the jewelry Tiffany & Co. “I chose it because it was elegant and beautiful,” he had said. I used to wish I had another name, but when I think of the other names I could have gotten, like Sabrina or Stephanie, I am grateful that I had been chosen the name Tiffany. 

Though I may not be elegant nor bold, beautiful or special, I am still me, and no other name would fit me as perfectly as Tiffany.